Posted by: Gloria Dutton, Marketing Coordinator
Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising can attract some of the best leads – people who are already searching for your business or the products and services you offer. They’re actually searching for you, not the other way around. And while appearing for the right terms may be the first step, it’s not the most critical. Just showing up is not enough when you want prospects to take notice, click your ad (and not your competitors’) and dig into why the product you offer is superior. The key to this is writing attractive ad copy. The tricky part is that writing ad copy does not have a standardized formula. It varies from industry to industry, person to person, and especially from B2C to B2B. It is important to understand the key differences between the B2B audience and the B2C audience and how to change your copy accordingly.
Differences:
Timing is everything
A major difference between pay-per-click creative for B2B companies versus B2C is the difference in length of time to purchase. Even larger consumer purchases usually take a couple months at the most to reach a final purchase decision, so it’s ok to add a little more sales and urgency to the B2C creative copy. B2B purchases, on the other hand, are just the opposite. The time from the beginning of solution research until actual point of purchase takes months at a minimum, not a max. In-depth comparisons involving competitors’ products occur, and the product must make it through multiple levels of approval. The initial researcher has a lot riding on his decision, so he must be nursed through the sales process, not forced. For B2B it is best to write your creative copy to show you are an industry expert, without trying to rush them into picking your product. And it’s better to show yourself as a thought leader. If you tailor your creative to catch your prospect’s eye with information on the newest processes and procedures, they will trust you as the go-to resource throughout the process – increasing the likelihood of them having you in mind when they reach the selection phase.
Buy now! …or later
The next biggest difference between writing pay-per-click for B2B and B2C is the offer you’re providing. As stated before, B2B and B2C prospects are in completely different places on the purchase timeline. B2C offers can be more involved and aimed at closing with language like “buy now,” while B2B offers should be presented in a more nurturing and informational way – “register for literature” or “watch the webinar.” If B2B clients feel too pressured by your action line, they will move onto an offer that is not forcing them to decide as quickly. For B2C, creating a pressure and sense of urgency can be a positive move, however. For example when writing travel creative, you can aim it to say things like “$200 dollars when you book today!” or “low rate wars, ending this week, book before they end.” This urgency makes the consumer feel that if they take too long, they will miss out on a deal.
Why should I?
The final key difference is the number of people involved in the purchase process. As stated before, B2B companies are faced with the task of making it through multiple levels of approval. The end user is most likely someone other than the person who controls the budget. In this case, you need to employ words in your creative that they can later use to sell the product to the higher ups. Statements like “low cost while increasing productivity,” as well as actual past improvement stats, will catch their attention because they are justifiable reasons to purchase in the end. For B2C, there is usually only one person or a few closely knit people involved in the purchase decision, so the job of the creative is to address their personal wants. You will still want to test a few different versions, because the person searching may not be the final purchase decision maker, but the justification of purchase does not have to be addressed right up front. It is the searcher’s attention you need to catch and keep. For example, if a teen wants to buy a new cell phone, you wouldn’t want to utilize your creative space talking about warranties and theft protection, but more likely about ringtone capability and the new colors available. One you get the customer excited and interested, he will click your add and find all of the additional, relevant information about the phone.
Similarities
Talk fast!
The trickiest part of pay-per-click creative, both for B2B and B2C, is how limited your room to talk is. Unlike this blog, search engines restrict how much you can write to your listener. You have to be extremely choosy about your language and make sure EVERY WORD COUNTS. This is also why the offer matching the customers’ needs is so important. It’s a lot easier to convince a customer to register for a webinar in 70 characters than to convince them to buy a new database system management solution. The best part is if you can get them to register for the webinar, you will get your change to see the solution. Headlines are also key when it comes to catching attention with very little copy. You want the headline to match the search, but if it matches too closely, you may blend into the crowd of all the other headlines on the results page. Make it a balance between relevancy match and what you can offer.
Solve the Problem
With both B2B and B2C pay-per-click creative, one thing is consistent. You have to catch their attention and answer the question they’re searching for. The search query is usually the question or the pain point the prospect is trying to solve. You have shown up as a listing for an answer to that problem, so now it is time to deliver a better answer to the problem than the other advertisers on the page. Your pay-per-click creative is your online conversation with the customer. Even faster than an elevator pitch, you have to convince them to choose your ad in a matter of a few seconds. So know your audience, and tailor the text not only to them but to the question they are asking. Be the solution to their problems through text. Remember, it’s all about getting them to choose you. Showing up on pay-per-click doesn’t start the relationship with the prospect; rather, it’s that ever-important click that lets the true sales conversation begin.
