Brand awareness to lead generation- Achieve it all with Google Ads

Google has made it simpler for small and medium-sized businesses to expand their reach for B2B marketing using Google Ads across its Search Network and Display Network.

Google is the leading search engine. As per HubSpot's Annual State of Marketing Report⁽¹⁾, 63% of people have clicked on a Google ad before, and Google ads give an 8:1 ROI.

However, patience and persistence are the keys when it comes to using Google ads for B2B marketing. As B2B sales cycles are longer, the customer’s journey from awareness to decision-making takes months. The good thing is, we can use Google ads to support every step.

Businesses are using Google Ads for: 

• Creating brand awareness and generating demand

• Increasing website traffic

• Generating leads'

But before you jump into it, getting clarity on the following things is important:

• Your target audience – Who are they, where are they located, what are their interests, which devices do they use, and most importantly, at what stage of the sales cycle are they?

• Which stage of the sales cycle do you want to support – Top of the Funnel (TOFU), Middle of the Funnel (MOFU), or Bottom of the Funnel (BOFU)

• Keywords strategy – What are the keywords they are using? What are the related keywords and the negative keywords?

B2B Marketing goals you can achieve with Google ads

• Building brand awareness  –

At TOFU, you have people who are searching for information and solutions. You can set up Google ads using specific keywords (mostly informational keywords) and intrigue the audiences. Since you are only looking for brand awareness, the CTA should never be an upfront "Buy Now" button but should instead lead them to the information page that offers more value and insight. Businesses need not spend a lot as the average cost per click for Google⁽²⁾ ads on the search network is $0.67, but it varies by industry. For example, in the health and medical industry, the average CPC is $2.62.

Factors critical to the success of the ads are – choosing the right geography, target audience, apt copy and setting the right budget. Typical campaigns that you can run for awareness include informative or educational ads on the Google Display Network, search campaigns, video-based campaigns, etc.

• Generating website traffic –

For the prospects that fit into MOFU and are in the process of considering several product options, Google ads can be very effective. Your ad copy can be very precise, covering the highlights of your solution, followed by a CTA that leads to a blog, service page, or landing page as per the search query. When you are trying to generate traffic for your website, there are two strategies you could use for Cost-per-click (CPC): maximize clicks, where you set an average daily budget and Google will get you the most clicks possible in that budget; or manual CPC bidding for a more customized distribution of budget, especially when you know certain keywords or placements work better than others.

• Lead generation –

Now, using specific, branded, action-oriented keywords, marketers can target those who are ready to convert. Here again, search campaigns are effective. Also, retarget those who have interacted with your Google ads before. Such ads cater to the purchase intent; hence they can include pricing, attractive rates or discounts, value addition, etc. This makes Google ads very useful for BOFU conversion.

5 Best practices while setting up Google Ads 

1.  Derive max benefit from Google extensions  –

There are many free extensions on the Google Ads platform for maximizing the ad's performance. For example, extensions for adding location, sitelinks, ratings, a call button, a price, and so on. The more information you make available for the audience, the better the response.

2. Try A/B testing –

Try different copy in separate versions of the ad and learn what works best. Pump in the budget for the ad copy that leads to better conversions.

3. Think about exclusions –

As an incorrect click by an unrelated audience can increase the cost you incur, exclude certain keywords (called negative keywords) that may be related to your service but are not services you provide. Similarly, you can exclude locations or ad placement on certain Google networks.

4. Deliver value through rich landing pages –

A good landing page offers the audience enough information in the best possible format to proceed to the next stage of the buyer's journey. It also affects the overall quality score of your ad.

5. Continuous tracking and analysis –

This is an important step, as it tells you if your ad is working or not. Changes can be made in the copy, keywords, or placement. You can also pause an ad at any time and start over if ad statistics indicate a change.

With Google ads, there is always learning on-the-go. The more you experiment with various criteria over a period of time, the more you learn how to deliver the right information to your audiences at the right time such that it leads to optimal results.

Reference and Citation-

1. https://economicimpact.google.com/methodology/

2. https://www.businessofapps.com/ads/cpc/research/cpc-rates/