B2B Marketing is business to business marketing, as opposed to B2C marketing (business to consumer marketing). The differences are many, so we’re going to focus on only a few in this article. For a full list of all the differences between these two types of marketing, check out this great white paper on B2B marketing from B2B international. But first, let’s start with the most important difference:
Your Target Audience Is Different
You have a very different audience – when you’re selling to a consumer, you’re selling to one or two people who are making a purchasing decision. When you’re selling to a business, you’re selling to a group of people, people who may change, and people who may have to go through several levels of management to get an ultimate decision. If you’ve ever done sales, you may know that selling to a group is quite different from selling to an individual. A group is, in many cases, able to think much more logically about a purchase, mostly because a group discusses a purchase within itself. An individual generally doesn’t have an objective opinion to count on to introduce logic into the equation. A group does something else different as well:
Your Target Audience Spends A Lot More Time Thinking About This Purchase
Consumers are impulsive. You know that as well as we do. In fact, you kind of have to depend on it if you sell certain products. While someone might think a little while before paying someone to wash the windows on their house or purchasing child safety equipment to child-proof their home, you’re banking on them being impulsive when if you’re trying to sell them a toy robot or a bookshelf. It’s just not the same when it comes to B2B marketing.
So what is B2B marketing doing that is different from B2C marketing? First, you have to realize that businesses are logical. They have to be logical to survive. When a business is thinking about purchasing from you, it isn’t done impulsively (a business run impulsively usually doesn’t last very long). The more expensive the product, and the higher the risk associated with purchasing said product, the more thought the company will put into said product, which means you have to put more thought into how you market it.
You have to really consider the core benefits of the product and then try to match those up with the specific needs of the business you are marketing to, keeping in mind a business’ natural focus on money. You have to think like a business (which hopefully shouldn’t be too hard!) and always remember that they are considering the bottom line, just like you are. If you don’t have the lowest price, then you better have something amazing to offset that.
The difference between a consumer and a business is that the best value doesn’t always matter that much to a consumer, but value is always considered by a business. If something looks cool, that may literally be the only reason a consumer buys one product over another, despite a lower price for another product. Consumers are easily swayed by fancy packaging and enticing commercials; It just doesn’t work that way with businesses. Business’ are always thinking about ROI (return on investment), and if you’re marketing to a business, you need to be thinking about it too.
What is B2B Marketing About If Not Partnerships
While businesses are supposed to be more logical than consumers (and they are), they’re still human, and they still have human concerns. While a consumer isn’t as concerned if Apple is going to be there to sell them their next product in 6 months, a business cares quite a bit about where their supplies are coming from down the road.
Businesses want partners. They want the security of knowing that the product they need to make their own products or to continue business as usual is going to continue to show up, on time, with little hassle. And partnerships are long-lasting. Once you form a business relationship, the idea is that this relationship could last for years, even decades.
It’s just not the same with B2C marketing. Consumers are fickle beasts – they do what they want when they want, and they often change brand loyalty quickly, unpredictably, and for reasons that are often illogical or unreasonable. Talking about long term partnerships just wouldn’t make sense when marketing to a consumer. For a business, it makes all the sense in the world.
Do You Have a Strong Marketing Plan for Working With Your Ideal Business Partner?
What is B2B marketing you ask? B2B marketing is well thought through and strategic, that’s what it is! Without a strategic marketing plan, and a team to execute on that plan, your B2B marketing is not taking you anywhere.
And that’s where we come in. Call us at 940-312-7842 or contact us to set up a consultation today to see how a partnership with Blue Steele Solutions can change the way you do B2B marketing.
