Search engine advertising, SEA for short, is one of the most important marketing measures in B2C communications. But paid digital ads are also ideal for B2B business. With B2B SEA – like Google Ads – ads can also draw in the interest of potential business partners.
B2B vs B2C: their differences and similarities
The goal of B2C and B2B SEA is the same: both are tools for search engine marketing. They aim to grab attention to their customers, help them cultivate new contacts and achieve more conversions. But there are also a few massive differences.
Experience has shown that B2C formats result in many orders, but, in contrast, generate low sales. In the B2B world, the very opposite is the case. Here, a low number of purchases leads to a much larger volume of transactions. This is what makes SEA especially interesting for B2B.
However, users in the B2B segment who use SEA tools like Google Ads frequently notice that the decision-making process with business customers is normally longer than with private end consumers. A reason for this: before a contract is closed, negotiations with the B2B target group have to go through several channels first. Usually, many departments and hierarchy levels are involved – and each may have different interests and goals. As a result, lots of time passes until everyone is in agreement. What’s more, internal requirements often require various offers to be collected and compared. This makes the decision-making process even longer.
A good SEA sales strategy, as well as impactful and easy-to-understand information about the products and services on offer, can speed up such processes.
What are the benefits of a successful B2B SEA campaign?
Developed and executed in a well-though-through way, B2B search engine advertising can have a huge positive impact. The heart of the strategy is to inform business customers – like end consumers – about an offer before they make purchase, often via Google and similar. Those who can leverage this knowledge and speak to their target group in the suitable way can, for instance, be successful with Google Ads for B2B.
Depending on the individual intention, various effects (also in combination) can be achieved:
- The brand can get a popularity boost. B2B search engine advertising supports awareness of the ad or offer. In turn, the awareness among the target group increases, the branding is communicated on a broader scale and, ideally, remains in the minds of decision-makers.
- Reach can be increased. A well-designed digital ad animates users to click on the link included, increasing traffic to the website. The more visitors, the higher the probability for interaction or purchases.
- A dialogue with new customer groups can ensue. Tools such as Google Ads for B2B purposes enlarge the impact of a branding measure on the one hand; on the other hand, they help to send out rather limited marketing measures to the world. For instance, locally-active companies can advertise their products or services in other select regions and gain a foothold there. Additionally, the acceptance of a new product can be tested in certain regions using B2B search engine advertising, before it is advertised across the country or rolled out.
Advantages can be gained over the competition. A clever SEA strategy helps enterprises to set themselves apart from their competitors. The best thing: they can position themselves as market leader or innovator in their field.
