The digital challenge for B2B companies
The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a boom of consumer brand e-commerce, but its effects have also forced many business-to-business (B2B) companies to accelerate their sales transformation process and look for alternatives to face-to-face experiences in order to generate quality leads online.
Without the ability to connect with potential customers in person in retail spaces, events or trade, the digital world has become a key means to keep the sales cycle alive.
To counteract the intense impact of the pandemic crisis has had on B2Bcompanies, brands have turned to power of innovation and creativity in their online marketing:
- Taking new routes to market products in digital channels.
- Adopting a new approach closer in focus to the B2C field in order to reach corporate audiences who are increasingly familiar with the technological environment and present in online, thanks to the new “work from home” normal.
The good news is that these changes and the digitization of processes is here to stay – 92% of B2B marketing professionals believe that the changes adopted during the pandemic will continue as we operate in the future (See page 4, “The Future CMO”).
The importance of digital advertising for B2B
One of the pillars corporate companies relied on to revitalize sales in 2020 was digital advertising. According to an eMarketer study based on the U.S. B2B market, the $8.14 billion spend in 2020 on digital ads alone was a 22.6% increase over the year previous.
With more B2B companies actively expanding their digital presence, the digital advertising trend growth continues to rise. The four big online advertising platforms are LinkedIn Ads, Google AdWords, Facebook and Instagram Ads. Of these, professional social network advertising on LinkedIn stands out as one of the most effective ways to reach and connect with corporate consumers.
LinkedIn is the largest global community of business professionals online. Its users include managers, decision-makers, influencers and profiles from many content-consuming sectors. They are impacted daily by LinkedIn advertising as they use the platform on a constant basis.
How to reach professional audiences on LinkedIn?
LinkedIn’s professional social network is an interesting channel that can help B2B companies achieve important digital objectives such as:
- Increasing brand visibility
- Promoting content and create value
- Generating fresh leads or contacts
- Developing an Account Based Marketing (ABM) strategy (concentrating sales and marketing efforts to target the most relevant business accounts).
- Applying specific tactics through LinkedIn advertising campaigns
Many of these activities can be carried out free of charge and organically on the platform; however, there are LinkedIn campaign options that make it easy to access specific niches on a larger scale, such as sending massive InMail messages to a group of managers in a specific business sector or to businesses of a certain size.
How to advertise on LinkedIn Ads
LinkedIn is one of the main online channels used by professionals around the world for networking and career-related tasks.
It is also a large database of professional profiles where users themselves provide very valuable information about their work experience and professional attributes via their LinkedIn profiles. This makes LinkedIn’s ad targeting options almost unlimited in breadth and yet highly specific.
True, LinkedIn campaigns are often more expensive than Google AdWords or Facebook Ads. However, considering the context and type of business audience (c-level employees, managers, etc.), there is great potential for new business generation in the B2B sphere.
Bearing this in mind, below are different LinkedIn advertising options available to advertise on LinkedIn Ads and their recommended uses:
Text ads:
Use Text Ads to: Connect with a premium audience of professionals and take them directly to your website or landing pages.
Ideal if you want to: Generate quality prospects while controlling your expenses.
Learn more about LinkedIn Text Ads here.
Sponsored Messages:
Use Sponsored Messages to: Interact with your prospects as directly as possible on LinkedIn and turn recipients into potential contacts and highly qualified customers.
Ideal if you’re trying to: Drive conversions, event attendance and downloads, as well as generate high-quality contacts.
Learn more about LinkedIn Sponsored Messages here.
Sponsored content:
Use Sponsored Content to: Reach a premium professional audience of decision makers in companies where they interact most.
Ideal if you want to: Increase the visibility of your brand, establish relationships with potential customers and generate potentially high-quality contacts.
Learn more about LinkedIn Ads Sponsored Content here.
Display ads:
Use Display Ads to: Accurately target LinkedIn members to drive brand goals.
Ideal if you want to: Make yourself visible at an early stage in the funnel, promoting your brand and increasing your presence.
Learn more about LinkedIn Display Ads business.linkedin.com/marketing-solutions/ads.
Dynamic ads:
Use Dynamic Ads to: Customise your creative material to reach your target audience.
Ideal if you want to: Increase your number of followers and generate quality interactions.
Learn more about LinkedIn Dynamic Ads business.linkedin.com/marketing-solutions/dynamic-ads.
If you want to learn more about all wide range of possibilities for B2B growth that ads on LinkedIn offer, check out the LinkedIn Ads Guide.
If you need assistance with B2B campaigns and strategy on LinkedIn, contact AAD to see how we can help you connect with right businesses and people on the world’s biggest professional social network.
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Project Manager
Paula is our Digital Marketing and Content Specialist at All Around and she is our go-to-person in all things content. She has worked 10+ years in leading internet companies and has a solid background in B2B marketing, lead generation and content marketing in an international setting.
