When it comes to AdWords, B2B is a lot like B2C but with some nuances.

You’re still targeting people actively searching for keywords related to your business…it’s just that your prospect is searching on behalf of their business.

Here’s 5 Tips for Improving Your B2B AdWords Campaigns.

Don’t Waste Money on “Consumer” Clicks

You’re not attracting people, you’re attracting businesses.

So don’t beat around the bush.

Start with your ads and make it super clear (e.g. in the headline) that you are a B2B company or you provide products and services for businesses only.

You don’t want consumers think that your B2B carpet cleaning service is for residential customers, your Accounting Firm is for individuals, or that your industrial construction tools are meant for the home handy-man.

Be clear you’re B2B, and save that wasted money on consumer clicks.

Be “B2B” Clear on Your Landing Page

It’s a fact, no matter how obvious you make it in your Google ad, you’re still going to get consumers clicking it.

It’s not something that can avoided, just reduced.

So again, make it clear on your landing pages that you are in fact a B2B company.

Ask for the visitor’s business email, company name, and/or highlight the fact that your customers are other businesses.

The last thing you want is to waste the time of your sales and marketing teams following up on no-quality leads, so hopefully any consumers who’ve made it this far will get the hint.

The Longer the Sales Cycle, the Less Info You Should Ask For

Yes, the longer it takes for you to close leads, the less information you should ask of your prospect.

Here’s what a lot of B2B companies will ask for on a landing page:

• First Name
• Last Name
• Phone Number
• Company Name
• Company Website
• Job Title
• Company Size (Employees)
• Company Size (Revenue)
• Company Address
• Timeframe for Purchase
• Where You Heard About Us
• Etc.

You don’t need to ask for all this information right away (if you do, good luck getting many people to give it to you).

Just ask for what you need: name, email, website – if you ask for their phone number (which scares a lot of people off thinking they’ll get sales people harassing them), make it clear under which conditions you’ll call them.  Better yet, as them if they prefer to be contacted by email or phone.

The rest of the information you can collect later.  The key is to make the first step as easy as possible so you’re not missing out on leads from the get-go.

Focus on How You Solve a Problem for Your B2B Prospect

I’ve always believed that a website (or landing page) shouldn’t be about your company, it should be about your customer.

The same goes for your Google AdWords campaigns.

Their problem is X, your solution is Y.

Their ailment is X, your cure is Y.

Their pain point is X, your pain relief is Y.

In other words, empathize with your prospect.

Do your campaign landing pages have buyer personas (e.g. who your product is for, specifically)?

Do they identify and sympathize with their specific needs and pain points?

Do show them how much their life will be better after using your business?

The greater the empathy, the greater the conversion.

Retarget Prospects with Helpful Information & Resources

Remember that with B2B Google AdWords Campaigns not everyone is ready to pick up the phone, make a purchase, or get a quote.

It’s simply a longer buying cycle, and a lot of your prospects are still in research and information gathering mode, so they’ll hit your landing page without converting never to be seen or heard from again.

Unless you retarget them.

Retargeting someone means to show some sort of ad when a visitor leaves your website or landing page.

They with B2B retargeting is not to offer your user the same thing you did previously (for which they didn’t convert), but rather something more informational.

Here’s a couple B2B retargeting examples:

• If they didn’t sign up for your free trial, retarget them with an offer for a webinar or free demo
• If they didn’t request a quote, retarget them with a relevant case study or white paper
• If they didn’t purchase your product online, retarget them with a competitive comparison guide or product review.

And of course, if you ever need help with your B2B AdWords Campaigns, feel free to give me a shout 🙂