Every business needs a predictable stream of new leads. Without new leads, there won’t be new clients coming into the business. But 63% of marketers mention generating traffic and leads as their biggest challenge. That’s where a well-crafted Pay Per Click (PPC) campaign can help. It’s like turning on a “leads” tap and leads start to flow into your business consistently.

It’s possible to see quick results, even on the same day you start the campaign. You can target with laser-like precision to put your ads in front of your ideal clients. When dialed in, you enjoy an incredible ROI on your advertising dollars.

What are the Common PPC Platforms?

When it comes to PPC, the first thing that comes to mind for most people is Google Ads. Google is the largest search engine and is the go-to when it comes to doing research online. So it makes sense to use it and get the most eyeballs on your ads.

These are the other platforms you can consider:

• Bing Ads
• LinkedIn Ads
• Facebook Ads
• Twitter Ads
• Instagram Ads

These platforms have their own advantages and disadvantages when compared to Google ads. For most businesses, Google Ads is the best place to run traffic, so it will be the main focus for this article.

Essential B2B Market Characteristics to Know for PPC

When it comes to PPC, there are some key differences between B2B and B2C. Many businesses get it wrong and they wonder why their PPC campaigns don’t generate results.

First, the buying process can involve many people from several departments. One of the biggest mistakes is targeting ads only to C-suite executives. At first, it might make sense because they are the ones making the buying decisions.

According to Google, 64% of C-suite and 24% of non-C-suite have the final sign off. If you leave out non-C-suiters from your campaign, that is almost a quarter of the people you are missing out. Although a minority, 81% of non-C-suiters have an influence on the overall purchasing process.

With that in mind, your campaign must appeal to both non-C-suite and C-suite. Non-C-suite may want more technical information. But C-suite executives are interested in the numbers, costs and potential results.

Second, B2B Buyers like to do comparison shopping. They want someone who can provide the best results while staying within their budget. So you want to prepare your marketing strategy with this behavior in mind. Keep an eye on what your competitors are doing so you can stay ahead of them.

And lastly, the sales cycle is usually longer in B2B. You want to prepare a bigger budget and not kill a campaign too early. You need patience because it might take months before your prospects decide to buy. It’s a good idea to plan your strategy to have multiple touches across the long buying journey.

5 Steps for PPC Campaign Success

There are 5 key steps that determine the success of your PPC campaign.

Let’s break down each section individually and discuss specific tactics you can use.

1. Know Your Ideal Client Avatar, or Persona

This is the most important factor that will decide the success of your PPC campaign. It applies to both search ads and display ads on Google. This concept also applies to other platforms like LinkedIn ads or Facebook campaigns.

You need to be clear on who is the ideal client avatar you are serving. You have to be able to answer questions like:

• What problems are they facing?
• What are their goals?
• What other solutions have they tried in the past?
• What keywords will they be using to search on Google?

Keep in mind they may be searching for technical terms and acronyms. So it’s important to do your market, audience, and keywords research to really know your clients.

2. Define Your Advertising Goals

When it comes to crafting your PPC campaign, you must be clear about your advertising goals. Of course, the bottom line for your business is increase in sales and revenue. So how does your advertising strategy help you get there?

Some common objectives are increase brand awareness, generate new leads, getting sign-ups for a trial or demo, and many more.

Since you know the sales cycle is typically long, it’s a good idea to have multiple campaigns. Each campaign is targeted at different stages of the buying journey.

3. Create Compelling Ad Copy

Ad copy is a critical component of a PPC campaign. It’s what your prospects see. Then they will decide if they want to click on your ad or not. So how do you attract their attention and compel them to click to learn more?

• Talk about their pain points. This is why research on the ideal client avatar is so important. Bring up their problems and tease a solution. Then watch as prospects get curious and want to know the solution.
• Provide credibility. You can provide some social proof or achievements in the ad. This will build trust that you know what you’re talking about.
• End the ad with a clear call to action. Tell them precisely what they need to do to solve their problems. It can be “contact us today”, “get more information”, or “download the free white paper”.

4. Enhance Your Ads

These are available for Google ads. It gives you more real estate on the Google search results page. And it gives users more options to click on your ad.

Some of the ad extensions include:

• App extensions
• Call extensions
• Callout extensions
• Location extensions
• Review extensions
• Sitelink extensions
• Structured snippet extensions

Not all of these are relevant to your business. You certainly don’t need to use all of them. So consider your PPC campaign strategy and choose the ones that are relevant.

Due to the long sales B2B cycle, it’s critical to keep an eye on metrics and track the visitors. Find out how often people come back to visit your site.

Nowadays, 90% of B2B buyers twist and turn through the sales funnel. They loop back and repeat one or more tasks in the buyer’s journey.

It’s a great idea to set up a remarketing campaign. Not just on Google Ads but also on the other ad platforms. This will keep your brand top of mind and be there when they’re ready to buy.

Summary

A PPC campaign is an excellent way to generate quality leads for your business. Remember the key characteristics of a B2B buyer and the 5 steps for a successful campaign.

If you need help crafting your PPC campaign, we would like to help you reduce ad costs and increase the profitability of your campaign. Get in touch with us and let’s explore what we can accomplish together.