I'm going to promote a local offer associated with minor construction services for small business.
So, should I consider advertising on social networks? Or better stick to search traffic? What's the general strategy for such offers?
My two cents:
Terrible answer, but: "it depends".
I've run my share of b2b lead-gen campaigns. Adwords search can be good, but it can also either be too little traffic when it's a very niche product, or when bidding on broader keywords, too pricey for what the client is prepared to invest.
You will have to control & educate your client as to what it actually takes to "scout" out the market, ie: you will have to run tests to see CPA costs, adn it could end up costing several $X,000's to find out what keywords can get him leads/customers at a price that is profitable.
But you asked about which channel/source. I've heard of Facebook working for a roofing business. But I think this is rare, as Fb is mostly consumer traffic. And I've never been able to envision an employee going to his boss saying: "hey, I saw this promotion on Facebook!" It's just not likely, but I could be wrong.
Then it also depends on WHO you are targeting/trying to reach.
If my life really depended on getting in front of decision makers of B2B's then my first option would be direct-mail (as in snail mail). Then, call-centres ie: telemarketing. And perhaps Fax-broadcast is still legal in Russia. SMS nearly always gets opened, but getting hold of lists can be tricky.
Again, the right channel is largely determined by the age-category of the customer you are seeking to attract. The majority of business owners, that are of a size that can have sizable budgets, are over-50 in most of Europe. I have no idea of what this age-bracket is in Russia.
A very effective strategy to reach more affluent decision-makers is using FedEx, or similar. Even fake courier packaging will get right past the "gatekeeper" (secretary filtering out your stuff). One tactic that has worked on many campaigns for me is sending a courier with a large box, filling it with some gimmick, and a letter to the decision-maker sending them to an online video. Even if it doesn't get an immediate response, when you call the secretary she will know immediately who you are, and because you sent a courier shipment think you already have some pre-existing conversation with her boss. You will get the boss on the phone quite easily that way.
Those are some of my thoughts on B2B...