Staying on top of digital advertising best practices is crucial for B2B marketing teams and learning how to use Ad Libraries to understand your competitors’ strategies can provide valuable insights and a competitive edge. In this article we explore what Ad Libraries are available, what information they provide and how to apply these insights to your advantage.
What is an Ad Library?
Ad Libraries are searchable digital databases containing information about ads that are currently running or have previously run on major digital advertising platforms like Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok and Google. Each social network or advertising platform provides its own library for transparency and accountability purposes: anyone is allowed to learn more about the ads they see across digital channels, who is paying for them, and, in some sensitive cases such as social issues, elections or politics, know how much budget is spent on this marketing activities. In the recent UK elections, for example, political parties spent more than £3.49 million on social media advertising. This was a record amount in the short space of two months, and journalists have been able to monitor and report on the messages that each party shared with the nation.
Five Ways Marketing Teams Can Use Ad Libraries
Ad Libraries are treasure troves of information, revealing active ads, creative elements, and targeting tactics. Here are some of the most useful competitor research techniques that can be used.
1. Sector and Competitor Analysis
Most Ad Libraries allow users to search for content using keywords or company names. The former enables teams to review who is advertising about specific topics, niches, or sectors, which can be useful in discovering new competitors and how they are approaching particular issues. For example, ransomware is a well-known threat top of mind to Infosecurity professionals, but are basic guides to ransomware still enough to engage the audience, or have cybersecurity companies evolved their tactics? Cybersecurity marketing teams can search the LinkedIn Ad Library to see the latest campaigns running on the most used social network for B2B conversations to answer this question.
If a list of competitors is already available, you can search the libraries by ‘advertiser’, a filter that displays only the ads run by a specific company. This enables users to discover which ad platforms their competitors are using and take a deep dive into each competitor’s strategy by looking at specific elements of the ads, as detailed below.
2. Targeting and Message Analysis
A thorough competitor advertising audit will reveal who they are targeting, and which hooks they are using to engage their audiences. For example, messages that call out specific sectors can indicate that companies are targeting verticals with tailored marketing materials.
By combining the ‘advertiser’ filter with the ‘keyword’ filter marketers can speed up the research process and quickly identify niches and topics that the competitors are championing. For example, DORA is fast approaching, so which of your competitors has already launched a campaign leveraging the new European regulation to target the financial sector?
3. Creative Inspirations
The next step is to analyse the assets used as part of online advertising campaigns to understand what the competitors’ product and content marketing teams have developed: are blogs or other free-to access content being shared? Have they condensed complex information into infographics? Are they producing in-depth guides or white papers? And are they by-lined by subject matter experts? All this info can help sharpen your company’s content marketing strategy.
This process can also help marketing teams get the creative juices flowing. Is there a design style that stands out for you? Can you recognise similarities that could indicate best practices in the industry, like the use of photography, instead of infographic-led graphics? Or is the opposite true? The market may be saturated with a particular trend and there may be a gap to exploit by introducing a new creative direction. By filtering the library by media type, you can unearth which format (video, carousel, aspect ratio…) and visual style can resonate with your audience.
4. Advertising Campaign Orchestration
Although the Ad Libraries will show all the adverts running, there are ways to analyse the ads to understand how the campaigns were orchestrated to achieve their objectives.
Firstly, by using the time filter it’s possible to understand for how long the campaigns have been running, and if they were timed in a logical sequence. Analysing the messages can also help understand whether the advertiser tried to raise awareness first, and then retargeted the engaged users with additional materials, or whether they are simply running ‘always-on’ product-focused campaigns.
Secondly, by filtering the library by country, you can discover whether companies are running global campaigns, and how they are adapting their messages for different markets.
5. Estimate Digital Advertising Budget Spend
Ad Libraries don’t provide information about how much budget is spent, apart from ads categorised as ‘social issues, elections or politics’ on Meta. However, the volume of adverts running provides a starting point for understanding competitor investment. For example, a high volume of active ads suggests ongoing campaigns and consistent spending; frequent updates or changes in creatives indicate active management; video-led campaigns tend to be more expensive to produce.
And Finally, How to Apply Insights to Your Strategy
Leveraging Ad Libraries isn’t just about spying—it’s about strategic intelligence. By understanding competitors’ moves, you can refine your own strategies, optimise budgets, and create more effective campaigns. However, learning how to use Ad Libraries is not a simple process, only a specialist in your technology sector and digital advertising can unravel complex advertising strategies and provide actionable insights.
Get in touch if you need help auditing your competitors’ digital advertising campaigns and optimise your marketing strategy.
