Whether you're trying to generate brand awareness, increase conversion, or both, the key to a successful Google Ads B2B Marketing strategy starts by understanding your audience and finding high-intent keywords.

In a previous article, we talked about using Google Ads for B2B Marketing and how to choose the best Google Ad Types to optimize your Google Ads B2B Marketing Strategy. Now, it is time to get the ball rolling. In this article, we will help you crack the code behind targeting your B2B audience on Google Ads and how to set up a successful campaign.

Target Acquired: Researching Your Audience and Finding High-Intent Keywords

Consider this line from our previous article: “…Most businesses conduct problem-focused searches: they have a problem, and they are looking for someone who can solve it.” That someone can either be you or your competitors. Let’s put a pin on the competitor’s part for now.

Your goal here is to position your business as a potential solution provider for your B2B audience. In doing so, the first step would be to identify your target audience problems, and since we are setting up a Google Ads campaign, we are going to research high-intent keywords related to these problems.

Here are a couple of tips on how to find high-intent keywords:

1. Use keyword research tools: Google Keyword Planner is a solid tool for building keyword lists. It is free to use with Google Ads and it can help you with bid estimations for your B2B marketing strategy. SEMrush is also a popular tool. Just remember you don’t necessarily need to learn this tool yourself. You can always hire a marketing agency.
2. Consider long-tail keywords: Unlike other keywords, long-tail keywords are more specific phrases typically used by businesses closer to a purchase point. While these long-tail keywords have a lower search volume, they're also great indicators of higher intent and can help you close that deal your business is looking for.
3. Keep an eye on your competitor’s ads: Remember your competitors? Analyzing the ads they are running and understanding what works for them can give you a competitive edge. SEMrush offers specific tools to look into your competitor’s keywords.

The Champion Campaign: Getting the Most Out of Google Ad Extensions

Once you have chosen a Campaign Objective and the right Ad type (Google Search Ads, Display Ads, Video Ads, Shopping Ads, and App Ad Campaigns), the next step is promoting your offer and testing the multiple components of your lead generation campaign.

In creating your champion campaign, be as specific as possible while using the least amount of space possible. Google Ad Extensions do exactly that — they extend your ad by maximizing Ad Text and increasing your Search Engine Result Pages to get better leads. Did we mention it helps you save money? Well, there is that.

There are different types of Google Ad Extensions:

• Sitelinks: The simpler and most popular Google Ad extension, which allows you to include extra links to your website. If you are a software company or cybersecurity company, you can drop a link that leads directly to a trial or demo. Other professional services agencies can offer a product tour or a direct link to customer success stories.
• Callout extensions: They are free, and you get some extra characters in your ad without increasing your CPC. Callouts are short and sweet extra descriptions for your products that can enhance your ads. These short descriptions are especially effective for B2B technology companies. Here are some examples: “24/7 Customer Support,” “Schedule a Free Demo,” and “No Service Fees.”
• Structured snippets: If callout extensions have a broader appeal, structured snippets zoom in on the specifics of your products and services, allowing you to get more qualified leads. For example, a cybersecurity company might add 2 to 3 Ad snippets, highlighting SSO (Single Sign On), Adaptive Authentication, and Automated Provisioning as specific strategies for Identity Management.
• Call extension: Providing a call extension allows your business to open a pathway for that initial contact. On mobile, it is as easy as clicking the link and starting a call. Ideal for customer support services, software companies, and other professional services offering immediate attention.
• Lead form extensions: While still in Beta, the lead form extension allows your business to get valuable information from your audience. From company name to work email, it is a powerful lead-generation tool that anyone can use.
• Location extensions: If you are a service provider on-site, the location extension can help your customers know exactly where to find you. If, on the other hand, you are an online-only business or are the one visiting your customer, the location extension might mislead your audience.
• Affiliate location extensions: If you are a software company, you can sell keys through authorized sellers in a physical location. Having authorized sellers give your audience options and can help boost your reputation. Since the authorized seller has agreed to sell your product, they trust you are offering a quality product.
• Price extensions: Pricing transparency increases trust and helps your audience know what to expect. Take software companies as an example: Including a yearly plan or monthly price for a subscription-based service on your ads may help you get more leads.

Is it Working? Lead Scoring, Tracking Results, and Making Adjustments

Now that our Google campaign is ready to launch, you're ready to test, optimize, and adjust accordingly. 
Here’s how we would do it:

1. Words are important: The whole Google ecosystem is based on indexes, searches, and, you guessed it, words. Words will help you get across. You must focus on creating compelling ad content and optimizing your landing page copy. Your landing page copy is your first impression. Try to make the most out of it.
2. Lead scoring: Lead scoring is a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) technique for prioritizing and ranking potential sales leads based on their chance of becoming clients. This is accomplished by assigning a score to each lead based on specified criteria such as demographic information, website behavior, prior contacts with the firm, and other variables. The scores are used to assess which leads are the most promising, allowing sales teams to focus their efforts on the leads most likely to convert into paying clients.
3. Balance and adjustments: By keeping track of your ad performance and lead scoring, you can backtrack and try different extensions and keywords to improve your conversion rates.
4. Keep an eye on your click-through rate (CTR): As a rule of thumb, a CTR of 2% is an indicator that your ad campaign is performing well. However, depending on the industry, ad structure, and target audience, your CTR might still be considered low. CTRs of 5% and higher can be seen in certain industries. It's worth noting that a high CTR isn't the only sign of a good ad campaign. Other indicators, such as conversion rate and cost per conversion, should be included when determining an advertising campaign's overall efficacy.

Reach Your Potential B2B Audience and Launch Your Champion Campaign

Learning Google Ads can be an overwhelming task. Find high-intent keywords, study competitors, and choose the right ad type and extension for your ads to achieve a high-performing ad campaign. Don't forget to keep track of your CTRs, CPCs, and other metrics. A helping hand is always welcome. Schedule a Free 30-Minute Assessment with our experts at Rutkin Marketing and start converting today.