10 Ways Search Marketing for B2B is Different …and How to Maximize Results
B2B Camp AtlantaJanuary 19, 2013
www.prominentplacement.com blog: www.searchadvisory.net @ProminentPlcmnt
Prominent Placement, Inc: Who We Are
About PPI• 12 years old• Atlanta-based; handle clients
nationwide• Primarily B2B clients• Focus on lead generation• Superior account service• Winner of AMY Awards &
“Best Places to Work”
About Stacy Williams• CEO & Founder of PPI• Doing SEO since 1998• Recently named “Search
Engine Marketer of the Year ” by the Technology Association of Georgia
• Currently President of SEMPO Atlanta (Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization)
A full-service search engine marketing agency Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Paid Search Advertising (Pay-Per-Click) Usability Analytics
#1: Leads Not Sales
Long sales cycle; many steps in funnel Focus on lead generation & data capture Set long cookies in analytics Do math on value of a conversion
Value of a conversion = % of conversions that become customers X
average lifetime value of a customer Note that conversions may not equal leads
– look at quality of conversions Use “invisible fields” to track leads to
sales
Example of “Invisible Fields”
This data can be automatically imported into your CRM, allowing you to tie search
marketing efforts directly to customers and revenue.
#2: Phone Call Conversions
Complex sales mean phone calls, not just form fills Phone call tracking dynamically changes
the phone number on the website depending on how the visitor got there
Type in URL directly & see this:
Click on a Google organic listing & see this:
Click on a Google paid listing & see this:
Why Including Calls Is Critical
Case study: B2B client in niche construction market• After SEM efforts: handful of online forms• Call tracking showed this:
29%
71%
Online formsPhone calls
• Increased paid search CPCs ~25%• Doubled leads
#3: Multiple “Touches”Many website visits before conversion Multi-Channel Funnels in Google Analytics
(under “Conversions”)
#4: Partners & Resellers
SEO: • If you’re the mothership, you’ll likely outrank
partners. Be glad they’re taking up room in the SERPs too (rather than competitors)
• If you’re the reseller, optimize the heck out of your website; focus on your niche & added value
Paid Search: avoid competition & bidding wars• If you’re the mothership, lay down rules• If you’re the reseller, focus on your niche & added
value
#4: Partners & Resellers
Paid Search:• Test messaging & share learnings with channel
partners
#5: Limited Universe of Prospects
No mass market here! Hard to find them? Then make sure they
can find you online Easy to find them? Then use SEM in
conjunction with direct outreach Remarketing can keep your message in
front of prospects
Example of Remarketing
4.4% conversion rate
#6: Keywords Too Broad or Niche
How are prospects searching?
• Exact description may have low search volume: • open source digital asset management• open source collaboration software• open source enterprise content management
• Descriptions with higher search volume may be too broad: • document sharing• document management• record storage• project collaboration
#6: Keywords Too Broad or Niche
Paid Search Solutions:• Consider including both (& try to find the “in-
betweeners”)• Watch low search volume keywords & pause them if
quality scores slip• Use “modified broad match” on more general keywords
with lots of negative keywords. Watch what converts• Also use descriptive ad copy & landing pages to turn
away consumers
• Consider including pricing in ads (fewer clicks, but more qualified)
• Watch seasonality (“disaster recovery” during hurricane season)
• Test on paid search before doing SEO
#6: Keywords Too Broad or Niche
SEO Solutions:• Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI)• Use similar words in close
proximity to support key themes and cast a wider net
• Condense complicated explanations into easily digested ones
• Focus less on keywords and more on relevance – put yourself in your target audience’s shoes
• If few people are searching for your solution, target keywords related to the problem too:• PCI compliance solutions• credit card machine hacked
#7: Keywords EvolveMany B2B spaces change rapidly• Keyword research is never done• Add emerging keywords to paid search
campaigns to test• Creating a new category or new
terminology?• No one will be searching for it at first• Use PR & other marketing to establish new terms• Don’t give up on old terms – paid search,
optimize less important pages• Own the new terms once they gain traction:• ipad document management• mobile ecm
#8: Few Offers or Promotions
Encourage conversions• Traditional B2B “offers”:
White papers, webinars, demos, free trials, newsletter signups, ebooks, case studies, request for quote• Be creative, be brief, test• Tools, “How To” Guides, One-
Sheets specific to industry, Videos, Gartner Magic Quadrant
• Easy, enticing, short forms
#9: Social Media is Low Priority
Works hand-in-hand with search• SEO: • Optimize profiles & posts – take up more room in
SERPs• Build in links pointing back to main site• Encourage votes, shares, likes, +1s
• Paid Search:• Highly targeted to interests, industries, job titles
#10: Many Stakeholders Focused on Quarterly Results
Provide the data that each stakeholder needs• Detailed reports with M-O-M & Y-O-Y for the
number-crunchers• High level overview with analysis for the
executive team
Correlate sales with appropriate quarter• Know the length of the sales cycle• Account for the lag
Questions?
More info about us: prominentplacement.com Blog & newsletters: searchadvisory.net facebook.com/prominentplacement linkedin.com/company/prominent-
placement-inc. youtube.com/user/ProminentPlacement @ProminentPlcmnt
Keep in touch with me:• linkedin.com/in/stacyswilliams• @StacyWms