B2B companies
Sure, when you first think of Facebook, you may not immediately think of it as a place where B2B companies live or where they can find success in advertising.
It’s not a ‘business platform’ like Linkedin for example.
However, if we dig a little bit deeper: the fact is, people don’t stop being business professionals when they’re on Facebook.
Offering a business decision maker a product that will help them with a problem their company has been having, means that even on Facebook they are not going to ignore finding a solution.
They’re still looking for business solutions and things/opportunities that can help them in a business context.
Facebook therefore shouldn’t be pigeonholed as strictly a B2C advertising platform.
This is why B2B companies shouldn’t ignore Facebook advertising as an opportunity to reach their ideal business customer. Instead, they should learn tactics that can help them to better target these companies within the platform.
Join the ranks of other B2B companies like WeWork, Dropbox, Salesforce, etc. that are using Facebook to generate leads.
Here are our top tips for B2B companies to get the most out of Facebook Advertising.
1. Promote B2B content marketing pieces
Free content can be an effective way to get leads through Facebook ads. This isn’t uncommon for company’s B2C marketing efforts. B2C company may offer a free e-book or trial of their material in exchange for an email address, by doing this you’re leading them through the funnel without going for the hardsell immediately.
For B2B companies the same tactics can be used but the content will need to be tailored to a Business’ or business execs needs.
So instead, of e-books some other more B2B friendly content could be:
- White papers – an authoritative report giving information or proposals on an issue.
- Webinars – a seminar discussing the product/service that is conducted over the Internet.
- Case Studies – a process or record of research in which detailed consideration is given to the development of a particular person, group, or situation over a period of time.
- Videos – recording and broadcasting results
These content formats are much more friendly to a business exec looking for proven results of the product/service.
2. Target business categories and verticals
Targeting more effectively can also be key to seeing results on Facebook.
A great way to target people are by interest.
Some of the categories of interest on Facebook are business, management, business and financial operations, IT and technical, sales etc.
According to Facebook, more business decision makers/purchasers are on Facebook than any other digital platform (including Linkedin).
For example, you could target those on Facebook with their employee title listed as “Purchasing Manager.”
Also, available on the platform is targeting different industry verticals.
In a case study by Facebook, a firm in India called Knowlarity, which provides outsourcing telephone calls for companies was able to generate quality leads through Facebook ads.
Knowlarity used custom audiences and verticals like Real Estate to target startups and small businesses. They were able to target key decision makers in India and generated 40% more leads. Check out the other results they achieved here.
3. Tailor your creative to your audience
If your target is business professionals, then your creative needs to reflect that.
Check out AdEspresso’s collection of B2B ads here for inspiration.
Messaging is an important part of the ad. Remember that you are trying to appeal to a decision maker at each stage of the funnel. Sometimes that decision maker could be the CEO and other times someone lower on the totem pole.
This means using images and copy with numbers to showcase real results. For example, Increase your ROI by 40% with our CRM today.
Another example is Microsoft for Business, they use the number 76 to show how many hours employees spend looking for lost notes.
This one by HubSpot is another great example of using numbers to support a claim.
Another great piece to include in your copy is a client testimonial.
Here Telus for Business decided to use a contest for small businesses to pitch
A case study by Facebook was completed for the company Edenred. This company allows employers to use voucher systems to make employees lives easier. They constantly tested their ad creative and formats to see which performed best for their B2B audience.
Also, choosing the correct ad placements to showcase this creative on is crucial. Typically, Facebook Newsfeed and sidebar placements are the best ways to deliver B2B ads because that is where they are seen the most.
Final Thoughts
Facebook is an important B2B platform. By using the right tactics to create ads that appeal to this particular type of client B2B companies can find a lot of success.
It starts with offering the right content and packaging it in a way that makes it compelling to the right people (company decision makers).
Businesses aren’t going to ignore solutions that are presented to them. However, it is up to marketers to ensure they use best practices to create ad campaigns that make sense for B2B.
Start creating more effective B2B ads with Facebook and Abacus today!
