Why B2B Companies Should Use Search Engine Marketing

Don't neglect what may be the most relevant (and inexpensive) way to reach prospects at every point in the purchase cycle!

By Lindsey Walsh SearchEnginePPC.com, Search Engine Marketing Consultant, SearchEnginePPC

With ever lengthening buying cycles, and growing committees involved in every part of decision making, it’s important to find the most effective way to reach your prospective customers. Search engine marketing is just that. And with only 59% of B2B marketers using pay per click search marketing, it could be just the thing your company is missing.

Below are the top 5 reasons to start using search engine marketing right now.

Help Your Prospects Find You at Every Point in the Buying Cycle (Instead of Your Competitor)

Chances are, if you do a search on your top product or service, at least one of your competitors will be advertising in that space. If you're going to remain a competitive force in your industry, you must be on your prospect's short lists when researching potential vendors. Search is used at the beginning when people are trying to understand the marketplace & are setting up their provider lists. 65% of B2B buyers use a search engine when they are developing awareness at the beginning of their purchase cycle, so it's important to appear in these results. Advertising on the content network, also available through search, covers the industry portals and vertical sites that your prospects use to find detailed information and do additional research later in the buying cycle. Technology buyers gather almost 75% of their purchasing research online.
Try: See these articles at SearchEngineWatch and MediaPost to view more information, including the stats above.

No Contracts or Budget Requirements

Unlike other aspects of online marketing, search engines don't require you to spend a certain amount in order to advertise on their network. There are no steep entry fees or long term contracts to sign before starting your campaign. Also, you name the amount you're willing to spend by limiting your maximum cost per click and setting daily budgets. This reduces risk, while setting clear standards for your participation.
Try: Starting with Google AdWords, where your $5 deposit will get you an account and pay for your first clicks.

Directly Measure Results to Justify Budgets

Have you ever invested thousands of dollars to advertise in a trade magazine, but were never able to measure the results of that spending? Search engine marketing allows you to substantiate your costs by directly correlating spending with leads and ultimately sales. Each individual click and keyword is accountable, and can be adjusted in real time in order to lower risk and increase ROI. Plus, once you've measured the results of your search engine marketing campaign, you'll be able to directly compare your ROI to other marketing opportunities and decide where to scale and devote your budget.
Try: Using Google Analytics, or the built in Google AdWords tracking, as a way to measure your campaign performance in real-time.

Pre-Qualify Your Prospects (and Lower Your Costs)

Before paying a cent to advertise to them, use your ad copy as a way to pre-qualify who you pay to advertise to. Since search engine marketing is based on a cost per click (CPC) model, you don't have to pay for non-qualified visitors or impressions. Only want to advertise to C-level execs? No problem- note that your collateral is for 'decision makers' or mention 'C-level' directly in your ad. Only sell in the US? Not an issue- most search engines allow you to geo-target or use geo-modified keywords to eliminate international traffic.
Try: Check out these articles from Inside AdWords (the official AdWords Blog, and the AdWords Learning Center, which provide great tips on ad copy optimization. I've also included more tips and links at my other Work.com guide on B2B Pay Per Click Best Practices.

You're Already Halfway There

You've already invested in your website and marketing collateral, so why not put them to use. If prospects are searching for what your company offers, it would be a shame to not be able to reach out and make that connection. Instead of putting your webinars and white papers on the back burner, advertise them directly to the prospects you want to reach, and give them an opportunity to learn more about your company. Get real returns off your previous web investment by taking an active approach to traffic aggregation.
Try: Becoming one of the 59% of B2B companies which, according to this article quoting a Forrester Research report, are currently using search engine marketing.