PPC campaigns are simple, right?

Purchase relevant keywords, write some snazzy ads, rank #1 or #2 on SERPs, drive traffic to your site and watch sales soar at a record pace.

Of course we know there’s more to it than that, especially for B2B companies. B2B paid search campaigns differ markedly from B2C, especially for B2B companies without ecommerce.

If you’re thinking about embarking on a B2B search marketing campaign, keep the following facts, tips and tricks in mind.

1. B2B keyword research is difficult and very specific. The B2B keyword universe is much smaller than the B2C universe. For example: Consumers in the U.S. conduct 201,000 searches for “running shoes” in the average month. Compare that with the 210 searches per month for “industrial equipment manufacturing.” You’ll need to conduct lots of targeted research to identify effective keywords for your company and campaign.
   
   
    
2. PPC should work with your content. Emotion can drive impulsive buying in the B2C sphere. In the much longer B2B sales cycle, hard information and carefully built relationships drive sales. An ad might draw visitors to your B2B site, but they must find robust content when they get there. Your blog entries, whitepapers and case studies keep them engaged, give them information and build relationships. Embed your paid keywords in your content as you develop it. This practice ensures a consistent message across all touchpoints as it boosts organic rankings for these keywords.
    
3. Calls to action are keys to success. Your ad calls to action should match your specific keyword research, especially if you have no ecommerce store to which to direct potential customers. If you offer industrial equipment manufacturing services, for example, be direct in your ads’ CTAs. If you want users to call you, include your phone number. You want users to visit your website to learn more? Make that clear in your ad content. The more direct your ad CTAs, the more successful your campaign will be in the long term.
    
4. Optimize your site. Make sure that your site is ready for your visitors when your B2B search marketing campaign drives them to it. Create optimized landing pages for each of your AdWords campaigns. Optimized landing pages should include:
   • Content that directly relates to ad content
   • A clear CTA, such as a form, that invites visitors to contact you right away and helps them do that.
   • Opportunities for additional engagement on the site, such as links to relevant blog entries and product detail pages
      
5. Monitor, monitor, monitor and adjust. Track your PPC campaign, as you would any digital marketing tactic. Spend a few minutes each day monitoring your campaign, and dedicate an hour or two each month to edit ad copy, purchase new keywords and adjust negative keywords. Most important, tie PPC ads to specific goals within your Google Analytics account. This matters especially for B2B companies with long sales cycles. If a user clicks on an ad in July, you want to be able to tie that click to the sale that closes in February.  
    
6. Apply your PPC data beyond the PPC campaign. PPC campaigns yield a significant amount of data. Use it. For example, you can try out messaging on your PPC campaign, measure its effectiveness and then expand that message to other marketing modes, such as your inbound marketing campaigns or social media strategies.

By Northwoods Team

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