Is it so difficult to set up a sensible B2B advertising campaign?
It is believed that contextual advertising for b2b is much more difficult to configure than when working with b2c. And it really is. But complexity is not a reason to give up an effective tool for promoting your products.
Until now, a significant part of companies working in the B2B sector prefer to use the old and familiar methods – email newsletters and phone calls. They are sure that contextual ads are effective only in retail. And in this they are wrong.
Of course, the sale of goods and services for business has its own characteristics, b2b sales are generally more difficult than retail. But if you build a strategy correctly, take into account all the nuances, then you can achieve a lot.
The fact is that b2b advertising should be properly configured and optimized taking into account all the nuances.
Important differences in B2B and B2C sales
In order to correctly compose ads and set up impressions, it is necessary to study the differences in work in the areas of B2B and B2C.
The main difficulties
For what reasons contextual advertising for b2b may not be effective:
- It is difficult to choose the right key queries due to low demand. It is necessary to focus on low-frequency narrow-thematic queries. The result: low number of impressions, high CPC, high CPA.For example, the list of the most expensive Google Adwords queries over the past year included keywords related to sales of B2B equipment
- It is difficult to understand the queries: is there a person behind them who will make the decision
- It is difficult to convince the customer of the effectiveness of b2b advertising. A high level of trust is needed, as the result sometimes has to wait a long time
How to make contextual advertising for b2b effective
So, we have studied the features of b2b sales and the complexity of setting up advertising. It’s time to find out how to achieve real results when working with contextual advertising for b2b.
Maximum attention should be paid to the selection of the semantic core. There will most likely be few targeted requests. Therefore, you will need to supplement them with related or related information phrases.
For example, a company sells server hardware, types of search phrases:
- “Buy server” — target transactional request
- “81y9671” — suitable product type request
- “How to choose a server” is an informational keyword
- “OS for the server part” — a related request
In addition, it is necessary to pay special attention to brand requests, both own and taking into account competitors’ brands.
Next, you need to make a list of negative keywords very carefully. Clicks in the B2B sphere are always expensive, so try to exclude non-thematic impressions as much as possible.
The next step that will be required to make contextual advertising effective is to ensure control of the average CPC. Bid managers will help here.
Constantly work with the creative component. Test options with different benefits with calls to action, try to apply different USPS, direct users to different pages and constantly analyze the results.
Create ads for different segments of your target audience:
- People who use the search to collect a list of possible suppliers and proposals for the task of the head
- Decision makers on cooperation
- Future users of goods and services
In a large organization, there may be different people in each of the groups, with their own needs, fears and pains. Study all types of target audience – conduct marketing research, delve into the business processes of buyers.
Let’s study b2b sales using the example of the company already described earlier, engaged in the sale of servers and equipment. The main target audience is IT specialists who independently select specifications.
The fears of these people: to buy too expensive, to make a mistake when choosing a configuration, to get equipment that does not work correctly. All this can end with a reprimand from the authorities.
Answers:
- We will select options for specifications for free
- Professionals will help with the configuration
- We will protect the configuration in front of your supervisor
- We will provide warranty obligations
Contextual ads for b2b are usually much less emotional than for b2c. Here it is more important to say about the advantages of cooperation, service, etc. This is especially important to consider if your target audience is the management of departments or companies.
B2B clients almost always make a decision slowly, having thought everything over. Therefore, mentions of after-sales service or technical support will be more effective than promotions or discounts.
Classic B2C “buy”, “click”, “cheap” do not work in the B2B sphere. Here it is better to use the constructions “specify prices and deadlines”, “get a price list”, “invite to participate in the tender”, etc.
Remarketing and retargeting are important tools. They are used in combination with advertising in search results, since b2b advertising works much better through “a few touches”. Remind yourself more than once! At the same time, it is important to observe the measure: to remind does not mean to annoy. Limit the number of impressions, change the text and image, for example, once a week.
To evaluate the effectiveness, set up end-to-end analytics. B2B sales are more often carried out by phone. Even after viewing contextual advertising, up to 80% of buyers will call.
So, competent contextual advertising for b2b should be focused on the main feature of this area – a long sales cycle. Therefore, at each stage of the funnel, you must carefully guide the customer to the purchase, constantly reminding yourself.
But the best result for attracting and retaining customers is provided by comprehensive solutions. Don’t stop at contextual advertising with remarketing and retargeting. Also use mailing lists, work with social networks, use any other marketing tools.