searchfest 2008 b2b search marketing€¦ · – 75% visit yahoo • “everyone uses only...
TRANSCRIPT
B2B Search Marketing
Ben Hanna, VP Marketing, Business.com
Overview
• Research background
• The world of business “search”
• Is B2B search marketing different than B2C?
• 5 rules for B2B search marketing
Research Background
• About Business.com– Leading B2B search engine, directory and PPC ad network– 6,000+ clients across PPC and directory inclusion products
• About the research– Surveyed search marketing agencies currently managing B2B clients
• Key differences between B2B and B2C search marketing• Advice for improving B2B paid search ROI• Advice for improving B2B SEO ROI
– Summarized insights from 144 participating agencies, including:
The World of Business “Search”
Vendor Sites
Live
General Search1st Tier
General Search2nd Tier
and many more…
Industry Info Sites
and many more…
and many more…
B2B SearchNiche
Networks Networks
B2B SearchGeneral
Business Search is Iterative
• Marketers often think of the search process as…
• But in reality it looks a lot more like this…
”Into the Mind of the Searcher,” Enquiro, 2003
Business Buyers Start at Different Types of Sites
• Different types of sites are starting points during different phases of the business buying cycle– General search engines – where start when first identify a need– Industry information site – supplemental research for niche products– B2B search sites – find all vendors and cut down to a short list
Source: Enquiro B2B Purchaser Study, May, 2007
Reaching Business Buyers is a Challenge• Your business buyers are online
– 85% of business buyers will use the internet during the purchase process (Enquiro)
• But so is everyone else*
*comScore – MediaMetrix January, 2008; PlanMetrix, Summer 2007 release
100%
38%
32%
4%0.5%
Is B2B Search Marketing Different from B2C?
The answer is “yes”…
… and “no”
“The B2B sale is complex, meaning several things: the product/service is more expensive, the sales cycle is typically longer, more than one person is involved in the decision and the sale normally does not take place online. Given this, the primary online action is lead generation.”
- Dale Hursh
“Its not about the B2B or B2C difference…it’s all about ROI regardless of who you’re targeting.”
- Mike Tatge
Is B2B Search Marketing Different from B2C?
Yes
• Longer sales cycle– Product/service complexity and
cost– Multiple decision makers– “Rational” decision process– Evaluate both solution and vendor
• Unique audience– Limited number of buyers– More experience– Different tolerance
• Search marketing challenges– Multiple keyword meanings– Audience targeting capabilities– Competitive intensity
No
• Its still all about…– Right audience– Right message– Right offer– Positive ROI
• Tactical approach is the same– Selecting keywords– Developing ads and offers– Creating landing pages– Optimizing pages for search
engines– Etc.
• General search engines play a key role (but not the only role)
5 Key Rules for B2B Search Marketing
1. Cover the entire buying cycle
2. Focus on traffic quality
3. Drive visitors to action so you can play to your marketing strong points
4. Measure what you can & acknowledge limits
5. Master both return on ad spend and return on time
Rule #1: Cover the Entire Buying Cycle• “Everyone uses Google” is reasonably true
– 73% of US internet users visit Google in a given month
– 75% visit Yahoo
• “Everyone uses only Google” is not true– Average internet user uses three search
engines/month (Dogpile)– Google and other major search engines connect
people to a variety of sites:• Information sites – articles, blogs, how-to guides• Vendor directories• Product or service directories and shopping sites• Vendor sites
• Different decision makers require different types of information– User vs. CFO vs. IT
“B2B search marketers need to move past advertising exclusively on the Big Three and advertise on niche and vertical sites that are relevant to their business model. That is where they are going to be able to stand out.”
– Danielle Leitch
Rule #1: Cover the Entire Buying Cycle• B2B sites often tuned to phases of the buying cycle
– 31% of buyers start at B2B search or info sites during the negotiation phase
– Enable narrowing results by business/tech requirements
Rule #1: Cover the Entire Buying Cycle
• Match your search marketing strategy to the buying process– Target ads, keywords and offers to different buyer roles and buying stages
• Establish campaigns on the following types of sites1. 1st tier general search engines – where people start early in process2. B2B general search – strong presence on 1st tier engines and support research/negotiation 3. B2B niche search – attract a very specific type of user who knows what they want4. (optional) 2nd tier general search engines
Vs.
Awareness
Negotiation
Rule #2: Focus on Traffic Quality
• Poor quality traffic costs you money
• Use targeting tactics to improve traffic quality and overall ROI
– Add B2B sites to your program
• Deliver more targeted customer “out of the box” but at lower volume
– Tune your campaigns on general search engines
• Avoid keywords that overlap significantly with consumer terms
• Avoid worthless clicks –make sure ads speak to your target audience
• Build out keyword list with long-tail terms
• Utilize site and demographic targeting
Rule #3: Drive Visitors to Action & Your Strong Points
• Target key audience(s) and list specific offers in your ads (see rule #1)
• Design simple landing pages to focus visitors on the offer– Exchanging basic contact info for valuable content is a fair trade for interested
business buyers
• Utilize same qualification rules for search visitors & leads from other channels
– Search visitors may be earlier in the buying process– Giving these leads directly to Sales could result in complaints about poor lead
quality
• Establish and/or improve your lead nurture programs– Develop your own– Consider automated solutions from Eloqua, Market2Lead, Manticore, Marketo,
Pardot or other vendors
“B2B needs an email nurturing program for opt-ins so that you don't find yourself creating interest and contact information without following-up – ROI is really hurt by this as well as poor integration with sales.”
– Karen Breen Vogel
Rule #4: Measure What You Can & Acknowledge Limits
• Life is good for the lucky few– Search visitors convert into immediate, online purchases
• For the rest of B2B search marketers, there’s:– A long distance between search click and purchase– Incompatible measurement systems to traverse– IT to involve, convince and schedule– Many other pressing projects– And much more…
• We all know what we SHOULD measure…– Paid search conversions– Paid search customer lifetime value– Detail metrics at the search engine, ad and keyword level
Rule #4: Measure What You Can & Acknowledge Limits
• Metrics focus impacted by time available for search marketing*– Tend to focus on what’s easily observable
• Develop your program in simple, prioritized steps– Give yourself a break – you don’t have to be a metrics pro overnight
• Accept the value of different metrics
• Avoid substituting guesses for real insights
*Source: Business.com Search Marketer Study January, 2008. Percentages are for B2B direct search marketer respondents (non-agency, 50%+ of revenue from sales to other businesses)
Top 5 metrics tracked:
1. Cost per click (69%)2. Online conversions (62%)3. Click through rate (53%)4. Traffic volume (53%)5. Total clicks (43%)
Rule #5: Master Both Return on Ad Spend & Time
An interesting contrast….
– Common way to launch a new marketing channel:
• Identify opportunities• Develop messaging and audience test plan• Launch small scale campaigns• Identify the winning approach• Scale up the campaign
– Common way to launch search marketing:• Start with one or more of the “Big 3”• Drive a ton of traffic• Work hard to improve targeting through better
keywords, ad copy, site exclusions, etc.• Scale down the campaign
Time
Time
Rule #5: Master Both Return on Ad Spend & Time
• Return on ad spend (ROAS) is clearly important– 40% of B2B direct search marketers track this
• Return on time spent is also key but often overlooked– 20% of B2B direct search marketers track this
• Recall rules #1 and #2– Cover the entire buying cycle– Focus on traffic quality
• To boost return on time spent, work from the niche outward– Start with campaigns on B2B sites– Then allocate time to tuning campaigns on general search engines
“Utilize search engine targeting capabilities and devote some budget to vertical search engines to attempt to qualify your clicks with more targeted [visitors].”
– Leslie Jackson
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