Case Study
In the realm of B2B marketing, one social platform yields the best, most consistent results: LinkedIn. It’s a boon for B2B marketers thanks to its native firmographic and job function targeting capabilities. While generally effective, LinkedIn Ads still have a higher cost when compared to other ad alternatives.
Appian, a software company specializing in AI-powered process automation, sought to broaden its B2B targeting beyond LinkedIn, hoping to leverage less B2B-tailored social media platforms like Facebook.
Search Laboratory’s Paid Social Media team employed MetaMatch®, a comprehensive B2B native targeting tool, by Metadata.io to drive Appian’s new strategic approach. MetaMatch® allowed Appian to efficiently reach a broader audience on platforms lacking LinkedIn’s native features, successfully addressing the challenges of cost-effective, multi-channel B2B engagement.
To find revenue opportunities for Appian beyond LinkedIn prospecting, our Paid Social Media team harnessed the capabilities of MetaData.io. Through integrating AI and automation-based solutions, MetaData.io streamlines the execution of routine and technical tasks typically undertaken by B2B marketers and offers innovative products such as MetaMatch®.
MetaMatch® integrates with social media platforms to facilitate and enhance audience targeting capabilities beyond their basic features, especially for B2B marketing. Search Laboratory strategically implemented MetaMatch® to expand Appian’s target audience. The team applied similar LinkedIn targeting options to platforms lacking firmographic and job-based features by default, such as Facebook and X (formerly known as Twitter).
Having created custom audiences for Appian in Metadata, our team imported this data into Facebook, allowing these audiences to be strategically targeted through brand awareness and lead generation campaigns. This ensured a well-rounded and practical approach to reaching and engaging the desired audiences beyond the confines of LinkedIn.
MetaMatch® enabled the Paid Social Media team to apply firmographic and job functions targeting two paid Facebook campaigns, effectively delivering Appian’s messages to the most relevant buyer personas on the Meta platform.
On average, Facebook ads typically range from $0.40 to $0.65 per click, whereas LinkedIn ads are notably higher, costing between $3.00 to $6.00 per click. However, it’s important to note that these figures are benchmarks and can vary based on location, industry, time of year, ad formats, and campaign objectives.
By leveraging the lower cost of Facebook ads compared to LinkedIn, this strategic decision enabled Appian to broaden its awareness and engagement, reaching a larger audience at a lower cost per member than LinkedIn alone.
Appian creatively and strategically elevated its brand visibility in its first campaign by showcasing a monumental legal triumph over its rival software development company, Pegasystems. This approach didn’t just captivate their intended audience but also garnered widespread public and media attention, mainly due to the allegations of corporate espionage involved. This approach led to 750,000 additional impressions and 18,000 additional clicks to their website.
The objective of the second campaign was to raise awareness and generate demand for the Appian platform. This strategic initiative aligned seamlessly with Appian’s distinguished recognition as a Leader in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Low Code Application Platforms and securing the #1 spot for the Business Workflow Automation and Integration Use Case.
These acknowledgments caught the eye of interested prospects and affirmed Appian’s position as a leader in the industry, igniting the spark for an exceptionally impactful campaign. As a result of this targeted effort, the campaign delivered an impressive 76% increase in marketing-qualified leads, achieved at a 29% lower cost.
“Working with Appian as their Paid Social Manager has been so rewarding. They are always willing to test new ideas, audiences, and formats to get the best-performing campaigns and are dedicated to learning in all their activity. It is a joy to work with their team to develop new strategies and grow the account together.”
The approach by our Paid Social Media team successfully achieved Appian’s goal of reaching a broader audience beyond LinkedIn, particularly on social media platforms not conventionally valued in B2B marketing.
The outreach on Facebook demonstrated cost-effectiveness, reaching an additional 200,000 individuals, exceeding LinkedIn’s 565,000 user reach.
“We are happy to have helped Appian reach thousands more people with an important and timely message, safe in the knowledge that we targeted only decision-makers in the large organizations for whom this message is relevant.”
“It’s always exciting when customers are able to unlock Facebook and Instagram through MetaMatch audiences and achieve the same level of success that we are seeing in our own marketing efforts. The Search Labs team has done a fantastic job honing Appian’s audiences to drive quality leads and real pipeline at a fraction of the cost in these channels that ‘don’t work’ for B2B marketing.”
Search Laboratory’s Paid Media experts are essential in any comprehensive digital marketing plan by providing targeted reach, increased visibility, and complementary work to organic efforts.
The success we achieved for Appian highlights the advantages for other companies, offering cost-effective means for reaching a broader audience and driving engagement.
Contact our team today if you’re eager to increase your leads and amplify your Paid Media engagement.
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Case Study