INTRODUCTION
The Google Display Network is made up of millions of websites, videos and apps, which reach more than 90% of internet users worldwide, according to Comscore data shared with Google.
In other words, the Google Display Network can reach people in multiple places across the internet (including YouTube and Gmail). This presents a significant opportunity for B2B businesses that are looking to promote their products or services to their target audiences.
Following are some tips on how your business can use Google Display ads for B2B marketing.
USE GOOGLE DISPLAY ADS TO PROMOTE BRAND AWARENESS
Unlike Google Search ads, which capture people who are actively looking for products or services similar to yours, Google Display ads push your message to decision-makers who are browsing the internet or watching videos. This makes them ideal for driving top-of-funnel brand awareness for your business.
Start by identifying your target audience. Use your buyer personas or market research as a guide for creating your Google Display ad audience. For instance, you can select the geographical location where your potential customers reside (e.g., country, region, state, etc.) and demographic information such as homeowner status or education level.
You also can create audience segments made up of their “in-market” search habits and “affinities” (e.g., interests or habits). Select the options that align with your specific business offerings or market research. For example, a corporate event planning company can target people searching for those services by selecting the “corporate event planning” in-market targeting option. Meanwhile, a transportation company that provides shuttle services could select “business travelers” as an affinity for its audience.
Select content topics or specific websites to further narrow your audience. You should target industries that match your focus areas or websites that your ideal customers are likely to visit. In addition, research and add keywords that align with your brand to add context and further hone in on your ideal audience.
Use first-party data whenever possible to create a lookalike audience to promote your brand to individuals who have similar traits to your existing customers or ideal prospects.
Once you establish your targeting, you can focus on your creative. Aim to educate your target audience about your company and how your products or services can help solve pain points for their businesses. Use your keyword research in your ads by including those terms (or similar search terms) in your graphics, videos, headlines or descriptions. You also should pair your text with engaging visuals, such as photos of people that resemble your ideal prospect or reinforce your brand identity.
Currently, Google allows for up to five 30-character headlines, one 90-character long headline and five 9-character descriptions, along with up to 15 images and 5 videos for its Display ads. The platform then shows these assets in different combinations to your audience to test and optimize performance. Strive to hit the maximums for each so you can convey a better message and also test different concepts.
Of note, different variations of your copy can appear in a single ad placement, so make sure the language for all these assets flows together vs. being overly repetitive. In addition, you must have a YouTube account to add videos to your campaign.
RETARGET B2B PROSPECTS WITH GOOGLE DISPLAY ADS
Google Display ads should also be used to re-engage prospects through remarketing campaigns. For instance, you can use them to retarget people who visited a specific landing page, completed a lead form or engaged with “high-intent” pages, such as those with product demos, pricing options or case studies.
Similar to brand awareness ads, the power of Google Display remarketing lies in the targeting. Create data segments in Audience Manager (go to Tools > Share library > Audience manager) to set the parameters for your remarketing efforts. You can upload first-party customer lists, connect your CRM software (like HubSpot or Salesforce) or create segments that include or exclude specific pages on your website.
Oftentimes, it is best to create separate data segments for specific actions instead of one large data segment so you can tailor ad language to align with customer behavior. For example, a SaaS company could create a data segment that targets people who visited a pricing page in the last seven days (but did not make a purchase) and launch a remarketing campaign that offers a promo code or discounted rate for the first month of service.
That company could also promote product demos to a separate data segment comprised of people who viewed a case study, encouraging them to explore the product for themselves.
Both of these examples are intended to move prospects from the consideration stage toward the decision (or purchase) stage.
Data segments can sometimes take time to populate and must have at least 100 active users to be eligible for the Google Display Network. Because of this, you can often start with a lower daily budget and increase it as your audience grows.
Make sure to monitor the efficacy of your campaigns and adjust targeting parameters and ad copy as needed. For instance, you may find that you need to narrow or broaden the inclusion duration, which can range from 1-540 days.