Nate Burke of Denius discusses the evolving landscape of PPC for small to medium-sized businesses. He highlights the shift driven by large language models and Microsoft's advantage in integrating advertising into its AI tools. Burke stresses the importance of hyper-targeting over a "spray and pray" approach, especially for B2B companies, noting that it can yield a 40-400% better return on investment. He advises a meticulous, data-driven strategy and suggests that partnering with an expert agency can be more effective than managing campaigns in-house. He also points out that Microsoft Advertising, particularly with its integration of LinkedIn audiences, is an often-overlooked opportunity.

Key Takeaways

PPC is Evolving: The rise of large language models (LLMs) is fundamentally changing how users search, and platforms like Microsoft are integrating native advertising within their AI tools like Copilot.

Targeting is Everything: A hyper-targeted approach is crucial for success, especially for small to medium-sized businesses. Using first-party data (e.g., CRM data) to build custom audiences can significantly improve a campaign's ROI, sometimes by as much as 400%.

Patience and Meticulousness are Key: B2B advertising requires patience, as sales cycles are often long. It's vital to focus on leading indicators, track changes meticulously, and avoid making emotional decisions based on short-term results.

Explore Microsoft Advertising: Microsoft is a powerful, often overlooked, alternative to Google, especially for B2B marketers. It offers better performance in some cases and provides the ability to directly target LinkedIn audiences.

Diversify Your Strategy: Relying solely on PPC is often too expensive. A more effective strategy combines PPC with other tactics like cold email outreach, audience-based advertising on social media, and using intent data to identify potential customers before they search.