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B2B Search Marketing Strategy Guide
B2B Search Marketing Strategy Guide: E
Advice From the Pros D
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Overview U
B2B marketers aren't usually ones to jump on an unproven bandwagon. "Let someone else bear the cost of experimentation," we say, and then we wait to adopt G
until we see proven results or an important competitor jumps onboard. Based on our observations, industry statistics and knowledgeable B2B search N
marketing experts, it's clear that B2B search marketing is rapidly moving into the 1mainstream. A 2006 Forrester study found that 59% of B2B marketers already use 2search marketing, and MarketingSherpa's recent research pegs search marketing O
(paid search and search engine optimization) as 9-10% of the overall B2B marketing I budget. Private equity firm Veronis Suhler Stevenson predicts that B2B spending on all forms of e-media will grow from 9.9% of the overall B2B marketing budget in 2006 T
3to 20.3% in 2011 . U
Search marketing is gaining budget share from other marketing tactics because it promises both the ability to get your company's message in front of a prospect L
actively searching for exactly what you have to sell and the ability to clearly tie marketing costs to business results. While B2B search marketing is easy to start - if O
you have a have a web site, a credit card and a basic text ad written, you're in business - there's a tremendous depth of knowledge, experience and discipline that S
separates average search marketers from ones who deliver the best ROI for their company or clients. This solution guide will help you understand the unique challenges of B2B search marketing, and focus on what you can do today, and throughout the year, to improve your B2B search marketing results. This advice is based on survey responses from 144 search marketing agencies currently managing B2B client campaigns and Business.com's experience serving over 6,000 current B2B advertisers. In this action-oriented guide, we'll cover: . How B2B search marketing differs from B2C . Top 10 tips for optimizing B2B paid search campaigns . Top 10 tips for B2B search engine optimization (SEO) . Your B2B search marketing strategy checklist A list of the B2B search marketing agencies contributing to this guide are included in the Appendix. 1 "B2B Marketing Needs a Makeover-Now", Forrester, August, 2006 2 "Search Marketing Benchmark Guide 2008", MarketingSherpa, September, 2007. 3 "Communications Industry Forecast: 2007-2011," Veronis Suhler Stevenson, 2007.
© 2007 Business.com, Inc. Business.com is a "must buy" for B2B advertisers as the leading business search engine, directory All Rights Reserved. and pay-per-click advertising network. To learn more, visit www.business.com/advertise. 1 B2B Search Marketing Strategy Guide
How B2B Search Marketing Differs from B2C E
Is B2B search marketing the same as B2C? The short answer - it is, and it isn't.. D
I The fundamental marketing principles and "toolkit" of paid search and SEO tactics are the same for B2B and B2C, but strategy and tactical priorities differ. As Christine Churchill of Key Relevance LLC so clearly describes: U
"There is no magical difference in approach when it comes to a search G
marketing campaign aimed at other businesses as opposed to one targeting consumers. In all search marketing settings, the objectives of the site owners and an understanding of the intended audiences are essential. A business N
sale may involve longer buying cycles, larger purchases, smaller audiences, or a deeper understanding of potential changes within specific industries, but essentially the practice of marketing remains the same." O
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Mike Tatge of JumpFly agrees: "Its not about the B2B or B2C difference.it's all T
about ROI regardless of who you're targeting." However, certain characteristics of B2B trade - most notably, the length of the sales U
cycle, target audience attributes, and search engine dynamics and features - often L
differ from B2C, leading to different goals, strategies and tactical priorities for B2B search marketing. O
"The B2B sale is complex, meaning several things: the product/service is more expensive, the sales cycle is typically longer, more than one person is S
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