By Juliette Anderson . Posted on August 25, 2022

The constant evolution of digital marketing has given birth to exceptional marketing tools and strategies. Many B2B owners found account-based marketing (ABM) particularly effective, along with Google Ads.

As digital marketing evolves, so do the different tools and strategies dedicated to its optimization. As more and more users become tech-savvy, digital marketing has to become sophisticated.

In this article, we’ll walk you through some of the tips on how to use Google Ads for Account-Based Marketing effectively:

1. Targeting B2B persona

For many account-based marketing campaigns, audience persona is arguably one of the most critical aspects of your Google Ads campaign. Note that both the B2B and the B2C persona are relatively common. They both have a goal, a problem to solve, and a cycle that they’re linked to.

However, the typical B2B buyer is a lot more complex. Unlike B2C buyers, their main goals aren’t focused on personal things such as entertainment or other luxuries.

Instead, they’re more ROI-focused. They want to increase efficiency, solve problems, and focus on their organization’s needs. An important question is what your target user is looking for? What is their organization looking for as a whole? After you’ve answered these questions, you can target that specific persona much more effectively.

2. Use Retargeting To Fuel ABM Strategies

Having secured web traffic and lead information, one can utilize retargeting to enhance ABM strategies. Retargeting is an excellent fit for AB, unlike other functionality that acts as merely secondary options.

After identifying a valuable lead as a prospective customer, retargeting can offer additional touchpoints. The number of touchpoints that usually convert varies, but for B2B, this is often upward of 10.

Retargeting quickly capitalizes on the intent of a load “in the market” and can provide a more personalized touch point for a prospective interaction.

Moreover, retargeting doesn’t often need a sizable list, but enhanced search traffic provides or even expands your current ABM list. It isn’t unusual to find leads as you monitor Google ads, and ABM is undoubtedly not an exception.

3. Optimize Ad and Landing Page Copy

So, maybe you’ve created your lead generation ad and added all the fancy features Google Ads offers. The next part is finding what works and what doesn’t.

Ad features will let you use A/B testing right on your ad dashboard. You can also run two campaigns simultaneously and then manually turn off the one that doesn’t give you the desired results. Similarly, you can also run A/B tests for your landing pages.

If you want to eliminate the high cost and time commitment of on-platform A/B testing with Google, Poll the People is a great alternative. The platform allows you to test ads in minutes and even provides users with a free Google Headline Optimizer that uses enterprise-level AI to generate effective headlines in seconds.

4. Selecting the right keywords

Search internet is key to a B2B Google Ads strategy. You don’t always know what particular keywords are likely to convert off the bat.

B2B buyers will often ask more complex questions when they do a Google search than B2C buyers. They’re also more likely to use long-tail keywords and phrases instead of directly looking for a particular product or solution.

5. Use Similar Audiences In Google Ads

Similar to their Facebook counterparts or Lookalike Audiences, Similar Audiences in Google Ads scale your Customer Match audiences. It allows Google to look for similar users or ones from the same company, adding them to your list.

Similar Audience allows you to expand your Audience by ensuring that it’s only visible to relevant eyes. However, you have to be cautious with your ABM strategy as well. Make sure you don’t go into the traditional spray and pray campaign.

To get the most out of your Google ad campaigns, check out these secrets to creating the perfect Google ads. 

6. Provides Actionable Information For ABM

After a valuable lead in your account-based marketing target list is engaged with a Google Ad, its click immediately offers actionable action. This can also show you the following:

  • The search term they used
  • A specific ad they clicked
  • Interactions with particular pages
  • The location of their company

ABM software and tools such as reverse-IP tracking utilities can gather this information while offering valuable interaction insights. As a result, you can then focus on retargeting the campaign for specific, valuable leads.

For instance, the search terms can inform you how to create their ABM strategy. A search for the keyword “best CRM software” might need to highlight the product’s merit through customer testimonials. They may also require you to highlight the product’s pricing and ROI benefits.

7. Leverage Google Ad Extensions

This allows you to expand the functionality of the search ad by letting you add buttons, gather leads, or direct users to contact you. Similarly, they also raise your physical ad space on search results, which makes your ad bigger and more noticeable.

Google will also pick which extensions to show you based on your goal, so you might not have access to all of them. To access ad extensions, proceed to the Google Ads dashboard and hit “Ad & Extensions” and “Extensions.”

Then, you’ll come across available extensions, which may include the following:

  • Callout Extensions: Focuses on specific benefits or features such as free shipping, hours, 24/7 customer service, etc
  • Lead Form Extensions: These extensions aren’t often used. However, they transform your Google Ad into a lead generation form. You can then ask up to ten questions and collect leads directly in the search results. However, remember that Google doesn’t guarantee that these extensions will show for every ad.
  • Sitelink Extensions: This sends the user to a particular page in your sites, such as a sales page, product page, or store hours
  • Structured Snippets Extension: These highlight specific aspects of your site, enhancing user engagement. These can be customized if they’re eligible to show as well.

8. Implement Conversion Tracking

One of the most common mistakes when launching Google Ads campaigns is not having a way to track whether or not your campaigns are effective.

Conversion tracking lets you map your leads to your campaigns and then credit them with the new business. One of the most crucial steps you have to take is measuring the impact of Google ads on your business. Tracking conversions provides you with the information you need to decide how to scale your campaign and budget.

Conversion tracking is also essential for powerful automated bidding strategies within Google Ads. When setting up conversions, you must first identify what qualifies as a lead or new business. It could be a phone call, event sign-up, or an actual purchase of your product or service from your website.

It’s also highly likely that your conversions aren’t closed sales but leads. You can easily track those leads by using an excellent integrated customer relationship management (CRM) tool. Then, you can attribute those close leads back to your campaign during the final stages of the sales cycle.

Final Thoughts

ABM platforms let you optimize your Google campaigns. Rather than looking at Google Analytics or conversions, account-based marketing can show what’s working to help you engage, educate, influence, and sell.

Also, if you’re tired of wading through mountains of low-quality leads and only generating just a couple of conversions, then it’s high time you give Google Ads a try. The following ways let you find high-quality leads already interested in your offerings.

If you’re a busy marketer, check out user testing by Poll the People for advanced usability testing. We utilize a panel of over 500,000 dedicated users, expert-built templates, and testing that takes under 60 minutes. It is the best way to optimize ads and maximize the chances that your resources will succeed before launch.

Owen Fay

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