B2B SaaS is a numbers game, and by numbers, I mean leads. The reality is, nurturing an organic lead through the sales funnel takes time – time that most B2B companies simply don’t have.

That’s where pay-per-click (PPC) affiliates come into the picture.

Paid advertising works: In their 2023 Economic Impact Report Google shares that businesses see an average 8x return on their Google Ads investment.

By combining the efficiency of paid advertising with the trusted industry expertise of affiliate marketing, PPC affiliates deliver immediate results while supporting steady, long-term growth strategies like SEO.

For B2B companies short on time and capacity, a PPC affiliate program offers a fast, measurable solution for increasing brand awareness, generating high-quality leads, and ultimately, closing more deals.

In this article I’ll break down what PPC affiliates are, outline how they can solve for some of the most common challenges in B2B sales cycles, and share how an agency can simplify the process of launching a PPC affiliates campaign.

What are PPC affiliates in B2B SaaS?

PPC stands for pay-per-click, a paid advertising model that pays a commission each time a user clicks on an ad. Online, PPC ads are just about everywhere, from the shopping links you see under Google search results to sponsored posts that appear in your LinkedIn feed.

PPC campaigns encompass the launch and management of PPC ads, and include elements like keyword research, bidding strategies, audience targeting, ad copywriting, and creative development. The ultimate goal of a PPC campaign is to generate closed-won deals by targeting high-intent decision-makers and driving them to purchase.

However, targeting these high-intent decision makers — rather than just increasing bottom funnel website traffic— requires a deep understanding of the target market, compelling messaging, and the agility to consistently optimize campaign performance. These intricacies are why many SaaS companies have turned to working with PPC affiliates.

PPC affiliates are a subsection of affiliates that specialize in driving traffic through paid advertising. In a pay-per-click (PPC) affiliate program, PPC affiliates create and manage these complex PPC campaign structures and are paid out for every link click that the campaigns generate.

By working with PPC affiliates, B2B companies can rapidly scale their paid ad efforts without the need to build or hire an entire team.

Benefits of working with PPC affiliates in B2B SaaS

Partnering with PPC affiliates allows you to tap into the combined power of paid advertising and performance-based partnerships for a multitude of benefits:

  • Expand audience reach: Paid advertising inherently drives brand awareness, introducing your solution to new and targeted audiences.
  • Optimize your budget: As a pay-for-performance model, a PPC affiliate program means you only pay for results, maximizing cost efficiency.
  • Access industry expertise: B2B affiliates are experts in their niche markets, offering a shortcut in understanding your target audience and how to reach them.
  • Build trust through co-branding: Anchor your brand and credibility in the established authority affiliates have built with their audiences.
  • Shorten sale cycles: PPC affiliate traffic is high-intent, meaning shorter sales cycles and faster results.

How PPC affiliates solve the most common problems in B2B SaaS sales cycles

Navigating B2B SaaS sales cycles can feel like a labyrinth of pipeline stages, decision-makers, and qualifications at every turn. Up against this complexity, solutions addressing a single pain point often fall short in overall impact.

PPC affiliate campaigns take a holistic approach by tackling multiple pain points in B2B sales cycles simultaneously, optimizing the process from end-to-end.

Problem: Lengthy and complex sales cycle

B2B SaaS sales cycles are infamous for being incredibly nuanced. On average, B2B deals over $100K in ACV (average contract value) take an average of 3 to 9 months to close. And it’s not just the time it takes; it’s the touchpoints required along the way.

Hockeystack Labs reports that it takes an average of 54 touchpoints to generate an MQL (marketing qualified lead). From there, it takes another estimated 87 touchpoints to convert to an SQL (sales qualified lead).

PPC affiliates can shorten the sales cycle with strategic retargeting as prospects move from first touch to MQL to SQL. By re-engaging warm leads who’ve shown prior interest, they ensure the product remains top of mind, and expedite prospects through the sales funnel.

Additionally, the granular insights into campaign performance offered by PPC platforms allow affiliates to continuously refine their targeting, messaging, and landing pages to further optimize and shorten the sales cycle.

Problem: Navigating multiple decision-makers

In B2B SaaS sales, a higher ACV means more decision-makers at the table. The specific individuals involved can vary depending on the product or the size of the company, with enterprise sales often including multiple C-suite level executives.

PPC affiliates aid in navigating multiple-decision makers because of their ability to hyper-segment audiences. With paid advertising platforms, PPC affiliates are able to precisely target audiences based on keywords, demographics, search intent, and specific job titles.

By making sure ads are reaching the right decision-makers, a PPC affiliate campaign can minimize wasted impressions and fast track lead qualification, resulting in a more efficient ROI.

Problem: B2B buyers are skipping the sales teams

Modern B2B buyers are taking charge of their decision-making process and increasingly cutting out traditional sales teams. 90% report having conducted research before even engaging with a sales team.

This means more top-of-funnel audiences are using search engines to research solutions to their problems. To effectively capture interest, B2B companies need to ensure that their product solutions are expertly nestled into valuable and trustworthy content. But, creating valuable content takes time and resources, and often trust comes from third-party content not created by that brand.

PPC affiliates are experts in creating content for high-intent search traffic across a sales funnel in their respective niches. With competitive keywords and targeted ads, PPC affiliates can capture buyers looking to bypass the sales team directly into valuable leads.

Problem: High costs of marketing campaigns

Ongoing tech layoffs and an uncertain economy have many B2B companies tightening marketing budgets and prioritizing go-to-market motions that can do more with less.

PPC affiliates are a great solution to this challenge, as their performance-based model ensures you only pay when someone actively engages with your ad. This inherent cost-effectiveness, combined with transparent visibility into campaign costs and conversions, helps companies optimize their marketing budgets.

PPC affiliates also bring industry expertise and access to sophisticated tools that act as a shortcut for launching highly effective paid campaigns without costly learning curves and subscription fees.

Problem: Over reliance on a single channel

In the fast-paced world of B2B SaaS, diversification isn’t optional, it’s essential for mitigating risk and finding lucrative growth opportunities.

Adding a PPC affiliate program provides a new channel for instant visibility and proven traffic. Unlike the slow burn of SEO, PPC puts your message in front of high-quality leads the moment your campaign launches, allowing you to test, refine, and optimize your approach with unparalleled agility.

Plus, Google algorithm changes threaten the reach of organic content, particularly those of affiliate partners without large publisher domains. By folding a PPC campaign into your program, you’ll help safeguard against the core update changes.

If your goal is to diversify your channel mix and achieve immediate results, a PPC affiliate program is the strategic solution you’ve been looking for.

Problem: Tracking B2B attribution across multiple channels

Long sales cycles, multiple touch points, data silos — B2B attribution is its own puzzle.

One of the advantages of working with PPC affiliates is the access to advanced analytics tools that PPC platforms provide. These tools collect extensive data and can help establish a comprehensive data layer that captures information throughout the entire sales funnel.

PPC affiliates can also implement advanced attribution models that track beyond last-click attribution, providing a more accurate picture of how different channels contribute to conversions.

How an agency can make working PPC affiliates simple

To conquer paid search, partner with PPC affiliates. To conquer PPC affiliates, partner with an agency.

Partnering with an agency can significantly simplify the process of launching and managing a successful PPC affiliate program. Their expertise helps streamline contract negotiations, performance benchmarking, and ongoing affiliate communication. This not only reduces risks but also opens the door to a network of high-performing affiliates with proven results.

PPC affiliates can also complement your existing in-house or agency managed PPC initiatives. By focusing on niche areas like non-branded keywords, specific geographic regions, or non-Google platforms, they add agility and optimization to your pre-existing PPC strategy.

For a PPC affiliate program that achieves true scale, consider working with a specialized agency like Partner Commerce. A B2B agency will ensure your program runs smoothly, your teams save time, and most importantly, you achieve your affiliate goals with confidence.