Most B2B ad budgets disappear without moving pipeline. When you’re targeting niche buyers across multiple channels, disconnected tools and vague attribution won’t get you there.
The best demand-side platforms (DSPs) give B2B marketers what they actually need: control over audience, spend, and outcomes. This guide breaks down five DSPs that support strong B2B performance when they’re configured for your motion.
What Is a Demand-Side Platform in B2B Marketing?
A demand-side platform (DSP) helps B2B marketers manage digital ad buying across channels such as display, video, connected TV (CTV), and native without juggling disconnected tools or chasing down media vendors.
Instead of reacting to where ads land or how budget gets spent, you control the entire flow, from targeting to placement to performance. When it’s configured well, a DSP operates inside your GTM motion, using real activity signals to tie ad performance to pipeline with more precision than channel-specific tools.
A DSP also gives B2B teams controls they don’t get from single-channel platforms. Instead of managing separate budgets in LinkedIn, YouTube, or programmatic networks, everything runs through one system that applies consistent audience logic and pacing rules. That matters in B2B because buyers move across channels during long cycles, and fragmented tools create blind spots.
A DSP consolidates that view so teams see which messages carry weight and where spend is actually moving accounts.
Top Features to Look for in a B2B DSP
Most DSPs offer basic reach and automation. In B2B, the real differentiator is how well the platform fits your GTM process. It should reflect how your team actually works rather than forcing you to adapt to it. When it doesn’t, impact is hard to prove and the tool quickly becomes something your CFO will question.
Look for platforms that deliver on core non-negotiables:
True account targeting based on CRM, firmographics, and buyer intent
Real-time campaign sync with Salesforce, HubSpot, or your marketing automation platform (MAP)
Full-format reach across display, video, CTV, native, and mobile
Multi-touch attribution built for long, complex B2B journeys
Privacy and security that support frameworks such as GDPR and CCPA, and independent attestations such as SOC 2 when required by your security policies
Some of these capabilities are native in B2B platforms like RollWorks and Demandbase; in horizontal DSPs, teams usually achieve them through integrations with their CDP, CRM, or marketing automation platform.
Best Demand-Side Platforms for B2B Marketers
Some of these platforms are general-purpose DSPs widely used in B2B, while others are built specifically for ABM and account-based advertising.
ZoomInfo Marketing
ZoomInfo Marketing includes a native DSP built specifically for B2B advertising and ABM programs. It uses ZoomInfo’s proprietary data — intent signals, firmographics, technographics, and real-time account insights — to deliver precise account-based targeting across display and social inventory. The DSP supports automated bidding, audience activation, and ongoing optimization, and can extend reach through workflows that activate audiences in external DSPs such as The Trade Desk.
Works for: ABM programs, B2B audience targeting, pipeline influence, buying-committee reach
Capabilities:
Native account-based targeting powered by intent, firmographics, and real-time account insights
Programmatic display and social buying inside the MarketingOS workflow
Automated bidding and campaign optimization for engaged accounts
Integration paths to external DSPs such as The Trade Desk for expanded reach
The Trade Desk
The Trade Desk is built for scale and control. It suits B2B teams running omnichannel campaigns across long, complex buying journeys and gives them clear visibility into how their campaigns are set up and how they perform. While it isn’t a B2B-only platform, teams get B2B precision by layering CRM data, intent signals, or partner segments on top of its targeting controls.
Works for: Omnichannel execution, enterprise targeting, multi-stage buying journeys
Capabilities:
Broad inventory across display, video, CTV, and native
Transparent optimization and reporting
Strong controls for multi-audience and multi-channel programs
DV360
DV360 keeps Google-centric teams working inside one workflow for planning and buying media across the Google Marketing Platform, while B2B audiences typically come from first-party data or external partners.
Works for: Google-first teams, integrated execution across GA4, YouTube, and Ads
Capabilities:
Unified workflow for planning, targeting, and reporting
Deep integrations with GA4 and broader Google ecosystem
Centralized visibility across YouTube, display, and video inventory
RollWorks
RollWorks is an ABM platform with integrated programmatic ad buying rather than a general-purpose DSP, connecting ad delivery with CRM data, intent signals, and social activation so teams can run full-funnel programs without shifting between systems.
Works for: ABM programs, CRM-connected campaigns, intent-driven targeting
Capabilities:
Account and contact targeting grounded in CRM and intent
Cross-channel activation for ads and social
Full-funnel visibility tied to account progression
Demandbase One
Demandbase combines an ABM platform and B2B data with built-in DSP capabilities, blending media execution with deeper buyer context so campaigns reflect where accounts are in the journey and show up clearly in pipeline.
Works for: Enterprise GTM motions, buying committees, long-cycle account engagement
Capabilities:
Journey-aware targeting based on account signals
Deep account insights tied to media execution
Strong fit for enterprise teams with complex deal structures
How to Evaluate B2B DSP Platforms Effectively
A good DSP needs to work inside your GTM motion without slowing your team down. These are the factors that matter:
Reach across the accounts and roles that influence revenue
Integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, or your MAP should support your workflow without adding manual steps
Lower operational lift rather than introducing new complexity
Support for the formats and channels your buyers actually use
Attribution should reflect the full B2B journey so you can see how campaigns influence account movement
Operational requirements that match your team’s capacity and skill level
If a platform misses on any of these, keep looking.
Proven Strategies to Improve DSP Performance in B2B
Strong DSP execution starts with your inputs. If you’re feeding it weak audiences or unstructured data, the platform won’t save you. High-performing teams begin with clean, segmented CRM data and layer in intent to prioritize accounts that are already showing signs of interest. That’s how you avoid spreading spend across buyers who aren’t ready.
Creative also matters more than most B2B teams admit. Ad fatigue hits fast, particularly with narrow audiences. Top teams counter it by refreshing their message and using sequences that move buyers forward instead of relying on a single static ad.
The operational details in campaign management often make the biggest difference. When teams stay on top of pacing, audience quality, and data alignment, performance remains stable and spend stays controlled.
Key Trends Shaping the Future of B2B DSP Advertising
Third-party cookies are fading, yet many teams still rely on targeting models designed for a previous data environment. Teams moving forward are rebuilding their targeting, grounding programs in first-party data and technology that keeps them compliant as privacy standards tighten.
B2B buyers are spending more time on connected screens as they move through their research and evaluation. Teams that treat CTV as part of that journey are seeing stronger engagement where it matters.
Teams are also tightening the connection between paid media and revenue operations. DSP data now feeds earlier stages of revenue planning by revealing buyer movement before any owned-channel conversion happens. When ad engagement is treated as a revenue signal rather than a marketing metric, GTM teams get a clearer view of demand forming upstream.
And while AI shows up in every platform pitch, it doesn’t fix broken inputs. When CRM data or segments are misaligned, AI reinforces those errors rather than improving performance. Teams that maintain strong data discipline continue to outperform.
How to Stay Compliant When Using a DSP in B2B
Compliance is foundational and if it’s not built into your DSP workflow, you’re opening the door to risk.
Choose DSPs that support enterprise-level privacy requirements such as GDPR and CCPA, and provide independent attestations like SOC 2 when your security policies require it
Shift targeting toward first-party data and verified IDs because third-party reliance is no longer reliable
Audit CRM and MAP integrations regularly to prevent data leakage or sync errors
Customize vendor-provided brand safety settings rather than relying on defaults that may not fit your risk profile
Configure fraud protection intentionally, especially for global campaigns where exposure is higher
Choosing the Right DSP for B2B Marketing Impact
The wrong DSP drains spend without showing measurable impact. The right choice fits your systems and your data so you can see which buyers moved and why. Evaluate platforms based on how well they operate inside your GTM motion, not on feature lists.