The remarketing campaigns are one of the most important tools for maximising ROI, including in B2B sectors.

Let us start with a definition:

By Remarketing (in both B2C and B2B) we mean an audience recovery strategy through which a user who has visited a web page without completing any action will be prompted by advertising messages to return to the previous site, increasing the likelihood of getting the intended action completed. And, therefore, generating the conversion.

It is a digital advertising technique that is well established in B2C, but often overlooked in B2B marketing as a way to restore a commercial relationship with customers that has broken down for any reason.

The goals that can be pursued are many: the purchase of a product or service, but also filling in a form or requesting a quote, for example.

All of this through personalised advertising messages that make it possible to give potential customers a second chance, inviting them to return to the site and complete the action.

Personalising the message, combined with familiarity with the site, allows remarketing campaigns to achieve excellent results.

The benefits of remarketing campaigns

Running remarketing campaigns is useful because most of the users (estimated at around 98%!) who land on a site do not complete the purchase.

For this reason, it is:

Remarketing campaigns in B2B

So far, we have talked about remarketing campaigns in general.

However, with the customers of a company operating in B2B, certain specific dynamics need to be taken into account.

In particular, in B2B, purchasing decisions are usually not made by a single person.

This means far longer sales funnels than those of B2C companies and the need to target entire company departments with the remarketing strategy, not just single individuals.

In these cases, we speak of “account-based retargeting or remarketing”.

In fact, most of the time the software used to launch remarketing campaigns tracks a specific person who has come into contact with the company website by dropping a cookie on their IP address and showing them ads while they browse the Web.

This solution, while suitable for B2C, can be less effective in B2B.

Indeed, in these sectors there is a need to target company accounts, not just a single person who visits the site.

Where to start

Now that we have highlighted the benefits of remarketing campaigns in B2B, it is time to start figuring out where to begin.

First of all, it is important to know that the typical length of a sales cycle for B2B companies can range from four to seven months, with the need for 6-8 touch points to close the sale.

For this reason, it is important to plan remarketing campaigns capable of addressing customers at every stage of the sales funnel, to improve the commercial relationship with leads already acquired and to acquire new leads regardless of where they are in the funnel.

Once the importance of creating strategies for every stage of the funnel is clear, it is also essential to understand the importance of lists for remarketing campaigns.

This way, potential customers will not only be encouraged to complete the requested action through messages designed for their position in the funnel, but also with more personalised and exclusive communication.

For example, depending on the company they work for (target account), their attendance at events, and more.

These lists must be transientin nature, because much of the information they are based on tends to change over time, exactly like the position in the funnel, so it is important to always keep them up to date.

To simplify things, once a set of e-mails from a single account has been obtained, they can be split by separating:

• Potential customers who visited a landing page without completing the action.
• Those who signed up for company events, for example a webinar, but then did not attend.
• Event attendees who did not complete the requested action.
• Potential customers who downloaded content without converting.
• Subscribers to the company newsletter who are not yet customers.

Not only that…

The forms to be filled in also make a difference in remarketing campaigns for B2B.

For this reason, it is important to make sure to ask for the information that matters, in the right amount and at the right time.

The same applies to the creation of dedicated landing pages too, which must have content tailored to potential customers based on where they are in the sales funnel, with dedicated calls to action.

There will need to be one landing page for each list segment created for remarketing campaigns.

In fact, a potential customer often lands on a destination page and does not convert, not because they are not interested in the service or product offered, but because the information they find on the landing page is not relevant to their specific situation.

A good landing page should have:

• A short, persuasive headline that explains what the offer is and a subheading that explains it better, attracting attention;
• Graphic elements such as photos and illustrations capable of showing the qualities of the offer at a visual level;
• A short paragraph of text explaining the benefits of the offer, taking care to highlight the advantages for the customer;
• A clear and convincing Call to Action that encourages the visitor to convert;
• A short form to fill in so they can do so;
• Evidence of the added value of the offer, for example in the form of a testimonial or review, if needed for the product/service offered or for the target audience.

Content in remarketing campaigns

Distributing content that is relevant to the user and to the funnel stage they are in is an effective approach in remarketing campaigns for attracting and obtaining the contacts and conversions of potential customers.

For example, it can be downloaded or read on the landing pages dedicated to each segment of interested users.

The steady supply of content can have as its short-term goal collecting e-mails, being read and reinforcing brand awareness, but in the long term the real goal is always to nurture a relationship that turns into a sale, increasing the touch points.

For example, it is possible to produce content for users in the lead generation stage that reflects their need to identify their own problems and the ways to solve them, highlighting the company’s role in this. When producing this type of content, articles built around specific keywords aimed at positioning the company as an expert in the field can be considered.

On the other hand, for lead consolidation it is important to build trust.

For example, through the opportunity to download white papers, guides or to subscribe to newsletters.

Then, the final stage of the funnel calls for content capable of showing the company’s added value compared with the competition.

Case studies, testimonials and reports, together with white papers, are the best tools, to be combined, where possible, with discounts and demos.

The ads for remarketing campaigns

For corporate remarketing campaigns for B2B it is not enough just to identify the audience to engage and produce interesting content; advertisements are also needed, perhaps through LinkedIn Ads campaigns and SEM campaigns with Google Ads.

For example, in generating qualified leads a good strategy aimed at securing an appointment for a meeting or a call can be based on the use of segmented lists of potential customers to be directed, through personalised advertisements, to a tailored landing page.

On the other hand, for leads who visit the landing page and ask to be contacted by phone but then disappear, a personalised e-mail sent by a sales representative explaining the benefits of the product or service in even greater detail can be useful.

If, instead, the goal is to nurture a lead in order to obtain, for example, a quote request, the segmented list should be used to distribute, through dedicated ads, content that proves the value of the product/service offered. Testimonials, including in video format, and downloadable case studies are very well suited.