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The business-to-business (B2B) marketing funnel can be more complex than business-to-customer (B2C), largely because of the longer sales cycle and the number of people involved in the purchasing decision. But Google Ads is here to help you navigate it correctly: with the right strategy for each stage, it can be a powerful way to unlock business growth.
Effective B2B strategies for the marketing funnel
The marketing funnel is a useful tool for understanding a customer’s journey from awareness to purchase. While the B2B funnel shares similarities with its B2C counterpart, there are different strategies required at each stage to attract new customers and nurture leads effectively.
These strategies often encompass:
Awareness: Help potential new customers discover your business or products through informative content, hosting events, or partnering with industry influencers.
Interest: Offer valuable resources such as research, case studies, or invite-only webinars in exchange for customer details. This information can then be used for email campaigns and online advertising, with the right permissions.
Consideration: Provide free trials, demos, or testimonials to help potential customers see the value of your products or services. You can also share detailed competitor analysis and best-in-class benchmarking to show how your solution is the best choice.
Intent: Respond to requests for proposals (RFPs) and purchase enquiries promptly, and create bespoke sales presentations that address the specific needs of each potential customer.
Evaluation and purchase: Negotiate price and terms, and offer a seamless customer experience that makes it easy for customers to buy from you.
Post-purchase and retention: Help customers get started with your products or services, and stay in touch to build relationships and encourage repeat business.
As digital technology becomes increasingly important in our everyday lives and working world, many of the above activities have moved online. Google Ads can be instrumental in ensuring your business shows up when and where it matters.
Using Google Ads at every stage of the marketing funnel can help you reach business customers at the right time with the right message.
How Google Ads drives business growth throughout the B2B marketing funnel
From promoting your webinars and white papers to encouraging repeat sales, using Google Ads at every stage of the B2B marketing funnel can help you reach existing and new customers at the right time with the right message.
Google Ads offers a variety of ad formats and tools for generating B2B leads, building relationships, and increasing sales. For example:
Search ads help attract high-intent traffic to your website by appearing prominently when users search for terms related to your products or services. These ads, triggered by strategically chosen keywords, not only increase brand visibility but can also generate valuable leads and micro-engagements, such as downloading resources, exploring case studies, or subscribing to newsletters. These interactions can be nurtured into other conversions such as sales over time.
Display ads show your ads to people across the Google Display Network, which includes millions of websites. You can target your ads to people who have visited your website or who are showing interest in topics related to your business. This can help deepen consideration by promoting your products or deals.
Video ads show your videos on YouTube and the Google Display Network to people who are in the market for products or services like yours. Video ads can fit into all stages of the B2B marketing funnel, but they are particularly effective at the consideration stage. For example, you could create a video that explains the benefits of your product or service or that features customer testimonials.
Shopping ads are an effective tool for B2B businesses with e-commerce platforms, as they prominently display your products at the top of search results, showcasing essential details such as product specifications, pricing, and shipping information. This visibility is especially valuable for potential customers in the intent stage of the funnel, allowing them to easily compare your offerings with competitors and make informed purchasing decisions.
Lead forms assets are an effective way to gather contact information from potential customers at various stages of the funnel. This Google Ads feature allows users to submit their information directly within the ad, streamlining the lead generation process. This information can then be used to nurture leads and ultimately drive conversions.
Refining your B2B ads and campaigns for success
Google Ads offers a range of easy-to-use tools and features that can help you refine your campaigns as potential business customers move through the B2B marketing funnel. Here are three to consider:
Conversion tracking measures the success of your Google Ads campaigns by tracking the actions that people take after viewing your ad. This can include downloading a report, signing up for a free trial, or making a purchase. Tracking conversions allows you to see which ads are performing the best and which keywords are driving traffic to your website. This information can be used to improve your campaigns and drive more leads and sales.
Keyword Planner is a tool that can help you find the right keywords to target in your Google Ads campaigns. It can show you how often certain words and terms are searched for, how competitive they are, and how much they cost to bid on. It can help you understand what potential business customers are looking for online, find new keyword suggestions, and adapt your campaigns accordingly.
Audience targeting on Google Ads allows you to define and refine the audience you wish to reach based on criteria such as demographics, interests, habits, and even the specific companies potential business customers work for. This feature is especially valuable in the consideration stage. By segmenting your audience, you can deliver more targeted messages to decision-makers within a business.
If you’re looking for a way to reach a wider audience, create more effective ads, and drive B2B sales, Google Ads’ tools and features are the perfect way to navigate the B2B marketing funnel and achieve your marketing goals.