CPC Is Up, Demos Are Down, and Buyers Never Visit Your Website First: Kamel Ben Yacoub on B2B PPC in 2025
Two years ago, a strong B2B PPC campaign meant a steady stream of demo bookings. Today, those same campaigns often see rising costs and fewer qualified leads. What changed?
Kamel Ben Yacoub, founder of Getuplead, a B2B lead generation agency working with giants like Siemens, HP, Adobe, and NTT DATA, makes it clear: the B2B PPC playbook is fundamentally broken for 2025. Buyers are different, costs are different, and our approach needs to be different.
The old strategy of pushing gated content and immediate demo requests just doesn’t connect with how businesses research solutions anymore. We’re seeing a fundamental shift in buyer behavior, driven largely by the accessibility of AI research tools and a general fatigue with traditional lead magnets. This isn’t a minor adjustment; it’s a complete re-evaluation of what makes a PPC campaign effective.
I’ve seen similar shifts in SAP implementations. What worked for data migration five years ago is often inefficient or even risky today. Kamel’s insights resonate because they highlight a similar need to adapt, not just tweak. It’s about understanding the new landscape, not just repainting the old one.
The Invisible Buyer Journey
Buyers today rarely hit your website cold. They’ve already done their homework. Thanks to AI research tools, they’re sifting through features, comparing solutions, and reading reviews long before they ever click on your ad.
This means your first interaction with them isn’t when they land on your page; it’s when they’re searching for answers elsewhere. By the time they arrive, they’re often 60-70% through their decision-making process.
This changes everything for PPC. Your ad can’t just be an introduction; it needs to be a confident, differentiated statement. If your landing page simply repeats what every competitor says, you’ve lost them.
They’ve already seen that. What they haven’t seen is why you’re uniquely suited to solve their specific problem.
Emphasize your unique selling proposition, not just your general superiority. Everyone claims to be “best-in-class.” What makes you truly different?
Rising CPCs and the SEO Exodus
Here’s a hard truth: Costs Per Click (CPCs) are climbing. Many companies, frustrated with the long game of SEO, are reallocating significant portions of their marketing budget to paid channels. More money chasing the same keywords inevitably drives up prices.
This isn’t a trend that will reverse itself quickly. This means every click you pay for needs to work harder than ever before.
The counterargument might be to simply bid higher. But that’s a losing game without a fundamental shift in strategy. Throwing more money at a broken funnel just increases your burn rate. The solution isn’t just about outspending competitors; it’s about outsmarting them with a more effective approach to conversion once the click happens.
Ungated Demos Beat Booking Forms
This is where Kamel’s advice truly shines. The traditional “Book a Demo” form is often a barrier, not a gateway. Think about it: a buyer who’s 60% of the way through their research doesn’t want to jump on a call immediately.
They want information, on their terms, without commitment. This is why ungated recorded demos are outperforming traditional demo booking forms.
Offer a high-quality, pre-recorded demo that they can watch instantly, without filling out a form. This builds trust, provides immediate value, and allows them to qualify themselves. When they do reach out, they’re genuinely interested and more informed.
This flips the script: instead of chasing leads, you’re attracting qualified prospects who are ready for a deeper conversation. It’s like offering a free trial of an SAP module; the user gets to experience the value before committing to a full implementation discussion.
Brand Awareness: The Long Game That Pays Off
Another critical shift Kamel highlights is the power of top-of-funnel brand awareness spend. Many marketers focus solely on bottom-of-funnel conversions, neglecting the crucial role of simply being known. However, spend on brand awareness, even if it doesn’t immediately translate to a demo request, creates a measurable lift in bottom-of-funnel conversions 3-6 months down the line.
This is because buyers prefer to work with companies they recognize and trust. Even if they don’t click your ad today, seeing your brand repeatedly builds familiarity and credibility. When they finally are ready to convert, your brand is already in their consideration set.
It’s a long-term investment, but one that pays dividends in sustained lead quality and conversion rates. Think of it as investing in system stability; the immediate impact might not be obvious, but the long-term benefits are undeniable.
Three Practical Fixes for Your PPC Strategy
So, what should you do right now?
- Prioritize Differentiation: Your landing pages must clearly articulate what makes you different, not just better. Why choose you over the competition that does 90% of the same things?
- Embrace Ungated Demos: Swap your “Book a Demo” forms for readily available, high-quality recorded product walkthroughs. Provide value first.
- Invest in Brand Awareness: Allocate a portion of your budget to top-of-funnel campaigns designed to increase brand recognition, understanding that the payoff will come later.
The B2B PPC landscape has changed dramatically, and clinging to old playbooks is a recipe for wasted ad spend. It’s time to adapt to how modern buyers actually behave. For a deeper dive into these strategies and more, I highly recommend watching the full interview with Kamel Ben Yacoub: Why the B2B PPC Playbook Is Broken – and What Actually Works Now.
What PPC shift have you noticed most in the last year?