In a fast-evolving digital marketing environment, Pay-Per-Click (PPC) ads remain one of the most important tools for companies that want to drive wins online. Proper implementation of PPC strategies may allow B2B (business-to-business) companies to reach their audiences directly, generating leads and eventually converting them.
B2B companies must stay ahead in 2024 by adopting advanced PPC strategies. In this comprehensive guide about PPC strategies for B2B businesses, we’ll examine various innovative approaches suitable for B2B companies in the digital world of 2024.
Introduction to B2B PPC advertising
PPC is a form of online advertising in which an advertiser is charged only when users click on the ad. B2B considers PPC advertising as one of the most effective digital marketing tools for industrial enterprises. PPC in B2B marketing is the most powerful tool that allows companies to convert their budgetary dollars into high-quality leads.
According to the report, 61% of B2B marketers utilize PPC ads to distribute content. B2B PPC ads can help you reach your sales team with efficient lead generation, especially when the ultimate decision-makers or longer sales cycles are difficult to reach. The subtleties of PPC advertising, from Google Ads to audience targeting, can greatly affect the quality of leads produced.
Types of PPC Ads for B2B
There are three main types of PPC Ads, such as:
Search Ads
When you type in a keyword such as “red boots” on a search engine such as Google, the first 3 to 5 entries on the SERP will most likely appear as “sponsored.” These “sponsored” search ads are also known as “search engine ads”.
Sponsored search ads use the pay-per-click (PPC) model—a marketer, for example, bids on keywords related to their specific product or service. The Google Ads platform for ad units decides which ad to show based on factors like bid amount, ad quality, landing page quality, and relevance to the user’s query.
Search engine algorithms analyze the bids and relevance of advertiser ads to determine which ones to display. A search ad’s purpose is to draw in users who are looking for a specific product, service, or information and direct them to their desired action (e.g., downloading an asset, requesting a demo, etc.).
Display Ads
When you scroll down a webpage and see ads in banners, videos, or graphics, that’s display advertising. Display ads appear on third-party websites or apps with ad space available or on social media platforms in various formats, including banner ads, image ads, video ads, and interactive media.
Unlike search ads that show up on search results pages, display ads show up on third-party websites or apps when there’s ad space available. You can use display ads to grab users’ attention and build brand awareness. They’re also used to promote products and services, drive traffic to your website, and generate leads. Display ads should be visually attractive and include engaging imagery, video content, or messaging that will draw in viewers.
Paid Social Ads
When you’re scrolling through your social media feed, you’ll see paid social ads. It’s also called social media advertising, and it’s when businesses pay to display ads on different social media platforms. Paid social ads show up alongside organic content, and they’re designed to reach a specific audience and help you reach your marketing goals, like downloading an ebook, registering for a webinar, showing off a product, or doing something else.
Most mainstream social media platforms have their ad tools and formats so that you can create ads in images, videos, or carousels. Social media platforms also offer advanced targeting options so that you can target your ads to a specific demographic, interest, behavior, or location. You can define your target audience based on things like age, gender, and location. This helps you make sure your ads are showing to the right audience and that you’re getting the most out of your ad budget.
Advanced PPC Strategies
Let’s lay the foundation through understanding different forms and variations of B2B PPC and explore PPC strategies and tips for running a successful B2B campaign:
- Enable Successful Campaigns
Setting your program’s goals and objectives is the first step in getting started. Whether your goal is on lead generation, website traffic, or conversions, defining your goals will influence the entire PPC strategy. By implementing these useful recommendations, you can design an effective B2B PPC campaign:
- Define Your Goals and Objectives: First, define your campaign’s goals and objectives. Be precise about the exact goals you aim at, such as brand awareness, website traffic, lead generation, or conversion, and move forward with a noble objective. This will tell you how successful you have been and also help you outline your whole PPC plan.
- Thorough Keyword Research: Find the most effective and relevant keywords for your B2B audience by conducting in-depth keyword research. To identify search terms with a high search volume and low competition, use keyword research tools such as SEMrush, Moz, or Google Keyword Planner. Think about using long-tail keywords specific to your B2B niche to draw in more quality leads. With 6S marketers’ strategic approach to keyword selection, find high-impact keywords that match user intent for your PPC advertising services.
- Craft a Compelling Ad Copy: Write a unique ad image that highlights your main selling point and speaks to your target audience. Try to highlight your business’s solutions and competitive advantages. To increase the chances of users clicking on your ad, emphasize the value of your product with a clear call to action and a strong offer. Make sure to include your target audience’s keywords and search intent in the ad copy so that it is easily understood and found by your demographic.
- Leverage Account-Based Marketing (ABM): Incorporate ABM principles into your PPC campaigns for a more professional and focused approach, especially when using LinkedIn ads. Make a positive impression by identifying high-value accounts, customizing your ad content to suit their needs, and allocating your budget accordingly. By integrating your PPC efforts into a comprehensive marketing strategy, ABM helps you nurture lead generation with valuable data. However, while ABM can be effective, it may not be feasible for all B2B companies, especially smaller ones with limited budgets or resources.
- Create Dedicated Landing Pages: Create dedicated landing pages that are easy to read, concise, and actionable for every PPC campaign (and every ad group for Google Ads). Make sure the page title, H1 tag, and body of each landing page contain one or more of your targeted PPC keywords strategically placed.
- Establish a Bidding Strategy and Realistic Budget: Create a budget that is consistent with your goals and financial strength. Consider keyword competition, target audience, and expected conversion rates. To generate more results, divide your budget into different ad groups, campaigns, and keywords based on their performance and effectiveness. Use different bidding options, such as automated, manual, or even bid adjustment, to purchase the highest advertising results according to your budget and Return on Investment (ROI).
- Use Conversion Tracking & Offline Conversions: Effective conversion tracking is essential to the success of B2B PPC advertising. Place conversion tracking pixels on your website to monitor specific functionality such as form submissions, request displays, and downloads. For lead generation, it is best to add conversion tracking to HubSpot or GA4. CRM platforms like Salesforce can help ensure offline conversion tracking.
- Implement Ad Extensions: Implement ad extensions to optimize your B2B PPC campaigns’ visualization and power. Make use of call extensions for phone calls, structured snippets to emphasize important features or products associated with your offerings, and site link extensions to point visitors to a particular page on your site. Adding extensions to your ad can elevate the click-through rate (CTR) on your ad and provide extra data to prospective purchasers. However, you should note that not all ad extensions may be suitable or available for all types of PPC campaigns.
- Leverage Remarketing Strategy
B2B PPC stands out as an ideal way of nurturing leads from all complex B2B marketing funnels due to its effectiveness and ease of use. Remarketing is the practice of building relationships with customers who have already interacted with your B2B brand.
Among the multitude of social networks with which a business can associate itself, LinkedIn’s business-oriented and professional nature makes it a great choice for B2B remarketing. As a professional networking platform, LinkedIn links chief decision-makers, professionals, and other major influencers in the B2B sales pipeline. Thus, it forms a medium to reach people throughout the cycle.
- Personalizing PPC Ad
For business-to-business (B2B) marketing, employing personalizing ad copy is an effective tactic to improve the results of a campaign and enhance the level of customer brand recognition. Some marketers craft a more engaging experience that is personally relevant by understanding and addressing the diverse challenges, needs, and aspirations of B2B audiences in the ad content. This strategy exceeds generic messaging, striking a personal level and creating a closer bond with decision-makers.
- Tailoring Ad Groups
You have to structure the arrangement of the ad groups in Google and Bing Ads to improve campaign performance, taking into account the customer buying funnel phases. You can pinpoint your messaging and target one distinct step or mindset of the users at every stage of decision-making by matching ad groups and campaigns to different funnel stages. Here’s an example of how you could structure ad groups:
- Top of Funnel (TOFU): The objective of TOFU is to build awareness. The ad content should focus on introducing your product, brand, or service. Use general and informational keywords linked to your B2B business.
- Middle of Funnel (MOFU): The objective of MOFU is to generate interest and consideration. The ad content must provide comprehensive information about your offerings. Use a combination of broad and more specific keywords to grab user interest.
- Bottom of Funnel (BOFU): The objective of BOFU is to drive conversions. The ad content should emphasize promotions, value propositions, or unique selling points. Focus on long-tail, high-intent, and specific keywords that are linked with your goods or services.
- Implementing Video Ads
Video ads are essential in B2B pay-per-click (PPC) marketing because they help build greater connections with buyers and raise brand awareness. When it comes to effectively communicating complex messages in the B2B setting, where credibility and trust are crucial, video ads offer a dynamic and captivating medium. They allow a brand to graphically convey its knowledge, products, or services to leave a lasting impression on decision-makers.
- Engaging Potential Customers
Effective follow-up strategies are necessary for converting leads into dedicated consumers, especially when you achieve a lead purchase through PPC campaigns. Engaging with potential clients is essential to this process.
Following up with a user who has expressed interest through a PPC-generated lead in a timely and personalized manner is essential for encouraging a meaningful relationship. In particular, email follow-up strategies offer a way to deliver content that is specifically tailored to the recipient, meet their needs, and establish credibility for the brand.
- Multi-Channel Stratagem
Advertisers can increase their reach and impact by developing a general strategy and skillfully utilizing various channels, such as Google Ads, Bing Ads, and LinkedIn Ads. To help close deals more quickly, an overall strategy should include a CRM like Salesforce or Hubspot.
Effective optimization tips for success
Even if a successful B2B PPC campaign is a remarkable achievement, the journey doesn’t stop there. Here’s how to optimize their long-term viability:
Divide the structure of your PPC account into distinct ad groups and campaigns.
If you don’t customize your account per your unique needs, you won’t likely see any results. Create a few accounts based on the products or services they offer.
Avoid creating a single campaign to advertise all of your products or services. Divide your keyword lists into smaller sections and create separate ad groups and campaigns to tailor your creative to the searcher’s needs and intent.
A/B testing and experimentation
B2B PPC marketing, for example, is all about testing and learning. To gain insight, experiment with different campaign options, such as landing page creation, targeting features, creatives, and ad copy, using A/B testing. Utilize a variety of ad formats and bidding techniques to determine which ones your target audience prefers. Based on insights derived from data, make the necessary changes.
Test ad performance regularly to evaluate your PPC success
There can be a significant difference between two advertisements with subtle copy changes. Test your ads regularly, and don’t let underperforming ads run for too long, as this can negatively impact results and unnecessarily raise expenses. Examine the conversion rates, click-through rates, and post-click engagement metrics of the advertisements you serve.
Highlight Qualitative Differences
The quality of leads also varies a lot in the field of search engine marketing (SEM). This emphasizes how important it is to identify potential clients differently. While lead volume is an essential metric, concentrating only on it can lead to inefficiencies and missed opportunities. Quantitative differences in leads highlight the need for an automated lead grading system or software that prioritizes follow-ups based on the likelihood of conversion.
Two well-known customer relationship management (CRM) platforms, HubSpot and Salesforce, are regularly integrated with these solutions. These systems rate leads by assigning a number to each component, using various criteria, including engagement level, demographics, and behaviors. By utilizing CRM-powered lead grading, marketers can obtain an in-depth overview of lead quality and effectively deploy resources.
Stay informed about industry trends.
The rules and procedures of major digital ad networks, such as Google Ads, are frequently updated. This may have an impact on the effectiveness of your advertisements and the necessary adjustments.
Furthermore, methods for conducting online searches are always changing. If more people start conducting searches on mobile devices or voice assistants, you should modify your ads. It’s critical to keep up with the latest trends and make the necessary adjustments to maintain the effectiveness of your B2B PPC campaigns.
Conclusion
PPC advertising is a powerful tool that can help a B2B company’s growth marketing plan. Your website can draw in qualified visitors and successfully reach your target audience by utilizing targeted PPC campaigns.
You can track and analyze PPC campaign performance in real-time to get insightful information that can optimize ad spending and increase return on investment. Because it is measurable, flexible, and scalable, PPC advertising helps companies of all sizes achieve their marketing objectives and spur growth.
Do you want to increase your website’s exposure, lead generation, and conversion rate by maximizing pay-per-click (PPC) advertising? Introducing 6S Marketers, a digital marketing agency that specializes in PPC advertising and other customized services. Speak with 6S marketers who can help you implement a well-planned PPC strategy.
