Facebook™ is a very useful marketing platform both for B2C and B2B companies. Decision makers, purchasing managers, and buyers spend a lot of time on this social media network and are just as likely to respond to an ad there as they would to a LinkedIn ad, for instance.
There are, however, specific rules that differentiate Facebook™ B2B ads from B2C ads. In most of the situations, the failure of these ad campaigns is a result of a failure to understand these rules. Nevertheless, it does not mean that Facebook™ is not a good fit for B2B marketing.
What Causes Facebook™ B2B Ads to Tank?
Most of the failed Facebook™ targeted at B2B users fail for three simple reasons:
- Their content is not tailored to the specific audience
There is a huge difference between a buyer and a purchasing manager in terms of addressing them and their areas of interest. For instance, while a buyer is focused on a specific product/service, the purchasing manager oversees the entire buying strategy of the company. In addition, each of them responds to different types of content because they have different interests and pain points.
- They are not optimised for mobile
At the beginning of 2018, 95.1% of Facebook™ users accessed the social media platform from their smartphone. Considering the busy and mobile schedule of a corporate decision it is even more likely that their primary device for browsing Facebook™ is their smartphone.
- They are not delivered in the right place and at the right time
Facebook™ has two main placements for ads: the news feed and the right side column. We are not getting into other side platforms (Messenger, Instagram, etc.) because they are not as effective for B2B marketing. Newsfeed ads are more expensive, but they are more effective – plus they are visible both on desktop and on mobile.
Time is also essential – you must synchronise the ads with the periods of the day when your leads are most likely to spend time on Facebook™.
What Can You Do to Further Improve Your Facebook™ B2B Ads?
1. Create and Share Research-Based Content
B2B buyers are not influenced by emotions in making a purchasing decision. They are not buying for themselves, but for the corporate entity hiring them. In addition, they are held accountable for their decisions.
Thus, the kind of persuasion that works best for this market segment is based on logical arguments, hard data and statistical proof. Your content marketing efforts must be focused in the direction of finding, preparing and sharing valuable content that backs each benefit and feature of your products/services.
2. Partner with Industry Leaders
Facebook™ B2B ads are more effective if you can introduce a respected and known industry leader as an endorser of your products/services. This is not easy and your company must have a good reputation before you can approach these industry leaders.
But there are many benefits for both parties because these leaders are also interested to promote their personal brand and are willing to partner with reputable businesses.
3. Video Is King for B2B, As Well
We have made it clear that video will rule content marketing from now on. This is not true only for the B2C sector, but for B2B, as well. Therefore, video is a very effective medium that helps people understand the message quickly and accurately.
Since corporate buyers are very busy people, they are more likely to get your selling proposition from a short video ad than from the headline and caption.
4. Don’t Forget About the Freebies
B2B leads are just as willing to try before they buy as B2C consumers. For them, a bad decision has more and worse ramifications than a B2C purchase. That is to say that they want to be sure that your products and services are a good fit for the particular business model and work procedures of their company.
Thus, a free demo is the best way of converting a lead into a customer with minimum friction.
5. Sold Once, Sold Again
Do not underestimate the upselling power of Facebook™ B2B ads. Once you’ve sold your core product/service, continue your campaign with complementary or side products.
Companies are more likely than private consumers to deal with as few suppliers as they can and structure their acquisitions in an integrated manner. Thus, for instance, they would prefer to purchase a CRM solution from the same company that develops their database software or email client, knowing that these solutions will interface perfectly, without any incompatibilities.