Guide to Paid Advertising:
The FullFunnel Approach

Bottom-of-the-Funnel Lead Generation

Bottom-of-the-funnel lead generation refers to the acquisition of qualified prospects who are ready to buy and are requesting more information, a consultation, or a demo. Just about every business is anxious to get leads in the door who are ready to buy today, or, at the very least, are actively looking for solutions.

Google Search Advertising

When it comes to driving bottom-of-the-funnel lead traffic, Google Search tends to be one of the most productive channels for many B2B organizations. Targeting “high-intent” keywords can be remarkably effective, as this ensures that your ad reaches your target persona at the exact moment they are searching for a solution. Strong ad copy and a smooth landing page experience combine to create a strong recipe for conversion (shoot for a conversion rate of 4% or higher), especially when mixed with the high-intent nature of Google searches.

Remember, digital marketing is about showing the right message to the right person at the right time. When it comes to bottom-of-the-funnel lead generation, search ads are the cream of the crop. It is important to note that search ads (either on Google or on Bing) are reliant on the volume of search traffic on your particular keywords. If your business is in a niche industry or offers a solution that addresses a latent need (one folks typically do not know they have, and in turn, do not search for), you may lack the search volume needed to run a successful campaign.

Social Media Advertising

Paid ads on social media platforms are another great tool for reaching your target audience. LinkedIn in particular is quite useful in a B2B context, as it enables advertisers to leverage robust targeting capabilities that make it simple for your business to reach prospects based on job title, work experience, interest groups, and much more. Given the nature of the platform, most folks are thinking about work as they scroll through their feed, making it ideal for reaching leads when they are in the right headspace. LinkedIn also allows you to target ads based on company name, making it ideal for ABM-style campaigns focused on a specific set of target accounts.

Elsewhere in the social media world, Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit are lower-cost lead drivers that can be productive with proper targeting (which can be a challenge if you are looking to reach a niche persona). For example, targeting ads to subreddits focused on industries can be an excellent way to get in front of your target persona, and ultimately drive more bottom-of-the-funnel lead traffic.

Directory Advertising

Many B2B Software providers also have the opportunity to drive considerable amounts of lead traffic through paid listings on directories such as Capterra and Software Advice (which are all managed through a single Gartner portal). Many organizations looking for software immediately head to these websites to see the best and brightest solutions, and if your business is not running a paid listing (and lacks a robust portfolio of reviews and star ratings), you risk missing out on potential high-intent leads.

Top-of-the-Funnel Lead Generation

Top-of-the-funnel advertising allows organizations to fill the top of their sales funnel with high-quality persona fits that have the potential to be nurtured into closed-won customers over time by providing valuable information and resources. Whether you’re promoting a downloadable eBook, one-pager, or webinar, providing valuable content is an excellent introduction to prospects who may not be ready to buy today, but fit the criteria of what you are looking for in a customer. 

LinkedIn is a powerful channel for top-of-the-funnel lead generation, especially in a B2B context where you can leverage its comprehensive targeting capabilities to reach specific layers of organizations, specific organizations in an ABM-style approach, or people with particular job titles. These targeting capabilities are of massive importance, as your business is wasting its time filling its funnel with low-quality leads that do not match your target persona. As we noted earlier, LinkedIn comes with the added advantage of reaching prospects while their mind is on work, making prospects a bit more likely to convert than on a platform like Facebook which is used more leisurely.

When pursuing a ToFu lead generation strategy on LinkedIn specifically, we recommend trying out Document Ads, which enable your business to gate a PDF while making the first few pages previewable. This provides your audience with the opportunity to get a sneak peek of what they are downloading. Document ads are outfitted with forms that automatically populate with existing LinkedIn profile information, making it as low-effort as possible for a prospect to download an asset.

Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit can also be great channels for disseminating your content to a wider audience. 

Many businesses also have success promoting downloadable assets or content with Google Search Ads. If you choose to pursue a ToFu strategy on Google Search, be sure that your ad copy makes it clear that your business is providing valuable content, as opposed to seeking a BoFu conversion (like many search ads are).

Much like MoFu advertising, the success of top-of-the-funnel advertising in driving revenue is heavily dependent on the quality of the follow-up communications. We recommend enrolling your ToFu leads into a dedicated nurture flow that provides leads with additional valuable content over an extended period of time (think several months), guiding them toward an eventual bottom-of-the-funnel conversion.

Event Promotion/Sign Ups

Paid advertising can serve as an incredibly valuable component of event promotion and generating more sign-ups, whether your event is in-person, or online. Although retargeting and following up with attendees is incredibly important for ultimately driving revenue, getting folks in the door is the first step of any successful event.  Promoting events on LinkedIn is typically very valuable in a B2B context, and running search ads on relevant keywords related to an upcoming event can be quite useful as well. 

Remember, if your business doesn’t make an effort to promote its events, no one will find them. Although posting organically on your social media channels and putting a banner on your website are excellent ways to drive more sign-ups, paid advertising enables your business to amplify the visibility of your event in a manner that extends beyond your usual sphere of influence.

We recommend a cascading approach to driving sign-ups for an event. Start by promoting the event periodically a few months out (boosted organic posts on platforms like LinkedIn are a great tool). As you get closer to the event, prioritize ad campaigns on Google Search surrounding specific keywords, and on LinkedIn targeting specific job titles to drive more signups.

Highlighting Promotions and Special Offers

Unveiling a new sale, promotion, or special offer can be a tremendous way to generate more revenue for your organization. There are few better ways to maximize the impact of a sale or offer than to promote it via paid advertising.

Whether your business is noting “20% off” in a Google Search ad headline, or putting together a video for placement on YouTube, your business should seek to spread the word about its key promotions at every opportunity. 

Your promotions should take center stage on whatever platforms you tend to have the most success with from a bottom-of-the-funnel lead generation perspective. Building dedicated campaigns with dedicated ad copy and creatives is an excellent way to ensure your promotion is as visual as possible, while also keeping the data separate from your initial creatives, providing the opportunity for your business to more effectively analyze any 1:1 impact on conversion rate or revenue generation.

If you are looking for a lower-cost, higher-frequency way to promote your business’s next big offer, Google Display and Google Video are two great options. Although one should expect lower-quality conversions through these channels, their low cost makes them an excellent choice for spreading the word on promotions and building more awareness.