4 surefire strategies for mixing PPC and content marketing

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You might have been told that PPC and content marketing are enemies, that they go together like ice cream and mayonnaise. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

Mixing PPC and content marketing can result in a delicious marketing cocktail. In fact, there are a few such mixes that are not only effective, but well established. These are approaches that have been around for years, and wouldn’t be at all effective if not for both parts playing a role.

These four surefire strategies blend PPC and content marketing to get results:

1. Web assets and paid search

Advertisers have long offered web assets – downloadable whitepapers, eBooks, and case studies – as the calls-to-action in B2B paid search campaigns. Whereas e-commerce advertisers might push product with a short sales cycle, B2B marketers are often working with a product or service that takes months or longer to close.

Most people who click on a B2B paid search ad are not yet ready to perform a hard conversion such as a demo request or contact us form submission. Downloadable assets are a great way to offer something of value to those in the research stage of the buyer’s journey, in exchange for their contact information as a sales lead.

One of Brafton’s core best practices is the idea that good content must be promoted. After spending time researching, writing and formatting a comprehensive branded document, it makes sense to disseminate that content to the fullest extent. Paid search has been the channel of choice for many B2B marketers to do just that. Instead of offering a CTA like “Contact Us” or “Request a Demo,” you can spice it up with “Download Our New Whitepaper” or “Get the Free eBook.”

Also consider: Web assets and paid social

There’s nothing stopping you from pushing that same asset across your social media channels with some paid backing. Given the wonderful targeting options that social media ads offer (demographics, job titles, you name it), it’s a great way to get your content in front of exactly the right people. Speaking of…

2. Sponsored content on social media

The digital marketing landscape is constantly moving forward, and social media is arguably leading the charge. Gone are the days of an organic social media strategy generating unheard of results. Businesses have developed the need for more targeted social strategies, and social media platforms have…

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