B2B marketing: Google Ads in practice

The numbers from the leasing account

The period is July 3 – September 6, 2026. We use numbers from July 3, when tracking was set up the way we wanted it.

That’s 32 leads. The numbers are directional, not conclusive. The leads are forms that Google has recorded. The client also logs them in their own CRM, and the CRM is what we use as the source of truth for volume and quality. The inquiries are typically about vans, tractors and machinery.

Branded searches are separated out because they flatter the average: 7 of 32 leads came from people searching for the company name, for a total of NOK 55. It’s the cost of the search ads, NOK 517, that tells you what new customers cost.

Why Google Search first

Someone searching “leasing traktor” (tractor leasing) or “leasing varebil” (van leasing) has a concrete need. The clicks are expensive (NOK 79), but a large share of the people who click submit a form. With leasing contracts worth several hundred thousand kroner, the account can bear a cost per lead of a few hundred kroner.

The ads and landing page should speak the language of business: price excl. VAT, what can be leased, how fast they get a reply and who will get in touch. On September 6 we switched to a new landing page with a shorter form. The effect isn’t reflected in the numbers above. In September we also started a Performance Max campaign alongside, which we don’t have numbers from yet.

LinkedIn and Meta

LinkedIn lets you target by job title, industry and company size, which Google and Meta don’t do as precisely. The clicks are more expensive in return, and the B2B sales cycle is often long. We don’t have any LinkedIn ad numbers of our own to show, so I recommend starting with Google Search if your customers search, and considering LinkedIn when a new customer is worth a lot.

Meta can be used to reach people again who have visited your service pages. CEOs and buyers use Facebook and Instagram like everyone else. Generalfinans only advertises on Google for now, so we don’t have B2B numbers here either.

The form should qualify

A form with just name and email produces inquiries the salesperson can’t prioritize without calling first. Ask for what lets you prioritize. The form on the leasing landing page asks what they want to lease and the approximate amount, the company name and organization number, in addition to contact details. Then the salesperson can call with an offer.

Measure what becomes sales

Measure what is one step from a sale: a submitted form with a need, a booked meeting, a quote request. Guide downloads and webinar sign-ups don’t pay any bills. The next step is to send back to Google which leads turned into deals (offline conversions), so bidding learns from sales and not just from forms.

The decision takes time

• Reach visitors again over 30–90 days, with different messages over time: a reference, the price, “get in touch.”
• Content that answers the questions in the process, for example “lease or buy.” It can be used both on the website and in ads.
• One person who owns the follow-up. A B2B lead left unanswered for days often goes to whoever replied first.

The setup

1. Tracking on forms, phone and booked meetings, with a value per type.
2. Google Search on the commercial searches, with negative keywords for “jobb” (job), “lønn” (salary), “student” and “privat” (private).
3. Branded searches in their own campaign, so you see what new customers cost.
4. One landing page per service with price excl. VAT and a form that qualifies.
5. Offline conversions from the CRM once you have enough deals for it to make sense.

What a lead costs in other industries we work with: How much does a lead cost in Norway?. More service industries: marketing for service businesses.