{"id":7876,"date":"2023-01-26T13:49:03","date_gmt":"2023-01-26T13:49:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/26\/performance-max-for-b2b-4-best-practices\/"},"modified":"2023-01-26T13:49:03","modified_gmt":"2023-01-26T13:49:03","slug":"performance-max-for-b2b-4-best-practices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/26\/performance-max-for-b2b-4-best-practices\/","title":{"rendered":"Performance Max for B2B: 4 best practices"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Google strong-armed ecommerce marketers into <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/performance-max-campaigns-set-up-386684\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Performance Max<\/a> campaigns in 2022 by deprecating Smart Shopping and Local campaigns in favor of fewer levers and more AI-driven results.<\/p>\n<p>As I wrote in a column looking back on <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/google-ads-updates-2022-good-bad-jury-still-out-390323\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google\u2019s biggest 2022 moves<\/a>, most advanced search marketers begrudged this direction since more controls provide good marketers more room to outpace their peers, giving their brands a competitive edge.<\/p>\n<p>B2B marketers weren\u2019t nearly as broadly impacted by the move to Performance Max, since their old campaign structures remained unchanged by Google.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s no denying, however, that the writing is on the wall. Google is moving hard toward machine learning and AI, which means Performance Max may well be the lay of the entire Google search land in the near future.<\/p>\n<p>So as we get into the teeth of 2023, how should B2B marketers approach Performance Max?<\/p>\n<p><!-- START INLINE FORM --><\/p>\n<div class=\"nl-inline-form border py-2 px-1 my-2\">\n<div class=\"row align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-3 col-xl-4 pe-md-0 pb-2 pb-lg-0\">\n<p class=\"inline-form-text text-center mb-0\">Get the daily newsletter search marketers rely on.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-7 col-xl-6  pe-lg-0\">\n<div class=\"form-nl-inline\">\n<div class=\"row g-0\">\n<div class=\"form-group col-12 col-lg-8 mb-0\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-4 col-xl-4 mb-0\">\n<div class=\"d-none\">\n<p>Processing\u2026Please wait.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"btn btn-dark inlineButton w-100 rounded-0 font-weight-bold\">SUBSCRIBE<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-2 col-xl-2 ps-1\">\n<p class=\"text-center mb-0\"><a class=\"nl-terms\" href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/termsofuse\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">See terms.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- END INLINE FORM --><\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_81 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/26\/performance-max-for-b2b-4-best-practices\/#Failing_to_plan_might_be_planning_to_fail\" >Failing to plan might be planning to fail<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/26\/performance-max-for-b2b-4-best-practices\/#1_Stay_skeptical\" >1. Stay skeptical<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/26\/performance-max-for-b2b-4-best-practices\/#2_Get_your_first-party_data_ready\" >2. Get your first-party data ready<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/26\/performance-max-for-b2b-4-best-practices\/#3_Experiment\" >3. Experiment<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/26\/performance-max-for-b2b-4-best-practices\/#4_Get_familiar_with_reporting_%E2%80%93_and_act_on_results_quickly\" >4. Get familiar with reporting \u2013 and act on results quickly<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/26\/performance-max-for-b2b-4-best-practices\/#Making_Performance_Max_work_for_B2B\" >Making Performance Max work for B2B<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Failing_to_plan_might_be_planning_to_fail\"><\/span>Failing to plan might be planning to fail<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If I were a betting person, I\u2019d put down some money on the idea that Google will begin steering B2B campaigns toward Performance Max this year. <\/p>\n<p>If that happens, marketers who are more aggressive in familiarizing themselves with the ins and outs will have a leg up when Google takes away other campaign options.<\/p>\n<p>If your search campaigns are in a position to do so, I\u2019d suggest you begin to test Performance Max <strong>ASAP<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That said, here are some conditions I strongly recommend you meet before you devote any budget to testing:<\/p>\n<p>You must have fully funded search campaigns to justify moving some discretionary budget to Performance Max. This means that you\u2019ve built out all the keyword themes that make sense and have achieved solid market share for them. In other words, if you have a small budget, don\u2019t compromise the pursuit of your full search opportunity at hand by testing Performance Max campaigns.<\/p>\n<p>Your account has a healthy volume of conversion data through search.<\/p>\n<p>For reasons we\u2019ll get into in a minute, you must have reliable offline conversion data syncing to your account.<\/p>\n<p>To engage the right people, you must have good, rich audience lists and a solid definition of your ICP.<\/p>\n<p>If you meet all these conditions, you\u2019re good to go \u2013 with some additional caveats and best practices I\u2019ll spell out now.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Stay_skeptical\"><\/span>1. Stay skeptical<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The idea behind Performance Max is that it delivers your ads to the right people wherever they are \u2013 Discover, Gmail, Maps, YouTube, Display Network, etc.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019re using automatic bidding and trusting that Google\u2019s algorithm can discern valuable levels of intent.<\/p>\n<p>That said, Google\u2019s algorithm is still learning, and it has built a history of optimizing for spend over efficiency.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As you approach Performance Max, look for ways to strong-arm the algorithm into doing what <strong>you<\/strong> want it to.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Get_your_first-party_data_ready\"><\/span>2. Get your first-party data ready<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>CRM data is vital for Performance Max campaigns in general for a couple of reasons, both of which apply in force for B2B \u2013 audience quality and <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/google-ads-tracking-offline-conversions-best-practices-389544\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">offline conversions<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s tackle offline conversions first. If we simply rely on pixels that fire for leads as signals for Performance Max, we\u2019ll set ourselves up for failure.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Consider the lead spam most B2B campaigns have to sift through, then understand that Performance Max will take the path of least resistance to get the \u201cdesired\u201d action.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Without integrating a layer of CRM data and telling Performance Max to optimize toward MQLs, SQLs or opportunities (essentially, whatever your most valuable stage is that <strong>also<\/strong><em> <\/em>carries enough data volume for PMax to use effectively), the system will optimize toward leads, using up your budget to keep bringing in ROI-unfriendly amounts of spam.<\/p>\n<p>On the audience side, remember, Performance Max uses the signals you give to find the right users. Signals might incorporate audience lists like current customers, closed\/won opportunities, etc.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Performance Max, like <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/google-is-getting-rid-of-similar-audiences-segments-389234\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Similar Audiences<\/a>, isn\u2019t constrained to the audience lists you give Google. It might even be a little broader than Similar Audiences, given that it extends across GDN, Gmail, and YouTube.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>So, button up your lists and make sure the common attributes are clear enough for Performance Max to read and react to in its targeting.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The upshot? Google doesn\u2019t have great built-in B2B targeting, so stay away from using their audiences and give it enough volume and clarity to work with.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Experiment\"><\/span>3. Experiment<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When approaching Performance Max setup, keep in mind that you can do experiments.<\/p>\n<p>But there&#8217;s a caveat \u2013 you only have visibility into results at the campaign level. Thus, I recommend testing at least two Performance Max campaigns, each relying on different audience signals, to see which is more effective.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Note<\/strong>: To make the two-experiment setup work, you\u2019ll have to be able to carve out enough budget to make the findings clear and actionable.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Get_familiar_with_reporting_%E2%80%93_and_act_on_results_quickly\"><\/span>4. Get familiar with reporting \u2013 and act on results quickly<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>One of Google\u2019s better releases in 2022, Custom Columns, allows advertisers to see offline conversions at the campaign level, even for Performance Max campaigns:<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<\/div>\n<p>Beyond that, Performance Max reporting diverges from familiar ad group-level reporting and breaks everything into asset groups, providing a view of all provided assets and possible combinations.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<\/div>\n<p>We\u2019ve found the campaign-level view to be most helpful, which is why I recommend starting with at least two campaign-level experiments.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Once you\u2019re relatively fluent with the reporting structure, keep a close eye on quality and opportunities to add negatives, whether keywords or placement exclusions, to shore up efficiency.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Making_Performance_Max_work_for_B2B\"><\/span>Making Performance Max work for B2B<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>My overall take on Performance Max is that Google hasn\u2019t yet put much effort into making the product work for B2B or lead gen.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Make sure to keep a close eye on results and quality, using any levers in your control to keep Google focused on your best potential user. Establish clear goalposts and standards for when to pull the plug.<\/p>\n<p>In a best-case scenario, Performance Max will be a pleasant surprise and enable you to access a larger pool of valuable users at reasonable CPLs. <\/p>\n<p>But if you take my advice, even a worst-case scenario with some fruitless spend will give you valuable insights into the future of Google for B2B.<\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/performance-max-b2b-best-practices-392158\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Performance Max for B2B: 4 best practices<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Search Engine Land<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Google strong-armed ecommerce marketers into Performance Max campaigns in 2022 by deprecating Smart Shopping and Local campaigns in favor of fewer levers and more AI-driven results. As I wrote in a column looking back on Google\u2019s biggest 2022 moves, most advanced search marketers begrudged this direction since more controls provide good marketers more room to outpace their peers, giving their brands a competitive edge. B2B marketers weren\u2019t nearly as broadly impacted by the move to Performance Max, since their old campaign structures remained unchanged by Google.\u00a0 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"h5ap_radio_sources":[],"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7876","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-best-seo-blogs"],"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":false,"author_link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/author\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7876","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7876"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7876\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7876"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7876"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7876"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}