PPC advertising offers B2B companies the ability to capture leads fast and efficiently. It is an essential part of any effective digital marketing strategy that every B2B business should have in their tool box, and understanding the fundamentals and how to create a successful campaign is vital.
This 6-step guide will help you understand PPC for B2B, how it works step by step and its benefits, so you can create a successful PPC paid advertising Google campaign to boost lead generation and maximize your ROI and sales.
The benefits of PPC for B2B companies
PPC strategy, as part of inbound marketing, functions as a filter for potential clients. That means, your target market is basically saying it’s interested in your product or service without the need of you going out for a search.
Did you know that in B2B, 70% of buyers use search engines when researching their next purchase? With PPC, your company can make your marketing and sales strategies smarter by reaching the right people that want your business and its products or services with a simple ad.
The best part is that your B2B advertising campaign works 24/7 as your ads continue to run, earning valuable clicks to your website’s product and service pages — and contact forms.
Are you ready to use PPC for B2B? Reach potential buyers and convert them into valuable leads with the right knowledge of PPC Google Ads strategy:
1.- Research
Several points need to be taken into consideration before launching a PPC campaign: audience, objectives and key metrics.
Any company can launch a PPC Google campaign, but a smart business creates a B2B PPC campaign for its particular audience to become a big fish in a little pond. So, think about who buys from your company, as well as decision-makers involved in each purchase. Define every relevant aspect of your niche and prepare your team to create specific campaigns for each target.
Next, identify the primary goal and the key metrics that will determine the success of the PPC campaign. Go beyond and establish metrics that give you a real insight.
For instance, if the primary goal of your PPC campaign is to generate leads, then you can include KPIs like a specific number of qualified leads or Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) as performance indicators. So, while defining the KPI for the PPC campaign, make sure that the metrics are directly related to the business goals.
2.- Keywords
B2B businesses already know their audience is smaller and more specific than the B2C audience, so keyword search volumes tend to be lower. So,, it is important to have as many specific keywords as possible and add them manually, because Google doesn’t understand your market and will try to match you automatically with keywords that may not go with your business at all.
Some tools that can help you find the best keywords are: Ubersuggest and Answer The Public.
Some recommendations for an optimal keyword selection:
- A key aspect of B2B keywords are acronyms, as they have more time search volumes than regular words. So find what words your customers are using, expand your reach and demonstrate your expertise with the proper use of acronyms.
- Add numbers if you sell products that apply, it comes in handy in searching because clients are already looking for something specific.
- Add the use or industry to direct conduct the searches. For example “insert word” for construction” can be a valuable long-tail keyword.
- You can add generic words like vendor, company, distributor, manufacturer, supplier, provider, tool, company and make your own combinations thinking about what they’re looking for and what you offer.
This might interest you: Types of Keywords: How to choose proper ones?
3.- Campaigns and ad groups
For PPC Google campaigns, an account hierarchy or structure exists, from top to bottom is:
Account – Ad campaigns – Ad groups – Keywords
How does it work? Under one Google Ad account, you can create multiple campaigns representing each ideal customer profile and buyer personas. So it is essential for your team to create ad campaigns with relevant, organized ad groups.
Think about your B2B buyer for each specific campaign. It can be one of many people from various departments at a company, and depending if it’s CEO, IT, Accountancy, the campaign design will change. You can have multiple ad groups for each campaign.
Also, when you create your B2B PPC campaign and ad groups, you will have to supply the following:
- Budget, how much the company is willing to spend for each day on your ads.
- Audience, is who your company wants to target with your ads.
- Landing page, is where your company wants to direct users that click on your ads.
- Bid, is how much your company is willing to pay for someone to click on your ad.
4.- Ad copy
Ad copy for B2B is very different compared to B2C. In B2B, the selling process is slower and can take up to 6 months counting multiple stakeholders and various stages of purchase.
So, to craft the perfect ad copy, take into consideration the following aspects:
Headlines
They’re often 30 characters and the first thing your leads will notice. To create compelling headlines you can use phrases like “cost-effective”, “easy to integrate”, “ranked best in class”
Descriptions
They’re often 90 characters and they should follow these characteristics to be successful:
- Emphasize the benefits, not the features
- Highlight any sales, discounts or promotions
- Include an effective CTA: Unlike B2C, you can’t use words like “purchase today” because the sales process is longer. Instead, use “get more information” or “contact us today”
- Be the trusted source for information, share e-books, downloadable forms, and anything else someone might need in the research phase.
- Add credibility statement like testimonials
- Personalize the copy to your audience’s needs and pain points.
- Mention price points so you can pre qualify customers and avoid people that look for something cheaper than what you provide.
Your ad copy should look like this:
5-. Landing pages
A landing page is where you send users that click on your PPC ad. If you want your ad to succeed, then you need to create a relevant landing page that builds off your ad copy.
Yes, you can use an existing landing page from your site, but one specifically designed for an ad has a higher impact on conversion rates. You can use landing page builders, like Unbounce. Just keep in mind that your landing page needs to be:
Fast – Intuitive – On-brand – Responsive
6.- Measurement
Once your campaign launches, it is important to monitor its performance for future improvement and changes. If you launched more than one campaign, pay closer attention to see which ad and landing page performed better and why.
Remember that PPC needs constant analysis and optimization. Here are a few KPI metrics you should track:
- Cost per click (CPC)– It is the price you pay for each click on your ad.
- Clickthrough rate (CTR)– It is the percentage of ad views that result in clicks.
- Conversion rate– It is the percentage of people that take action on your landing page that leads to conversion.
- Cost per conversion– It refers to the price that you pay for each conversion happening on your landing page.
- Quality Score (QS)– This is the score given by Google Ads. The higher the score, the better your ad is performing in terms of positioning and engagement.
Conclusion
PPC for B2B companies is a hot topic in the industry. If you’re looking to increase your leads, move prospects though sales funnels faster and sell more, PPC ads are an effective option for your company.
Now that you know the basics, follow these guide steps to target specifically and set up a PPC campaign on Google that generates revenues for your business in a cost-effective manner.
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