Learn how to maximize performance and avoid common mistakes while picking, organizing and prioritizing keywords for your B2B PPC campaigns.

1. How to Carefully
Choose & Use
Keywords For Your
B2B PPC Campaigns
1CONFIDENTIAL AND PROPRIETARY

2. 2
The First Step In Picking the right keywords…

3. Possible
Impressions
Queries that would match to this
keyword
Keyword
Choice
“energy savings”
Energy Savings
Products For Large
Buildings
E X A M P L E
B2B
Company
Better defining your audience should keep you from
bidding on search terms that are superficially related to
your offering, but don’t actually indicate any relevant
search intent.
CASTING TOO WIDE A NET
@GranularMarketing@GranularPPC 3

4. Get the keyword juices flowing
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5. s o u r c e s
Get the keyword juices flowing
@GranularMarketing@GranularPPC 5
•Of course .Products/Services
•Sketching out your customers’ goals, challenges, pain points, etc. will clue you in to how
they may be searching and what they may be searching for.Buyer Personas
•What content have you put out that’s resonated with your customers? What kind of
language do you use?Your Content
•What kinds of language do your customers use when they talk about your products and
services?Surveys
•In what ways are your products similar and different? Can you target those similarities and
differences in keyword choices?Competitors
•How do searches change as people gather more information?Buyer Journey

6. Organizing Your ideas
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7. B u i l d A r o u n d C o r e P h r a s e s
Organizing Your Ideas
@GranularMarketing@GranularPPC 7
Image via of Kissmetrics

8. Organizing Your Ideas: Build around core phrases
If I’m offering devices for large buildings to save on energy costs…
The qualifiers signal more intent from searchers.

9. Organizing Your Ideas: Classify your keywords
3 purchase intent types…
Give the audience what they’re looking for.
Image Source

10. Choosing Your Priorities
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11. Choosing Your Priorities
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In B2B Search Marketing, it’s often the (long) tail
that wags the dog.
Robert Brecht, dmn3.com
“
“

12. “ E n e r g y S a v i n g s ”
Choosing Your Priorities
@GranularMarketing@GranularPPC 12
% of audience that’s relevant?
B2C
Transactional
B2B
Informational
B2C
Informational

13. Choosing your priorities: Lead with the long tail
3 purchase intent types…
Go after the audience looking for you.

14. Choosing your priorities: Lead with the long tail
But don’t forget about these…
Just treat them differently.

15. T r e a t I n f o r m a t i o n a l q u e r i e s d i f f e r e n t l y
Choosing Your Priorities
@GranularMarketing@GranularPPC 15
Informational
Lower Bids
20% of
budget
Qualifying ad
messaging
Offer content
Transactional
Higher Bids
80% of
budget
Benefit ad
messaging
Offer contact

16. Additional tips
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17. About Search volume: You’re after the right people
There’s a higher premium on the right clicks.
These are likely B2B searchers looking for information.

18. W h a t d o T h e y c a r e a b o u t ?
Line up audiences and messaging
@GranularMarketing@GranularPPC 18
Audience • Building
Manager
Keyword
• building
energy
savings
Ad
messaging
•How my
products
save on
energy costs
Audience • Building
Engineer
Keyword
•Building
energy
management
platform
Ad
messaging
• What separates
my solution
from the
competition

19. C o v e r a l l y o u r b a s e s
Special categories to cover
@GranularMarketing@GranularPPC 19
•These tend to be more top-of-the-funnel keywords where you’ll likely be more successful
offering content to establish an initial connection with prospects.Problems
•Sometimes acronyms of your product/service will get more volume than their names. For
example, EMS can be short for energy management system.Acronyms
•Targeting “hotel energy management system” and “school energy management system” is
going to allow me to write ads directly related to those applications and get me better
results.
Applications/Markets
•If they put it in their query, you should put it in your ad.Part/Model #’s
•When searchers append words like solutions, vendor, company, provider, etc. to your core
keyword terms, they’re on the hunt and looking for what you’re offering.Solutions
•You’ll want to separate competitors names that are attached to your core keyword terms
because they can be harder to make profitable.Competitors

20. H a v e a p u r p o s e i n u s i n g e a c h o n e
Pay attention to match types
@GranularMarketing@GranularPPC 20
Image from CardinalPath.com

21. D o n ’ t a d v e r t i s e w h e r e y o u ’ r e n o t w a n t e d
Don’t forget to exclude
@GranularMarketing@GranularPPC 21
Image from TryAdHawk.com
There are common negative keyword lists you can find online.

22. Thank You!
info@granularmarketing.com
414-436-2200
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