B2B Marketing
It's Really Nothing More Than Solving Your Customer's Problems
How Do YOU Sell Your Products to Another Business?
B2B marketing (business to business) can be simply described as one business selling to another business, as opposed to selling to the consumer.Different processes & strategies are used for this type of marketing than for
business to consumer marketing
(B2C Marketing). Essentially, the focus of B2C marketing is on impulse buying. Teasing consumer emotions with clever copywriting, great photos, playing on human vanity, freebies, etc, we’ve all seen the ads - “How can you possibly live another day without this new widget” Marketing high cost goods and services requires a different approach than marketing commodities, and business to business marketing is more complex.
Business to Business Marketing Must Solve Problems.
You need to know what makes your customers tick, what keeps them awake at night, what product or service do they need to make their business more profitable, achieve higher sales, reduce costs, run smoother, require less employees, etc.
B2B Marketing is Sustained Courting.
Business to business marketing is a long term strategy… the sales cycle is longer, sometimes months or even years.B2B marketing is not “emotionless.” While B2B prospects are generally not moved by common B2C motivators, like impulse or status, different individual emotional motivators apply. For example, the fear of making the wrong decision, the level of confidence in the forecasted ROI, the level of trust established in prospective customers — all of these are very real emotional motivators in the business world.
Business to Business Marketing is Focused Towards Multiple Purchasing Influences.
Generally, the marketing strategies are wide spread and reach out to as many target customers as possible. Business to business marketing can be directed at any portion of supply chain management, which is the progression of a product or service from the point of origin to the point of consumption. This usually involves the movement of separate components from the manufacturer or supplier through a sequence that produces an end product.
For example, it can focus on selling -
• The raw materials for manufacturing a component
• The individual components for a product
• Manufacturing equipment for the product
• Point of sale material It is essential for B2B marketing to concentrate on matching products & services to the needs of the target market. The product or service being marketing must solve the problems of the target market. Otherwise why would they buy it? Pricing and the overall value of a product or service are also integral pieces. There are many successful business to business marketing strategies. Advertising, public relations, trade shows and direct mail are some of the more popular choices.
And of Course There’s The Internet.
Internet based marketing
is simply too big to ignore and has had a huge influence in shaping the direction of your marketing. With the growth of business Web sites, business owners have access to a much larger market than in pre-Internet years. Products and services can be promoted with online catalogs, allowing the business customer to determine what a certain company can offer in the way of products and services. Many B2B Web sites offer online purchasing, which increases customer efficiencies and lowers the cost of procurement by automating the process. It is important that your B2B marketing highlights the fact, at every opportunity, that your business is superior to your competitors. The value and benefit of your product or service must be evident. Savvy businesses look for flexibility, dependable customer service, adaptability, and innovation when choosing a vendor, so your business to business marketing must convey all these messages, at all times.
Modern Net-Wit:
"I went to the general store. They wouldn't let me buy anything specifically" ..................................................................Steven Wright
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B2C Marketing
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