Best B2B Marketing Solution: Google
Ads Vs. LinkedIn Ads
When a B2B (business-to-business) company decides to start investing in an online platform that has a “Cost-Per-X” model, its usually a decision between Google Ads and LinkedIn Ads. There are a few other great online advertising platforms out there, but these two platforms are the most well-known platforms for companies whose focus is to advertise to other businesses. Both Platforms are loaded with great features, but today we are going to take an in-depth look at which platform might best suit your advertising needs. But first let’s look at what exactly B2B Marketing is, and if your company can benefit from b2b marketing.
What is B2B Marketing?
B2B marketing is when a business markets a certain product or service with the intent of fulfilling the needs of another business while trying to complete a sale. A few examples of businesses that fall under the b2b category are marketing agencies, manufactures, managed IT and engineering firms. The main thing that all these businesses have in common is that their business model involves catering to the needs of other businesses. These businesses usually try to market to other business sectors who can benefit from their product or service. Once a company known what business sector it wants to market to the next step would be rolling out an effective marketing strategy. This concept might sound simple in theory, but it’s usually very difficult to execute.
One of the challenges b2b companies face when advertising is trying to separate from the B2C (Business to Consumer) model and advertise to the correct audience. B2C is a business who solely sells products or services to its customers. Although a b2b businesses success depends on the “supply and demand” of the other business’s consumers, consumers are not their targeted audience. When trying to advertise to other business its important to know which advertising platforms will work and which won’t. For example, Facebook or Instagram might work well for a company selling products like clothing, but not for a company who’s selling a CRM (Customer relationship management) software. We are going to look at the benefits of the two advertising platforms that are known to work for b2b advertising; Google Ads and LinkedIn Ads.
What is the difference between Google Ads and LinkedIn Ads?
Both Google and LinkedIn Ads have a few targeting options that make them perfect when trying to advertise to other business or professionals. Let’s look at the Reach, targeting options and Ad types of each platform.
Google Ads
Google is known as the largest search engine platform in the world with over 1.17 billion users, If you are a b2b company looking to advertise on google it is important to target the right audience. Google Ads have a broader reach when compared to LinkedIn and other advertising platforms, this be a good thing or a bad thing. If you do not use the correct settings, you could end up spending your entire budget without gaining one lead. Here are a few targeting options, ad types and pros/cons that b2b companies can take advantage of:
Targeting Options
- Demographic
- Location
- Keyword
- Language
- Device
- Placements
- Interest
- Topics
- Remarketing
Ad Types
- Responsive
- Image
- App promotion ads
- Call-only ads
- Video
- Product Shopping Ads
Pros
- Target users Gmail inbox for competitor brands and other keywords
- Show ads to users while the search for a products or services
- Advertise on other websites that relate to the product or service you are selling
- With approval from a Google rep, can be used to show banner ads on LinkedIn
- Increase your bids based on a user’s device and time of day
- Add extensions to your ads to make them more appealing to users
Cons
- Lower conversion rate for B2B business when compared to LinkedIn
- Errors can be extremely costly if the campaign isn't set up correctly
- Lacks key targeting options like targeting users based on job title
- Requires a bit more knowledge to set up when compared to other platforms
- Because its more well known, bidding is usually extremely competitive
- Consumers can also search for a phrase and click on your ads
LinkedIn is one of the fastest growing social platforms for professionals with over 500 million members, hence why some b2b companies are turning to LinkedIn for their advertising needs. LinkedIn was created in 2002 with the main goal of connecting businesses and people. Most of LinkedIn users are on the platform to develop social relationships, represent their company, or seek new opportunities. If you are a business who is trying to reach professionals or other businesses, then LinkedIn is a great platform to investigate. Let’s look at the Targeting, Ads types and pros/cons of LinkedIn:
Targeting Options
- Location
- Company Name
- Company Size
- Industry
- Job Title
- Job Function
- Job Seniority
- Field of Study
- Demographic
Ad Types
- Sponsored Content
- InMail
- Text Ads
- Dynamic Ads
- Lead Gen Forms
Pros
- Gives you the ability to create a form that pulls the user's information from their profile
- LinkedIn Ads have the highest conversion rate for B2B advertising
- LinkedIn is the leading social media platform for B2B marketing
- Target users based on specific professional criteria such as industry or school
- Ads will not show to consumers or people who randomly search for it
- Campaigns are easy to set up, limited experience required
Cons
- Does not have as much targeting option ad google, like remarketing
- Cost per click for most industries are high when compared to other platforms
- Your Ads will only show on LinkedIn, does not have partner sites to display ads on.
- Out of 500 million users, only 260 million users decide to log in each month
- Only 40% the monthly users use LinkedIn daily
- Not all professionals use LinkedIn, they are openings for missed opportunities
Button Line
Both platforms have their pros and cons, the best approach is to run both simultaneously to cover what the other lacks. Use google to display ads to businesses while they are searching and use LinkedIn to advertise to professionals who may benefit from your product. This will decrease the gap for miss opportunities and reach businesses who weren’t searching for your product but may still be interested. It is also a good idea to run a/b testing on different ad types and targeting settings. You can also hire a marketing agency like SEO iT who knows the ins and outs of b2b marketing. We can consult you into taking the right approach or manage your advertising campaigns, so you can focus on managing your business. Contact us today for more details on how we can improve your B2B marketing.