B2B PPC Trends for 2023
B2B PPC Trends
- Hyper-personalisation
- First-party data
- Optimising for voice search
- Video advertising
- AI-powered automation
- Conclusion
PPC B2B ads refer to pay-per-click advertising campaigns specifically designed for B2B (business-to-business) companies. PPC ads are a form of online advertising where advertisers pay a fee each time their ad is clicked. In the context of B2B marketing, PPC ads are created to target other businesses rather than individual consumers.
PPC B2B ads typically appear on search engines. But they can also appear on other digital and social media platforms where businesses search for products or services relevant to their operations. These ads are strategically crafted to address the specific pain points, challenges, and objectives of B2B buyers.
PPC B2B ads aim to capture the attention of key decision-makers, stakeholders, and professionals within the B2B industry. Hence, PPC B2B ads are focused on driving leads, conversions, and building business relationships.
PPC ads offer several advantages that make them a valuable tool for B2B companies. Below are some of the benefits:
Targeted Advertising:
PPC platforms allow B2B companies to target their ads specifically to their ideal audience. By targeting demographics, interests, job titles or company size, B2B marketers can ensure their ads are shown to relevant decision-makers and key stakeholders. This helps maximise the impact of advertising spend and ensures that the message reaches the right people at the right time.
Lead Generation:
PPC campaigns can be designed to capture high-quality leads for B2B companies. Dedicated landing pages with lead capture forms or enticing offers can gather contact information from potential customers. These leads can then be nurtured through the B2B sales funnel, increasing the chances of conversion and closing deals.
Increased Brand Visibility:
By appearing at the top of search engine results or on relevant websites, businesses can gain exposure. This heightened visibility helps build brand recognition and credibility, which is crucial for B2B companies operating in competitive markets.
Measurable Results:
PPC advertising provides detailed insights into campaign performance. B2B marketers can track key metrics such as impressions, clicks, conversions, and ROI (return on investment). This allows them to make data-driven decisions to optimise conversion rates.
This level of measurability enables B2B companies to allocate their advertising budget efficiently. They can also continuously refine their strategies for better results.
Flexibility and Control:
Marketers can set daily budgets, adjust bids, and test different ad variations to optimise performance. This level of control allows B2B marketers to make real-time adjustments. They can target specific keywords or placements, and respond quickly to market trends or changes in business objectives.
B2B PPC Trend 1: Hyper-personalisation
Another trend that stands out is the increasing importance of first-party data. Data privacy regulations are becoming more stringent. Hence, B2B marketers are recognising the value of leveraging the data collected directly from their own websites and marketing channels.
This trend is driven by the desire to create more meaningful connections with prospects and improve overall campaign performance. The aim is to create ads that resonate with individual prospects. By understanding the unique needs, pain points, and preferences of each prospect, B2B marketers can deliver highly relevant messages. These ads are more likely to grab attention and drive engagement.
How to implement hyper-personalisation in B2B PPC campaigns:
1. Collect information about your audience
First, you need to gather detailed data about your target audience. This may include company information, industry, job titles, and interests. This information can be collected through website analytics, customer relationship management (CRM) systems, or other sources such as trade shows.
2. Audience segmentation
By analysing the collected data, you can segment your audience into specific groups based on relevant criteria. For example, you can segment by industry such as healthcare, finance, technology, manufacturing, or retail. Ad messaging can then be tailored for each group. Likewise, you can segment by roles and job titles and target CEOs, CTOs, marketing managers, or IT professionals with unique offers.
Another way of segmenting your audience is based on the stage of the B2B marketing funnel or previous purchase history. For example, you might have segments for new prospects at the top of the marketing funnel, existing customers, or customers who have made repeat purchases.
3. Tailor ad content accordingly
Once the audience is segmented, you can create customised ad content that speaks directly to each segment. This involves developing ad copy, headlines, and visuals that address the specific pain points of each segment.
For example, if targeting different industries, the ads can highlight industry-specific benefits or solutions. Or, if you are targeting by geographic location, you can tailor ads with localised offerings. By tailoring the messaging to the specific needs of each segment, you can demonstrate an understanding of their unique requirements.
Dynamic ad customisation
Dynamic ad customisation is another crucial aspect of hyper-personalisation. It involves using data-driven strategies to dynamically change the ad content based on the individual user’s information or context.
For example, the ads can display the user’s company name, personalised recommendations, or specific offers based on their previous interactions or browsing behaviour. Dynamic customisation enhances the relevancy and personalisation of the ads, making them more compelling to the prospects.
When prospects feel that the ads are talking to their needs, they are more likely to click on the ad, explore the offerings, and take the desired action. This can increase conversion rates and improve the overall ROI of your PPC campaign.
B2B PPC Trend 2: First-party Data
Another trend that stands out is the increasing importance of first-party data. As data privacy regulations become more stringent, B2B marketers are recognising the value of leveraging the data collected directly from their own website and marketing channels.
This ties into the first trend of refining targeting strategies and delivering more relevant ads. By harnessing first-party data, you can gain deeper insights into your audience.
What is first-party data?
First-party data refers to the information that businesses collect directly from their own digital properties. These could be their website, landing pages, email marketing campaigns, or any other owned channels.
First-party data is obtained with the consent of the users and is unique to the business itself. It includes valuable information such as website visitor behaviour, demographics, contact details, and engagement metrics.
Better audience insights
By utilising first-party data, you can better understand your audience’s preferences, needs, and behaviour. This data can be analysed to identify patterns, trends, and insights that inform targeting strategies and campaign optimisation.
With a deeper understanding of your audience, you can create more targeted and personalised PPC campaigns that will resonate with your prospects.
The collection of first-party data
To effectively leverage first-party data in PPC campaigns, you can adopt various techniques and tools. One such technique is website pixel tracking.
This involves placing a tracking pixel on the website to collect data on user behaviour. Data may include page visits, clicks, and conversions. This information can provide valuable insights into user interests, preferences, and the effectiveness of different marketing channels.
Lead generation forms are another effective method for collecting first-party data. By strategically placing forms on landing pages or within content, you can gather valuable information from prospects who willingly provide their details in exchange for valuable content or offers. This will allow you to build a database of qualified leads. You can then tailor your PPC campaigns based on the specific needs and interests of each lead.
The advantages of using first-party data
Aside from enabling more precise targeting, first-party data helps optimise the allocation of marketing budgets. By identifying the most valuable segments or customer personas, you can allocate your PPC budget more effectively. This way, you can focus on the segments that are more likely to generate higher ROI.
This data-driven approach maximises the impact of PPC campaigns and reduces wasteful spending on irrelevant or low-converting audiences.
Furthermore, leveraging first-party data addresses the increasing concerns around data privacy and compliance. By relying on your own data sources, you have more control over the data you collect and use. This approach aligns with data protection regulations and ensures that your business is transparent and responsible in its data usage.
B2B PPC Trend 3: Optimising for Voice Search
Another trend that is gaining significant importance is voice search optimisation. To illustrate the importance of this trend, Juniper Research predicted that voice assistant transaction values are expected to grow by over 320% by 2023.
Voice search has transformed the way people interact with technology and search for information. With the rise of virtual assistants like Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa, voice search has become a convenient and popular method for accessing information hands-free.
As voice assistants and smart speakers continue to gain popularity, it’s crucial to adapt your PPC campaigns. Optimising your campaigns for voice search will ensure your ads appear in voice paid search results and effectively reach your target audience.
Optimising for voice search – conversational and question-based keywords
One important aspect of voice search optimisation is adapting keywords to match natural language queries. When people use voice search, they tend to phrase their queries in a conversational and more natural manner. It’s therefore important to focus on long-tail keywords and incorporate phrases that align with how users speak and ask questions in real-life conversations.
In addition to keyword optimisation, ad copy should also be tailored to accommodate voice search queries. The ad content should answer specific questions or provide relevant information that users might ask through voice search. By aligning the ad copy with voice search queries, ads are more likely to be selected and displayed in voice search results.
Optimising for voice search – actionable information
It is also important to consider the context in which voice searches are performed. Voice searches often happen on the go. This means that users are looking for immediate answers or solutions.
You can leverage this trend by creating PPC ads that emphasise quick and actionable information. Highlighting features like “instant solutions,” “quick response,” or “24/7 availability” can help capture the attention of voice search users who are seeking immediate assistance or solutions.
Optimising for voice search – mobile friendliness
Another aspect of voice search optimisation is ensuring that the landing pages associated with PPC ads are mobile-friendly and provide a seamless user experience.
Voice searches are commonly performed on mobile devices. It is therefore crucial that the landing pages load quickly, are easy to navigate, and offer relevant information that aligns with the user’s search intent. Optimising landing pages for mobile devices can significantly improve the conversion rates of PPC campaigns targeted at voice search users.
Optimising for voice search – using long-tail keywords for local searches
Over 55% of consumers rely on voice searches to discover local businesses. It is therefore imperative to optimise your PPC ads with relevant local keywords.
By integrating long-tail keywords that include specific locations, you can attract potential customers in their target areas.
Optimising for local keywords involves conducting thorough keyword research. This will help identify the most relevant and commonly used search terms within your specific locality. This may include neighbourhood names, city names, or even landmarks that are associated with your business.
By using localised long-tail keywords in your PPC search ads, you have a better chance of appearing in voice search results when professionals seek businesses or services in your area.
B2B PPC Trend 4: Video Advertising
Video advertising is taking centre stage in B2B PPC campaigns in 2023. Video is an effective tool for showcasing products or services, demonstrating expertise, and building trust with potential B2B customers.
A Wyzowl report found the following insights into the use of video marketing:
- Video has helped 94% of marketers increase their understanding of a product or service.
- 88% of respondents said that watching a brand’s video has convinced them to buy a product or service.
This trend is driven by the rise of video production tools making this medium more affordable and accessible.
Here are some advantages of including video in your B2B PPC campaigns:
Simplify complex concepts
Videos have a unique ability to convey complex messages in a concise, easy-to-understand, and visually appealing format. You can leverage this medium to communicate the value and benefits of your offerings more effectively than traditional text-based ads. Whether it’s a product demonstration, a customer testimonial, or an informative tutorial.
Higher engagement
Video ads provide an immersive experience that captures attention. In support of this, research has shown that the average user spends 88% more time on pages with videos.
Using video, you can create a memorable and engaging experience that leaves a lasting impression on viewers. You can do all of this while showcasing your brand personality and establishing an emotional connection with your target audience.
Enhanced targeting options
In addition to their engagement and storytelling potential, video ads also offer excellent targeting options. Social media platforms like YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook provide robust audience segmentation capabilities. This allows you to reach your desired B2B audience based on demographics, interests, job titles, and more.
This level of precision targeting ensures that video ads are delivered to the right people. This means that you are more likely to generate meaningful leads and conversions.
B2B PPC Trend 5: AI-powered Automation
AI-powered automation is set to dominate B2B PPC campaigns going forward. AI and machine learning are rapidly advancing. You can now leverage sophisticated algorithms to automate various aspects of your PPC campaigns and improve performance.
Performance Max campaigns in Google Ads is one example. Performance Max campaigns optimise for conversions and deliver ads across various channels, including paid search, display, video, and app placements.
These campaigns are designed to reach a wider audience and drive results by dynamically adjusting various aspects of your ads. Bids, placements, and ad formats can be adjusted based on real-time data and user behaviour.
Bidding strategies
Google has been rolling out more automated bidding strategies. By analysing vast amounts of data, AI and machine learning algorithms can optimise each ad placement. This way, it maximises the chances of winning auctions while staying within budget constraints.
This automation also removes the need for manual bid adjustments, saving you time and allocating resources more effectively.
Real-time ad placements
Additionally, AI-powered automation enhances ad placement decisions in real-time. AI algorithms continuously monitor performance metrics, such as click-through rates, conversion rates, and engagement levels. With this data it can identify the most effective ad placements and make real-time adjustments. This way, ads are shown to the most relevant and receptive audiences, which enhances the impact of each impression.
Audience targeting
Audience targeting is greatly enhanced through AI-powered automation. The technology analyses user behaviour, preferences, and historical data. Using this data, AI algorithms can identify patterns and segment audiences more accurately. This enables you to deliver personalised and highly relevant ads to specific target groups, increasing the chances of engagement and conversions.
Ad messaging
Another aspect of AI-powered automation is ad creation and optimisation. AI and machine learning algorithms can generate ad copy variations and test them against different audience segments. Doing this, it can identify the most effective messaging and visuals. This iterative process leads to continuous improvement and optimisation of ad performance over time.
By embracing AI-powered automation, you can free up valuable time and resources that would otherwise be spent on manual tasks. This will allow you to focus on strategic planning, creative development, and higher-level decision-making.
It is worth noting that while AI-powered automation offers numerous benefits, it still requires human oversight and intervention. You need to set clear goals, define performance metrics, and regularly monitor the AI algorithms to ensure they align with your desired outcomes. Human expertise is also crucial for interpreting data and adapting PPC strategies based on changing market dynamics.
Conclusion
B2B PPC trends in 2023 offer a variety of opportunities if you are looking to optimise your business performance and growth. From maximising ROI with automated bidding strategies to improving the customer experience through personalised ads and engaging content. By implementing the latest B2B PPC trends, you can ensure you remain competitive while increasing revenue and profits. If you want to find out more about our B2B PPC services, get in touch. Or explore our PPC packages to see the value we can deliver for your business.