Google Ads 2026: Target B2B Execs for Growth

As a marketing leader, your focus is singular: growth. But achieving that growth demands precision, especially when it comes to understanding your audience and delivering truly impactful campaigns. This guide will walk you through setting up a hyper-targeted audience segment in Google Ads Manager for and other growth-focused executives, ensuring your message reaches the decision-makers who matter most. Ready to stop guessing and start converting?

Step 1: Initiating Your Custom Audience Segment

The first step in reaching and other growth-focused executives is to build a bespoke audience. We aren’t just throwing darts here; we’re crafting a laser-guided missile for your message. This isn’t about broad strokes; it’s about surgical precision.

1.1 Navigating to Audience Manager

From your main Google Ads Manager dashboard (as of its 2026 interface), look to the left-hand navigation pane. You’ll see a series of icons and labels. Hover over the icon that looks like a wrench, or simply click on “Tools and Settings.” A dropdown menu will appear. Under the “Shared Library” column, locate and click “Audience Manager.” This is your control center for all things audience-related.

1.2 Creating a New Custom Segment

Once you’re in Audience Manager, you’ll see several tabs: “Segments,” “Data sources,” “Audience insights,” and “Excluded lists.” We want to create something new, so ensure you’re on the “Segments” tab. In the main content area, you’ll spot a prominent blue circular button with a plus sign (+). Click this, and then from the options presented, select “Custom segments.”

Pro Tip: Always name your custom segments clearly. For this exercise, I’d suggest something like “B2B Execs – [Your Product/Service Focus]”. Clarity now saves headaches later when you’re managing dozens of segments. I had a client last year who just named segments “Audience 1,” “Audience 2” – a nightmare to manage when trying to debug performance issues.

Step 2: Defining Your Executive Audience Parameters

Here’s where the magic happens. We’ll tell Google exactly who we’re looking for. This isn’t just about job titles; it’s about intent, behavior, and professional context. For and other growth-focused executives, we need to think beyond the obvious.

2.1 Targeting by Search Terms

1. You’ll be presented with a dialogue box to “Build your custom segment.” First, give your segment a descriptive name. Let’s use “Growth Execs – Digital Marketing Solutions.”

2. Under “What type of people do you want to reach?”, select the option: “People who searched for any of these terms on Google.” This is crucial for capturing intent. In the text box that appears, enter a list of highly relevant search terms, one per line. Think about what a growth-focused executive would actually search for when looking for solutions you provide. Don’t just brainstorm keywords; consider their problem-solving mindset.

   • “digital transformation strategy”
   • “enterprise marketing automation platforms”
   • “scalable customer acquisition models”
   • “B2B growth hacking techniques”
   • “revenue operations software comparison”
   • “CMO challenges 2026”
   • “marketing budget allocation strategies”

   Common Mistake: People often use overly generic terms here. “Marketing” or “business growth” are too broad. We want specific, high-intent queries that indicate a decision-maker’s research phase.

2.2 Targeting by Website Browsing Behavior

1. Next, click “Add another type of people.” This time, select “People who browse types of websites.” This is a powerful signal. We’re telling Google to find people who are actively visiting sites relevant to growth executives.

2. In the text box, enter URLs of websites that and other growth-focused executives would frequent. Think industry publications, competitor sites, and thought leadership platforms. For example:

   • hbr.org (Harvard Business Review)
   • gartner.com/en/marketing (Gartner Marketing insights)
   • forbes.com/business (Forbes Business section)
   • mckinsey.com/business-functions/marketing-and-sales (McKinsey & Company Marketing & Sales)
   • adweek.com (Adweek)
   • techcrunch.com/category/enterprise (TechCrunch Enterprise)

   You can also include direct competitors’ websites if you know growth executives are researching their offerings. For example, if you offer a CRM, include your main competitors’ product pages. This isn’t about stealing traffic directly; it’s about identifying the audience that’s already in the market.

2.3 Targeting by App Usage (Optional but Recommended)

1. For an even tighter net, click “Add another type of people” again and choose “People who use types of apps.” While less direct for executives than web browsing, it can signal professional interest.

2. Consider apps related to business news, productivity suites, or specific industry tools. For instance:

   • Slack (for collaboration)
   • Microsoft Teams (for enterprise communication)
   • LinkedIn (for professional networking)
   • Bloomberg (for financial news)

   This method works best when you have a strong understanding of the specific apps your target executives regularly interact with for work-related purposes. It’s a layer of behavioral data that few advertisers fully exploit.

Step 3: Refining and Excluding to Pinpoint Executives

Building a custom segment isn’t just about who to include; it’s equally about who to exclude. This is where you filter out the noise and hone in on your ideal prospect. Remember, quality over quantity is king when targeting and other growth-focused executives.

3.1 Leveraging Detailed Demographics

While still in the custom segment creation screen, look to the right-hand panel. You’ll see “Audience attributes.” This is where we apply demographic filters. Click on “Demographics.”

1. Age: Growth-focused executives typically aren’t fresh out of college. I generally recommend targeting “35-44,” “45-54,” and “55-64.” While some younger executives exist, focusing on these age brackets significantly increases the likelihood of reaching individuals in decision-making roles with budget authority.

2. Household Income: This is a powerful filter. Click on “Household Income” and uncheck the lower income brackets. I always uncheck “Lower 50%,” “Lower 40%,” and often even “Lower 30%.” We’re looking for individuals with significant purchasing power, and this filter helps tremendously. According to a eMarketer report, high-income households continue to be a prime target for B2B services, with their digital ad spending expected to rise by 12% in 2026.

3. Parental Status: For B2B, this is usually irrelevant. I leave it as “Any.”

3.2 Incorporating Affinity and In-Market Segments

While custom segments are powerful, layering in Google’s pre-defined segments can add another dimension. Below “Demographics,” you’ll see “Affinity segments” and “In-market segments.”

1. Affinity Segments: Click “Affinity segments.” Search for and select interests like “Business Professionals,” “Technophiles,” or “Frequent Business Travelers.” These indicate a professional lifestyle and interest alignment. This is an editorial aside: don’t go overboard here. Too many affinity segments can dilute your custom segment’s precision. Pick 1-2 that are truly spot-on.

2. In-Market Segments: This is even more potent. Click “In-market segments.” Look for segments such as “Business Services,” “Enterprise Software,” “Marketing Services,” or even specific categories like “CRM Software” if that’s relevant to your offering. These segments identify users who are actively researching products or services in these categories, indicating purchase intent. This is where you find people not just interested, but actively looking to buy.

Expected Outcome: As you add these parameters, observe the “Weekly impressions” estimate on the right side of the screen. This number will fluctuate, providing a rough idea of your potential reach. It’s never perfectly accurate, but it gives you a sense of scale. If it’s too low (e.g., under 100,000), you might need to broaden a few terms. If it’s in the millions, you might need to tighten your exclusions.

Finally, click “Create segment.”

Step 4: Integrating Your Custom Segment into a Campaign

Creating the segment is only half the battle. Now, we need to apply it to a live campaign to start reaching and other growth-focused executives.

4.1 Applying the Segment to a New Campaign

1. From your Google Ads Manager dashboard, click “Campaigns” in the left-hand navigation.

2. Click the blue plus button (+ New Campaign) and select “New campaign.”

3. Choose your campaign objective. For reaching executives, “Leads” or “Sales” are often the most appropriate. Let’s select “Leads.”

4. Select your campaign type. For maximum reach to executives across various touchpoints, I strongly recommend a “Display” campaign, or a “Video” campaign if you have compelling video content. While Search is good for intent, Display allows for broader brand awareness and retargeting with this specific audience. For this tutorial, let’s proceed with “Display.”

5. Continue through the campaign setup, defining your budget, bidding strategy, and geographic targeting (e.g., “United States,” or specific business districts in Atlanta Marketing Analytics like Midtown or Buckhead for local relevance). When you reach the “Audiences” section, this is where your custom segment comes in.

4.2 Adding Your Custom Segment

1. In the “Audiences” section of your campaign setup, click on “Browse.”

2. Select “How they’ve interacted with your business (your data segments).” This is where your custom segments are stored.

3. You’ll see a list of your created segments. Find and select your “Growth Execs – Digital Marketing Solutions” custom segment. Click “Done.”

4. Pro Tip: Don’t forget to review your ad creatives. Generic B2C ads will fall flat with this audience. Your ad copy and visuals must speak directly to the challenges and aspirations of and other growth-focused executives. Use language that demonstrates an understanding of their business environment.

We ran into this exact issue at my previous firm. We had a perfectly targeted audience for a new SaaS product, but the creative was designed for small business owners, not enterprise VPs. Performance was abysmal until we overhauled the messaging to reflect a deeper understanding of executive pain points and strategic objectives.

Step 5: Monitoring and Optimizing Your Executive Campaigns

Setting up is just the beginning. The real work of a growth-focused executive is continuous iteration and improvement.

5.1 Key Metrics to Watch

Once your campaign is live, give it a few days to gather data. Then, regularly check these metrics:

• Click-Through Rate (CTR): For Display campaigns targeting executives, a CTR of 0.3% to 0.6% is generally acceptable, but strive for higher. For search, expect 3-5%+.
• Conversion Rate: This is paramount. Are these clicks turning into leads (form fills, demo requests)?
• Cost Per Acquisition (CPA): How much are you paying for each executive lead or sale? Compare this to your target CPA.
• Audience Insights: In Google Ads Manager, go back to “Audience Manager” > “Audience insights” for your specific campaign. This will show you more about the demographics and interests of the people actually interacting with your ads, allowing you to further refine your segment.

5.2 Iterative Refinement

Based on performance, don’t hesitate to go back into your custom segment or campaign settings and make adjustments. If your CTR is low, your messaging might be off, or your audience is too broad. If your conversion rate is low, your landing page might not be resonating, or the audience isn’t as high-intent as you thought. Maybe you need to add more specific “People who searched for…” terms, or remove a less effective “People who browse…” URL. This iterative process is how you achieve true growth.

Mastering custom audience segments in Google Ads is a non-negotiable skill for any marketing leader aiming for significant growth. By precisely defining and continually refining who you target, you transform your advertising from a shot in the dark to a strategic, predictable engine for acquiring high-value and other growth-focused executives. This focused approach ensures your budget is spent wisely, connecting you with the decision-makers who truly matter to your bottom line. Moreover, understanding how to drive marketing innovation is key to staying ahead in 2026.