STRATEGY MATTERS – TOP TIPS FOR
PPC B2B LEAD GENERATION
Get More Sales In Your Business
Quality PPC B2B lead generation is the key to boosting sales and gaining higher conversion rates but if you don’t want to risk exaggerated acquisition costs and substandard results, you need to make sure you have an integrated approach that includes a rock solid B2B Google Ads strategy.
There are definitely disadvantages to PPC for B2B, but it can be a very efficient and cost effective way to drive website traffic, increase clicks and conversions, and give you a highly measurable ROI.
PPC B2B Lead Generation
Unlike B2C, when it comes to B2B, it is unlikely that the decision to select your product or service will be made by one person. Business purchase choices tend to be high cost and subject to multidiscipline review, and the recognition of this needs to form the basis of your B2B strategy.
A lead is only as good as its result, and connecting with buyers and other managers, as well as growing your relationship with your initial contact can give you the edge over the competition.
Get The Right Call To Action
It is important to acknowledge that clicks and visits do not necessarily equate to sales. Your B2B click conversion rate can be greatly enhanced by the simple modification of your call to action.
For example, an immediate purchase CTA such as ‘add to cart’ or ‘order now’ is best suited in a single, smaller purchase B2C scenario, whereas an exchange of knowledge or opportunity for discussion option such as, ‘talk to us today’ or ‘free demonstration’ is more likely to start an advantageous working relationship with a B2B customer.
Expect A Longer Sales Cycle
With multiple decision makers, budget accountability and an increased requirement for persuasion, it is important to remember that lead generation for B2B is likely to have a fairly long sales cycle.
Seen by some as a disadvantage of pay per click for B2B, this longer sales cycle does have its benefits as it gives opportunity for the building of greater mutual understanding and longer lasting customer relationships.
When considering your B2B Google Ads strategy, it is important to build this longer sales cycle into your planning.
Give Careful Consideration To B2B Landing Pages
It goes without saying that your PPC for B2B lead generation will only be successful if its corresponding landing pages have been planned and strategised. Each landing page should match the original search query, provide access to actionable information and give clear encouragement towards making contact.
Here’s a list of 19 landing pages examples you can get ideas from.
That said, it is all too easy to add excessive noise to a landing page and risk drowning out your key messages. Consider carefully exactly what it is you want the page to achieve and focus on that.
Busy business contacts want both clarity and direction, make your point in simple terms and tell them what they need to do next.
Consider A Second Call To Action
Your landing page primary CTA should always be your first consideration but, with PPC for B2B, it can sometimes be advantageous to offer a second option in the form of a secondary CTA.
For example, a common primary CTA would be the download of a relevant eBook, accessed via a lead capture form; this will be attractive to those showing a keen attention to your product or services but for those exhibiting a passing interest, a simple email subscription option in the form of a secondary CTA will give you the contact you need and them the opportunity to keep an eye on your offerings.
Map Out Your Marketing Funnel
Before you can successfully strategise your PPC for B2B, you need to fully understand and optimise your ales funnel. Your sales process should include awareness development, points of interest, demonstration opportunities and finally sales.
For each stage of this you need to include automation, testing, optimisation and metrics, and these should be ongoing for the life of your campaign. Tracking your PPC B2B lead generation performance is vital to a successful marketing campaign.
Pay Attention To Your Email Marketing
One of the joys of effective email marketing is its ability to target and segment contacts, allowing you to send personalised materials to specifically appropriate audiences and measure the effects of these.
Even the most successful PPC marketing campaigns can fall down on their follow-up email sequences, so make sure that you avoid over advertising with too much flash and vibrancy, and focus instead on conversation invitations and relationship building.
Track Your PPC Performance
Measurement leads to improvement. Without the careful application of key performance metrics, it is impossible to track results and keep up with marketplace changes. There are all kinds of metrics out there but for the long-term results you are after, it is important to focus on seeking quality over volume.
Make sure that you track total cost, volume, search impressions, click through rate and conversions. One of the key advantages of a B2B Google Ads strategy is that it allows for targeted and transparent metrics.
Also with the right tracking in place you can use retargeting tactics to discreetly track existing audiences and concentrate your advertising spend on them.
Experiment And Combine Tactics
This is where metrics really come into their own. It is only through a cycle of testing, measurement and modification that a PPC B2B lead generation campaign can become truly efficient. By finding out what works for you and your B2B marketplace, and combining your most successful tactics, you can significantly improve your ROI.
The effective handling of PPC metrics can be a daunting prospect, and with so much at stake, calling in the experts can give considerable advantage - click here.
At Flycast Media we have the expertise to ensure the heaviest, and more importantly, most relevant web traffic.
With decades of PPC management experience, we can place your advertising exactly where you want it, in front of the ready-to-convert consumer. Call us now for a free B2B website audit.
And don't forget about landing pages.
For a beginners guide to using PPC marketing in your B2B business check out our guide >>> click here.
Shane McEvoy is a seasoned SEO and inbound marketing expert with nearly 30 years of experience in advertising. He established Flycast Media, a specialist B2B digital agency, and is a published author of two well-received guides while contributing to several industry publications - read his complete profile here.
