Launch a Google Ads B2B Lead Gen Campaign (Step By Step Guide)

Introduction

Want to advertise on Google? Google Ads is one of the primary advertising tools for any B2B company. Search campaigns deliver high-intent traffic for even the most niche topics, making it a perfect fit for industrial manufacturers. But getting started on Google can be tricky. While your best bet for lead generating success is to engage with an advertising expert for strategy and setup, this guide will help you dip your toes into the world of B2B search advertising. Let’s get started!

Definition of B2B Lead Generation Campaign

A B2B lead generation campaign is a marketing strategy aimed at attracting and converting potential customers into paying customers. The campaign involves creating engaging content and advertising it through various channels such as social media, email marketing, and Google Ads. The goal is to generate leads that can be converted into sales.

Importance of Google Ads for B2B Lead Generation

Google Ads is one of the most effective tools for B2B lead generation because it allows businesses to target potential customers who are actively searching for products or services similar to what they offer. With Google Ads, businesses can create ads that appear on Google search results pages when users search for specific keywords related to their business. This means that businesses can reach out to potential customers who are already interested in what they offer, making it easier to convert them into paying customers.

Step-by-Step Guide to Launching a B2B Lead Generation Campaign in Google Ads

Step 1: Define Your Campaign Goal

The first step in launching a successful B2B lead generation campaign is to define your campaign goal. This involves identifying the target audience, setting a budget, and establishing a timeline.

Identifying Target Audience

It’s essential to know who your target audience is before you start creating your ad campaign. To do this, you can use tools such as Google Analytics to analyze your website traffic and identify the demographics of your audience. You can also conduct market research to find out more about your potential customers. Once you have identified your target audience, you can tailor your ad campaign to their interests and preferences. For example, if your target audience is highly technical scientists and engineers, you can create ads that feature complex technical language and call out niche product benefits. On the other hand, if your target audience is older professionals with less technical sophistication working in logistics and management, you can create ads that focus on ROI and streamlined processes, using bold and simple language. By understanding your target audience, you can create ads that resonate with them and drive conversions.

Setting Budget and Timeline

Once you’ve identified your target audience, it’s time to set a budget for your campaign. Your budget will depend on various factors such as the size of your business, the competition in your industry, and your marketing goals. It’s essential to set a realistic budget that will allow you to achieve your marketing goals without overspending. A typical rule of thumb for businesses that advertise nationally or internationally is to set a search advertising budget of at least $1,000/month to test channel viability, then expand as needed.

You should also establish a timeline for your campaign. Your timeline should include the start date and end date of your campaign, as well as any important milestones along the way. It’s important to keep in mind that your timeline should be realistic and flexible, allowing for adjustments as needed. When establishing your timeline, consider the scope of your campaign and the resources available to you. If your campaign is particularly large or complex, it may require a longer timeline with more milestones to track progress. On the other hand, if your campaign is relatively small, a shorter timeline with fewer milestones may be sufficient. Additionally, be sure to leave some wiggle room in case unexpected challenges or opportunities arise during the course of your campaign. By establishing a clear and realistic timeline, you can help ensure that your campaign stays on track and achieves its goals.

Step 2: Create a Landing Page

A landing page is a web page that visitors land on after clicking on your ad. The purpose of a landing page is to convert visitors into leads by encouraging them to take a specific action, such as filling out a form or making a purchase. In our case, we want to generate leads! This usually means including a lead capture form, potentially linked to an offer like a webinar, white paper, or downloadable resource to incentivize sign-ups. There are many ways to develop landing pages. Some popular landing page builders include Leadpages and Unbounce. Some CRMs such as Hubspot also allow you to build landing pages. When creating a landing page, it is important to keep in mind the design and messaging. The layout should be simple, visually appealing, and easy to navigate. The messaging should be clear and concise, focusing on the benefits of taking the desired action. It’s also important to ensure that the landing page is mobile-friendly, as more and more people are using their mobile devices to browse the internet. Additionally, A/B testing can be a powerful tool to optimize your landing page’s performance. By testing different versions of the page, you can determine what works best for your audience and improve your conversion rates over time.

Designing the Landing Page

When designing your landing page, it’s essential to keep it simple and easy to navigate. Your landing page should have a clear headline that highlights the benefits of your products or services. You should also include a call-to-action (CTA) that encourages visitors to take the desired action. To further enhance the effectiveness of your landing page, it’s important to consider the overall design and layout. The use of eye-catching visuals, such as images or videos, can help to capture visitors’ attention and convey your message more effectively. Additionally, you may want to consider incorporating social proof, such as customer testimonials or trust badges, to help build credibility and increase trust with your audience. Remember, the ultimate goal of your landing page is to convert visitors into customers, so be sure to continually monitor and optimize its performance to achieve the best results.

Developing a Hook, Offer or Resource to Grab Customer Attention

The landing page itself is just a shell to display our content and present our offer. What we need to convert visitors into leads is a strong offer. A strong offer can be anything from a free trial period to a downloadable resource or even an exclusive discount code. However, to really grab the customer’s attention, we need to develop a hook that will make them want to click on our page in the first place. One effective hook is to create a sense of urgency by offering a limited-time deal or highlighting the scarcity of our product. Another option is to appeal to the customer’s emotions by sharing a compelling story or testimonial from a satisfied user. Additionally, we can create a resource such as an e-book or a video series that provides valuable information and insights related to our product or service. By combining a strong offer with a powerful hook, we can ensure that our landing page not only attracts visitors but also converts them into loyal customers.

Optimizing the Landing Page for Conversions

To optimize your landing page for conversions, you should ensure that it loads quickly and is mobile-friendly. You should also use clear and concise language that communicates the value of your products or services. Additionally, you should remove any distractions such as navigation bars or social media links that could divert visitors’ attention away from your CTA. Another way to optimize your landing page for conversions is to make sure that the CTA is prominently displayed and easily identifiable. Use contrasting colors to make it stand out from the rest of the page, and consider placing it above the fold so that visitors don’t have to scroll down to see it. It’s also important to offer a clear incentive for taking the desired action, such as a free trial or a discount code. Finally, be sure to test different versions of your landing page to see what works best with your target audience. Use A/B testing tools to compare different headlines, images, and CTAs, and make data-driven decisions based on the results.

Step 3: Keyword Research and Selection

The success of your B2B lead generation campaign in Google Ads depends on your ability to select the right keywords. Keywords are the search terms that users enter into Google when looking for products or services similar to what you offer. By selecting the right keywords, you can ensure that your ads are displayed to potential customers who are actively searching for what you offer.

Identifying Relevant Keywords

To identify relevant keywords, you can use tools such as Google Keyword Planner, which allows you to see the search volume and competition level for different keywords. You should aim to target keywords with high search volume and low competition to maximize your chances of success. Some of the attributes of strong lead generation keywords include:

• High search volume
• Low competition
• Strong purchasing or informational intent

Your keywords should be relevant to your business and the products or services you offer. For example, if you sell machine parts, your keywords should include terms such as common industry slang and casual terminology for your parts, popular model numbers, and related terms like “how to fix [part name]”. It’s also important to consider the user’s search intent when choosing keywords. Are they looking for information or are they ready to make a purchase? Understanding the user’s intent can help you choose keywords that will attract high-quality leads.

Using Keyword Tools to Optimize Keyword List

How do we identify relevant keywords? There are many tools for identifying keywords with good search volume and low competition, including:

• SpyFu
• Google Ads Keyword Planner
• Ahrefs Keywords Explorer
• Moz Keyword Explorer

With the exception of Google Ads Keyword Planner, these are paid tools that may offer free trials or limited freemium versions of their product.

It’s also good practice to brainstorm negative keywords, related terms that we do NOT want our ads to show up for. For example, a home HVAC company will want to show up when users search for “ac repair”, but will not want to appear when users search for “honda civic ac repair”. Negative keywords can prevent wasteful spend by restricting the campaign to only the most valuable keywords. It’s important to regularly review and update negative keywords as well. As search trends and user behavior change, certain terms that were once irrelevant may become more common and start triggering your ads. By staying on top of negative keyword research and making updates as needed, you can ensure that your ad spend is being used effectively and efficiently. Additionally, negative keywords can also help improve the overall quality score of your ads, which can lead to lower costs and higher ad rankings. So don’t underestimate the power of negative keyword research!

Step 4: Ad Creation and Optimization

The success of your B2B lead generation campaign in Google Ads also depends on the quality of your ad copy. Your ad copy should be engaging, compelling, and relevant to your target audience. It is crucial to understand your target audience’s pain points and needs to write effective ad copy. Your ad should communicate how your product or service solves their problems and adds value to their business. Use strong action verbs and power words to create a sense of urgency and excitement in the reader. Additionally, make sure to include relevant keywords in your ad copy to increase its visibility and relevance. With a well-crafted ad copy that resonates with your target audience, you can expect to see an improvement in your B2B lead generation campaign’s performance on Google Ads.

Creating the Ad Copy

When creating your ad copy, it’s essential to include your target keywords in the headline and description. You should also highlight the benefits of your products or services and include a strong CTA that encourages visitors to take action. Your ad copy is essentially the first point of contact between your business and potential customers. Therefore, it’s crucial to make a great first impression. In addition to including target keywords and emphasizing the benefits of your offerings, you should also ensure that your ad copy is concise, clear, and easy to read. Avoid using jargon or technical language that might confuse or deter visitors. Instead, use simple and persuasive language that appeals to the emotions and needs of your target audience. Finally, make sure that your CTA is compelling and motivates visitors to take action right away. Whether it’s signing up for a newsletter, making a purchase, or scheduling a consultation, your CTA should be clear and easy to follow. With these tips in mind, you can create effective ad copy that drives traffic and conversions to your website.

Step 5: Conversion Tracking and Monitoring

The final step in launching a successful B2B lead generation campaign in Google Ads is to set up conversion tracking and monitor your campaign performance. Conversion tracking allows you to measure the effectiveness of your B2B lead generation campaign and determine which aspects need improvement. By tracking the number of conversions, you can identify which keywords, ads, and landing pages are generating the most leads, and adjust your strategy accordingly. Additionally, monitoring your campaign performance on a regular basis enables you to make real-time adjustments to your bids, budgets, and targeting options, ensuring that your campaign is always optimized for maximum results. With these tools at your disposal, you can launch a successful B2B lead generation campaign in Google Ads and drive high-quality leads to your business.

Setting Up Conversion Tracking

Conversion tracking allows you to measure the effectiveness of your ad campaign by tracking the number of conversions generated from your ads. To set up conversion tracking, you can use tools such as Google Analytics or Google Tag Manager. These tools are free and easy to set up, either with a little bit of technical knowledge or by involving your webmaster or IT manager in the process. When setting up a Google Ads account, the wizard will recommend setting up an Analytics account as well. Simply follow the prompts! Once you have set up conversion tracking, you can see which ads are driving the most conversions and adjust your ad strategy accordingly. For example, if you notice that a particular ad is generating a high number of conversions, you may want to allocate more budget towards that ad or create similar ads. On the other hand, if an ad is not generating any conversions, you may want to pause it or revise it to make it more effective. With conversion tracking, you can make data-driven decisions to optimize your ad campaign and get the most out of your advertising budget.

Monitoring Campaign Performance and Making Adjustments

Once your campaign is up and running, it’s essential to monitor its performance regularly. You should track metrics such as click-through rate (CTR), conversion rate, and cost per conversion. If you notice that your campaign is underperforming, you can make adjustments such as changing your ad copy or targeting different keywords. Another important metric to track is the bounce rate, which measures the percentage of visitors who leave your website after viewing just one page. A high bounce rate could indicate that your landing page is not relevant to the ad or that it loads too slowly. You should also keep an eye on your budget to ensure that you are not overspending and adjust your bids accordingly. In addition, analyzing your audience demographics and behavior can help you refine your targeting strategy and create more effective campaigns in the future. By regularly monitoring and optimizing your campaign, you can maximize its impact and achieve your marketing goals.

Conclusion

Launching a successful B2B lead generation campaign in Google Ads requires careful planning and execution. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can create an effective ad campaign that generates high-quality leads and drives long-term growth for your business. First, it’s important to define your target audience and develop a comprehensive understanding of their needs and pain points. This information will inform the keywords and ad copy you use in your campaign, ensuring that your ads are relevant and compelling to potential customers.

Next, you’ll need to conduct thorough keyword research to identify the search terms that are most likely to lead to conversions. You may also want to consider using negative keywords to prevent your ads from appearing in irrelevant searches. Once you have your keywords and ad copy in place, it’s time to set up your campaign structure and bidding strategy. This will involve creating ad groups based on specific themes or topics and setting bids for each group based on your budget and goals.

Throughout your campaign, it’s important to continually monitor and optimize your ads for maximum effectiveness. This may involve A/B testing different ad variations to see which performs best, adjusting your bid strategy based on performance data, and making regular updates to your keyword targeting and ad copy. By following these steps and remaining diligent in your monitoring and optimization efforts, you will build a Google Ads campaign that drives real results for your business.