They look like UPC codes, but these alphanumeric characters store much more data. Market your business, extend the reach of your brand, reveal your website or a landing page. The possibilities are endless. Looking to integrate QR codes into your marketing mix?

Here are a few tips that will help with QR Codes:

Provide Quick Access - 

The best way to work with a QR code is to download a free app for your device. Both the Market (Droid) and iTunes (iPhone) have apps.

Provide Short Instructions - 

Don’t assume your audience knows a lot about QR codes. When adding a code to your marketing materials, be sure to tell the audience what to use to scan it by placing some instructive text next to the code; i.e. “Scan the QR Code with your Smartphone.”

Give the Audience Incentive –

QR Codes should have value. Making it easier to get directions to your store, or getting complete product information to their device quickly. For them to make the effort, make sure there is a reward.

Educate Your Audience on QR Codes –

While you could just put a QR Code out there and let them fend for themselves, it’s better to introduce your audience to QR Codes in your newsletter, blog post, a page on your website, etc.

Give Your Audience Some Examples -   

For more on QR Codes. If you need help managing your digital marketing including QR Codes.

B2B PPC Management

We are in a highly competitive era. PPC (pay-per-click) campaigns are no different. For the best PPC ROI, campaigns need to be monitored daily for optimization. So, set a time each day for running through your campaigns. If you are running more than you can handle by yourself, get some help. But be sure to work on your PPC campaigns daily for maximum ROI.

PPC Data and Conversion Goals

First analyze the PPC data. Look at keyword performance, click volume, conversion goals, sources of traffic, and daily uptime. Compare these against your business goals for the campaign. The key is to achieve the lowest cost-per-lead or CPL. This may not bring you the most traffic, but that’s not the point. The point is to get the customer to transact business; buy your product or pay for your service. In some cases, “exact match” keywords will ensure quality leads over quantity of leads. If you are looking for greater balance, broaden your keyword criteria to increase traffic. Setting conversion goals and checking those goals against sources of traffic will give you a much better idea of which audience to focus on for the best ROI. Set these goals formally before setting up a new campaign. These will determine adgroups specifically created for high conversion.

PPC Ad and Landing Page Design

Make sure you are checking what is happening after the click. The audience is getting to the landing page right after the click. Landing page optimization (LPO) is a key factor of conversion. That is why I am certified in LPO. This is a science and needs to be constantly monitored for successful conversion. Ad copy on the other hand is not an exact science. So evaluating what is happening on the landing page, and tweaking for better conversions requires testing. Actually, this goes back to the ad itself as well as the copy on the landing page. And make sure you are relevant. Your adcopy, to your landing page, to what your are offering at you company must be relevant in the eyes of the consumer and the search engines. If you mis lead, you will burn and crash.

PPC Budget

Finally, your PPC budget must be analyzed for up-time of the campaign balanced against conversion goals. If a keyword is generating high cost without conversion, get rid of it and try a new one. You may want to create some criteria for how often you switch keywords and copy making sure you are not being too hasty and leaving money on the table. This takes practice, so be patient. Once you have set the criteria, stick to it.

Happy campaigning. If you need help with PPC Management, or just don’t have time to be effective at PPC Management, I’d be glad to manage your campaign. wsib2bmagnetmarketing.com . If you would like to know more about Google Adwords and PPC Campaigns.

John McGraw, Internet Marketing Consultant with WSI

John McGraw’s primary focus is helping small and medium sized businesses with the quality and function
of their website, search marketing, social marketing, mobile websites, and mobile apps. He enjoys working with
clients, conducting training sessions, and keeping up with Internet Marketing trends.

John currently holds the following accreditations in the field of Internet marketing:

WSI Advanced Internet Marketing (AIM) Certification MEC Labs Certified in Landing Page Optimization (LPO) Market Motive Master Certified in Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

John McGraw, Advanced Internet Marketing Education

Approximately 16% of WSI consultants worldwide maintain AIM Certification - a program designed to enhance
the consultant’s knowledge of Internet Marketing techniques and best practices through advanced courses and 
activities. John first achieved AIM Certification in 2010 and has maintained his advanced training status since then.

In December of 2011, John achieved the prestigious certification of Master SEO from Market Motive, the leader in
Internet Marketing Certification. Earlier in 2010, John also became certified by Marketing Experiments
in Landing Page Optimization.

John has been with WSI since the fall of 2009. John’s personable demeanor, his genuine desire to help clients, and
his knowledge of technology make him ideally suited as an Internet Marketing consultant and trainer.

The difficulty of SEO Copywriting is in writing content that is interesting, informative 

and search engine friendly. It is important to have a good understanding of how

search engines work in order to choose the correct keywords and optimize your copy for search.

SEO Copywriting for blog posts, articles and web pages that are optimized

for search should include attention to the following items: 

 Keyword density in SEO Copywriting

Place keywords you are targeting at the beginning, throughout the content and close to the end of your page. Try to keep the density between 2 and 4%. This will allow the content to read better for your audience.

Emphasize keywords in SEO Copywriting

This is a sticky issue, balancing readability with SEO for your keywords. While you will want to use bold, underlining or italics to emphasize your keywords because the emphasis makes the keywords easier to identify by the search engines, don’t overdo it and make it uncomfortable to read.

Use synonyms in SEO Copywriting

Using synonyms will help your content be relevant for more search strings and will add depth and variety to your article. The search engines love synonyms and the same principal applies to plurals. Try variations of the words you use.

External links in SEO Copywriting

External links can raise your search engine ranking, as long as the websites you link to are relevant and well perceived by the search engines. Relevancy is most important and you should know the MOZRank of the page you are linking to determining whether its authority will help or hurt you.

Latent Semantic Indexing in SEO Copywriting

This is the ability of a search engine to pick up on the usefulness of an article. Use a wide range of vocabulary that applies to your subject and try to avoid repeating yourself. This is a tricky area to master or in some cases even understand. Take a look at this link if you’re interested in a better understanding of Latent Semantic Indexing for SEO Copywriting. 

The most difficult skill to master is striking a balance between SEO Copywriting for readers and search engines, so keep practicing.

The challenge - In B2B marketing, the ultimate objective of any campaign is to
generate the most qualified leads possible,convert these leads into new opportunities
that fill the sales pipeline, and then turn these opportunities into customers and repeat
business. However, many marketers are still unsure of how to fully leverage online
display advertising as a B2B marketing channel, and how to measure success in ways
that validate display ads as concrete contributors to sales and revenue.  

Many marketers have succumbed to the “click” as the main metric by which they should measure success in display advertising. (With the average click-through rate for display ads at 0.1% 1, it’s no wonder that marketers question how to best leverage this channel.) For those that do start down the path of using the click as their primary success metric, many end up frustrated when a high click-through rate does not necessarily result in the most qualified leads, complicating things even further. Finally, because the B2B sales cycle is often long and complex, and involves numerous individuals in the decision-making process, B2B marketers may wonder how to best use display ads to generate qualified opportunities and increase revenue. How should one approach ad targeting considering the B2B buying process? And what are the most important success metrics? 

How display advertising impacts B2B purchases

Without question, display advertising impacts the B2B sales cycle, and when companies use it effectively, they can achieve incredible results. In fact, display advertising is one of the only marketing channels that can influence B2B buyers at every step of the buying process. While other marketing channels such as search and email are most useful for targeting prospects in later stages of the sales cycle (e.g. during the vendor evaluation stage) display advertising influences the B2B purchasing process from start to finish. Display ads begin to influence prospects’ decision making from the point at which they become aware of a product or service to even after they have purchased, when they require the reassurance that they have made the right choice.

Moreover, display ads have been proven to significantly increase lift and conversions when combined with other marketing channels including search. Here’s a real-world example from Forrester Research: 

“A national wireless network provider was attempting to quantify the impact of advertising on sales of phones and wireless plans. Previously, the company used a last-click model, where search received the majority of credit for sales. It found that users who clicked on search ads, who were also exposed to display advertising, were 56% more likely to purchase. This increase in lift revealed the importance of display advertising, even though previously it had received no credit for these sales.2  

The goal of this guide is to help B2B marketers achieve similar success by better understanding the role of display advertising in generating highly qualified leads and revenue. And by applying the power of display advertising to the B2B sales cycle through tactics that drive real results, you’ll learn how to effectively utilize and measure the channel to make the greatest impact on your company’s bottom line.

A Quick Look at the Evolution of Online Advertising

Banner Ads

In the beginning, banner ads were supposed to provide concrete value to companies based on the sheer number of impressions or Web users exposed to the ad.

Keyword Advertising

In response to the lower number of actual conversions resulting from high volumes of impressions, the pay-per-click model developed, in which companies bid on keywords or phrases for which their prospects are searching. Companies pay only for the clicks that result from these searches.

Contextual Advertising

Online ads were placed next to related content (e.g. an ad for a credit card next to an article on the increased purchasing power of college graduates) in an effort to provide even greater relevancy.

Cookie-based Targeted Advertising

Web sites have the ability to attach a trackable piece of text or a “cookie” to identify the time spent on sites, specific sites visited, and more to enable targeting based on demographic, behavioral, geographic, and other types of information.

The unique role of advertising in the B2B world

Before we dive into metrics and tactics, it will be helpful to understand the role of display advertising in the B2B world. When we think of online advertising, we most often think of its role in the context of consumer purchases. Given the unique characteristics of the B2B buying process, however, display advertising plays a unique role in B2B sales.

Long and complex sales cycles benefit from awareness and branding

In general, the B2B buying process is longer and more complex than the typical consumer purchasing process. As such, display ads can help by increasing awareness and brand saturation for prospects at all stages of the sales cycle.

While each B2B company may have its own version of the “sales funnel,” the top of the funnel is the point at which prospects become aware of a company’s brand and/or its products and services. Display ads contribute greatly to this initial stage of awareness—when targeted appropriately, they can generate a tremendous amount of highly qualified leads. Display ads can also help to communicate core messages about the company, product, or service, helping educate prospects before they engage with sales.

As prospects progress along the buying cycle from the awareness to the consideration stage, display ads continue to keep the company’s product or service top of mind, helping to increase both brand recall (the ability to remember a brand when given a specific category or product type) and brand recognition (the ability to recognize a brand when the specific name or category is mentioned).

Display ads help reduce feelings of risk in large B2B investments

Because B2B purchases are typically more expensive and have large-scale effects on organizations, the B2B buyer can often be overwhelmed with feelings of risk before making a purchasing decision. According to search marketing firm Enquiro, “B2B buying is all about minimizing fear by eliminating risk.”3 This is one reason why B2B transactions require companies to build strong relationships with prospects before they become customers.

In addition to the more traditional methods of building trust in customer relationships, B2B companies can also use their display advertising campaigns to reduce the feelings of risk in the buying process. By using display ads that feature customer testimonials, industry accolades, or other forms of third-party validation, B2B companies strengthen their brand and credibility, and provide the reassurance necessary to address the risk factor.

Business demographics matter with multiple individuals on the “buying committee” 

B2B purchases are likely to affect multiple departments within an organization. As such, there are going to be multiple influencers and perhaps even more than one decision maker involved in the sales process.

While advertisers have used demographic ad targeting for some time now, it is only recently that B2B companies have been able to leverage ad targeting based on highly detailed business demographics to address their specific requirements for identifying their ideal prospects. According to Tom Grant, research analyst at Forrester Research, “Context matters.

Factors like company size, country, and role have more of an effect than many people realize.4

By identifying the business demographics of as many individuals as possible on the buying committee and understanding their various motives and mindsets, B2B companies can then use display advertising to target these individuals in highly relevant ways.

Furthermore, a recent study indicates that the Internet population that is most likely to click on an ad is predominantly younger and lower income (earning less than $40K annually).5

While this demographic may be a target for some, most B2B decision-makers tend to be C-level executives that are more seasoned in their careers and earning six-figure salaries. The impact of this research is two-fold: the click-through rate can be a misleading success metric in B2B display advertising, and it is more important than ever to target the right business demographic in order to reduce wasted marketing spend.

Eight Ways to Use Display Advertising More Effectively in B2B Marketing

Now that we’ve explored the ways that display advertising can impact the B2B buying process, it’s time to discuss the real-world tactics that all B2B marketers can use to maximize the display advertising channel in their marketing mix.

1. Target the business demographics of your typical buying committee.

As mentioned earlier, there will most likely be a group of individuals or a buying committee involved in the purchasing of your B2B product or service. Before investing in any display advertising, talk to your sales team to better understand the business demographics of as many individuals as possible on the buying committee. By advertising only to the business demographic segments that are likely to buy your product or service, you will experience greater conversions, fewer wasted impressions, and increased ROI for your advertising budget.

2.  Analyze your customer database and work with sales to better understand your target business demographic.  

You’re probably already familiar with some of the basic business demographic attributes on which you can target your ads, including company size and industry. However, also be sure to consider attributes such as business function and seniority within your targeted organizations. To help understand how these characteristics may play into your sales process, take an informal audit of your current customer database and see if you can spot any trends in the type of people involved in your new business deals. Also, encourage your sales team to record detailed notes on the individuals involved in their opportunities. For example, is there a difference in the seniority of the person that initiated the sales conversation (e.g. senior manager) versus the person who ultimately signed off on the purchase order (e.g. CEO)? Once you start tracking this sort of information, you’ll be able to improve the targeting and relevancy of your display ads going forward.

3.  Think beyond the “click” when establishing your success metrics for display advertising. 

While it’s tempting to rely on the click as the go-to metric for display advertising, times have changed and technology has enabled us to discover that click-throughs don’t necessarily indicate success. As discussed earlier, for B2B purchases in which business demographics are often the strongest indicators of purchasing intent, even a low volume of click-throughs may result in hotter leads. This is because the more targeted your advertising, the fewer random “clickers” it is likely to attract, leaving you with only the most qualified leads.

4.  Let ROI be your guiding principle. 

Whether you invest in display advertising, search, email, or any other marketing channel, remember that what ultimately matters is your return on investment.

Return on Investment (ROI) = (Profit/Investment) x 100

Regardless of which success metrics you focus on, ROI always means that you’re earning more from your marketing than you’re spending. In general, you can increase your display advertising ROI by knowing who your audience is and wasting no impressions on anyone else. Additionally, it is important to track the improvement that display advertising delivers to your other marketing channels to measure the overall ROI of a display advertising campaign.

5. Use display advertising to support your other marketing channels. 

While it’s easy to think of your marketing channels as separate silos, avoiding this mindset will help you achieve even greater lift with every marketing campaign you execute. It’s been proven that combining display with search marketing efforts dramatically increases conversion. In recent research, COMSCORE found that “search alone produces an 82% lift in sales from visitors exposed to ads, compared to…119% when search and display are combined.”6 The key is providing your prospects with the most relevant online experience possible, and display ads can play a huge role by reinforcing your marketing and messaging in other channels. 

6.   Experiment with different creative, and test, test, test. 

It’s important to go into your display advertising campaigns without assumptions, and that includes assuming that all creative is created equal. You’d be surprised how copy, images, and even the size of your display ads can make a difference in your conversion rates. Be sure to approach your campaigns with an open mind, create multiple versions of creative, and continuously test and optimize your ads as you go along to achieve the best results. 

7.   Display is more than promotion—it’s communication. 

More often than not, in B2B marketing, it’s more important to communicate your core messages than it is to be clever with your tagline. Identify two to three core messages for the product or service you’re advertising, and try to incorporate the same language in your advertising campaigns (taking space limitations into account, of course). In doing so, your display ads will create a lasting impression on your prospects while communicating your competitive advantage. 

8.   Tailor your display advertising to match prospect needs at different stages of the sales cycle. 

Prospects’ needs change over the course of the B2B buying process. For example, in the awareness stage, people generally require more informational content as they’re learning about your company and offerings. 

However, as prospects learn more and begin to search for your product category or even your specific brand, these individuals will likely be more interested in learning how your product or service compares to your competitors’ brands.

To meet these evolving needs, adapt your display ads accordingly. If you’re advertising on a new site for the first time, you will most likely encounter new prospects, so make your advertising messages more educational. However, if you’re combining display with search, in which prospects may be more qualified and farther along the sales process, use your display ads to address your competitive advantage, specific product features, and so on.

Conclusion 

Display advertising can play a tremendous role in B2B marketing, generating qualified leads and increasing revenue on its own, as well as in combination with other marketing channels. Unlike other marketing channels, display ads can positively impact the B2B sales cycle at every stage, from awareness to evaluation to customer retention. By understanding the unique needs of the B2B buying process, companies can implement display advertising strategies that increase awareness and brand saturation, promote competitive advantage, and more effectively target the right business demographics for greater relevancy and increased sales.

1 “The Bottom Line Is Online Ads Work for Branding and Sales,” Laurie Sullivan, MediaPostNews, July 31, 2009.
2 “A Framework for Multicampaign Attribution Measurement,” John Lovett, Forrester Research, February 19, 2009.
3 “Mapping the Buyersphere,” Enquiro Research, Fall 2009.
4 “How Demographics Matter In B2B Tech Adoption,” Tom Grant, Forrester Blogs, March 11, 2010.
5 “Natural Born Clickers,” comScore, 2008.
6 “The Bottom Line Is Online Ads Work for Branding and Sales,” Laurie Sullivan, MediaPostNews, July 31, 2009.

The following list is for B2B companies that want more leads and clients from their website. Business owners focused on growth will want to make this list into a priority guide for the redesign of their company website. Each of the items is a building block, some of which are necessary from the beginning and others which can be added as the website grows more robust. Including them all will provide a lead generating machine and your company authoritative placement in the World Wide Web (WWW)!

1.     In an effort to make sure you are getting the ROI you are looking for from your website, you must have a list of measurable results. Visitors, leads, bounce rate, phone calls, etc. are all metrics that can be measured with analytics. Benchmarking and then watching these metrics over time will tell you whether your site is performing or not. If it is not, fix it. Obviously, leads are what we turn into new business, and your website should be a lead generating machine! Improvement is the name of the game, so make sure you and your internet marketing consultant are working together to continuously improve your website and hitting the goals you have determined that are indicators of your business being on the right track.

2.     Make sure you have defined your personas. This is generally your ideal prospect, derived from your ideal customer. There may be more than one, so make sure each has a clear path through your site that keeps them engaged. Remember that the website is not for your company, but for your prospect/client. Make sure they understand where they are, how to get to the next step and make sure they don’t get lost or distracted. It only take 5/10’s of a second for them to make the decision to leave.The design elements of your website must speak to your visitors and provide the solutions they are looking for. And make sure that the hand off from online conversion to the offline sales path is seamless and comfortable. This will build satisfaction and loyalty.

3.     Manage expectations with the content of the site. What is the sales process? How do you handle product returns? How easy is it to deal with customer service? What are your guarantees? All of these and more need to be answered by the content of your site. No longer do people take the time to call a company for these answers. You have one shot and that shot is online.If they are seeking content to reassure themselves that they have found the right company to work with, and they don’t find it in the content of your site, and easily at that, they are gone. Make sure it is obvious, reassuring and provides a high degree of competence.

4.     There is a lot of competition out there. No matter the industry, with 40 thousand websites coming on line each day, you must provide the differentiator that will convince a prospect that they should do business with you. Provide a list of benefits and performance goals you have set that a client can measure. Make sure these are well communicated on your site.

5.     Your company website should be the center of your marketing and sales. Telling your story is paramount. Engage your prospects and let the website do no less than 25% of your sales before the prospect engages someone within the company. This will shorten the sales cycle and reduce man power costs within the sales process.

6.     Show off what you know in a nice and engaging way. A Company Blog must be a part of any website redesign effort. Not only will the blog help your search friendliness, it will provide the visitor the confidence that they have found and authority within the industry. Make sure your posts are valuable and engaging.

7.     Make sure the sales path is evident for each of your personas. Your visitors must be clearly led to your conversion goals. Every sales process includes the following five points; awareness of need, information on the solution for that need, evaluation of alternatives, decision to purchase, and employment of the solution. How your company will handle these steps must be clearly explained within the website providing an understanding that there will be no surprises.

8.     Make sure that moving through the conversion process on your website is easy and comfortable. No prospect wants to make leaps of faith. Make sure each step is well defined and the prospect knows where they are headed. If it can be perceived that more information may be needed before moving on, make sure there is an option to move to that information and then on to the next step. Tangibles such as whitepapers, newsletters or other kinds of downloads will add value to the relationship prior to full engagement with your company. Make sure such items are available and easy to obtain.

9.     Most website visits that prove to provide a positive experience for a prospect will not turn into a B2B conversion. Make sure that your website automatically nurtures the prospect until conversion is made. Use email and social media methods to make sure your company is not forgotten each time the prospect leaves your website, but before they become a client.  And once they become a client, make sure they are automatically kept up-to-date about your products and services the same way. Lead and customer nurturing must be fundamental functions of your website.

10. Citing testimonials, case studies and offering a list of clients you have worked with will instill trust. These are valuable content areas and must be a part of each website.

11. Add valuable applications or tools to your website to create link bait. Getting other sites to link to your site will give your company credibility. And back links are a valuable building block to your search friendliness.

12. Make sure you are building your redesigned site on a platform. Platforms by nature are easily updated, have integrated modules (blogs, forums, photo galleries, customer relationship management (CRM), etc.) and have at their core a content management system (CMS) to allow a constant flow of fresh content to the site. Feature rich platforms are a must in today’s web world.

13. Provide transparency to the organization. Prospects want to know the company culture and who they will be dealing with if they decide to do business with your company. Tell them about your management and staff and get them familiar with who they will be doing business before they ever make first contact.

14. Make sure your products and services are well documented and explained within the content of the site. Keyword rich descriptions will allow your site to be found for multiple search strings, making the site as relevant as possible for those searching for what you have to offer. Videos are a great way to provide this content in an engaging manner while providing viral promotion.

This may seem like a great deal of work. However, working with WSI Magnet Marketing, you can be sure that each of these components will be provided and managed in the best way possible. Concentrate on what you do best, running your company, and leave your website management to us.