SEO for B2B SaaS: 10 Tips to Drive Pipeline and Revenue
Over the past five years, Iâve helped B2B SaaS companies like Clickhouse, WildSparq and EventsAir drive millions in pipeline and revenue through SEO.Â
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My lesser-known strategies have been featured by CXL, Ahrefs, The Marketing Millennials and more.
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Along the way, Iâve developed an SEO playbook that B2B SaaS companies can follow (step by step) to start seeing high quality inbound leads in a matter of months.Â
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Iâll be breaking down my entire process below đ
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TABLEÂ OFÂ CONTENTS
- Tip #1: Define Your Money Keywords
- Tip #2: Understand What's Already Ranking
- Tip #3: Build a Best-in-Class Page
- Tip #4: Nail the basics
- Tip #5: Build Quality Backlinks for $0
- Tip #6: Publish At Scale
- Tip #7: Design Pages That Convert
- Tip #8: Leverage sales calls, customer success calls, and customer research
- Tip #9: Keep Improving
- Tip #10: Scale as you grow
Tip #1: Define Your Money Keywords
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Most B2B SaaS companies see SEO as a checkbox on their to-do list.Â
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The CMO or CRO says, âCompetitors are outranking us, we need to do some SEO.â
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And marketers, who are already juggling a million different tasks, simply go to Semrush or Ahrefs, find some keywords with low difficulty and high search volume, throw them into ChatGPT, and publish a few articles.Â
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Unsurprisingly, this doesnât yield inbound leads and has minimal impact on revenue.Â
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For SEO to actually drive results, you need to focus on the keywords that your dream clients are searching, or what I like to call âmoney keywords.â
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Hereâs a matrix that you can use to identify them:Â
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Column 1: Make a list of your main offers (ie calendar scheduling)
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Column 2: Make a list of the industries you serve best (ie sales, HR, marketing, etc.)
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âColumn 3: Make a list of your main competitors (ie Chili Piper, Calendly, HubSpot)
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Column 4: Make a list of the problems you solve, or jobs to be done (ie struggling to route leads efficiently)
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Now, you can use these columns to create high-intent long-tail keywords. For example:Â
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1. Best calendar scheduling software
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2. Calendar scheduling for sales teams
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3. Chili Piper alternatives
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4. How to route leads more efficiently
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Keep in mind, these âmoney keywordsâ will probably have a low search volume, and thatâs okay. At the end of the day, you want traffic that will convert into pipeline, not a large number of visitors outside of your ICP.Â
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When youâre doing this exercise, make sure to involve your founder (if youâre a smaller founder-led company) or your sales team (if youâre a larger sales-led organization) â theyâll likely have great insights related to the problems you solve.Â
Tip #2: Understand Whatâs Already RankingÂ
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Now that youâve identified those money keywords, type them into Google to see what type of content is already ranking organically.Â
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For example, if you type in âChili Piper alternativesâ youâll find that the top organic search results are something along the lines of âTop 10 Chili Piper alternatives to considerâ, or what is commonly referred to as a product listicle.Â
Look through these existing articles and think about what your company can do even better. Can you include a comparative table or social proof, and clearly demonstrate why youâre the best without sounding overly biased?
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Or, if youâre creating an article on how to speed up the lead routing process, look at the guides at the top of the SERP and think:Â
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How can I create similar articles that are even more helpful? How can I demonstrate greater experience, expertise, authority, and trustworthiness?
Maybe itâs by going much more in-depth, or weaving in relevant videos, or highlighting screenshots of your product.Â
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Pro tip: Donât be afraid of highlighting your product throughout your articles. As marketers, we often worry about sounding too promotional, but the truth is, you need to show that your product is the obvious solution to a problem in order to drive revenue.Â
Tip #3: Build a Best-in-Class PageÂ
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Once youâve researched what top-ranking pages are doing, itâs time to figure out how to blow them out of the water.Â
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If youâre creating a listicle, can you add better visuals, weave in your product more, or add relevant CTAs?Â
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If itâs a how-to article, can you link to a lead magnet or a YouTube video with more helpful context?Â
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If itâs a landing page, can you add a more comprehensive FAQ section that answers all of your prospectâs questions?
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Pro tip: Always consider where your prospect might be in their journey based on their search query. For a more top of funnel how-to article, you can include more subtle CTAs and connections to your product, while for a competitor comparison article, it makes more sense to include a clear demo request CTA.Â
Tip #4: Nail the basics
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Technical SEO is important for e-commerce sites with thousands of pages, but most B2B SaaS websites (which are often 50 pages or less) donât need a ton of technical SEO to win.Â
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Sure, you still need the basics.Â
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For example, letâs say you write an article related to the keyword âBest calendar scheduling software.â
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Youâd want your slug to be âbest-calendar-scheduling-softwareâ; youâd want to include your keyword in your H1, meta title, and meta description; and youâd want to incorporate the keyword naturally throughout your article.
Youâd also want good UX, a clear menu nav, solid design and UI on both mobile and PC, some internal links to relevant topics throughout your website, and some other pages linking back to your article.Â
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Thatâs really all you need.Â
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After you have these basics in place, focus on producing a high volume of content thatâs relevant to your prospects, and donât lose sleep over technical optimizations.Â
Tip #5: Build Quality Backlinks for $0
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Even if you have the best content, ranking for your dream keywords isnât easy, especially if your competitors have been around for decades and have extremely high domain authorities.Â
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To compete against the giants and set yourself up for success, you need high quality backlinks to your website.Â
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Hereâs one of my favorite ways to get them:
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1. Go to Semrush or Ahrefs, whichever keyword research tool you prefer, and paste the LinkedIn profile URLs of your thought leaders (Founder or other execs) into the backlinks tab.Â
2. In the results, youâll find a list of all the articles featuring your thought leaders and linking out to their LinkedIn profiles.Â
3. Message these companies and see if they can update the articles to link to your website, not just to the LinkedIn profile URL. Even better if you can get a backlink to one of your high-intent pages.Â
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After doing this, you can go a step further and visit the podcast search engine Listen Notes, type in your niche (ie B2B ads, recruitment, sales enablement), filter by top podcasts in your space, and make a list on a Google sheet.Â
Next, have your thought leaders reach out to the podcast hosts via LinkedIn.Â
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The message can be short and simple, such as: Hey Sam, enjoyed your recent episode on X, had an unusual idea for your show. Are you against a conversation?
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From my experience, around 20% of hosts will respond, and your thought leaders will start getting featured on amazing podcasts, which will eventually lead to more backlinks to the company website.Â
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Pro Tip: To start seeing results quickly, aim to send 5-10 messages per week to podcast hosts in your space.Â
Tip #6: Publish At Scale
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With SEO, quality matters, but quantity is a massive competitive advantage.Â
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Larger companies are spending a lot of money on ads, content marketing, and events, but they typically have a ton of red tape.Â
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They may take two weeks to approve a topic, a month to plan out the content, a month for design, a month for web development, a month to publish⌠Which is to say, by the time theyâve published 2 or 3 pages, you could have published 30, 40, or 50 quality articles, and started stealing some of the market share.Â
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To start seeing results, publish as much content as possible focused on your money keywords (occasionally weaving in more top of funnel content).Â
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Also, remember, unless youâre a super authoritative company, itâll usually take 2-3 months for Google to crawl your pages, so the content you publish today is setting you up for success 90 days from now.Â
Tip #7: Design Pages That Convert
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If youâre investing a lot of money in content, make sure you also invest in great design. The better the user experience, the more likely you are to drive conversions.Â
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Here are some questions to ask yourself:
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- Are your pages aesthetically pleasing?
- Is your content skimmable on both mobile and PC?
- Are you including screenshots, videos, or aha moments that relate to your product?
- Can you add more social proof (customer quotes, guides, walkthroughs) to increase trust?
- Are you sprinkling relevant CTAs throughout your content?Â
- Can you add sticky CTAs that are aligned with the funnel stage of each article (ie subscribe to newsletter for more top of funnel articles, request a demo for more bottom of funnel content)?
These changes, which might seem small, can lead to massive improvements in performance.Â
Tip #8: Leverage sales calls, customer success calls, and customer research
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You can rank pages using generic AI-generated content that says things like âturbocharge your revenueâ or â10X your productivity,â but prospects will immediately bounce.Â
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If you want them to stay on your page â and possibly even schedule a demo â you need to write in-depth content that resonates with their exact pain points.Â
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Looking at customer research and listening to calls is a great starting point. Even better if you can take your sales and CS teams out to lunch, walk them through the topics youâre tackling in your content, ask for additional insights, and weave these insights into your articles.Â
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This way, all the content you create will be amazing for sales enablement in addition to SEO.Â
Tip #9: Keep Improving
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As I mentioned previously, to win with SEO, you need to publish content quickly â when itâs ready, not when itâs perfect.Â
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That being said, you should always be looking for ways to improve the content youâve already published.Â
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About 2 or 3 months after publication, check how your article is ranking.Â
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For example, letâs say you write an article, and after a few months it settles at position number 7. You could look at this article more closely, and think of ways to get it closer to number 1.Â
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Could you add a more comprehensive FAQ section, embed a relevant YouTube video, add nicer images of your product, include more customer quotes, or earn a few high quality backlinks?Â
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These consistent optimizations can go a long way if you want to move up in the rankings.Â
Tip #10: Scale as you grow
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SEO isnât something you can set and forget â even if youâre an established company, thereâs always room for improvement.Â
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Once youâve implemented tips 1-9, think of ways you can scale your efforts even further.Â
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Can you increase your article production by hiring more team members or working with freelancers? Or create incredible resources (such as custom tools) that will be highly valuable to your ICP?
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Also, donât just think about SEO â after all, SEO is only a piece of the marketing ecosystem â think of ways to improve your ads, your YouTube channel, your podcast, your LinkedIn page, etc.Â
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Improvements in all these areas will lead to greater brand awareness and trust, which will lead to more successful SEO.Â
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Hope you found this article helpful!
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Feel free to reach out on LinkedIn with any questions, or check out the Breaking B2B website or Breaking B2B podcast for more unusual B2B/SaaS SEO insights. Â
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People Also Ask
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How can I effectively measure the ROI of my SEO efforts in a B2B SaaS context?
Utilize key performance indicators (KPIs) such as organic traffic growth, conversion rates, and customer acquisition costs. Implement tools like Google Analytics and CRM systems to track the journey from organic search to lead conversion and revenue generation.
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What are the best practices for conducting keyword research tailored to B2B SaaS audiences?
Focus on identifying high-intent keywords that align with your productâs solutions to specific business challenges. Consider the different stages of the buyerâs journey and develop content that addresses each phase, from awareness to decision-making.
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How can I optimize my websiteâs technical SEO to support scalable growth for a B2B SaaS company?
Ensure your website has a clean architecture with logical URL structures, fast load times, and is mobile-friendly. Regularly audit for issues like broken links or duplicate content, and implement structured data to enhance search engine understanding.
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What role does content marketing play in enhancing SEO for B2B SaaS, and how can I develop an effective content strategy?
Content marketing is pivotal in attracting and engaging your target audience. Develop a strategy that includes creating valuable, informative content such as blog posts, whitepapers, and case studies that address your audienceâs pain points and demonstrate your expertise.
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How can I build high-quality backlinks to improve my B2B SaaS websiteâs domain authority and search rankings?
Engage in thought leadership by contributing guest posts to reputable industry publications. Develop shareable content assets like original research or infographics, and foster relationships with industry influencers to encourage natural backlinking.
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10 Tips to Create B2B Ads that Convert
If you want your ads to drive conversions, you need the right messaging, positioning, design, tone, format, offer, etc.Â
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This is especially true in B2B, where pushing prospects from initial awareness to conversion is extremely challenging.Â
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Below are my top 10 tips to maximize your chances of success, based on my own experience working with dozens of B2B clients.Â
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TABLE OF CONTENTS:Â
- Tip #1: Figure out what you want to say
- Tip #2: Don't use big words or acronyms
- Tip #3: Make it quick
- Tip #4: Use visuals that make your ad stand out
- Tip #5: Create ads that don't look like ads
- Tip #6: Steal from the greats
- Tip #7: Use powerful hooks
- Tip #8: Take up as much space as possible
- Tip #9: Speak like a human
- Tip #10: Stay in tune with what your customer wants
Tip #1: Figure out what you want to say
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This might sound obvious, but before creating any ad, you should get extremely clear on the problem your company solves.Â
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All of your messaging should come back to this problem.Â
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If youâre running case study ads, the case studies should be related to this problem.Â
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If youâre promoting a GIF of your product, the animation should help tell the story of how you solve that problem.Â
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As Eugene Schwartz said: The objective of advertising is to highlight a problem and demonstrate how you can solve it.Â
â
Hereâs a template I like using with my clients to clearly articulate the problems they solve.Â
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Tip #2: Donât use big words or acronyms
â
The more simple you keep your ads, the better theyâll perform.Â
â
Thereâs no need to drop in words like CAC, ROI, or ARPU into your copy. Acronyms are poo.
â
Even if youâre talking about complex topics, aim to keep your explanation simple.Â
â
Also, keep in mind, itâs impossible to explain everything about your company in a single ad.Â
â
To fully understand what you do, a prospect might need to see 20, 30, or 40 different ads, highlighting what you do in different ways.Â
â
Think of the ads in your cold layer as an icebreaker.Â
â
The idea is to communicate the basics of what you do in a simple and interesting way â not to tell your entire story.Â
Hereâs an ad we made at Revenu for a client, to do exactly that.
âTip #3: Make it quick
â
Prospects should know exactly what theyâre signing up for in 3 steps or less.Â
â
We followed that formula for this ad we made for another client.
With very few words, you can easily understand the benefits of the product.Â
â
And if youâre thinking: Thereâs no way I could explain my offer in 3 steps or less⌠you need to simplify your process.
â
When you truly understand your product story, itâs easy to simplify it. Thatâs where the first tip comes in.
âTip #4: Use visuals that make your ad stand out
â
A picture is worth a thousand words.
â
Ads that are filled with words donât grab a users attention.
â
Think about what youâre trying to say, and how you can visualise it.
â
You can see how we did this for Scytale below.Â
â
Itâs a fairly typical advert, but the way itâs broken out visually makes it much easier to digest.
Pro tip: If youâre only using static image ads, try GIFs. Making something move makes people click it more⌠simples.
âTip #5: Create ads that donât look like ads
â
Want to triple your CTR? Make an advert that doesnât look like an advert.
â
Once you get a ton of clicks, you can then retarget them with more product-focused messaging, but theyâve now been introduced to your brand.Â
â
To create these types of ads, think of the things that you do on a daily basis. For example, listening to Spotify, watching Netflix, playing chess or other online games, etc. How can you incorporate these everyday concepts into your ads, so that they feel natural and less promotional?Â
â
Also, think of the memes that make you laugh while youâre scrolling through different social platforms. Can you create versions of these that are related to the problem your company solves?Â
â
Here are a few examples we made for inspiration:Â Â
P.S. If you want more examples, check out my Sexy Ads Library, which contains over 300 of my favorite ads.
âTip #6: Steal from the greats
â
As Pablo Picasso once said, âGood artists copy, great artists steal.âÂ
â
Lately Iâve been diving into B2C ads to find inspiration for B2B, from companies like Porsche, Land Rover, McDonaldâs, etc.Â
â
Itâs extremely hard to create amazing ads if youâre starting with a blank canvas.Â
â
Here are a few great examples:
P.S. Iâll be dropping a new library on my LinkedIn soon with tons of B2C examples, drop me a follow to be the first to see it.
âTip #7: Use powerful hooks
â
To perform well, your ads need to have powerful hooks.Â
â
In other words, you need to give your prospects a very specific reason to take action.Â
â
Are you offering an incentive to take a meeting, such as a gift card, free lunch, or free coffee?
â
Are you sharing a company resource, such as ad credits, a price promotion, or a software add-on?Â
â
Are you providing knowledge, in the form of a consultation, an audit, a workshop, etc.?
â
If you donât give your prospects an obvious reason to take action, they probably wonât.Â
â
P.S. The hooks with the highest conversion rates are typically ones related to your unique company knowledge and resources. Check out a great example from Google belowâŚ
And this great visual from Cognism, making a joke about gift card ads.
P.S. Donât get discouraged if your offer isnât working the first time around â most companies have to experiment with multiple approaches before they find one that works. And when you do, itâs your main driver of new business for the next 5 years.
âTip #8: Take up as much space as possible
â
Ads that take up more space on the screen are more likely to stop the scroll, and typically perform better.Â
â
On LinkedIn Ads, square images (1200X1200) usually perform much better than rectangular images (1200X628).
â
Test vertical images (628X1200) that only appear on mobile too.Â
â
This ad we made got a CTR in the 2%+ range on LinkedIn, with a CPC in the $3-6 range.
This tip also applies to Google Ads. Make sure youâre using ad extensions to take up more space on the SERP and increase the chances of getting a click.Â
â
P.S. If youâre curious about the ad specs you can use across different platforms, check out this comprehensive guide.Â
âTip #9: Speak like a human
â
When youâre writing ads for social, make sure you donât sound like a company.Â
â
Be human â friendly, silly, colloquial, personable.
â
Youâre literally on a social media platform⌠be sociable.
â
Influencers have all the power these days, because people want to hear from real individuals with a real personality.Â
â
So if you want people to listen to you, you need to sound like a human.Â
â
These ads we made follow that exact tone, and itâs much nicer to read.
P.S. Some companies have a more professional and corporate tone of voice, but that doesnât mean you canât be clear and straight to the point. There are ways of sounding human, without being cheeky.
âTip #10: Stay in tune with what your customer wants
â
Even if you follow tips 1-9, youâll still fail if your story is crap.
â
The world is constantly changing. Over time, the problem you solve may stop being a problem. Or another company may solve it for a fraction of the cost.Â
â
When these changes happen, you need to update your product and story in order to stay relevant.Â
â
To verify that the problems you solve are important, talk to your customers and interview companies in your ICP that arenât working with you.
â
- How much of a problem is XYZ to you?
- Are you currently solving XYZ problem?
- How are you solving it?
- Be honest, would you use our product to solve it?
- If not, why?
- Do you use another company to solve this problem instead?
- How much do you pay them?
â
Asking these questions will help you verify that your product and story make sense.Â
â
Pro tip:Â In addition to qualitative feedback from customer interviews, you can ask your G2 rep for an export of all your reviews and upload it into ChatGPT. Then, you can ask ChatGPT to identify the top pain points and benefits that are mentioned, which will help you further understand the problems your company solves.Â
â
Hope you found this article helpful!
Feel free to reach out on LinkedIn with any questions.Â
âResources for mastering B2B advertising
If youâre serious about mastering B2B advertising then you definitely need to join 1,000+ B2B marketers leveling up their paid advertising skill sets in AdConversion.Â
âHereâs 4 reasons why you should consider joining. Every one of our on-demand courses are:
â Â 100% free access.
â Â Taught by vetted industry experts.
â Â Have workbooks, resources, and templates.
â Â 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 đ)
â
People Also Ask
â
What are the key elements to consider when creating B2B ads that drive conversions?
Effective B2B ads require clear messaging that addresses the specific problem your company solves, simple language free of jargon, concise content, attention-grabbing visuals, and a human tone that resonates with your target audience. ďżź
â
How can I ensure my B2B ad stands out visually to capture attention?
Utilize compelling visuals that align with your message and consider incorporating movement, such as GIFs, to draw attention. Ads that donât resemble traditional advertisements can also increase engagement by appearing more organic in usersâ feeds. ďżź
â
Why is it important to avoid complex language and acronyms in B2B ads?
Using simple language ensures your message is easily understood, broadening your adâs appeal and effectiveness. Avoiding industry jargon and acronyms prevents confusion and keeps the focus on the value your solution provides. ďżź
â
How can I create a compelling hook in my B2B ad to encourage action?
Offer clear incentives or unique value propositions that address your audienceâs needs or pain points. This could include special offers, exclusive insights, or highlighting unique features that set your solution apart. ďżź
â
What role does understanding the customerâs problem play in crafting effective B2B ads?
A deep understanding of the customerâs problem allows you to tailor your messaging to demonstrate how your product or service provides a solution, making your ad more relevant and persuasive.
â
10 Tips to Align Your Content and Paid Media Strategy
Over the past decade, Iâve led content marketing for multiple B2B SaaS companies, and Iâve noticed a common problem:Â
â
Content marketers and performance marketers rarely communicate.Â
â
This leads to inconsistent targeting, positioning, and messaging, which ultimately leads to lackluster results.Â
â
If you want to hit your revenue targets, your content and paid media strategies need to be part of the same equation, not completely separate entities.Â
â
Below are my top 10 tips on how to get aligned with your content team.Â
â
TABLE OF CONTENTS:Â
- Tip #1: Don't Create "Ads"
- Tip #2: Repurpose the content you already have
- Tip #3: Use paid media to guarantee distribution
- Tip #4: Have a clear POV
- Tip #5: Make sure you have consistent messaging
- Tip #6: Don't be afraid to be different
- Tip #7: Leverage user-generated content
- Tip #8: Share the right content for the right stage of the customer journey
- Tip #9: Leverage retargeting
- Tip #10: Be willing to adapt and change as you learn
Tip #1: Donât Create âAdsâ
â
Itâs easy to fall into the trap of researching the ads of your competitors and trying to mimic them. Or creating ads with a preconceived idea of what an ad should look like.Â
â
But at this point, weâre all hardwired to scroll past the ads in our feed.Â
â
Ironically, in order to stop the scroll, your ads have to blend in with other organic content.Â
â
If you create great organic posts that are educational, memorable, and enjoyable, theyâll probably also perform well as ads.Â
Tip #2: Repurpose the content you already have
â
Are there carousels, newsletters, or podcasts that have performed well for you in the past?Â
â
Revisit this content.Â
â
Why do you think it performed well? How can you remix it to extend its longevity?Â
â
One caveat here: Just because something has performed well in the past doesnât mean you should run it as an ad.Â
â
For ads, I recommend repurposing the content that has performed well AND:Â
â
- Has a clear POV
- Is consistent with your other content themes
- Is related in some capacity to what your company does
â
Otherwise, you may end up confusing your audience.Â
Tip #3: Use paid media to guarantee distribution
â
We need to stop seeing paid media as something separate from content.Â
â
Great ads are just incredible content with guaranteed distribution to the right people.Â
â
If youâre running ads, make sure youâre constantly talking to the content marketers on your team to understand whatâs working.Â
â
What pieces of content are getting the most engagement, communicating important messages, or telling valuable stories?Â
â
Is there an opportunity to put money behind this content?Â
â
Itâs hard to create winning ads if your team is working in silos.Â
Tip #4: Have a clear POV
â
There are so many ads that feel and sound the same.Â
â
Even if they're creative, they donât feel different because they lack a unique POV.Â
â
Whatâs the core idea that you want to communicate to your audience?Â
â
How is your perspective or approach different from that of every other company?Â
â
If youâre not communicating this, your audience will forget about you almost immediately.Â
â
P.S. Donât be afraid to have a slightly more controversial POV, as long as it makes sense for your brand. Sometimes, taking that risk is necessary in order to be memorable.Â
Tip #5: Make sure you have consistent messaging
â
When it comes to messaging, you shouldnât be throwing spaghetti at the wall.Â
â
Instead, you should be repeating yourself constantly. Sharing your core message in different ways so that people can easily understand what you do.Â
â
A lot of marketers are afraid of repeating themselves. But in order for you to be known, liked, and trusted at scale, repetition is essential.Â
â
If you think of the brands that you trust, youâve probably heard their core message millions of times, maybe without even realizing.Â
Tip #6: Donât be afraid to be different
â
In order to succeed, you need to be interesting, and do things that other companies arenât doing.Â
â
Thereâs so much noise these days.Â
â
If youâre running ads, everybody else is.Â
â
If youâre creating content, everybody else is.Â
â
So, ask yourself, what can you do thatâs different?
â
Why should prospects pay attention to you instead of other companies in your space?Â
â
Look at what everybody else is doing. Is there an opportunity for you to do the opposite?
â
You have to be willing to take calculated risks in order to stand out.Â
Tip #7: Leverage user-generated content
â
User-generated content is a powerful and underutilized tactic to build trust with your prospects.Â
â
Do you have video testimonials or celebratory screenshots from your clients?Â
â
This is great for both organic content and ads.Â
â
Having testimonials from real people comes across as more authentic than the standard G2 reviews that everyone else uses.Â
â
P.S. I know it can be nerve-wracking to ask for testimonials, but Iâve found that clients are usually happy to help â all you have to do is send a simple email or LinkedIn DM. And if you work at a larger org, you can talk to your customer advisory board, or ask your sales or CS team to make the ask. Â
Tip #8: Share the right content for the right stage of the customer journey
â
A lot of companies make the mistake of promoting the same content to every single prospect, without considering what stage of the buyerâs journey theyâre in.Â
â
If someoneâs already heard of your brand and interacted with your company multiple times, theyâll likely want to learn more about your product features, and may even be interested in a demo.Â
â
But if someone has never heard of you before, they probably wonât be interested.Â
â
If youâre targeting a completely cold audience, your priority should be to educate them about the problems you solve, not to generate conversions right away.Â
â
The reality is â especially in B2BÂ â the demos you get now are a product of the work you did 6 months ago.Â
â
P.S. There are no shortcuts when it comes to building trust. Sure, you can use an intent provider and target people who are technically in-market, but typically, even those people need to see more content before requesting a demo.Â
Tip #9: Leverage retargeting
â
By retargeting, I donât mean offering a demo to every single person that has interacted with your brand.Â
â
A lot of people in your retargeting audiences wonât be ready for a demo yet.Â
â
But they might be interested in attending your event or joining your webinar. Or they might want to learn more about your product, hear from your thought leaders, see testimonials from similar companies, etc.Â
â
What interactions have the people in your retargeting audience taken?Â
â
Based on these actions, what type of content do you think theyâd be most interested in seeing?Â
â
Itâs important to do this exercise to create a positive experience for your prospects.Â
â
If all you do is offer demos theyâll get tired of you pretty quickly.
â
Pro tip: Think of your retargeting audience as a newsletter that prospects didnât opt into. Just like a newsletter, you need a mix of different content to grow the trust of your audience over time.Â
Tip #10: Be willing to adapt and change as you learn
â
In both content and advertising, itâs important to create a strategy thatâs firm but flexible.Â
â
Itâs great to have a general plan in place, but it shouldnât be an immovable object.Â
â
You have to be willing to adapt based on your audienceâs response.Â
â
Are there certain messages that are resonating more?Â
â
Are there certain formats that are performing better?Â
â
Are there certain audience segments that are expressing more interest in your product?Â
â
Based on this feedback, you may have to modify your approach.Â
â
Hope you found this article helpful!
Feel free to reach out on LinkedIn with any questions about content strategy or distribution.Â
â
Resources for mastering B2B advertising
If youâre serious about mastering B2B advertising then you definitely need to join 1,000+ B2B marketers leveling up their paid advertising skill sets in AdConversion.Â
âHereâs 4 reasons why you should consider joining. Every one of our on-demand courses are:
â Â 100% free access.
â Â Taught by vetted industry experts.
â Â Have workbooks, resources, and templates.
â Â 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 đ)
â
People Also Ask
â
Why is it important to align content marketing with paid media efforts?
Aligning content marketing with paid media ensures consistent messaging, maximizes reach, and enhances engagement by delivering valuable content to the right audience at the right time. This synergy leads to more effective campaigns and better return on investment. ďżź
â
How can repurposing existing content benefit a paid media strategy?
Repurposing high-performing content, such as carousels, newsletters, or podcasts, extends its longevity and leverages proven engagement. By remixing successful content, you can maintain audience interest and ensure consistency across channels. ďżź
â
What role does having a clear point of view (POV) play in content and paid media alignment?
A distinct POV differentiates your brand and makes your messaging memorable. Communicating a unique perspective helps your audience understand how your approach stands out from competitors, fostering stronger connections and recall. ďżź
â
Why is consistent messaging crucial across content and paid media channels?
Consistent messaging reinforces brand identity and ensures that your audience receives a unified narrative, regardless of the platform. Repetition of core messages builds trust and aids in brand recognition, making your campaigns more effective. ďżź
â
How can leveraging user-generated content enhance a paid media strategy?
Incorporating user-generated content adds authenticity and social proof to your campaigns. It showcases real customer experiences, building trust and encouraging engagement from potential clients who see relatable success stories.
â
10 Tips to Make LinkedIn Ads Work for B2B SaaS
Over the past few years, Iâve helped dozens of B2B SaaS companies develop their LinkedIn Ads strategy.Â
â
Below, Iâll be sharing ten tips that I always give to my own clients, and that will significantly increase your chances of success with LinkedIn Ads đ
â
TABLE OF CONTENTS:Â
- Tip #1: Research Your Customers
- Tip #2: Define Your Targeting
- Tip #3: Distribute Your Content
- Tip #4: Repurpose Your Content
- Tip #5: Test Lead Gen alongside ungated content
- Tip #6: Capture Demand With Retargeting
- Tip #7: Use Text and Spotlight Ads
- Tip #8: Leverage your SMEs for thought leader ads
- Tip #9: Set up the right tracking combination
- Tip #10: Make a commitment of at least 6 months
Tip #1: Research Your Customers
â
As a marketer, it can be challenging to fully understand your customers, especially since youâre not in direct contact with them.Â
â
In order to gain a better understanding, itâs a great idea to watch 3-5 sales calls, recommended to you by the Head of Sales.Â
â
Analyze how your sales team is presenting the product to make sure your messaging is aligned.Â
â
In addition to this, you can pull transcripts and summaries from hundreds of calls and have ChatGPT develop a content matrix and empathy map for you, summarizing the top pain points of your prospects.Â
â
Here is a templatized example of the outcome. ChatGPT can pull it out in this format based on the call summaries and give you a good foundation of commonalities for different prospects.
â
Once youâve identified the top pain points and topics with the help of ChatGPT, send them over to a few people on your sales team to validate them. It can be very subjective but can help you to ensure that you havenât missed any important nuances.Â
Tip #2: Define Your Targeting
â
Next, define your targeting.Â
â
What job titles, job functions, industries, and company sizes do you want to target?Â
â
Once youâve drafted your audiences, you can share and refine with your stakeholders.Â
â
To start out, you can use a simple targeting combination such as Job titles + Company Sizes + Industries.Â
â
If your audience is too small using only job titles, you could substitute for Job Function + Seniority + Skills.Â
â
A few additional notes:Â
â
1. Make sure to check the audience insights section of LinkedIn Campaign Manager to find exclusions that you could potentially make. (video walkthrough)
â
2. If you have multiple personas, make sure to separate them into different campaigns so you can tailor your messaging.
â
3. There is no ideal audience size on LinkedIn Ads â small audiences of 10K can work well and larger audiences of 100K can also work well. Start by targeting your ideal customers, and you can expand over time.Â
â
Recommendation: Use a validated company list for better targeting and reporting.
Tip #3: Distribute Your Content
â
Once youâve set up your audience, the next step is to distribute content towards them.Â
â
I highly recommend optimizing your ads for in-feed consumption â talk about the problems you solve directly in your ad copy.Â
â
This way, even if people donât visit your landing page right away, theyâll still be learning about your company and can be retargeted later down the line with a more bottom of funnel offer.Â
â
Videos are a particularly great format for delivering these in-feed messages, and they also allow you to generate large retargeting pools.Â
â
When you run these ads, look at your impressions and views to make sure that youâre reaching your ICP. And check your engagement rate and dwell time metrics to ensure that the content is resonating.Â
â
Donât expect demos or trials right away â the goal of these ads is to start generating some initial interest.Â
Tip #4: Repurpose Your Content
â
Do you have any great podcast or webinar clips related to your solution?Â
â
Has anyone on your team created a product demo walkthrough recently?
â
Do you have any customer testimonials from recent events?
â
This type of content can be easily repurposed for ads, and is great for both generating and capturing demand.
â
Before you start creating new content, look at the content that you already have.Â
Tip #5: Test Lead Gen alongside ungated content
â
I know lead gen is an unpopular strategy, but it can be a great approach to run lead gen campaigns alongside ungated content.Â
â
If youâre getting leads from incredible people within your ICP, you can show that to your stakeholders as proof that youâre reaching the right audience, and this can help you get approval to run more ungated content.Â
â
I donât recommend lead gen as a standalone tactic, but it can be a solid way to get some initial results and build your retargeting audiences, while also validating the quality of your targeting.Â
Tip #6: Capture Demand With Retargeting
â
On LinkedIn, lead gen forms arenât just for content like ebooks and whitepapers.Â
â
Theyâre also great for capturing demo requests.Â
â
The benefit of using lead gen forms is that people donât have to leave the LinkedIn platform to request a demo, so it helps to simplify the process.Â
â
To start, I recommend running these ads to your retargeting audience, since people who have already interacted with your brand are the most likely to convert.Â
â
Also, when it comes to these demo campaigns, donât be discouraged if you donât see success right away.Â
â
In order to succeed, you need to test different types of messaging, different content, and different creatives until you find the right formula.Â
â
Another word of advice: Make sure you refresh the creatives in your retargeting audience at least once a month. Retargeting audiences tend to be small and have very high frequencies, so you may see signs of ad fatigue if you donât refresh your creatives consistently.Â
Tip #7: Use Text and Spotlight Ads
â
Text and spotlight ads are an amazing and affordable way to stay top of mind with your retargeting audiences.Â
â
Theyâre very small and usually appear on the right side of the feed, and they get a ton of impressions but very few clicks.Â
â
I recommend setting these ads up with the website visits objective, so that you only pay when someone actually clicks.Â
â
Also, I recommend setting the lowest bid you can possibly set, along with a bid cap to avoid overpaying for clicks.Â
â
Another format to consider are follower ads, which are very similar to spotlight ads, but intended to drive more company page followers. This format is great for your colder audiences, and can help funnel your ICP into your organic audience for a longer term nurture.Â
â
You can use this template to draft the ad copy with ad specifications. You can also use dynamic macros in follower ads.Â
Tip #8: Leverage your SMEs for thought leader ads
â
If you have a founder or subject matter expert thatâs active on LinkedIn, consider running their posts as thought leader ads.Â
â
Thought leader ads are great because:Â
â
1. They have high CTRs and very low CPCs compared to other formats
2. They allow you to get high-performing organic content in front of your ICP
â
Customer stories and educational content related to the problem you solve typically perform well as thought leader ads.Â
â
Iâd avoid overly promotional and generic, AI-generated content â you want to distribute content thatâs memorable and valuable to your ICP.Â
â
For more thought leader ad ideas, check out 14 Powerful LinkedIn Thought Leader Ad Strategies Worth Testing.Â
Tip #9: Set up the right tracking combination
â
There is no perfect tracking combination, but you do have to make sure that youâre collecting enough data to understand whatâs happening inside your account.Â
â
First of all, you can track online conversions, like form submissions on your website. Then, you can also set up conversion API to have a deeper understanding of which campaigns are turning into pipeline and revenue.Â
â
Also, make sure youâre using UTM parameters â itâs much easier now because LinkedIn has dynamic UTM parameters â and pushing them into your CRM for full visibility.Â
â
And add âHow did you hear about usâ into your high-intent forms to capture additional insights about the sources that indirectly influence the prospects.
â
Just by having these basics in place, you should already have a solid understanding of whatâs happening inside your account.Â
â
If you want even more insights on which campaigns and ads are influencing pipeline, you could use a tool like Fibbler to look at multi-touch attribution.Â
Tip #10: Make a commitment of at least 6 months
â
If youâre going to get started with LinkedIn Ads, make sure you make a commitment of at least 6 months.Â
â
Once you have your audience, targeting, messaging, and content ready to go, you need to decide what your game plan will be and how much budget you need.Â
â
How much money will you need to generate awareness within your cold layer?Â
â
How will your retargeting audiences expand over time?Â
â
What metrics will you look at to determine initial success? Maybe reach and engagement as leading indicators, and conversions as a lagging indicator?Â
â
Present a clear plan to your stakeholders so that they know what to expect and are on the same page. Also, emphasize that success wonât happen overnight, and that it takes time and patience to start seeing results.Â
â
Hope you found this article helpful!
â
Feel free to reach out on LinkedIn with any ad-related questions.Â
â
Master B2B LinkedIn Ads with these 3 Free Courses:
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If you want to become a LinkedIn Ads pro, check out our free B2B LinkedIn Ads courses, where you'll learn how to launch, optimize, and scale your campaigns to drive pipeline and revenue.
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Here's what you'll learn in each course:
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âď¸ B2B LinkedIn Ads 101 - The Ultimate Crash Course for New LinkedIn Advertisers
- Foundations For LinkedIn Ads Success
- Measurement: Tracking & Key Principles
- Targeting: Reaching Your Dream Buyers
- Ads: Mastering The 9 Ad Formats
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đŻ B2B LinkedIn Ads 102 - The Blueprint for LinkedIn Ads Optimization
- Monitoring: How To Spot Performance Trends
- Auditing: How To Find The Darlings You Need To Kill
- Reporting: How To Transform Data Into Insights
- Optimization: How To Make Your LinkedIn Ads Profitable
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- Concepts of Scaling
- Divide and Conquer
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Click Here to Join 1,000+ B2B Marketers Today and start leveling up your advertising skill set.
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People Also Ask
â
What budget allocation strategies should I use for LinkedIn Ads to maximize ROI?
Consider allocating budgets based on campaign objectives, such as lead generation, brand awareness, or engagement. Use test campaigns to identify high-performing audiences and scale your investment in those areas.
â
How do I create LinkedIn Ads that effectively nurture leads through the sales funnel?
Use a multi-step approach by running awareness campaigns to introduce your brand, followed by engagement ads that highlight pain points, and finally conversion-focused ads with clear CTAs for demos or trials.
â
What are the best LinkedIn ad formats for driving B2B SaaS conversions?
Explore formats like Lead Gen Forms for collecting information, Carousel Ads for showcasing multiple features, and Sponsored InMail for direct and personalized messaging to high-value prospects.
â
How can I use LinkedIn retargeting to improve campaign performance?
Set up retargeting audiences based on website visits, video views, or previous ad interactions. Tailor your messaging to re-engage these prospects with personalized offers or content.
â
What are some common pitfalls to avoid when running LinkedIn Ads for B2B SaaS?
Avoid overly broad targeting, neglecting to optimize ad creatives, underutilizing LinkedInâs advanced audience features, and failing to test different campaign approaches for continual improvement.
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10 B2B SaaS Copywriting Tips for Better Ad Performance
I donât 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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Theyâve got complicated products. And sophisticated audiences (who are all but totally allergic to buzzwords and fluff). And together, they make communicating your company or productâs value super hard.
â
Having helped countless B2B companies over the past 9 years Iâve learned more than a thing or two about writing copy for these companies.Â
â
And today Iâm sharing with you my top 10 copywriting tips â 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.
â
TABLEÂ OFÂ 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: Donât 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 âSo Whatâ Test
â
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).Â
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Prospects donât 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.Â
â
This still applies even if youâre providing a free trial, or something else that is free.
â
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.Â
â
Instead focus on giving the prospect something â a tip, an idea, an emotional twinge â that will motivate them to click.
â
This could be through:Â
â
- The messaging you use (make sure youâre talking about how you solve business problems, not just âhey our product is really coolâ)
- The type of call-to-action (CTA) (making sure itâs not too pushy for people who didnât 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 wonât happen if your prospect doesnât click through in the first place.Â
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.Â
â
Writing copy by committee is never a great strategy and itâs easy to end up with ads that are saying so many different things that the prospect wonât take away any one thing in particular.Â
â
Letâs say your productâs main value propositions are: itâs fast, itâs easy to use, and it saves money.Â
â
Instead of stuffing all of that information into the same ad, I would write 3 variations:
â
- Ad Variation 1: FastÂ
- Ad Variation 2: Easy
- Ad Variation 3: Saves Money
â
Test each message separately so you can see which performs better AND so the prospect can remember your core value proposition.Â
â
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.Â
Tip #3: Write First, Edit Later
There are so many times when we sit down to try to write an ad and itâs really hard.
â
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. Â
â
If you just try to write it in one session itâs going to be messy and youâll spend forever tweaking it.Â
â
The idea is that you get to write a really stupid first draft. But you KNOW that itâs 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.Â
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Iâve 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 theyâre better suited for a different part of the ad. But Iâm only able to make these connections with fresh eyes.Â
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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.Â
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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.
â
The prospect's eyes are going all over the place which means you canât afford to have copy thatâs disjointed.
â
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.Â
â
As Eugene Schwartz once said âcopy is not written, itâs assembled".
â
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.
â
â
Pro tip: you canât 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 âslippery slopeâ. It makes sure your ad is interesting to read and that the ideas inside it are easy to digest.
â
The best way to check and test your messaging for clarity and word choice is to read it out loud.Â
â
If youâre 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: Donât Be Afraid to Try Long Copy
I have a bone to pick with people who say ânobody reads online!â Because of course they donât â if they donât have something interesting to read.Â
â
People binge on Netflix series, video games, novel trilogies, and more for hours in one go.Â
â
When you have people's attention you can keep sharing with them new details. But you have to earn their attention, first. (Which wonât happen with clickbait.)
â
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?Â
- 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 youâll earn their attention.Â
â
Itâs hard to do this in 150 characters which is why long form copy is so powerful.Â
â
Donât be afraid to push up until that 600 character limit if needed.Â
â
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.Â
â
The takeaway here is that people will read your long form ads if itâs interesting to them. But they wonât read even short copy if itâs terrible.
â
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).Â
â
Hereâs my simple but effective copywriting template I use in Google Docs:
â
LinkedIn ads template | Eden Bidani
â
Pro tip: itâs easy for ads to get stuck in the same creative loops, donât forget to brainstorm new creative concepts to test.Â
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.Â
â
Get on a call with them and ask them questions such as:Â
â
- How do you use the product?
- What is the impact of your product?
â
The goal here isnât to get testimonials, itâs to understand how your customers talk.Â
â
Youâll walk away knowing the benefits that matter to them and challenges.Â
â
Iâd also recommend talking with sales and asking them what are the top customer objections that prospects say and exactly how they describe it.Â
â
Using the same words and language your customers use allows you to communicate in their voice.Â
â
These insights are so powerful that not even ChatGPT can brainstorm this for you.Â
â
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 âmom bagâ.
â
What did she mean by that? âA shapeless, old ugly bag.âÂ
â
That word âmom bagâ 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.Â
â
Five customer interviews can be all it takes.Â
Tip #8: Clear Before Clever
Jay Abraham once said sometimes the easiest way to sell a horse is to say âhorse for saleâ.Â
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You have a fleeting moment with your prospects engaging with your ads.Â
â
So even if you have to use specific, complicated terms (for your sophisticated audience)Â you need to focus on making your copy as clear as possible.
â
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.Â
â
Consider the words you are using and find synonyms that imply the same meaning with less cognitive load.Â
â
John Carlton refers to these as âpower wordsâ for example:Â
â
Sometimes you want to say fast but you should be saying swift.Â
â
Swift implies a very different connotation than fast.Â
â
Itâs a whole different level of sophistication above âfastâ but itâs still a simple word.Â
â
How would you say this same thing to a friend? Is a great frame to have.Â
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Remember to avoid complicated and overdone words like omnichannel đ¤Ž
Tip #9: Tie Benefits Back to Something Realistic
Everyone LOVES to talk about benefits â think: âGrow your business!â, âTransform your workplace!", âWin more customers!â, or âOptimize your lifeâŚ!â đ
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Itâs not that itâs not true. They are. But theyâre just so high-level and vague people struggle to grasp them. You need to tie them back to something tangible â something realistic that your prospects identify with. Otherwise, they just come off as fluff.Â
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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.
â
Take the step to connect your benefits back to something realistic.Â
â
Pro tip: even better than talking about how your benefits connect to something realistic, SHOW PROSPECTS HOW this happens with supporting images or videos.Â
Tip #10: Make Sure Your Copy Passes the âSo Whatâ Test
You should be totally skeptical about your copy (just like prospects will be).Â
â
People arenât stupid â even if they fall victim to clickbait they will bounce from your landing pages.Â
â
Every time you look at your copy ask yourself so what? And pick it apart to see where itâs fluff.Â
â
Sit back and look through to see where youâre missing proof points or what can be removed.Â
â
Youâll be able to find all those tiny things that will throw people off reading your ads.Â
â
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:
â
- 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.Â
â
So what allows you a third person frame to find what looks off, and what can be stronger.Â
â
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 youâre advertising.Â
â
Hope you found this article helpful! đ
âConnect with me on LinkedIn and letâs keep the conversation going.Â
And if youâre in need of copywriting assistance check us out at CAPE Agency.
â
Resources for mastering B2B advertising
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People Also Ask
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How can I effectively measure the success of my B2B SaaS copywriting efforts?
Utilize key performance indicators (KPIs) such as conversion rates, click-through rates (CTR), and engagement metrics to assess the effectiveness of your copy. A/B testing different versions of your copy can also provide insights into what resonates best with your audience.
â
What are the best practices for aligning copywriting with the buyerâs journey in B2B SaaS marketing?
Tailor your copy to address the specific needs and pain points of your audience at each stage of the buyerâs journeyâawareness, consideration, and decision. This ensures that your messaging is relevant and persuasive throughout the customer lifecycle.
â
How can I incorporate SEO strategies into my B2B SaaS copywriting to improve search visibility?
Conduct thorough keyword research to identify terms your target audience is searching for. Integrate these keywords naturally into your copy, including headings, meta descriptions, and body text, to enhance search engine optimization (SEO) without compromising readability.
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What role does storytelling play in B2B SaaS copywriting, and how can I implement it effectively?
Storytelling helps humanize your brand and makes complex concepts more relatable. Incorporate customer success stories, use cases, or hypothetical scenarios that demonstrate the value and impact of your solution in real-world applications.
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How can I ensure my B2B SaaS copywriting maintains a consistent brand voice across different platforms and materials?
Develop a comprehensive style guide that outlines your brandâs tone, language preferences, and messaging guidelines. Ensure all team members and stakeholders adhere to this guide to maintain consistency across all marketing channels and content.
â
How to Create LinkedIn Audiences that Convert
Sometimes, LinkedIn Ads fail due to poor creatives, messaging, or offers.Â
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But many times â and in my experience, most of the time â the problem is actually the audience.Â
â
If you arenât reaching your ICP, itâs almost impossible to drive conversions.Â
â
After running LinkedIn Ads for many hypergrowth startups, Iâve developed a methodology to ensure that Iâm getting in front of the right people and minimizing wasted spend for my clients.Â
â
Iâll be breaking down my entire process below đ
â
TABLEÂ OFÂ CONTENTS
- Step 1: Define your ICP
- Step 2: Brainstorm your targeting
- Step 3: Draft your audiences in LinkedIn Campaign Manager
- Step 4: Refine your audiences
- Step 5: Adjust based on insights
- Conclusionâ
â
â
âStep 1: Define your ICP
â
If youâre taking over a new account and donât have any audiences yet, hereâs where I recommend starting:Â
â
1. Explore the website to get some initial ideas on the target job functions and industries of your personas.Â
â
2. Talk to your clients. Are there certain industries, company sizes, job titles, or job functions that have historically driven more revenue?Â
â
3. Listen to demo calls to gain a deeper understanding of a) what pain points their product solves and b) who resonates most with these pain points
âStep 2: Brainstorm your targeting
â
Once you have a strong understanding of your ICP, itâs time to look at the targeting options available within LinkedIn Ads.Â
â
To do this, you can make a copy of this LinkedIn persona database sheet, which contains all the job titles and industries available within LinkedIn Campaign Manager. Â
â
If you want to target IT professionals, for example, you can add the filter Text contains âInformation Technologyâ, and youâll find all 389 IT-related job titles that are available.Â
â
Based on these results, you can determine exactly what job titles (or job function + seniority) you want to target.Â
â
Also, by looking through the industries tab, you can define the industries you want to reach in your campaigns.Â
â
Pro Tip: LinkedInâs industry categorization can be a bit confusing. If you arenât sure what industries you should be targeting, look up your best-fit customers on LinkedIn. What industries are they in? These are likely the ones you should be targeting.Â
Step 3: Draft your audiences in LinkedIn Campaign Manager
â
Once you have a solid understanding of your ICP and the job titles and industries you want to go after, youâre ready to go into LinkedIn Campaign Manager and create your audiences.Â
â
Hereâs how you do it:Â
â
1. Navigate to the audiences tab, on the left hand side of LinkedIn Campaign Manager.
2. Go to âSavedâ, and then click on âCreate Audienceâ
3. Click on âEditâ and input your targeting criteria.Â
4. Apply your targeting criteria (in the bottom right corner of your screen)
5. Save your audience so you can come back to it later. You can do this in the top right corner of your screen.Â
â
Here are the top 3 audiences that Iâve seen the most success with for capturing demand (feel free to steal or adapt to your companyâs needs)
â
1. Remarketing
90-day Website Visits + 90-day Video Views + 90-day Single Image Ad Interactions + 90-day Company Page Visitors + 90-day Content Lead Gen Form Submissions
AND
Target Locations
AND
Target Job Titles (Substitute for Job Function and Skills if audience is too small)Â
***Typically I like to go with a 90-day window, but you could go with a longer 180-day window if you have a longer sales cycle.Â
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2. Tier 1 & Tier 2 Accounts
Tier 1 & Tier 2 Account Lists
AND
Target Job Titles
ANDÂ
Target Company Size
ANDÂ
Target Locations
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3. Open opportunities
Companies in the open opportunity phase
AND
Target Job Titles
ANDÂ
Target Locationsâ
Step 4: Refine your audiences
â
Now that youâve drafted your audience, youâre almost ready to launch, but not quite.Â
â
Before going live, itâs important to refine your audiences by making exclusions.Â
â
Otherwise, youâll end up wasting money on irrelevant people.Â
â
Hereâs how you do it:Â
â
1. Access the saved audience you already created
â
2. Refine the Audience
â
Look at the âMemberâ and âCompanyâ sections of your audience for exclusion ideas.Â
â
In the member tab, you can see what job titles, job functions, and seniorities youâre targeting.Â
â
For example, if youâre aiming to target the IT job function and 21% of your audience consists of Engineering or Military, you might exclude these irrelevant functions.Â
In the company tab, you can review what industries, company sizes, and companies youâre targeting.Â
â
For example, if youâre aiming to target FinServ and realize that 13% of your audience is in Hospitals and Healthcare, you may want to exclude it from your targeting.
Go through all available options in your saved audience and refine as much as possible.Â
â
Once youâre happy with the exclusions youâve made, you can add this audience to your campaigns.Â
â
Here are the top exclusions that I typically make to avoid wasted spend (feel free to use as inspiration)
â
1. Irrelevant Industries
2. Irrelevant job functions
3. Irrelevant seniorities
4. Up-to-date list of customers and competitors
5. Current employees
6. People who have visited the login or support pages
7. Poor fit titles (ie students, teachers, retired, interns, analysts)
8. Company sizes outside of ICP
9. People who have recently filled out demo forms
âStep 5: Adjust based on insights
â
After making exclusions and launching your campaigns, your work isnât finished. In order to be successful with LinkedIn Ads, you need to continually check and adjust your targeting.Â
â
To do this, make sure you look at your demographics report on a weekly basis.Â
â
This can be found in the top right corner of LinkedIn Campaign Manager. To access it, simply select your campaign and click on âDemographics.â
Now, youâll be able to see the job functions, job titles, companies, industries, seniorities, etc. that your campaigns are reaching.Â
Look through all of these insights â are the people youâre reaching closely aligned with your intended targeting?Â
â
Are there certain job titles, functions, companies, industries, etc. that you want to exclude?Â
â
Doing this exercise may seem tedious or insignificant, but these small details are often the difference between success and failure. â
Conclusion
â
To summarize, if you want to generate conversions on LinkedIn Ads:Â
â
1. Make sure you get extremely clear on who you want to target.Â
â
2. Consider testing proven targeting combinations, such as retargeting, tier 1 and tier 2 accounts, and open opportunities.
â
3. Audit your audiences in LinkedIn Campaign Manager and make all the necessary exclusions to avoid wasted spend.Â
â
4. After launch, consistently check your demographics report and adjust your audiences as needed.Â
â
P.S. If you have any questions and would like to get in touch, feel free to send me a message on LinkedInÂ
â
Master B2B LinkedIn Ads with these 3 Free Courses:
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If you want to become a LinkedIn Ads pro, check out our free B2B LinkedIn Ads courses, where you'll learn how to launch, optimize, and scale your campaigns to drive pipeline and revenue.
â
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Here's what you'll learn in each course:
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âď¸ B2B LinkedIn Ads 101 - The Ultimate Crash Course for New LinkedIn Advertisers
- Foundations For LinkedIn Ads Success
- Measurement: Tracking & Key Principles
- Targeting: Reaching Your Dream Buyers
- Ads: Mastering The 9 Ad Formats
â
đŻ B2B LinkedIn Ads 102 - The Blueprint for LinkedIn Ads Optimization
- Monitoring: How To Spot Performance Trends
- Auditing: How To Find The Darlings You Need To Kill
- Reporting: How To Transform Data Into Insights
- Optimization: How To Make Your LinkedIn Ads Profitable
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- Concepts of Scaling
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People Also Ask
â
How can I effectively measure the success of my LinkedIn ad campaigns in terms of audience engagement and conversion rates?
Utilize LinkedInâs Campaign Manager to monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) such as click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates, and cost per conversion. Implement LinkedInâs conversion tracking to assess how many ad interactions lead to desired actions, providing insights into campaign effectiveness.
â
What are the best practices for refining audience targeting to minimize wasted ad spend on LinkedIn?
Leverage LinkedInâs advanced targeting options, including job titles, industries, company sizes, and seniority levels, to align your ads with your ideal customer profile (ICP). Regularly analyze campaign data to identify underperforming segments and adjust targeting parameters accordingly to optimize ad spend.
â
How can I utilize LinkedInâs audience insights to enhance my ad creatives and messaging?
Analyze demographic data and engagement metrics to understand which audience segments interact most with your ads. Tailor your ad creatives and messaging to resonate with these segments, addressing their specific pain points and interests to increase relevance and engagement.
â
What strategies can I employ to test and optimize different audience segments on LinkedIn?
Implement A/B testing by creating multiple ad variations targeting different audience segments. Compare performance metrics to determine which segments yield the highest engagement and conversions, and allocate more resources to the top-performing audiences.
â
How can I integrate LinkedIn audience targeting with other marketing channels for a cohesive strategy?
Align your LinkedIn audience targeting with other platforms by creating consistent buyer personas across channels. Use LinkedInâs Matched Audiences feature to retarget website visitors or upload contact lists, ensuring a unified approach that reinforces your marketing messages across different touchpoints.
â
How to get LinkedIn-like Targeting with YouTube Ads for B2B
LinkedIn has hands down the BEST targeting options available for B2B marketers.Â
Which leads most brands to only advertising on LinkedIn and not much else for social.Â
If youâre looking for a new channel to scale ABM and/or reach your ideal customer.
In this article youâll learn 3 YouTube Ads targeting methods worth testing đ
â
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
- Targeting option 1: Steal from LinkedIn
- Targeting option 2: Leverage tech
- Targeting option 3: Build custom audiences
Targeting option 1: Steal from LinkedIn
â
Letâs face it LinkedIn is the BEST for account-based targeting.Â
The first-party company data they have is unmatched and updated regularly.Â
This is why 99% of B2B marketers are forced to advertise on LinkedIn.
â
If youâre pushing a ton of site traffic from LinkedIn Ads and confident in your audience targeting.Â
Steal that LinkedIn Ads traffic by remarketing to them on YouTube! đĽ
â
Build a retargeting audience using utm_source = linkedin for YouTubeÂ
â
Or whatever your utm_source is for your LinkedIn Ad campaigns.
You can also further filter by utm_campaign if the size is large enough.Â
This way youâre getting in front of the same users on YouTube for a fraction of the cost.Â
Targeting option 2: Leverage tech
â
Google allows you to upload contact lists for audience targeting.Â
These lists can include; existing customers, sales qualified leads, leads in nurture and so much more.
â
As long as your matched lists exceed 100 in size you can use it for targeting or exclusion on YouTube.Â
Depending on your CRM (ex: Salesforce, HubSpot) there are different technologies you can use to automatically import contact lists into Google Ads for targeting.Â
â
Some of those tools include:
â
Hubspot <> Google Ads Integration
â
If youâre a Hubspot user youâre in luck!Â
HubSpot makes it really easy to upload dynamic audiences to Google Ads via integration.
â
Salesforce <> Google Ads Integration
â
If youâre using Salesforce this also can be done via direct integration with Google Ads.Â
Simply link the two tools together via the Data Manager in your account.Â
â
Zapier
â
Using a CRM that doesnât have a direct integration with Google Ads?
If youâre in this bucket, I highly recommend exploring Zapier to automate your contact list uploads.Â
â
Zapier will act as the bridge between your CRM and Google Ads, hereâs an example of how we automated contact lists imports from ActiveCampaign:
Targeting option 3: Build custom audiences
â
Fun fact! Google owns YouTube, arguably the second largest search engine in the world.Â
The amount of behavioural data Google has is incomprehensible đ¤Ż
Lucky for us we can take advantage of it with custom audiences.Â
â
Custom audiences allow you target based on:
- What they searched on Google: reach the same Google searchers on YouTube for a fraction of the cost. Â
- Interests or purchase intention: reach people based on relevant keyword interests or in-market behaviour.Â
- Websites browsed: add URLs to reach people who visit similar sites.Â
- Apps used: target users who use certain Google Play Store apps.Â
â
Hereâs 3 ways to use custom audiences for B2B targeting:
â
- Brand keywords of your target accountsÂ
- Company page & LinkedIn page URLs of your target accounts
- Google Play Apps of your target accounts (if applicable)
You can also target high-intent solution keywords, and competitor names.Â
The opportunities are truly endless in terms of the types of keywords you can target.Â
Start as specific as you can and expand based on your reach.Â
Hope you found this article helpful!Â
â
From Clicks to Conversions: Master Google Ads for B2B đĽ
If you want to become a Google Ads pro, check out our free B2B Google Ads courses, where you'll learn how to launch, optimize, and scale your campaigns to drive pipeline and revenue.
Here's what you'll learn in each course:Â
âď¸ B2B Google Ads 101 - How to Launch Dangerously Effective Campaigns for Beginners
- The Googleverse: The Game You're Playing & How To Win
- Measurement: How to Make Sure You're Profitable
- Targeting: How to Show Up For the Right Searcher
- Planning: Putting It All Together
đŻ Google Ads 102 - How to Clicks Into Profit
- Visibility: How To Find the Hole Sucking Profits
- Workflows: How to Optimize On a Daily, Weekly, Monthly & Quarterly Basis
- Experimentation: How to Test & Automate Profitability
- Troubleshooting: How To Solve Inevitable Problems
đ Google Ads 103 - How to Scale Google Ads For Advanced Advertisers
- Methodology: How to Vertically Scale Google Ads From A-Z
- Campaigns: Scaling Horizontally Through Campaign Themes
- Channels: Scaling Outside of Paid Search
â
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 đ)
â
People Also Ask
â
How can I effectively measure the success of my YouTube Ads campaigns in reaching B2B audiences?
Utilize YouTubeâs analytics to monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) such as view rates, click-through rates (CTR), and conversion rates. Implement tracking pixels and UTM parameters to assess the impact on lead generation and sales.
â
What are the best practices for creating engaging video content that resonates with B2B audiences on YouTube?
Develop content that addresses specific pain points and interests of your target audience. Incorporate clear messaging, professional visuals, and strong calls-to-action to encourage engagement.
â
How can I integrate YouTube Ads into my existing B2B marketing strategy?
Align your YouTube Ads with broader marketing campaigns to ensure consistent messaging across channels. Use insights from other platforms, like LinkedIn, to inform your YouTube targeting and content strategies.
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What are the cost considerations when using YouTube Ads for B2B marketing?
YouTube Ads operate on a pay-per-view or pay-per-click basis, allowing for flexible budgeting. Itâs essential to monitor spending closely and adjust bids and targeting to optimize return on investment.
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How can I ensure compliance with data privacy regulations when uploading contact lists for targeting on YouTube?
Ensure that all contact data is collected and used in accordance with relevant data privacy laws, such as GDPR or CCPA. Obtain explicit consent from individuals before using their information for targeted advertising.
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