B2B and B2C companies have come to more closely resemble one another in the past several years. As a result of that mirroring process, the marketing strategies they use have also grown closer together.
B2B brands are more often relying on traditionally B2C tactics, such as social media engagement and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising.
Because of the highly refined targeting options available through ad platforms, including Google and Facebook, PPC ads have become a powerful means of lead generation for B2B businesses. In fact, PPC advertising has become one of the primary sources of quality leads for such businesses in recent years.
However, not all lead generation PPC campaigns are created equal. To successfully pull in qualified leads, advertisers must understand the key principles of earning B2B leads via PPC—six of which are outlined in this article.
1. Be specific with keywords
Most successful PPC campaigns are predicated on a great keyword strategy. Keywords are the backbone of PPC campaigns; they determine just about everything—what searches surface an ad, which terms block ads from showing, what direction to take with ad copy, which landing page to link to.
When you're using PPC to enhance the quality of leads generated for a B2B organization, keywords are critical to reaching the right audience. The two primary categories of keywords are short-tail and long-tail.
Short-tail keywords (general terms containing one or two words) tend to generate tons of traffic; however, because of their broad nature, they are far less revealing of a user's intent. For instance, if someone searches "CRM software," he or she could be trying to find out what CRM software is, which solutions are available, the general sentiment of the public, or any number of other things.
To generate more qualified leads, B2B companies should target more specific keywords that speak to the searcher's intent. That is where long-tail keywords come into play.
Long-tail keywords (specific phrases that consist of three or more words) are better for marketers to target because they tend to reach people who are further along in the sales journey. Prospects might search "small business CRM pricing," which likely indicates they are much closer to making a purchase. Therefore, when generating leads through PPC ads, long-tail keywords are your best option.
2. Refine your match types
Match types, too, play a significant role in determining the quality of a lead. When using different match types to optimize campaigns, exact and phrase matches provide advertisers with more control. Conversely, broad-match keywords pull in more, but lesser-quality, leads.
To avoid poor matching strategies, promoters should use one of two approaches:
- Limit the use of broad-match keywords.
- Be diligent in analyzing search queries and implementing negative keywords.
Although neither approach is perfect, advertisers can adjust and optimize campaigns over time to zero in on their ideal buyers. However, depending on the company's ability to experiment, it might be wise to procure a skilled paid advertising team to aid in the optimization process, which will save money in the long run.
3. Connect to concentrated landing pages
For PPC ads that aim to generate qualified leads for B2B brands, the destination landing page is a critical component to success. To generate landing pages that increase conversion rates, focus your destinations on capturing email addresses and contact info instead of selling the end product.
The reason is that the research phase for B2B customers is much lengthier than their B2C counterparts'. B2B shoppers are often looking to enter into a long-term relationship with a company; therefore, they want to ensure they make the right decision.
To that end, B2B customers will likely want to first obtain more information about the company and its offerings, check out a free trial, or speak with a sales representative. Accordingly, craft streamlined landing pages that allow your visitors to quickly and easily fill out contact forms to learn more.
