Today's post is an excerpt from The MFS Guide to B2B PPC - A Strategic Approach to B2B PPC.
As you begin your B2B PPC program, it is worth asking yourself the question why are you considering PPC and why now?
You may well have your own reasons that are unique to your company and your current priorities - but, generally speaking, there are a number of benefits PPC can bring and we will outline some of them below.
B2B PPC Benefits
1. Quick Setup
B2B PPC campaigns can be set up in a matter of minutes. If you are familiar with the setup and the various platforms, you can get going really quickly. In general, we would recommend that you plan your PPC campaigns strategically - but if you are looking to test out an assumption about a particular audience, you can set up a small PPC campaign in no time at all. You could then use the results of this pilot campaign to inform your broader strategy. Furthermore, in comparison to other channels such as organic SEO for instance, you could be waiting many months for visibility on Google’s search results page, whereas with a Google Ads PPC campaign, you can get top of the results visibility as soon as your campaign has been launched.2. Advanced Targeting Options
The audience targeting options will vary depending on which digital platform you choose to run your PPC campaigns on. However, such is the myriad of data points that the various digital platforms hold on their users today that you will be able to hone in on a very specific audience. Take LinkedIn for example, you can run some PPC campaigns on LinkedIn and build an audience on specific criteria like job title, company size, industry, seniority, and more. In a world where getting in front of the right person at the right time is proving increasingly difficult, the advanced targeting options PPC provides can prove invaluable. Indeed, it is hard to replicate this level of targeting with many other marketing channels - making PPC an increasingly attractive option for B2B companies looking to get their message in front of the right audience.3. Budget Control
While the cost of PPC campaigns can quickly spiral, each platform comes with strict spending controls and you can set your budget as low or as high as you like. This element of budgetary control helps companies to stay on track and ensure there is no scope creep. Again, that is not something you can always say about other marketing channels.4. Awareness Building
Similar to the above point about audience targeting, PPC can be a really great way for B2B companies to build awareness of their company or product. If, for instance, a company is launching a new product or is looking to break into an existing market, then a PPC campaign where you start appearing on top of relevant searches on Google is a very effective way of building awareness. Add in some retargeting options - as provided by Google - and you can maneuver a situation where your PPC ads will target your chosen audience across various channels such as Google Display Network, Google Search Network, YouTube, and Gmail. Compare this situation with the lengths you would have to go through to build up this level of awareness organically and it becomes clear why PPC budgets continue to rise for B2B companies today.5. Cross-channel Reach
B2B buyer behavior is evolving. The number of stakeholders involved in the buying decision continues to rise and buyers are taking on much more independent research before engaging a sales rep. As a result, the cross-channel reach of PPC becomes even more appealing to B2B companies looking to get their message - and keep their message - in front of the buyer. PPC lets companies retarget potential buyers who have visited the company website. This retargeting functionality helps B2B companies stay front of mind as prospects continue their research beyond the company website.6. Measurability
With PPC, there is a huge number of data points available. Everything can be tracked, analyzed, and improved upon. This is invaluable to B2B companies and can be used to test out assumptions and inform - or even tweak - a go to market strategy.7. Evolving Modern Environment
We live in a deeply capitalistic world. That there is no doubt. The modern B2B landscape has shifted considerably over the past decade to be highly weighted in favour of paid strategies over organic. Early stage Twitter and LinkedIn had much more organic potential than what we are witnessing today. There was less noise and the hope of going viral or relatively viral within a particular niche was more real. These changes are understandable in many ways. Early stage Twitter, for example, was hemorrhaging cash while platforms like Google+ crashed and burned. Additionally, the front page of Google continues to devote more and more real estate to paid results. Add in an AI summary and you begin to see why organic SEO efforts become increasingly difficult. B2B companies today can only play the hand they are dealt - and, in today’s environment - there is no doubt that external conditions are certainly pushing companies towards PPC.8. Learning
The final point to make here in terms of “why PPC” is that it is a channel that offers B2B companies huge learning potential. As the motto of the famous MMA coach John Kavanagh goes - "win or learn". This motto is highly applicable here. Every PPC campaign can bring with it huge value - even those that do not succeed from a revenue standpoint. Failed PPC campaigns - although, you don’t want to have too many of them - can provide B2B companies with the feedback and industry insights they need to correct course and hone in on a more suitable strategic direction.This post is an excerpt from the MFS Guide to B2B PPC: A Strategic Approach to B2B PPC. If you would like to read more you can access the guide in full here. If you have a marketing challenge you are looking for support with, feel free to reach out today - we’d love to talk with you about what you’re trying to achieve with your B2B marketing and how we might be able to help.