How to Utilise GA4 for Managing Niche B2B PPC
In this article, discover how to utilise GA4 for managing niche B2B PPC and learn what to do when conversion data from GA4 isn’t quite enough. This is a write-up of John Woods’ talk at GA4ward MK4. Here, you can find his slides. You can watch the webinar here:
Related article: Set Up GA4 for PPC
In the niche B2B PPC arena, GA4 is indispensable. It provides essential data-driven insights for optimising campaigns and achieving precision in marketing efforts. Let’s delve into the key takeaways from the webinar.
1. Actively distinguish between good and bad leads
Relying solely on form fills as B2B leads can be misleading as not all inquiries translate into valuable prospects. There may be many unqualified or disinterested form submissions, which is why businesses need lead scoring to distinguish between promising and less relevant leads.
By doing so, businesses can allocate their time and resources more efficiently, focusing their efforts on nurturing and converting higher-potential prospects for sustainable growth.
This is where GA4 can help. Businesses can use GA4 in tandem with external data to analyse user behaviour and supplement it with relevant external insights, like demographics and industry data. This approach enhances lead quality assessment and refined B2B marketing strategies.
This process can be complex, but the rewards can make it worthwhile.
2. Your funnel is not your buyer’s journey
Your sales funnel outlines the stages of the customer’s path to conversion, but it doesn’t capture the full scope of their decision-making journey. Relying solely on the funnel can overlook crucial touchpoints and nuances in customer behaviour.
GA4 offers valuable insights into each stage of the buyer’s journey, helping you understand MQLs better. GA4’s ability to track user behaviour and interactions across touchpoints unveils hidden leads (or invisible unicorns) that might not be visible in a traditional funnel, allowing businesses to adapt and cater to the entire buyer’s journey more effectively.
3. Make allowances for web-to-phone leads
In B2B PPC management, accommodating web-to-phone leads is key as some prospects prefer direct phone contact. This flexibility ensures a wider reach and improved conversion rates by catering to diverse communication preferences.
To track web-to-phone leads in GA4, you can create events or goals for phone number clicks. From there, you can monitor these events using GA4’s event tracking report to analyse user behaviour and quantify web-to-phone leads, allowing for targeted optimisation.
In GA4, you can easily track engagement from LinkedIn and various other audiences by utilising UTM parameters in your campaign links. After implementation, navigate to the “Acquisition” section and select “Source/Medium” to view detailed insights on traffic and engagement metrics from LinkedIn and other platforms.
We have a great guide where you can gain more insights on how to track user interactions on your site.
4. Segment campaigns for deeper insights
Segmenting campaigns in GA4 provides invaluable insights by isolating specific data subsets, allowing for a clearer understanding of performance. This segmentation helps uncover nuances in user behaviour and audience engagement that might be obscured in aggregated data.
By avoiding the reliance on aggregates, businesses can make more informed decisions tailored to specific user groups or demographics.
This level of granularity empowers businesses to refine their strategies, personalise marketing efforts, and enhance the overall customer experience.
Let’s summarise
Below, we’ve summarised the main points from John’s webinar.
Beware of illusory truth bias
This can lead to biased decision-making when interpreting data, potentially impacting the effectiveness of PPC campaigns.
Remember that your funnel is not your buyer’s journey
Remembering this ensures a more comprehensive and customer-centric approach.
Attempt to score/qualify form fills – even if basic
This helps to differentiate potential leads, allowing businesses to allocate resources more effectively and improve conversion rates.
Remember web-to-phone “invisible unicorns”
This ensures that businesses don’t overlook valuable leads who prefer direct phone contact, enabling better targeting.
Engagement metrics in GA4 are good
These metrics provide granular data on user behaviour, enabling businesses to fine-tune strategies and maximise ROI.
Small number statistics are likely to limit you
These statistics can make it challenging to make informed decisions or draw accurate conclusions about campaign performance.
Segment your campaigns for deeper insights
This allows businesses to identify specific trends, user behaviours, and audience preferences within a campaign.
Use GA4 data as part of your B2B campaign management strategy, not as the only guide
GA4 needs to be complemented with a holistic approach that considers external factors and qualitative insights to make well-rounded decisions.
Read more: Leverage GA4 for PPC Marketers
Conclusion
GA4 is clearly a game-changer for B2B PPC management. By leveraging its data insights, lead scoring, and a holistic approach to the buyer’s journey, businesses can elevate their PPC strategies.
Remember, GA4 is most effective when integrated into a clear marketing strategy.
If you need help with your Google campaigns, we offer Google Ads management services, provided by world-renowned experts in data.
About John Woods
John Woods is the dynamic Director at Sharp Ahead, a leading digital marketing agency specialising in serving B2B organisations. With a career spanning over a decade in digital marketing, John possesses a profound understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities faced by B2B companies in the digital landscape.
John is passionate about driving business growth through data-driven insights, creative solutions, and a customer-centric focus, making him an invaluable asset at the forefront of B2B digital marketing strategies.
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