Earlier this year WebMetro was recognized by B2B Magazine as a top B2B Interactive Agency. This was a great honor but honestly I did not give it much thought until a recent luncheon with a marketing agency that specializes in print marketing.
The CEO explained that his revenue was down 20% and he asked me for some tips to improve his B2B search engine marketing efforts. I shared with him the following 10 tips. [more]
1. The Fundamentals Are the Same
The truth is B2B marketing follows the same search engine marketing and advertising fundamentals as B2C. You still need the 4-Ps (product, pricing, promotion and placement) and the 5-Ms (mission, money, message, media and measurement).
However, what differs like all campaigns is strategy and tactics. This is due in large part to the differences in product or service pricing and buying cycle.
In general B2B sales involve a higher price point and often require several individuals that need to evaluate a purchase decision. As a result tracking conversion latency and keyword assist are sometimes crucial to the success of a B2B campaign.
2. Keywords Have Many Meanings
In many markets keywords can be interpreted one way by a consumer and another way by a business.
For example, the keyword "pumps" could be high heeled shoes for the consumer. However, to a business this could mean an industrial pump, water pump, etc.
When selecting keywords - consider the "user intent" of the audience to avoid misinterpretation. If the keyword will be used for a paid search campaign, make sure the Title, Description and Display URL provides B2B messaging to filter the consumer audience.
From an SEO perspective, make sure the content integrates other keywords to define the main keyword through latent semantic indexing.
3. Start a Conversation
Start a conversation with your B2B visitors. Download a white paper. Subscribe to an Email Newsletter. Watch an online demo. Somehow get them in the sales pipeline.
4. Link Ads to Most Relevant Content
At least 60% of the PPC audits I perform link the ad to the home page and not to the page talking about the keyword. In many situations B2B paid search campaign should consider a specific landing page instead of linking someone to the home page.
This ensures controlled messaging and helps you start the conversation.
5. Link SEO Listings to Most Relevant Content
While harder to control, SEO listing should also link people to the most relevant content.
If an organic listing shows the home page instead of a more relevant interior page, this could be a problem from a conversion perspective.
6. Not Sure About Keywords, Use Paid Search
If you are not sure about keywords, implement a paid search campaign. Generally within 30-90 days, a paid search campaign will not only tell you what keywords generate traffic, but also conversions. Unfortunately an SEO campaign make take 3-9 months to achieve the same data.
7. Consider a PPC or SEO Audit
If you perform your search engine marketing campaign in-house, a paid search audit or search engine optimization audit can be a fantastic way to validate your work but also identify where opportunities may exist.
Consider the expression "can't see the forest for the trees".
Sometimes we become too involved in the details to look at the search engine marketing campaign as a whole.
8. Pick Your Battles
Some keywords are more competitive than others. We have search marketing clients in highly competitive markets like health insurance, credit repair, and skin care.
Often there are 100-250 companies bidding for a specific keyword. While a keyword made be very targeted for your market, it is also important to consider monetization.
Can you monetize this keyword better than others? In this context, can you bid, convert and achieve a strong return on investment (ROI) compared to the other companies bidding on that keyword.
If not, perhaps this should not be in the keyword portfolio.
In terms of a search engine optimization campaign, target those keywords that will develop ROI first instead of those with higher search volume.
9. Find the Black Holes and Measure Results
Track your visitors, leads, quotes and sales and source them back to your campaign.
Track your inbound calls and source them back to your campaign.
Find the black holes and measure them. A black hole on a website could be a white paper.
You can use Google website analytics or Omniture website analytics to track a white paper download.
However, a black hole could exist if you are not tracking the inbound calls from the white paper and sourcing it back to the campaign.
10. Consider a Website Redesign
If your website was designed more than 3 years ago, it probably needs a website redesign.
The truth is B2B websites can quickly look dated or old.
In talking to a prospect the other day and he asked about his chances for success.
I explained that I am confident we can drive targeted traffic to the site - but I am concerned about conversion.
I responded with another expression "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink".
What does a dated website say about your brand?
Bonus Tip
SEO and PPC are a must. Today B2B marketers can no longer afford the opportunity costs associated with not showing up on Google, Yahoo or MSN.
Responsible marketers should implement both a search engine optimization and paid search campaign - even if a listing doesn't immediately produce an inquiry, lead or customer.
When a business prospect searches for your product or service and your company is nowhere to be found on the results page, how does this impact bottom line business results?