Learning from the Pros

I don’t need to be the one to tell you this, but B2B tech companies have it hard when it comes to getting their advertising to perform.

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They’ve got complicated products. And sophisticated audiences (who are all but totally allergic to buzzwords and fluff). And together, they make communicating your company or product’s value super hard.

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Having helped countless B2B companies over the past 9 years I’ve learned more than a thing or two about writing copy for these companies. 

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And today I’m sharing with you my top 10 copywriting tips – tips you can use right away (literally, try them out after you finish reading this) to evaluate your existing ad campaigns and improve their performance, stat.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Tip #1: Sell The Click, Not The Product
• Tip #2: Take Something Out Of Your Ad Instead Of Putting More In
• Tip #3: Write First, Edit Later
• Tip #4: Remember How People Interact With Ads
• Tip #5: Use The Slippery Slope
• Tip #6: Don’t Be Afraid to Try Long Copy
• Tip #7: Try to Use Your Voice of Customer As Much As Possible
• Tip #8: Clear Before Clever
• Tip #9: Tie Benefits Back to Something Realistic
• Tip #10: Make Sure Your Copy Passes the “So What” Test

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Tip #1: Sell The Click, Not The Product

The first tip is more of a mindset shift: remind yourself that your ad is selling the click, not the product (as a whole). 

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Prospects don’t see your ad in isolation. They see it in the context of everything else that happens throughout their day, AND in the context of everything else they see on LinkedIn, Google, Facebook or whichever platform your ad is served to them. So unlike an ecom ad, the goal of your ad here is to build excitement and anticipation. You want your prospect to be inspired enough to click on the ad and go where they can learn more about what you have to offer. 

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This still applies even if you’re providing a free trial, or something else that is free.

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Because if you have an average contract value of $50,000-$100,000/year your prospect is NOT going to click on your ad and buy right away. 

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Instead focus on giving the prospect something – a tip, an idea, an emotional twinge – that will motivate them to click.

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This could be through: 

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• The  messaging you use (make sure you’re talking about how you solve business problems, not just “hey our product is really cool”)
• The type of call-to-action (CTA) (making sure it’s not too pushy for people who didn’t know you existed until now)
• The visual in your ad creative (making sure it hits an emotional soft spot)

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Remember: You can always go into more depth on the landing page. But that won’t happen if your prospect doesn’t click through in the first place. 

Tip #2: Take Something Out Of Your Ad Instead Of Putting More In

Focus on getting one really memorable takeaway across in your ad copy. 

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Writing copy by committee is never a great strategy and it’s easy to end up with ads that are saying so many different things that the prospect won’t take away any one thing in particular. 

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Let’s say your product’s main value propositions are: it’s fast, it’s easy to use, and it saves money. 

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Instead of stuffing all of that information into the same ad, I would write 3 variations:

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• Ad Variation 1: Fast 
• Ad Variation 2: Easy
• Ad Variation 3: Saves Money

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Test each message separately so you can see which performs better AND so the prospect can remember your core value proposition. 

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Pro tip: you can say the same message 1,000 different times or more by repurposing the way you communicate that message to the market through different creatives, ad types, and copy. 

Tip #3: Write First, Edit Later

There are so many times when we sit down to try to write an ad and it’s really hard.

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First get all your thoughts, ideas, and concepts out in a document, then let it sit for a couple of hours, and finally go back to it with fresh eyes.  

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If you just try to write it in one session it’s going to be messy and you’ll spend forever tweaking it. 

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The idea is that you get to write a really stupid first draft. But you KNOW that it’s going to be bad. So that gives you the chance to get the bad ideas out to make way for the good stuff. Your goal is to come back later to edit and make it better. 

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I’ve lost count of how many times my first line in the body copy becomes my headline or other parts of my copy shift places with each other because they’re better suited for a different part of the ad. But I’m only able to make these connections with fresh eyes. 

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Pro tip: you can use ChatGPT for brainstorming but even still you need to let the copy sit. Give yourself time to process it so you can edit it and not just run with it at face value.

Tip #4: Remember How People Interact With Ads

Each element of your ad is a part of the puzzle. 

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People will stop the scroll because the creative caught them. Then they'll look at the headline. Then they go up and read the body copy. And finally they go back down to the headline before clicking.

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The prospect's eyes are going all over the place which means you can’t afford to have copy that’s disjointed.

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The headline leads into the body copy and should support the creative. And the body copy should support the headline. All the elements have to work together. 

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As Eugene Schwartz once said “copy is not written, it’s assembled".

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Treat each element of your ad with equal importance and make sure it makes sense when you look at it from the eyes of your prospect.

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Pro tip: you can’t create ads in isolation, you need your designer and copywriter working together to ensure each variable in your ad works together (headline, body copy, creative).

Tip #5: Use The Slippery Slope

Your first line of copy should get the reader excited to read the second line. The second line should motivate the reader to read the third line. And so on. Direct marketer Joseph Sugarman calls this the “slippery slope”. It makes sure your ad is interesting to read and that the ideas inside it are easy to digest.

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The best way to check and test your messaging for clarity and word choice is to read it out loud. 

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If you’re in the middle of a sentence and you paused for breath, you should place a period.  That will help your sentences flow more naturally one into the other.

Tip #6: Don’t Be Afraid to Try Long Copy

I have a bone to pick with people who say “nobody reads online!” Because of course they don’t – if they don’t have something interesting to read. 

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People binge on Netflix series, video games, novel trilogies, and more for hours in one go. 

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When you have people's attention you can keep sharing with them new details. But you have to earn their attention, first. (Which won’t happen with clickbait.)

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What can you give them in your ad that will make them feel they got value from this interaction, no matter how fleeting it was? 

• Did they learn something new?
• Did you make them feel something?
• Did you make them think for a second?

If you can do at least one of those three things you’ll earn their attention. 

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It’s hard to do this in 150 characters which is why long form copy is so powerful. 

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Don’t be afraid to push up until that 600 character limit if needed. 

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Long copy will also lead to a greater dwell time and provide so much more context and opportunity for you to build motivation so they have a reason to click through. 

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The takeaway here is that people will read your long form ads if it’s interesting to them. But they won’t read even short copy if it’s terrible.

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Side note: When writing ad copy I create 2-3 variations for the headline and the body, usually testing out different lengths (short vs long). 

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Here’s my simple but effective copywriting template I use in Google Docs:

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LinkedIn ads template | Eden Bidani

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Pro tip: it’s easy for ads to get stuck in the same creative loops, don’t forget to brainstorm new creative concepts to test. 

Tip #7: Try to Use Your Voice of Customer As Much As Possible

If no one in the product marketing or CS team is interviewing your customers do this ASAP. 

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Get on a call with them and ask them questions such as: 

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• How do you use the product?
• What is the impact of your product?

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The goal here isn’t to get testimonials, it’s to understand how your customers talk. 

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You’ll walk away knowing the benefits that matter to them and challenges. 

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I’d also recommend talking with sales and asking them what are the top customer objections that prospects say and exactly how they describe it. 

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Using the same words and language your customers use allows you to communicate in their voice. 

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These insights are so powerful that not even ChatGPT can brainstorm this for you. 

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For example I used to work with a company that created $700 work bags and I interviewed a customer that mentioned she used to carry around a “mom bag”.

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What did she mean by that? “A shapeless, old ugly bag.” 

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That word “mom bag” is so unique and reflective of the voice of our customers that using that in our landing page copy instantly resonated and resulted in tremendous lifts in conversion rates. 

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Five customer interviews can be all it takes. 

Tip #8: Clear Before Clever

Jay Abraham once said sometimes the easiest way to sell a horse is to say “horse for sale”. 

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You have a fleeting moment with your prospects engaging with your ads. 

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So even if you have to use specific, complicated terms (for your sophisticated audience) you need to focus on making your copy as clear as possible.

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For example, try to simplify your language as much as possible. Yes, this might result in you using less voice of customer, or using a different brand tone of voice, and other elements of your messaging. But clear will always convert best. 

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Consider the words you are using and find synonyms that imply the same meaning with less cognitive load. 

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John Carlton refers to these as “power words” for example: 

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Sometimes you want to say fast but you should be saying swift. 

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Swift implies a very different connotation than fast. 

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It’s a whole different level of sophistication above “fast” but it’s still a simple word. 

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How would you say this same thing to a friend? Is a great frame to have. 

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Remember to avoid complicated and overdone words like omnichannel 🤮

Tip #9: Tie Benefits Back to Something Realistic

Everyone LOVES to talk about benefits – think: “Grow your business!”, “Transform your workplace!", “Win more customers!”, or “Optimize your life…!” 🙄

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It’s not that it’s not true. They are. But they’re just so high-level and vague people struggle to grasp them.  You need to tie them back to something tangible  – something realistic that your prospects identify with. Otherwise, they just come off as fluff. 

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So make sure the claims you make in your ads are specific. And even better, back up your claims by connecting them to a feature or capability of your product.

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Take the step to connect your benefits back to something realistic. 

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Pro tip: even better than talking about how your benefits connect to something realistic, SHOW PROSPECTS HOW this happens with supporting images or videos. 

Tip #10: Make Sure Your Copy Passes the “So What” Test

You should be totally skeptical about your copy (just like prospects will be). 

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People aren’t stupid — even if they fall victim to clickbait they will bounce from your landing pages. 

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Every time you look at your copy ask yourself so what? And pick it apart to see where it’s fluff. 

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Sit back and look through to see where you’re missing proof points or what can be removed. 

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You’ll be able to find all those tiny things that will throw people off reading your ads. 

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At the end of the day your audience will look at the total sum of your ad (headline, body copy, creative) and if there are elements out of place such as:

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• Run on sentences
• Improper formatting
• Typos and obvious errors

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All of these details will affect whether the audience feels they can trust you with their click. 

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So what allows you a third person frame to find what looks off, and what can be stronger. 

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Pro tip: search for free ad mockup software on Google to find tools you can use to see what your copy will look like to your audience within the platform you’re advertising. 

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Hope you found this article helpful! 👏

‍Connect with me on LinkedIn and let’s keep the conversation going. 

And if you’re in need of copywriting assistance check us out at CAPE Agency.

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Resources for mastering B2B advertising

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Working with an advertising agency, freelancer, or consultant?

After the past 12 years working in-house I know what good and bad looks like. 

In this article I’m going to share with you my hard lessons learned on working with these partners. 

And if you’re an agency owner, freelancer, or consultant reading this (take notes!) 📝

These tips are bucketed into four parts: people, product, process, and results.

Let’s dive in! 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS:

• Tip #1: Be clear on your communication needs and expectations 
• Tip #2: Decide your meeting cadence
• Tip #3: Get clear on who and what for your tools
• Tip #4: Review your brand foundations
• Tip #5: Make sure your extended team knows the audience targeting
• Tip #6: Define your operational plumbing 
• Tip #7: Share your historical benchmarks
• Tip #8: Be clear on your naming conventions
• Tip #9: Have clear trackable goals 
• Tip #10: Set clear timelines and deliverables

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[process] Tip #1: Be clear on your communication needs and expectations 

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You have to be upfront about this from the beginning. 

Where and how often are the two key questions here:

• Where will we be communicating? (ex: Slack)
• How soon should you expect a response? (ex: within 24 hours)
• How fast can I expect a certain task to be completed? (ex: 72 hours) 

You need to tell your partners what you expect from them in terms of communication. 

Steal this template:

“Hey {Name}, I want to be really clear that with the agencies I work with I expect a response from my slack or emails within {timeframe, ex: 12  business hours}”. 

This is equally as important for those of us managing clients as it allows you to more effectively prioritize your communications with clients and triage your day. 

[process] Tip #2: Decide your meeting cadence

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This tip connects with the previous around framing expectations. 

You have to get clear on how often you’re going to be meeting, is it weekly, bi-Weekly, monthly?

Communicate your expectations on how often you’ll meet and the options available. 

By getting clear on your needs and how fast you want to get things done will allow you to answer this. 

The best part about defined meeting cadences is that it allows you to hold people accountable. 

It’s a forcing function that makes sure you’re getting what you need fast enough. 

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My preferred meeting cadence:

Weekly for the first six weeks to build trust and create momentum then move towards bi-weekly. 

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Within the first 6-weeks of working with a new agency or consultant  you’ll want to ensure they are set up with:

• Systems access
• Clearly defined goals 
• Clarity on your ICP and audience 

From here everything is addressed and you can move to a bi-weekly cadence. 

Again this is my personal preference align according to your needs!

If you want some tips on how to run an effective meeting check out my LinkedIn post 🎉 

[process] Tip #3: Get clear on who and what for your tools

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The last thing you want is for it to take four weeks for your agency to get plugged into your system. 

Get your new partners access to your systems as fast as possible so they can begin adding value.

Build a document with a clear list of all the primary tools they’ll need access for and who to contact. 

If the agency, consultant, or freelancer you’re onboarding already has clear documentation already on how you can provide them access to their primary tools this is a green flag! 🟢

If you can take the initiative to build an internal version of this document even better.

You know your marketing operations person's name, make sure they know as well. 

The more people working together across teams the more important this becomes.

[product] Tip #4: Review your brand foundations

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Make sure your agency, freelancer, or consultant understands your brand.

Your brand foundations consists of:

• What does your solution do?
• What’s your unique value prop?
• What’s your origin story?
• Who are your competitors? 
• What’s your tone of voice? 

Even better if your partners can sit in on a live demo (or at the minimum watch a recording). 

If your partners don’t get sold on the unique value you provide they will never be able to make an impact with the campaigns they create for you (and red flag if they don’t want to know! 🔴). 

[product] Tip #5: Make sure your extended team knows the audience targeting

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We touched on this on tip #4 but this is so important it deserves its own tip. 

Audience targeting is the foundation of everything you’re going to be doing.

You need to be absolutely clear on: 

• Job titles
• Job functions
• Company size
• Industries

Really, really, really hone in on this! 🙏

Make sure your extended teams knows this as well. 

This is where your buyer persona comes into play, if you need help on how to craft one check out Module 2 of my B2B Advertising Foundations course where I show you how to piece it together. 

Give them as much customer information as possible because they have to know this. 

They need to know what good vs bad leads look like. 

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Pro tip: 

Keep all this customer information in a shared document so your partners can refer back to it in the future when needed and setup a shared channel to monitor lead quality 🔥

[process] Tip #6: Define your operational plumbing 

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You need to be specific on how things should be tracked. 

The goal isn’t to just drive leads, it’s to scale legit qualified pipeline and revenue. 

Work with your extended teams to map out your customer lifecycle operations. 

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For example, they should be clear on: 

• Once someone fills out a form, now what?
• How are leads being handed off to sales? 
• How is the team being notified on new leads? 
• How are they being followed up with? 

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From here it’s piecing together the right UTM conventions for measurement, connecting forms in our marketing automation tools so be able to route appropriately.

Walk through all of these steps and the points in-between so things are tracked. 

Take my word for it, defining this will save you a lot of headaches at the end of the quarter! 😅

[results] Tip #7: Share your historical benchmarks

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You need to first understand your historical benchmarks so you can share them. 

Reverse engineer your funnel to understand your performance between steps.

This will look different for every company but here’s an example for sales led:

• Meetings Booked
• Meetings Completed
• Opportunities
• Pipeline
• Revenue

Knowing the difference between steps is crucial to improve efficiency. 

If your agency or consultant  isn’t trying to reverse engineer your funnel that’s a red flag! 🔴

Share these historical benchmarks and hold them accountable. 

[Process] Tip #8: Be clear on your naming conventions

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Your partners need to be able to jump inside your ad accounts and understand what’s happening. 

The first step is making sure they are informed on your naming conventions.

Align on naming conventions for: 

• Forms
• Campaigns
• Creatives

And if you’re reading this and don’t have existing naming conventions, ask yourself: 

What are the questions I’d like to answer from my campaigns? 

For example, I want to know:

• What’s my performance by region? 
• What’s my performance by campaign objective?
• What’s my performance by ad?

Then use these answers to include them in your naming convention. 

This is a really small in the weeds tactical step but worth sharing. 

[results] Tip #9: Have clear trackable goals 

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Determine the metrics that matter that your advertising partners should track and the frequency in which they should be reporting on these goals to you. 

I personally like to report on these weekly to make sure everything is pacing appropriately. 

This also allows you to pivot quickly when things start to go off track.

When determining the metrics that matter, also brainstorm your leading indicators. 

Leading indicators are clear metrics that help you determine early signs of success.

For example, depending on your campaigns objective it might look a bit different: 

• Lead gen = qualified leads created
• Awareness = engagement rate by ad type

Just choose something that can happen quickly within the first 7 days of a campaign going live and is a relevant milestone that will ultimately lead to your end goal. 

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🟢 An early and specific goal is better than no goal at all.

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Without this clarity you or your partners won’t be able to prioritize what needs to be done. 

If you’re struggling with deciding on your goals go back to tip #7 and understand your benchmarks. 

[results] Tip #10: Set clear timelines and deliverables

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Defining the success metrics that matter and the roadmap to get there is CRUCIAL.

You have to be clear upfront timelines for both parties or it’s going to get squirrely 🐿😅

If it’s not defined upfront as you go things will go sideways. 

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Communicate to your agency, consultant, or freelancer:

Here’s what we expect from month 1, 2, and so on…

You’re hiring these experts to come in and solve a specific problem. 

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The goal is to hold your partner accountable to the outcome and not tasks. 

This keeps you focused on the things that matter (ex: funnel optimization, benchmarks, goals). 

I hope you found these 10 tips helpful and the best of luck in your future partnerships! ♥️

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Connect with me on LinkedIn, and let’s keep the conversation going. 

You can also visit my website here for more valuable content.

‍

Resources for mastering B2B advertising

If you’re serious about mastering B2B advertising then you definitely need to join 1,000+ B2B marketers leveling up their paid advertising skill sets in AdConversion. 

‍Here’s 4 reasons why you should consider joining. Every one of our on-demand courses are:

✅  100% free access.

✅  Taught by vetted industry experts.

✅  Have workbooks, resources, and templates.

✅  Less than 10 minutes per lesson.

We believe every marketer should know how to scale paid ads so they can:

•  Scale their ideas
• Level up their careers
• Make a positive impact

Click Here to Join 1,000+ B2B Marketers Today and start leveling up your advertising skill set.

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With so many different tools available for competitor research it can be a bit overwhelming. 

I’ve lived and breathed paid ads over the past eight years, and in this article I’m going to share with you 10 tips on how to conduct competitor research for free using ad libraries. 

Grab a notebook and let’s dive in!

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TABLE OF CONTENTS:

• Tip #1: Familiarise yourself with all the available ad libraries
• Tip #2: Leverage time and location filters
• Tip #3: Estimate platform demand by volume of creatives
• Tip #4: Build a swipe folder of ad inspiration
• Tip #5: Research brands in adjacent industries 
• Tip #6: Build a matrix to document your competitors’ movements
• Tip #7: Build a checklist to uncover strategic insights
• Tip #8: Review the ad formats being used 
• Tip #9: Clickthrough to review landing pages in use
• Tip #10: Review your competitors’ UTM string

Tip #1: Familiarise yourself with all the available ad libraries

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The first step is to know what options you have available.

Here are the primary ad libraries available for the top 3 ad platforms: 

LinkedIn Ad Library

Meta Ads Library

Google Ads Transparency Center

Within each library you can study creatives for your competitors and relevant brands. 

Using them on a quarterly basis to spy on your competitors is a key habit to develop. 

Tip #2: Leverage time and location filters

You can filter by time and location within each ad library to understand: 

• Which markets are my competitors investing in?
• How many creative variations are my competitors testing?
• Are they testing localised campaigns outside of english?

You won’t know exactly how much your competitors are investing but you can use the volume of ads as a proxy to estimate the level of investment, and interest for a given market. 

If you spot certain markets where you’re finding organic traction AND you see your competitors have gone through the commitment of localising these regions,these are great signals for you to consider running a pilot campaign. 

Tip #3: Estimate platform demand by volume of creatives

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We touched on using the volume of as a proxy to estimate the level of investment for a market.

The same logic applies to also understanding the demand for a specific ad platform. 

Let’s use a hypothetical example, imagine you see the following for your competitor:

• LinkedIn Ads = 20 active ad variations in the past month
• Meta Ads = 10 active ad variations in the past month
• Google Ads = 5 active ad variations in the past month

Based on the volume of ads you can assume LinkedIn could be their primary platform followed by Meta, and finally Google. Look up your competitors and take note of their volume of ads by platform.

You’ll never know with 100% certainty but it’s a good approximation for at least the effort they are expending on each channel, if not their level of success.

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Pro tip: get buy-in from leadership to test new ad platforms by showing them how active your competitors are within those channels, this creates FOMO which is quite powerful. 

Tip #4: Build a swipe folder of ad inspiration

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A swipe folder is a simple collection of screenshots of ads, landing pages, and offers that stand out.

As you’re going through the ad libraries take note of the ads that catch your attention from competitors, relevant brands, and from scrolling through social platforms.  

Inspiration comes from all sources and by building this swipe folder you can:

• Better communicate and share guidance with your creative team
• Avoid reinventing the wheel with tested concepts
• Reduce the time to produce new creatives

This can be as simple as a folder in a Google Drive, it doesn’t need to be complicated.

If you want to be organised about it you can also group ads by concept, such as:

• Social Proof
• Thought Leadership
• Product Marketing

The most important piece to takeaway from this is you have some sort of folder to refer to. 

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Pro tip: create a shared slack channel for people across teams to upload examples of great ads they come across to crowdsource inspiration. 

Tip #5: Research brands in adjacent industries 

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Oftentimes your competitors might be behind the ball when it comes to advertising. 

In these instances researching them won’t be very helpful or worthwhile. 

Instead what you can do is research brands in adjacent industries, for example:

• eCommerce 
• E-learning
• Retail 

You can take what works in other industries and adjust it to fit in yours. 

Creativity is often taking what works from one sphere and applying it to another. 

Tip #6: Build a matrix to document your competitors’ movements

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If you want to take your competitors’ research to the next level, build a documented matrix. 

This can be as simple as:

• Competitor Namesome text
  • Month/Year
  • Channel
  • Ad Count

It will take a bit of work to put this together but the primary benefit is you can now monitor your competitors’ activity by ad platform on a quarterly basis. 

Here’s a simple example of what this can look like in Google Sheets: 

Pro tip: if you’re looking for a role in paid media, do a competitor research analysis on the brand you’re applying for. It's a great way to differentiate yourself against other candidates. 

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Tip #7: Build a checklist to uncover strategic insights

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When reviewing your competitors’ ads in the library you’ll want to think deeper than just the surface level of the styles and examples of ads in front of you to uncover strategic insights. 

Create a simple checklist to remind yourself to think about: 

• Are the ads running to gated or ungated content?
• Is there a mixture of content that focuses on demand creation or capture?
• What stage of the funnel are their ads focused on? (ex: ToFu, BoFu)
• What mixture of offers are they testing? (ex: Conferences, Webinars) 
• Are they driving to a landing page or lead form? 

Compare the insights you uncover against your current approach.

If you notice 3 of your competitors are promoting events and you’re not then it’s worth testing. 

Tip #8: Review the ad formats being used 

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This was touched on slightly before but it deserves to be in its own tip. 

As you’re reviewing competitors in the library take notes of the ad formats being used. 

For example, when it comes to LinkedIn are they testing: 

• Image 
• Video
• Spotlight
• Carousel
• Document
• Conversation

If you notice a large volume of a certain ad format it’s safe to say it must be working. 

Compare the formats they are using against your own to inspire future experiments. 

For videos take special note of aspect ratio, short vs long form, and other nuances like humour. 

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Pro tip:assign your competitor research tasks to an intern or junior person as pulling these insights is quite time-consuming and  can be done by an entry level team member.

Tip #9: Clickthrough to review landing pages in use

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The remarkable thing about these libraries is that you can click through on the ad and view the landing pages your competitors are using. This insight is  not otherwise easily discoverable. 

This all of sudden opens up a lot of homework for you to perform landing page teardowns. 

• What are the calls to action on the landing page?
• How is the page structured compared to yours?
• Do they have better social proof than you?

Now suddenly your swipe folder can be filled with print screens of their entire landing pages. 

Which can be shared with your team to test new page variations. 

Pro tip:

If you’re using Google Chrome you can use the extension called GoFullPage to take screenshots of entire pages with the click of a button. 

Tip #10: Review your competitors’ UTM string

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To close out on our final tip, I wanted to share a more advanced approach.

When you’re clicking through to the landing page of your competitors’ ads take note of the UTM string in place to potentially uncover insights on how they’ve set up their campaigns. 

By reviewing the URL structure I might gather the following information:

• Network = g | they’re advertising on Google Search
• Device = c | they’re running ads on Desktop devices
• Keyword = crm software | they’re bidding on crm software
• Matchtype = e | they’re using exact match 

‍

Hope you found this article helpful! 👏

Connect with me on LinkedIn and let’s keep the conversation going. 

‍

Resources for mastering B2B advertising

If you’re serious about mastering B2B advertising then you definitely need to join 1,000+ B2B marketers leveling up their paid advertising skill sets in AdConversion. 

‍Here’s 4 reasons why you should consider joining. Every one of our on-demand courses are:

✅  100% free access.

✅  Taught by vetted industry experts.

✅  Have workbooks, resources, and templates.

✅  Less than 10 minutes per lesson.

We believe every marketer should know how to scale paid ads so they can:

•  Scale their ideas
• Level up their careers
• Make a positive impact

Click Here to Join 1,000+ B2B Marketers Today and start leveling up your advertising skill set.

Takes < 90 seconds to sign up (seriously we timed it 😂)

‍

Do you need to scale your paid search campaigns and find new ways to increase demand capture?

As the head of Marketing at Catalyst, I build and mentor teams to maximize ROI in paid ad channels including Google.

Here’s my top 10 tips & tactics to scale your Google ads efforts.

(In no particular order, they all matter) 

‍

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

• Tip #1 - Leverage Dynamic Keyword Insertion (DKI)
• Tip #2 - Tap into Device & Location Bid Modifiers
• Tip #3 - Shift Towards Smart Bidding ASAP
• Tip #4 - Sync Your CRM with Google Ads
• Tip #5 - Steer Away From Broad Match As Much As Possible
• Tip #6 - Take Advantage of the Google Ads Editor
• Tip #7 - Lean on Google Ads Script & Rules
• Tip #8 - Exclude Search Partners & Display Network
• Tip #9 - Install Behavioral Analytics Tools for Landing Page Optimizations 
• Tip #10 - Consider Bing as a Second Demand Capture Channel

‍

Tip #1 - Leverage Dynamic Keyword Insertion (DKI)

‍

DKI is a powerful method to improve the relevancy of your ads based on user search terms. 

When managing ad groups with multiple keywords on a similar theme, this technique ensures that you are displaying ads that closely align with users' query terms.

How Dynamic Keyword Insertion Works:

‍

DKI automatically updates the ad’s headline to include the exact keywords that triggered the ad. 

This way, the ad's first impression is highly relevant to the user's search, which improves overall engagement.

Even a slight increase in click through rate (CTR) can impact the performance of a campaign by driving more traffic to the landing page.

‍

Best Practices for Using Dynamic Keyword Insertion:

‍

Prioritize the First Headline: Always aim to have the first headline of your ad matches as closely as possible to the user’s search query. 

Group Keywords by Theme: Make DKI more effective by grouping your keywords by themes.

There are generally 6 buckets of themes for search ads:

• Brand
• Non-brand
• Competitive
• RLSA (Search Remarketing)
• Content
• Dynamic Search Ads

With this organization, DKI can create more coherent ads that display the most relevant headline for each bucket.

Tip #2 - Tap into Device & Location Bid Modifiers

‍

A critical aspect often overlooked in Google ads is the optimization of device and location modifiers. 

For most B2B SaaS campaigns, the quality of traffic can vary significantly across different devices.

‍

Desktop vs. Mobile vs. Tablet: 

‍

Typically, desktop traffic yields the highest quality in terms of conversion rates and user intent. 

Users on desktops are generally more engaged and possibly in a professional setting, compared to mobile users who might be multitasking or browsing casually. 

Tablets often perform the worst in terms of conversion rates and traffic quality, which is why many advertisers choose to exclude them entirely from campaigns.

‍

Strategic Use of Location Modifiers:

‍

If you target several states or countries, you should modify your bids based on the areas that perform best.

This could mean adjusting bids upward in high-performing regions to capture more traffic or decreasing bids in lower-performing areas to conserve budget. 

In extreme cases, you can exclude low-performing regions altogether.

Pro Tip:

Start with a conservative approach focused on proven strategies. As results come in and budget allows, gradually introduce new variables and expand your focus to optimize the overall campaign performance. Maintain detailed records of campaign performance across different devices and platforms. This data will be invaluable for making informed decisions about where to allocate resources most effectively.

Tip #3 - Shift Towards Smart Bidding ASAP

‍

Smart bidding strategies can help improve campaigns’  performance by focusing on conversions rather than clicks. 

The Maximum Conversion strategy is particularly effective, as it lets Google optimize your bids to meet a specific CPA target, ideal for campaigns with regular conversions.

‍

Key Considerations for Smart Bidding:

‍

Google recommends having at least 30 conversions per month to effectively utilize Target CPA. 

However, for campaigns with lower conversion rates, setting a minimum threshold of 10-15 conversions can still be sufficient.  

Ensure that your conversions are properly set up and that Google receives clear signals about which conversions to prioritize by setting specific values for each conversion action. 

This is crucial for smart bidding algorithms to function properly, as mixed signals can dilute the focus of your campaign optimization.

‍

Pro Tip:

For businesses, especially in B2B sectors where conversion volumes are low, it's important to track higher funnel events. These can include engaged visits, interaction with forms, and even form abandonment. Each of these steps can be set through Google Tag Manager (GTM), providing richer data for optimization. Apply a structured conversion funnel that captures various stages of user engagement. From initial website interaction to form submissions or CRM entries, each stage should be defined and tracked as separate conversion events. You can then design custom goals and bundle your conversion actions together to add them to your campaigns.

‍

Tip #4 - Sync Your CRM with Google Ads

‍

Performance marketers thrive on optimizing for meaningful conversions. It will take emotions out of the decision-making process.

Integrating CRM lifecycle stages into Google Ads can profoundly impact your ad optimization and overall marketing strategy. 

By linking stages such as MQL (Marketing Qualified Lead), SQL (Sales Qualified Lead), opportunities, and customer status directly from a CRM platform like HubSpot, you enable a more nuanced and powerful approach to ad targeting and bid adjustments.

‍

How to Implement Your CRM Sync:

‍

Depending on your CRM system, various tools and plugins can facilitate this integration. Ensure that the tool you choose can sync data reliably and in real-time to maintain accuracy in your campaigns.

Define which CRM milestones are important for your campaigns and set Google Ads to track these as conversions

Use the data from your CRM to set up automation rules in Google Ads. For example, you could decrease bids or pause campaigns if the cost per SQL exceeds a certain threshold, ensuring you maintain profitability.

Regularly review the data flow and synchronization between Google Ads and your CRM to ensure accuracy. Adjust your strategies based on new insights and continually refine your approach to improve outcomes.

Tip #5 - Steer Away From Broad Match As Much As Possible

‍

Broad match can drive a high volume of traffic due to its extensive reach. This can result in a large number of conversions, which initially might seem cost-effective. 

However, the quality of these conversions often needs to be revised when scrutinized more deeply in the sales funnel.

Despite lower upfront costs, the conversions from broad match often fail to convert into valuable leads or sales. 

They may also attract clicks from irrelevant queries, leading to wasted ad spend and diluted performance metrics.

‍

Best Practices for Keyword Match Types:

‍

Phrase match offers a balance by allowing your ad to show only when a searcher's query includes the exact phrase or close variations of the phrase, in the same order. This strikes a better balance between reach and relevance, providing more control than Broad match type.

Exact match targets queries that are much closer to the keywords. 

While this reduces reach, it increases the relevance and quality of traffic, making it ideal for targeting high-intent users and optimizing conversion rates.

Regardless of the match type used, a comprehensive negative keyword list is crucial.

Finally, test different match types to see what works best for your specific campaigns. This could mean comparing the performance of Phrase match versus Exact match or testing different variations of your keywords.

Tip #6 - Take Advantage of the Google Ads Editor

‍

Google Ads Editor is an indispensable tool for marketers aiming to streamline their campaign management processes. 

This desktop application allows users to manage their Google Ads campaigns offline, offering robust functionalities for bulk editing and optimization.

Google Ads Editor is particularly advantageous for managing large accounts with numerous campaigns and extensive lists of keywords.

‍

Best Practices for Using Google Ads Editor:

‍

Develop a standardized template with predefined columns and settings that align with your campaign's requirements. 

This setup ensures that you can quickly import data from spreadsheets directly into Google Ads Editor without compatibility issues.

Always synchronize Google Ads Editor with your online account to ensure all changes are up-to-date and to avoid discrepancies between offline edits and online status.

Before uploading changes to the live environment, use the review function to ensure accuracy and prevent potential errors from impacting your campaigns.

While Google Ads Editor is incredibly powerful, it does have a learning curve.

 Invest time in learning its features and shortcuts. 

Tip #7 - Lean on Google Ads Script & Rules

‍

Automation is a key component in optimizing campaigns. Google Ads scripts and rules offer powerful tools to automate routine tasks and strategic operations.

Scripts allow for advanced, customized automation that can modify bids, pause ads, or adjust budgets based on specific conditions. 

Rules can be set to trigger based on performance metrics such as CTR, conversion rates, or cost per acquisition.

For example, automatically increasing the budget for high-performing campaigns or reducing bids for underperforming keywords helps maintain efficient spending.

Utilize scripts to automatically apply a tracking template across all campaigns, incorporating dynamic elements like campaign and ad group names.

This will detach personal bias from campaign management. Scripts and rules operate based on data, not preference, enabling objective decisions that focus solely on performance metrics.

You must regularly review the outcomes of automated actions. Automation is powerful, but it requires oversight to ensure it aligns with changing campaign goals and market conditions.

Tip #8 - Exclude Search Partners & Display Network

‍

When managing Google Ads, especially for substantial budgets, it's crucial to ensure that every dollar spent is driving quality traffic and conversions. 

A common oversight is not excluding search partners and the display network from search campaigns. 

While these features can increase visibility, they often compromise the quality of traffic and the overall effectiveness of your campaigns.

‍

Understanding the Impact by Network:

‍

Including Search Partners and Display Networks can inflate your impressions without a corresponding increase in clicks. 

This dilution of CTR can harm your campaign's overall performance metrics, misleading you about its effectiveness.

Google's quality score is a critical metric in determining your ad rank and the cost per click (CPC) you pay. 

A lower CTR resulting from irrelevant impressions on search partners and display networks can decrease your quality score, leading to higher costs and reduced ad placement.

Pro Tip:

Conduct regular audits of your Google Ads accounts to identify any inefficiencies or overlooked settings that could be draining your budget or diminishing your campaign’s effectiveness. While Google may provide recommendations, always assess them critically in the context of your specific campaign goals and historical data.  Consider experimenting with settings on a smaller scale before applying them broadly, especially when dealing with large budgets. This cautious approach allows you to gather data and make informed decisions based on actual performance metrics.

Tip #9 - Install Behavioral Analytics Tools for Landing Page Optimizations 

‍

One of the most effective strategies for enhancing landing page effectiveness is to implement behavioral analytics tools, such as Hotjar or Microsoft Clarity. 

These tools provide deep insights into how users interact with your page, allowing for data-driven improvements.

‍

The Importance of Behavioral Analytics:

‍

Most of these tools offer features like heatmaps, scroll tracking, and session recordings that reveal how users interact with your landing page. 

You can identify which parts of the page attract the most attention and where users lose interest.

You can make informed decisions about layout adjustments, content placement, and calls to action. 

For instance, if users frequently abandon a form, you might simplify it or adjust its placement on the page to increase completion rates.

Use the insights gathered to A/B test different versions of your landing page.

‍

Pro Tip:

Before implementing any changes based on behavioral data, be clear about what you’re trying to improve. Having specific goals will guide your optimization efforts, whether it's increasing time spent on the page, reducing bounce rate, or boosting form submissions. Combine quantitative data from analytics tools with qualitative feedback from user surveys or feedback forms. Keep a detailed record of all changes made and the results they yield. This documentation will help you understand what works, what doesn’t, and how future landing pages can be designed for maximum impact.

Tip #10 - Consider Bing as a Second Demand Capture Channel

‍

To extend the reach of your successful Google Ads campaigns without significantly increasing your budget, consider importing your best campaigns into Bing Ads. 

Bing, while smaller than Google, still captures a unique audience segment that may not overlap completely with Google users. This can increase your campaign's overall reach and exposure.

Generally, competition on Bing is lower than Google Ads, leading to lower cost-per-click (CPC) rates. 

Hope you found these 10 tips helpful! 

For more tips or to connect, please reach out via LinkedIn.

Resources for mastering B2B advertising

If you’re serious about mastering B2B advertising then you definitely need to join 1,000+ B2B marketers leveling up their paid advertising skill sets in AdConversion. 

‍Here’s 4 reasons why you should consider joining. Every one of our on-demand courses are:

✅  100% free access.

✅  Taught by vetted industry experts.

✅  Have workbooks, resources, and templates.

✅  Less than 10 minutes per lesson.

We believe every marketer should know how to scale paid ads so they can:

•  Scale their ideas
• Level up their careers
• Make a positive impact

Click Here to Join 1,000+ B2B Marketers Today and start leveling up your advertising skill set.

Takes < 90 seconds to sign up (seriously we timed it 😂)

Do you need to find out if ABM is the right approach for you & how you can get the most out of your efforts? 

I had the pleasure of interviewing Brandon Alisoglu who’s  achieved a 300% increase in demo bookings for B2B companies while maintaining a 50% SQL rate from ABM campaigns. 

‍

Here’s Brandon’s top 10 tips & tactics to maximize return on effort (ROE) for your ABM ads.

(In no particular order, they all matter)

‍

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Tip #1 - Assessing the Suitability of ABM for Your Business
• Tip #2 - Embracing the Long Game in Account-Based Marketing (ABM)
• Tip #3 - Create a Dossier of Information
• Tip #4 - Breaking Content to Audience Segmentation
• Tip #5 - Focusing on Outcomes: The "So What?" Factor in ABM
• Tip #6 - Drilling Into Personas & Messaging
• Tip #7 - A/B Testing Value Propositions
• Tip #8 - Set Aside Time to Ideate
• Tip #9 - Streamlining the Process with Templates
• Tip #10 - Don’t Skip Google
• Conclusion
• Resources for mastering B2B advertising

‍

‍

Tip #1 - Assessing the Suitability of ABM for Your Business

When evaluating ABM for your business, consider the nature of your target accounts and the practicality of a personalized marketing approach.

‍

ABM is particularly effective for targeting large organizations or "whales" where the potential return justifies the extensive effort and resources required for highly tailored campaigns.

‍

Challenges with ABM in Smaller Companies

In smaller companies, the lack of numerous distinct roles and seniority levels may limit the effectiveness of ABM strategies that rely on granular targeting and personalized messaging. 

‍

If a company is too small to segment effectively based on these criteria, the impact of a tailored ABM approach may be diminished.

‍

ABM often involves high-ticket offerings and significant investment in marketing resources.

If the target account does not have the financial capacity or the organizational complexity, the return on investment might not be worth it.

‍

Strategic Considerations for ABM

Evaluate potential accounts not just by their immediate size but by their strategic importance and the potential lifetime value they offer. 

‍

Consider more generalized targeted advertising strategies for smaller accounts that do not justify a full ABM approach. 

‍

These can still be effective by focusing on industry-specific pain points and solutions but do not require the level of customization and operational complexity associated with traditional ABM.

‍

Identifying the Annual Contract Value (ACV) Benchmark

An ACV of around $20,000 is generally seen as a threshold where ABM becomes viable. 

‍

This benchmark suggests that the deal size is significant enough to warrant the detailed and personalized marketing efforts required in ABM.

‍

Another practical measure is whether the contract value requires CFO approval. 

‍

The involvement of a CFO generally indicates that the deal is substantial enough to require careful consideration and alignment with strategic financial goals.

Tip #2 - Embracing the Long Game in Account-Based Marketing (ABM)

Unlike traditional demand generation tactics that may prioritize immediate results, ABM focuses on building engagement through a more deliberate and personalized approach.

‍

The idea here is to build a meaningful relationship with key accounts.

‍

In the same way, you wouldn't ask for a hand in marriage on the first date, successful B2B marketers shouldn’t ask prospects to talk to sales unless they've had some interaction before.

‍

‍

The Importance of Educating and Engaging

The early stages of ABM should center around education and awareness. 

‍

Allow targeted accounts to familiarize themselves with your brand and value propositions.

This foundational phase is important for setting the stage for deeper engagement.

‍

Jumping directly to aggressive sales tactics like pushing for demos with accounts that have minimal interaction with your brand, is less likely to yield positive results. 

‍

Instead, nurturing relationships over time fosters trust and increases the likelihood of conversion when the account is ready.

‍

Balancing Immediate Needs with Long-Term Strategy

While the emphasis on the long game is important, we realize the need to meet short-term sales targets is a pressing reality for most B2B marketers. 

‍

In such cases, employing a robust account scoring system can help identify which accounts are most ready to engage based on their behaviors such as:

• Website visits (specially high-intent pages)
• Ad engagement 
• Email interactions
• Webinar attendees

‍

For accounts that show clear signs of being in-market or closer to the decision stage, tailor your approach to convert these opportunities. 

‍

This can involve more direct calls to action, such as personalized demo invitations and running incentivized offers.

‍

If your company is product-led, this would be a good time to offer free trials.

‍

Sample of free trial ad by Plauti:

Tip #3 - Create a Dossier of Information

Understanding your prospects' interests, pain points, and engagement history comprehensively is the key to crafting personalized and effective ABM strategies.

‍

This information equips sales teams with the required data to personalize their outreach effectively and accelerate the sales process.

‍

Building & Targeting Prospect

Compile data on prospect activities, including the specific ads they clicked, pages they visited, or any communications they have sent. 

‍

This dossier should act as a dynamic document that sales teams can use to personalize their approaches. 

‍

By understanding what content the prospect has engaged with, the sales team can address specific interests or pain points, making their pitches more relevant and compelling.

‍

Marketers can also use this data to launch 1:1 campaigns featuring social proof and objection handling.

‍

If the list of accounts is not large enough for a 1:1 approach, then gather the top 3-5 most common objections that resonate with the majority of the accounts.

‍

You can reduce the overall cost by dynamically excluding any account that has contacted sales.

‍

Implementation Tips for Effective ABM

‍

1. Identify in-market accounts by using advanced analytics and account scoring to determine which of your target accounts are actively engaging with your content.
   Tools like HubSpot or Marketo can help streamline the process. 
   ‍
2. Once these engaged accounts are listed, segment them for targeted campaigns that address their specific stages in the buyer’s journey. 
   
   This segmentation allows you to apply more aggressive sales tactics appropriately while continuing to nurture less-ready accounts with educational content.
   ‍
3. Distribute content that educates and engages at various stages of the customer journey. 
   
   This tactical approach ensures that when you invite accounts to a demo or free trial they are informed and more likely to be receptive.
   
   Successful ABM is a blend of patience and strategic agility, tailored to meet both the immediate and long-term goals of your business.

Tip #4 - Breaking Content to Audience Segmentation

The purpose of this step is to develop and deliver content that addresses specific pain points and interests identified in your prospect dossiers.

‍

Strategies for Deepening Prospect Engagement

As you gather more data on your prospects' behaviors, such as the ads they click or the pages they visit, use this information to guide them through a personalized buyer's journey. 

This involves crafting content that speaks directly to their needs and leading them to web pages that provide further value and deepen their engagement with your brand.

Regularly update and refine your ads to keep them in line with your audience's changing interests and needs.

‍

Creating a Content "Buffet"

Offer a Variety of Content Options.

Imagine setting up a buffet of content options tailored to different tastes and preferences within your target accounts. 

‍

By providing a range of topics and formats—from whitepapers and case studies to webinars and interactive tools—you allow prospects to self-select the content that most resonates with them.

‍

Use the insights from observed interactions to refine your understanding of what each prospect cares about. 

This personalized approach not only enhances the relevance of your outreach but also increases the likelihood of a prospect's deeper engagement with your content.

‍

‍

Integrating Technology for Efficiency

While managing this level of personalized engagement can become complex, employing an ABM platform can streamline the process. 

‍

These platforms can help organize and automate content delivery based on user behavior, keeping track of interactions across different channels to maintain a cohesive and personalized marketing approach.
‍

Pro tip:
Before fully investing in an expensive ABM tech stack, validate your strategy with simpler tools or minimal setups to prove its effectiveness. 

A simple way is to use LinkedIn's demographic reporting to see which companies have been exposed to impressions, and which ones are actually engaging.
You can take it a step further and leverage a third-party data connector like data slayer to pull the demographic data from LinkedIn through API.

Tip #5 - Focusing on Outcomes: The "So What?" Factor in ABM

A critical aspect of effective ABM is ensuring that every piece of data, every content interaction, and every campaign has a clear and compelling answer to the question: "So what?" 

Every action should educate, nurture, or capture leads, to bring you closer to revenue.

‍

‍

The Importance of Outcome-Based Messaging

In ABM, it's not enough to highlight the features of your product or the hours it can save a potential client’s team. 

The key is to articulate what these benefits mean in the context of the customer’s specific business challenges and goals. 

When discussing a product feature, such as "saves your engineering team 20 hours a week," it's essential to connect this benefit to tangible business outcomes. 

‍

For example, what does saving 20 hours a week mean for the company?
Could it lead to faster project completions, cost savings, or better resource allocation? 
These outcomes are what will truly capture the interest of decision-makers.

‍

By consistently focusing on the "so what?" of your actions and messaging, you can lift your ABM efforts from functional to transformational.

‍

Pro-tip:
Establish Leading Indicators to Measure ABM Progress:

By establishing clear leading indicators across your marketing funnel, you can quantify progress and tie every action back to tangible business outcomes.

From initial awareness through engagement to conversion, each stage can be monitored and analyzed to ensure marketing efforts move potential clients closer to a sale.
These indicators provide a roadmap that justifies the investment by showing how specific activities contribute to moving accounts through the sales pipeline.

If you want to learn more about creating leading and lagging indicators along with actionable free templates check out the AdConversion Paid Media Program course; Module 2, lesson 1.

‍

Tip #6 - Drilling Into Personas & Messaging

Within any given company, different levels of management and seniority have distinct priorities and challenges. 

For example, C-suite executives might focus on strategic growth and scalability, directors on operational efficiency, and managers on tactical execution.

‍

Tailoring your messaging to address these specific concerns can dramatically increase the relevance and impact of your communications.

Beyond role-based customization, consider the particular needs and pain points of the industry or vertical your target accounts might operate within. 

‍

Strategies for Effective A/B Testing

Implement continuous A/B testing across your campaigns to determine which messages resonate best with each persona. 

Segment your target audience by role and seniority, and tailor your messages accordingly. 

‍

For example, test different value propositions with managers versus C-suite executives to determine which messages drive more engagement or conversions from each group.

Understand that the preferences and behaviors of your audience can evolve, and your ABM strategy should be agile enough to adapt to these changes.

Tip #7 - A/B Testing Value Propositions

By testing two to three variations of each message, you can discover appeals and incentives that resonate with distinct groups within the same role and seniority level.

‍

In cases where the target company might not be large enough to segment by job titles or seniority due to LinkedIn’s filtering limitations, marketers need to think creatively about how to approach personalization and segmentation.

‍

Alternative Segmentation Strategies:
‍

• Use Broad Segments:
  Instead of job titles, consider using job function and seniority or even adding member skills into the mix.
  ‍

• Focus on Common Pain Points: 
  Leverage the common challenges or objectives identified in smaller organizations. 
  
  For example, if most employees are likely involved in decision-making due to the company's size, tailor messages that address broad business benefits that resonate across multiple roles.

As discussed earlier, knowing the top objections by vertical can guide the creation of content and ads that preemptively address concerns. 

This is particularly useful when precise job title segmentation is not feasible.

Tip #8 - Set Aside Time to Ideate

In the fast-paced environment of account-based marketing, it's imperative to carve out dedicated time for creative thinking and experimentation. 

By blocking out time on your calendar, preferably during quieter hours like Friday afternoons, you ensure that you have the space to think deeply and creatively about your ABM strategies.

Regular ideation sessions allow you to review current insights and performance data, enabling you to develop new approaches and refine existing ones.

‍

Pro tip:
Leverage Experimentation and Documentation:
Incorporate a structured approach to experimentation. 

Try out new ideas on a small scale to assess their effectiveness before rolling them out broadly. 

Keep detailed records of your experiments, including:
- Hypotheses
- Execution details
- Outcomes. 

This documentation enables you to capitalize on effective strategies and avoid past mistakes.

Tip #9 - Streamlining the Process with Templates

Keeping detailed and organized documentation of ABM activities, such as experiments, outcomes, and insights will save you lots of time & effort in the long run. 

It can be as simple as using Google Docs with structured headings and a table of contents.

Consistent documentation helps in creating a reliable record that can be referenced in reports and strategy meetings. 
‍

Leveraging Design Templates

Design templates allow marketers to quickly generate new versions of ads or content without starting from scratch each time. 

By standardizing the design elements, teams can focus on tweaking the messaging and content to better align with the target audience’s evolving preferences.

Using templates also ensures that all materials produced are aligned with the brand’s visual identity and messaging guidelines.

Effective Use of Templates and Documentation

Develop a range of design templates for different types of content and ads. 

This library should include templates for social media posts, email campaigns, and other marketing materials that are frequently used in ABM campaigns.

Regularly update the documents with the latest results from A/B tests, data analysis insights, and feedback from sales and marketing teams to maintain accuracy and relevance.

Confirm that all team members are trained on how to use the chosen documentation and templates effectively. 

With the design templates in place, focus on iterating on the creatives frequently.

Especially in smaller audience segments where ad fatigue can set in quickly.

Tip #10 - Don’t Skip Google

While (ABM) often focuses on direct and personalized communication channels like LinkedIn, incorporating Google Ads into your Demand Gen strategy can heavily reduce the overall cost per acquisition (CPA).

The Strategic Use of Google Ads

Google Ads allows you to address specific queries and pain points that your prospects are actively searching for. 

By focusing on these queries, you can position your company as a solution provider right at the moment of need, effectively answering potential customers’ questions through targeted ads.

‍

Often, niche or less competitive keywords related to specific industry questions or problems can be much cheaper than more general, high-intent keywords. 

‍

For example, targeting a specific industry debate or a lesser-known feature comparison can capture relevant traffic at a significantly lower cost.

‍

This, not only increases brand awareness but also positions your company as an authoritative and helpful resource.

Creating content that addresses these queries and promoting it through Google Ads can drive highly targeted traffic to your website, increasing the chances of conversion.

Practical Tips for Implementing Google Ads 

‍

1. Work with your sales and customer service teams to pinpoint the questions and topics that commonly arise during the sales process.
    
2. Use these insights to guide your keyword and content strategy for Google Ads.
   Develop content that answers these questions comprehensively. 
   This could be in the form of blog posts, FAQs, or educational articles. 
   ‍
3. Use the identified keywords to set up Google Ads campaigns. 
   Start with a lower budget to test the effectiveness of your keywords and ads. 
   Monitor the performance and adjust your strategy based on the results.

Conclusion:

In this article, we discussed the significance of Account-Based Marketing (ABM) strategies through 10 practical tips and tactics to get the most out of your marketing efforts.

‍

We explored the value of a long-term engagement strategy, emphasizing the need to build relationships through educational content and gradual interactions, rather than taking a direct approach.

‍

Effective ABM involves understanding target accounts' specific needs and behaviors, employing analytics for better targeting, and continuously iterating on creative content to maintain relevance and combat ad fatigue. 

‍

Bookmark this blog as your comprehensive guide for your next ABM efforts to make sure your strategies align with the overall company goal.

‍

If you’d like to reach out or get more weekly tips, please connect with Brandon via Linkedin.

Resources for mastering B2B advertising

If you’re serious about mastering B2B advertising then you definitely need to join 1,000+ B2B marketers leveling up their paid advertising skill sets in AdConversion. 

‍

Here’s 4 reasons why you should consider joining. Every one of our on-demand courses are:

✅  100% free access.

✅  Taught by vetted industry experts.

✅  Have workbooks, resources, and templates.

✅  Less than 10 minutes per lesson.

‍

We believe every marketer should know how to scale paid ads so they can:

•  Scale their ideas
• Level up their careers
• Make a positive impact

‍

Click Here to Join 1,000+ B2B Marketers Today and start leveling up your advertising skill set.

‍

Takes < 90 seconds to sign up (seriously we timed it 😂)

‍

Looking to increase your return on ad spend (ROAS) on LinkedIn?

‍

Your bidding strategy and campaign objective play a critical role.

‍

Here’s my 10 tips from over $10 million investment in LinkedIn paid ads.

(In no particular order, they all matter) 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Tip #1: The Power Behind Manual Bidding
• Tip #2: Fine-Tuning Your Bids
• Tip #3: Aligning Ad Type & Offer with Objectives
• Tip #4: The Optimal Objective for Thought Leader Ads
• Tip #5: When to Leverage Video Views Objective
• Tip #6: Match Your Content to the Most Suitable Objective
• Tip #7: Take Advantage of Document Ads
• Tip #8: Scale Conversions with Conversation Ads
• Tip #9: Top 3 Objectives for Single Image Ads
• Tip #10: When to Avoid Reach Objective (Brand Awareness)
• Conclusion:
• Resources for Mastering B2B Advertising

Tip #1: The Power Behind Manual Bidding

Unlike automated bidding, which leaves bid amounts at LinkedIn's discretion, manual bidding allows advertisers to set clear cost boundaries. 

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This ensures that your campaign expenses align with your budgetary constraints and campaign goals, offering a level of precision that automated bidding simply can't match.

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By specifying the maximum amount you're willing to pay for clicks, the manual bidding places you in the driver's seat.

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The LinkedIn algorithm, while powerful, may not always allocate your budget most economically when given full control.

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Start collecting data quickly for your new campaign by bidding above the minimum threshold recommended by LinkedIn.

When to Consider Automated Bidding:

Automated bidding can be the best choice for specific situations, such as focused Account-Based Marketing (ABM) or retargeting campaigns with small audiences. 

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Once the campaign starts spending and there’s a benchmark, you can switch to manual bidding to regain full control. 

Tip #2: Fine-Tuning Your Bids

A successful manual bidding requires daily checks on your spending against your budget to avoid overbidding or underbidding.

This is a straightforward yet insightful process, comparing the previous day's spend against the current daily budget to adjust your bids for optimal performance.

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The Process of Bid Adjustment:

By subtracting your daily budget from the previous day's total spending, you gain clear insights into your bidding strategy's effectiveness. 

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A negative result suggests underbidding, where you're not fully utilizing your daily budget

While a positive result indicates overbidding, where you're potentially overspending.

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“Previous day spent - allocated budget = + number indicated bid is too high

The previous day spent - allocated budget = - number indicated bid is too low”

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One challenge of manual bidding is finding the sweet spot where your bid is high enough to consume your daily budget fully but not so high that it leads to inefficient spending. 

Side note:

If your audience size is too small, even a high bid will not cover the campaign’s full budget. 

Tip #3: Aligning Ad Type & Offer with Objectives

LinkedIn ad campaigns' success deeply depends on the alignment between the chosen ad type and the content you're promoting.

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Understanding the nuances of each ad + offer and matching it to the applicable objective is key to maximizing engagement and conversion rate. 

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Selecting the Right Ad Type for Your Objective:

Video Ads: 

When promoting video ads, gravitate towards the Video View or Engagement objectives. 

These objectives are designed to maximize viewership and interaction with your video content, making them ideal for capturing and retaining audience attention.

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Example of a video ad:

Document Ads:

The Engagement objective tends to yield the most success for document ads, which include PDFs, presentations, and other downloadable content. 

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Keeping document ads ungated and focusing on engagement allows your content to reach a broader audience, enhancing brand visibility and thought leadership.

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Example of a document ad:

‍Single Image Ads:

Engagement and Website Traffic objectives can be effective when using single-image ads.

Your choice depends on whether your primary goal is to foster interaction with the ad or drive traffic to your website or landing page

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Example of a single image ad:

Tip #4: The Optimal Objective for Thought Leader Ads

If you're looking to boost your presence and authority on LinkedIn, thought leader ads present an attractive option.

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These ads turn organic content from individual profiles into sponsored messages, maintaining the authentic voice and personal touch that resonates with audiences. 

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These campaigns can achieve lower costs per engagement by leveraging the engagement objective, enhancing their effectiveness and reach.

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Understanding Thought Leader Ads:

Personal Touch: 

Unlike standard ads that originate from company pages, thought leader ads come from personal profiles, offering a humanized approach to advertising. 

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This method harnesses the inherent trust and relatability of individual thought leaders, amplifying their messages across targeted audiences on LinkedIn.

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As of March 2024, businesses can promote content from any connected user on LinkedIn with Thought Leader posts, as opposed to just verified employees.

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Seamless Integration: 

To the audience, thought leader ads appear as regular posts but with the added benefit of targeted reach and visibility. 

This seamless integration into the newsfeed portrays a natural engagement experience, hence fostering higher engagement rates compared to traditional ad formats.

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Implementation and Best Practices

The success of thought leader ads hinges on selecting organic content that has already demonstrated shares and engagement. 

By sponsoring high-performing posts, you capitalize on proven interest and ensure your ad budget is allocated to content with the highest potential return.

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Pro tip:

When creating a new single-image campaign, you can click “browse existing content” to find the post by searching for the LinkedIn member and sending a request for approval. 

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Since these ads will not be sent to a landing page, it’s best to place the intended page link in the first comment and pin the comment.

Tip #5: When to Leverage Video Views Objective

When promoting video ads, selecting the Video View objective will increase the likelihood of getting the highest percentage of videos watched at the lowest cost. 

This objective is designed to maximize the number of views your video receives, optimizing for visibility and engagement among your target audience.

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Creative Specifications: 

For video creatives, the recommendation is to use a square format (1080x1080 pixels) and include captions. 

This format is not only visually appealing but also takes up the most space in the feed property.

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Cost Efficiency and Performance:

The cost for video views on LinkedIn typically ranges from 10 to 15 cents per view. 

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While this might be higher compared to other platforms like YouTube, which has been gaining traction in B2B sectors for its cost-effectiveness, LinkedIn's targeted audience can justify the investment.

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Best Practices for Video Campaigns on LinkedIn:

Starting with the lowest feasible cost per view (CPV) in your bidding strategy can help manage costs while assessing the content's performance. 

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Adjustments can be made based on initial results to find the optimal balance between reach and budget efficiency.

Tip #6: Match Your Content to the Most Suitable Objective

Understanding the type of content you're promoting determines the most effective objective and ad type for your campaign. 

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For event promotions, for example, certain ad formats have proven to yield higher results and drive registrations at a lower cost. 

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Let’s break down what type of assets yield the highest results for this example:

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Lead Generation Forms (LGF): 

The premier choice for driving event registrations. 

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Lead-gen forms provide a seamless and streamlined user experience, with pre-populated forms making the conversion process as frictionless as possible. 

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The convenience of instantly filling out forms within the LinkedIn platform significantly increases conversion rates for registrations.

Pro tip:

To improve the performance of LGF, it's best to keep the number of custom fields below three. 

While leveraging pre-populated fields can maintain high conversion rates, adding more than two custom questions or actions can deter completions. 

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Event Ad Format: 

This is one of the most effective ad types for event registries, but it is important to note that it cannot be combined with any of the conversion objectives. 

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Unique to this type of ad is the inclusion of social proof directly within the ad, such as the number of people who have shown interest or are planning to attend the event. 

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While its conversion rate may not match that of Lead Generation Forms, the added visibility and credibility from social proof make Event Ads a valuable tactic.

Website Conversion: 

Directing users to a landing page for event registration is generally less preferred due to higher costs and lower conversion rates compared to previous tactics. 

Exceptions exist, such as directing traffic to a calendar link or for specific targeting scenarios, but overall, this method is seen as less efficient for event promotion.

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Design and Copy Considerations:

For campaigns opting to use landing pages, prioritizing copy over design is key. 

The hero section, or above-the-fold content, is critical in capturing user interest. 

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Ensuring message consistency between your ads and landing page, alongside efficient conversion tracking, will set you up for success.

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To learn more about landing page best practices, dive into the article below by Pedro Cortés:

10 Proven Landing Page Tips To Boost Your Conversion Rates

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Pro-tip:

Streamlining Campaign Tracking with Dynamic URL Parameters:

LinkedIn's introduction of dynamic URL parameters at the campaign level presents a major leap forward in simplifying and enhancing tracking capabilities. 

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This feature allows marketers to set up the tracking once for the entire campaign, eliminating the tedious process of manually tagging each ad with unique UTM parameters. 

Tip #7: Take Advantage of Document Ads

Document ads have proven highly effective for marketers looking to deepen engagement and build a robust retargeting pool. 

They typically have impressive click-through rates, often reaching 6-7% or higher. 

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The best results from document ads are seen when paired with the engagement objective. 

Users who interact with this ad type demonstrate a clear interest in your content, making them ideal candidates for subsequent, more targeted marketing efforts.

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For more information on setting up your first document ads, check out this guide provided by LinkedIn

Tip #8: Scale Conversions with Conversation Ads

Conversation ads offer a unique, direct method of engaging with your target audience by delivering messages right into their LinkedIn inboxes. 

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These ads are billed on a cost-per-send basis, making it crucial to manage bids effectively to maximize both reach and budget efficiency. 

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Start your bid as low as possible and make adjustments depending on how well it’s pacing.
A good starting point is a $1 bid. 

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Due to LinkedIn’s second-price auction model for convo ads, they typically keep the actual cost close to the average historical cost per send. 

This model charges you just enough to outbid the next highest bidder, not the maximum amount you're willing to pay.

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Adaptation to Platform Changes: 

Despite recent updates like the focus inbox change on LinkedIn, conversational ads have continued to perform well. 

The direct nature of these ads keeps them effective, maintaining their status as a top-performing ad type.

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Best Practices for Conversational Ads:

Because convo ads are more intrusive than other ad types, it’s important to ensure your targeting is precise. This precision prevents user annoyance and increases the likelihood of engagement.

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The content of your conversation ads should be compelling and offer clear value to a specific job function.

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Pro-tip:

The sender should resonate with the target audience for the highest credibility. 

Choosing someone with a similar job function or an industry expert/influencer can immediately boost credibility.

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For additional tips on convo ad’s best practices, check out this post by AdConversion

Tip #9: Top 3 Objectives for Single Image Ads

Single-image ads are versatile and can be tailored to meet various objectives, but understanding which objective to prioritize can have a noticeable impact on the effectiveness of your campaigns.

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Lead Generation: 

The primary objective for many single-image ad campaigns is lead generation.

LinkedIn’s Lead-gen focuses on gathering user information through forms that are pre-populated with LinkedIn profile data, making it easier for users to submit their information without leaving the platform. 

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Engagement: 

The second most common objective for single-image ads is engagement. 

This objective aims to maximize interactions such as likes, comments, and shares. 

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It's particularly useful for increasing brand visibility and engagement within your target audience. 

Fostering interactions also enhances the organic reach of your ads through the network effects of user engagement.

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The visual appeal and message of your single-image ad should resonate with your audience and encourage interaction. 

Regular testing and adaptation of your ad creatives can help maintain high engagement levels.

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Website Visits:

The third objective focuses on driving traffic to your website or specific landing pages to achieve conversions. 

Whether your goal is to increase sign-ups, sales, or another conversion action, directing users to your website allows for more detailed tracking and nurturing of potential leads in your sales funnel.

Tip #10: When to Avoid Reach Objective (Brand Awareness)

Brand awareness, which prioritizes impressions and broad visibility, often comes under scrutiny due to its cost implications and lower engagement metrics compared to other objectives.

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The reach objective operates on a cost-per-impression (CPM) model, where you are charged each time your ad is displayed, regardless of user interaction. 

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This can lead to higher expenditure without the guarantee of equivalent engagement or conversions. 

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The inherent nature of paying for mere visibility rather than actionable engagement makes this objective less appealing for many advertisers seeking tangible returns on their investment.

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This objective is also inefficient for retargeting. 

Building retargeting audiences requires not just impressions but meaningful interactions that signal interest or intent. 

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The reach objective's focus on maximizing views rather than fostering engagement makes it less effective for gathering a meaningful contribution toward the retargeting pool.

Conclusion:

In this article, we covered 10 actionable tips for matching the most suitable objectives and bidding strategies to your LinkedIn campaigns.

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Whether it’s choosing manual bidding to control costs, aligning ad types with your marketing objectives, or understanding when to leverage specific ad formats, each tip offers a pathway to better performance.

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By implementing these top 10 tips, you can navigate through the complexities of LinkedIn paid ads with greater precision and efficiency.

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I hope you found this article insightful and that it leads to successful outcomes for your future campaigns.

If you’d like to reach out or get more tips, please connect with me via LinkedIn.

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