Understanding the Difference between B2B and B2C Marketing

There is a difference between marketing to a business and marketing to a consumer, believe it or not. Although you are still selling a product to a person experience shows that the difference between these two types of markets runs deep. When you market to a B2B you will realize these businesses work hard to streamline the buying process in order to save time and money. This often explains why a B2B purchase is based more on logic and why a consumer's purchase is based more on emotion. It is true that the cost of a sale for the business-to-business market is more expensive and typically higher than the business to consumer market. The easiest way to explain this is that a business-to-business transaction often takes more consideration. Let me see if I can explain even further.

Marketing to B2B When you are marketing to a B2B you want to focus on the logic of the product. You do this by focusing on the features of the product. There is little to no personal emotion involved in the purchasing decision. You want to focus on understanding the organizational buyers and how they operate within the confines of their organization's procedures. The B2B market has a thirst for knowledge and they are information seekers. Be more in-depth with your marketing materials. Your most effective marketing message will focus on how your product or service saves them time, money and resources. Your business-to-business market is more interested in the logic behind your product. They will want to hear more about the features and how it will help them in saving time, money or resources.

Marketing to B2C When you are marketing to a consumer you want to focus on the benefits of the product. Their decision is more emotional. Consumers are different in that they demand a variety of distribution channels for convenience, not so with the B2B market. Consumers are less likely to be interested in a lengthy marketing message. They will want you to get right to the point. Consumers don't want to work to understand your benefits, instead they will want you to clearly point out the benefits to them. Your most effective marketing strategies will focus on the results and the benefits that your product or service will bring to them. Your business-to-consumer market purchase more on emotion. They are more interested in the benefit of the product. They will want to hear more about how their product or service helps them and what benefits it brings to them personally. For example consider this: My product is lotion. My lotion will moisturize the skin and relieve itching skin.

If I have a B2B client they will be most interested in the feature of the client which is moisturizing the skin. If I have a B2C client they will be most interested in the benefit which is relief of itching skin. We will be most effective in marketing if we understand what both markets need in order to make a decision.

B2B Marketing Versus B2C Marketing B2C Marketing

B2B marketing versus B2C marketing what they mean for small business B2B marketing and B2B sales lead generation success. Most small business marketing experience and understanding comes from large corporations selling their products or services to consumers. This is B2C, or business to consumer marketing. After all, we are all bombarded by this type of B2C direct marketing everyday by American Express, Capital One, and Verizon, etcTelling us what we need or want. Ninety-nine percent of all companies and individuals market their products and services based on this big business form of B2C marketing. Why, because it is what we have all been exposed too and then we mimic it and apply to our own small business marketing situation rightly or wrongly. However, when you are attempting to sell to other businesses consultative products or services this is definitely the wrong approach. The marketing approach that big corporations employ in selling to consumers, we refer to as capabilities and capacities. They say we have this capability or this capacity to __________, fill in the blank. What does this mean? It means that most people cannot wait to tell you what they can do for you. Even though they dont even know, what it is you really need and they dont care, they just want you to buy what they are selling. Most business-to-business marketing and selling approaches are also, either capability/capacity, or a derivative called information selling, which is let me educate on why you should buy from me. Im smart and I know what you need, therefore youre not, that is why I know best and you should buy from me. Often described as consultative, because it seeks to educate prospective customers about their problems and the solutions they can provide. Neither of these approaches comes close to addressing the heart of small business B2B marketing. Learn the simple selling truth, the reason someone actually buys from one-person verses another is based on building relationships not the product or service they sell.

B2B Marketing versus B2C Marketing

B2B customers do not want to buy based on what you have to sell no matter what your features, benefits, or because its on sale now. Fooling them into buying something they dont want or need may result in a one time sale, but does not create a loyal customer. Long-term, loyal B2B customers buy based on the power of a relationship you forge or dont forge with them. Things like creditability, trust, integrity, and putting your client first are essential. The best marketing approach for creating lasting B2B customer relationships is customer centric marketing. Learning how to communicate with your B2B sales prospects is crucial to building initial rapport that will set the stage for your ability to meet with your potential customers and solidify your relationship that will culminate in a sale and long term client relationship. Sending a B2B marketing message perfectly aligned with your prospects needs is the first step in achieving your B2B sales prospecting goals.

Bob Hennessey is President of MyMarketingDept Inc. MyMarketingDept. Inc helps small business selling business-to-business services and products to obtain face-toface-sales meetings afford ably by having sales prospects actually call them. Using customer centric lead generation principals and inbound marketing techniques MyMarketingDept is leading the way in generating B2B sales leads to help small business sell more products and services afford ably.

B2B versus B2C marketing comparisons are important to understand when choosing the most effective marketing approach for your small business. Many of us really do not think about the differences between B2B Versus B2C Marketing. Not understanding and realizing these differences could cause you to waste a lot of time and money in your small business marketing decisions. Here are seven differences to compare b2b versus b2c marketing attributes and their differences affecting small business marketing. 1 - Size of B2B vs. B2C Markets B2B markets are generally small vertical markets, often niche in size, comprised of a few thousand sales prospects to maybe as large as 100,000 prospects. B2C markets that are typically large broad markets of tens to thousands to millions of sales prospects.

Marketing Implication: B2B sales will be fewer in number and cultivating quality prospects, not quantity is extremely important. Unlike B2C where mass-marketing techniques produce many prospects, but these prospects are of low quality and many do not purchase. Mass-market techniques for B2B firms are not likely to be effective and are generally not cost effective. 2 - Purchasing Process: B2B sales typically have a purchasing process defined in months and the sale is complex and requires consultative selling taking additional months to complete. B2C sales have short purchasing periods of anywhere from a few minutes (the impulse buy), to a few days and is a simple sale consummated immediately. Marketing Implication: A lengthy purchase process of understanding client needs requires building trust with your client to assure them that your product/service is best for their needs. Unlike the B2C purchase, process driven by immediate impulse buying based on emotional want and price. 3 - Sales Process: B2B sales require customer centric consultative selling (selling based on understanding a client's needs and developing a relationship of trust) sometimes from a two-step sales organization including the sellers sales force and a distribution sales force. B2C sales are usually direct to the consumer or involve a retailer (one-step). The sales approach is a traditional product sell of "convincing the consumer" they have to have the product or service being sold. Marketing Implication: A consultative B2B sales process requires more emphasis on building rapport and trust with often more than one decision maker over many months of the sales process assuring the buyer that they are making the best rational decision. 4 - Cost of a Sale: B2B sales are "higher ticket" purchases usually costing from just a few thousand dollars to tens of millions of dollars. B2C sales can range in cost from a dollar to a few thousand dollars, except, for cars and homes. Marketing Implication: B2B sales are going to be fewer in number but with a higher return on investment from a marketing investment standpoint. B2C sales are many with smaller profit and typically with less return on investment.

5 - Purchase Decision: In B2B sales need and budgets, generally drive the purchase decision. In B2C, sales purchase decisions are more emotional based on want more than need or a budget. Marketing Implication: In approaching B2B, buyers use a rationale sales approach and many facts to support of your presentations. Leave out the fluff. 6-The Value of Brand: In B2B markets reputation, personal relationships and consultative selling build brand identity. In B2C markets, advertising is primarily the builder of brand identity. Marketing Implication: The Internet is changing the approach to brand identity building for both B2B and B2C. Outbound advertising that was never affordable to small B2B businesses and the mainstay of B2C marketing is taking a backseat to inbound marketing approaches like social media now playing a bigger role in both B2B and B2C brand building. 7-Lifetime Customer Value: The lifetime value of a B2B customer is much higher due to the higher cost of sales and the likelihood of repeat or add-on sales to the same customer. The lifetime value of a B2C customer is lower than B2B because of the lower cost of an individual sale and repeat sales are generally fewer. Marketing Implication: Looking at your marketing as a long-term investment in your sales and small business company growth is essential. It affects every aspect about how you go about making smart marketing decisions. Even B2C firms are moving to invest more in marketing that will produce a better lifetime customer value. Takeaway Understanding the differences in B2B versus B2C marketing are crucial to your marketing strategy and tactics. Knowing your target audience, developing an appropriate b2b Marketing Message, and the distribution methods of your communications messages are different, if you are a B2B versus B2C Company. Using big business consumer marketing tactics are not cost effective and are not likely to produce the new business-to-business clients you seek.

How the Best B2B Marketers Think Like B2C Marketers: Five Strategies to Emulate Business-to-business (B2B) marketers have one of the most difficult and underappreciated jobs on the planet. Their mission is to create memorable brands out of some downright "unsexy" products. (Have you ever tried making software, manufacturing widgets, or chemicals look interesting?) B2B marketers must educate extremely smart potential buyers, ensure that influencers are knowledgeable about their products, and ultimately convince people they should bet their jobs on choosing their products over those of competitors. Moreover, even while sticking to a limited marketing budget, B2B marketers must provide a hungry sales team with enough qualified leads to keep their pipelines full and their families fed. How do they do it? The best B2B marketers are successful because they start with building a brand. In other words, the best B2B marketers think like business-to-consumer (B2C) marketers. Think Like a B2C Marketer The first step toward thinking like a B2C marketer is to create great brand recall. Let's say you're thirsty and you walk into a store that carries Coke and DMG-Cola. You immediately reach for the Coke because you know exactly how it will taste; it is the safe choice. However, if earlier that day you'd seen a banner ad that said "DMG-ColaTastes Like Coke, but 100% Organic!" you may well have tried the DMG-Cola. The DMG marketer who bought that banner ad had a simple goalnot to drive someone to make an immediate purchase but, rather, to create brand recall that would influence purchase decisions in the future.

Of course, applying this method to B2B marketing is more challenging, but it can work. First, to illustrate how much more complex the B2B marketer's challenge is, let's use the same examplebut in a B2B context. Your boss asked you to buy soda for a company party, so you go to the store and spot Coke and DMG-Cola on the shelf. Even if you had seen the banner ad marketing DMG-Cola, you'd still choose the Coke. Why? Simply because Coke is the less risky decision, and many purchase decisions in a business environment are made with the goal of minimizing risk. Nobody ever ruined a party by buying Coke, but if you showed up with DMG-Cola and your coworkers didn't like it, you'd take the blame for making a poor decision that had a negative impact on the company party. So, what would the DMG marketer have to do to convince you, as the business buyer, to choose DMG-Cola instead of Coke?

First, she would have to build awareness of the DMG-Cola brand as in the above example.

Then, she would have to provide examples and testimonials of others who had thrown successful company parties with DMG-Cola. She might create whitepapers and host webinars highlighting the advantages of DMG-Cola vs. Coke and other competitors.

She would also have to influence executives at your company and your trusted peers outside the company, so they would recommend DMG-Cola around the water cooler. Finally, she would have to ensure this information stayed top of mind, so you wouldn't fall back on the "safer path" of reaching for Coke next time you were tasked with planning a company party. Smart B2B Marketing = B2C With a Twist Of course, the previous example is simplistic, but that is essentially how B2B products are marketed and purchased every day. The best B2B marketers think like B2C marketersbut with a twist. They understand building a memorable brand perception is critical, but they also understand...

Exactly who the buyer is and who or what influences the buyer The key elements of a purchase decision and how to create messaging that addresses those elements The content, best-practices, and case studies necessary to remove the risk of the decision How to distribute messages and content to targeted decision makers, influencers, and peers with enough frequency to move the needle And they do all that while staying within budget. What tips can B2B marketers follow to start thinking more like their B2C colleagues? Here are five strategies B2B marketers can implement right away. 1. Create great brand recall The first step in any B2B marketing campaign is to create brand messages and campaigns that will "stick with" potential buyers long after they see the ads or marketing messages. Get creative and try new messages and slogans to make your brand stand out from the crowd and target them specifically to your audiences. Finally, always be branding! Creating brand recall isn't a single campaignit's an always-on tactic. 2. Know your audience Thinking like a B2C marketer doesn't mean treating your audience like general consumers. Your audience is made up of business professionals looking to make the most economical, riskaverse, and high-value purchases for their companies. Always keep their needs and risks in mind when considering marketing strategies. 3. Use visuals to sell your product People remember images long after they remember words. Make sure your campaigns are splashy, memorable, and interactive. Try using interactive banners, social ads, or videos to tell your brand story. 4. Maintain creative consistency

Trying new creative ideas is fine, but make sure they're consistent across all your marketing campaigns, including paid ads, social media, sales sheets, webinars, whitepapers, and your website. Synch your messaging across all media activities as you move buyers down the marketing funnel. 5. Be human Your audience may be businesspeople, but that doesn't mean they are automatons who don't enjoy a good laugh or a personal touch. Make sure all your marketing materials speak to the human side of the business world. In a world where most B2B campaigns are boring, a more human touch will make your campaigns stand out. *** So, next time you meet with your B2B marketer, give him or her a hug and say "I get it now!" B2B marketers have a rich, complex, and high-pressure job to do in a very dynamic and noisy world. Those who do it well are rewarded with outsized growth and shareholder value gains.

The Role of B2B Marketing is Shifting from Lead Generation to Revenue Generation
by ACHINTA MITRA on MAY 7, 2010 in IND USTRIAL LEAD GENERATIO N , IND USTRIAL MARKETING , IND USTRIAL MARKETING STRATEGIES

For as long as I can remember, B2B marketers have considered lead generation as their primary focus. Organizations are spending considerable amounts of time and money on tracking and measuring lead generation metrics. However, the role of B2B marketers is changing and evolving more into revenue generation. The recently released B2B Marketing Skills Survey jointly done by Genius and BtoB Magazine reveals some new trends and contradicts certain popular beliefs. Here are some of the key findings from the study: Emerging Trends:

61% of the respondents (500 total) cited Driving Revenue as the most important success metric as compared to Sales Accepted Opportunities (40%), Qualified Leads (39%) with website visits and click-through rates trailing way at the back at 12% each. In order to meet new revenue and ROI goals, marketers need to improve their strategic skills (50%) and sales skills (40%). 58% of respondents said their role, as marketers did not end even after they handed off qualified leads to sales. This one has a puzzling contradiction (see #3). It not just driving revenues for the company, 44% of marketers said their own compensation was tied to sales. (See contradiction #4) Contradictions and Myth Busters: 1. Only 17% of the marketers felt they were sales driven. 2. Despite all the hype surrounding social media in B2B marketing, 50% of the marketers said they didnt blog, 49% dont use Twitter and 25% dont use LinkedIn. 3. Even though more than half of the marketers saw their roles expanded well into the sales process, 58 percent of those surveyed met with sales just once a month or less and 8% or nearly 1 out of 10, admitted to never meeting with their sales counterparts. Huh? 4. One would think lead nurturing would be very important if marketing is to be held more responsible for revenues but that was not the case, it was seen as the least important role by 14 percent of the respondents the highest level reported on the question. This is another one of those scratching my head contradictions.

=============================================

I just re-read this interesting article The Role of B2B Marketing is Shifting from Lead Generation to Revenue Generation posted by Achinta Mitra back in May. Now Im not sure most B2B marketers truly consider lead generation as their primary focus but I do agree that we B2B Marketers spend considerable amounts of time and money on tracking and measuring lead generation metrics. And I certainly agree that the acceptance of our role as B2B marketers is changing and evolving more into revenue generation. The original post recapped the findings from a B2B Marketing Skills Survey jointly done by Genius and BtoB Magazine: Emerging Trends:

61% of the respondents (500 total) cited Driving Revenue as the most important success metric as compared to Sales Accepted Opportunities (40%), Qualified Leads (39%) with website visits and click-through rates trailing way at the back at 12% each.

In order to meet new revenue and ROI goals, marketers need to improve their strategic skills (50%) and sales skills (40%). 58% of respondents said their role, as marketers did not end even after they handed off qualified leads to sales. This one has a puzzling contradiction (see #3). It not just driving revenues for the company, 44% of marketers said their own compensation was tied to sales. (See contradiction #4)

Contradictions and Myth Busters: 1. 2. Only 17% of the marketers felt they were sales driven. Despite all the hype surrounding social media in B2B marketing, 50% of the marketers said they didnt blog, 49% dont use Twitter and 25% dont use LinkedIn. Even though more than half of the marketers saw their roles expanded well into the sales process, 58 percent of those surveyed met with sales just once a month or less and 8% or nearly 1 out of 10, admitted to never meeting with their sales counterparts. Huh? 4. One would think lead nurturing would be very important if marketing is to be held more responsible for revenues but that was not the case, it was seen as the least important role by 14 percent of the respondents the highest level reported on the question. This is another one of those scratching my head contradictions.

3.

============================ DEMAND GENERATION: The changing role of the B2B marketer

Author: Alex Blyth

What does a B2B marketers job look like in 2011? Alex Blyth examines the roles and responsibilities of this evolving profession The world has changed in many ways since 2006, but the world of B2B marketing has changed more than most. Five years ago the average B2B marketer was looking forward to adding the 2006 customer satisfaction su rvey

ring binders to the annual collection on the shelf, recalls Craig Duxbury, group account director at agency IAS B2B Marketing. Then suddenly it all changed. He goes on to describe how storytelling via social media replaced measuring column inches to work out advertising value equivalent, how virtual salespeople replaced brochure sites, and how segmented and automated content strategies replaced salespeoples car boots with CD-ROMs and memory sticks. These have been seismic shifts, and for many it has been hard to keep up. There are still plenty of old-school B2B marketers out there, but at the cutting-edge of the profession is the B2B marketer of 2011. The job requires a raft of new skills, and in the years ahead it will be the marketers who understand these changes, and know how to acquire these new skills, who will rise to the top of the profession. Drivers of change In the past five years, the role of the B2B marketer has not evolved, says Nathalie Chaboche, chief marketing officer at email marketing provider Emailvision. It has been through a complete revolution. We have been affected by an unprecedented combination of new technologies, new economics and new forms of communication. She continues, In 2008, a perfect storm emerged. Marketing budgets were slashed and online marketing instantly became the most cost-effective method for reaching targeted audiences around the world. The adoption rates of SaaS technology, particularly for CRM, made it possible to more easily connect sales and marketing data. At the same time, between 2006 and 2008, the number of users on Facebook went from less than 10 million to more than 150 million. Suddenly the world was on social media. So, as buyers discovered they could get the information when they need it, rather than when a vendor offers it to them, marketing budgets collapsed, marketing campaigns went digital both in terms of online and automation and almost overnight traditional skills of print advertising development, direct mail evaluation, brochure production, and so on, became redundant. In their place emerged the following six new skills that the marketer of today, and tomorrow, needs to acquire before they too find themselves redundant. The six new skills for 2011 1. Quant and creative Fergus Gloster, MD EMEA at B2B marketing automation provider Marketo, says, Today the B2B marketer has to be both a quant and a creative. They have to understand their return on marketing investment and be able to drive unique and engaging content. He continues, This means B2B marketers are becoming more revenue-focused. With new analytics solutions now available, marketers have the power to take more control over the revenue process and predict dollars that will be generated from todays campaigns, quarters into the future. Being a revenue marketer is paramount in todays volatile economy when part of your job is to convince your CEO and CFO that the investment they are making is paying off. 2. Digital natives Phil Dunk, MD of agency River Marketing argues that it is no longer enough for B2B marketers just to be able to use digital tools; they must be full-on digital marketers. He explains, To become a digital marketer, you need to become a digital consumer and immerse yourself in a digital world. Take part in social media, be open to digital consumer marketing, use a smartphone to surf, bank, shop, read, complain, email and poke! Understand the

language, the style, the content and the user journey, and each time think how you could apply it to your clients and do it better. 3. Loop not linear Charlotte Graham-Cumming, MD at marketing and events company Ice Blue Sky, says, Five years ago B2B marketers were there to provide leads for sales. Little attention was paid to how their conferences, direct mail packs, email campaigns, and so on, converted into bottom line revenue. Now, marketers are gradually being held more accountable for the whole process. Increasingly they are managing a loop as opposed to a linear process. She continues, Look at the way IBM is using thought leadership to engage with senior audiences. And I mean real thought leadership not just creating whitepapers. They engage senior client-side executives throughout the research process, which not only leads to more original, interesting ideas, but also builds stronger client relationships. 4. The realm of science There is a far greater breadth and depth of data in 2011 than there was just five years ago, and todays B2B marketer needs to be comfortable analysing and using it. Pete Jakob, IDM B2B Council member and brand manager, IBM UK & Ireland, says, Marketing is shifting more and more from intuition into the realm of science. Interactions are leaving huge trails of data that must be interpreted for optimised results. Marketers cant afford to conduct business without data-driven optimisation it just isnt affordable when there are competitors who will use data as a weapon to optimise their reach and literally squelch your message. He adds, Investing time to understand your companys marketing data will help you not only become a more efficient marketer, but also have fact-based discussions with stakeholders. Blending an understanding of data with an appreciation of current marketing technology and traditional marketing skills makes you a pretty rare beast. 5. Customer dialogue Increasingly, B2B marketers are holding online conversations with customers. This is a transformation from not so long ago when customer interaction tended to be seen as a waste of time. Rax Lakhani, director of online PR agency Onlinefire, says, Conversation is rapidly replacing conversion as the B2B marketers byword. Simply saying that your ad or editorial is in a publication your target might read is no longer good enough you need to show customers talking back and conversations developing. So, B2B marketers must understand the etiquette and value of a two-way online conversation. 6. Campaign testing According to Tom Wentworth, chief marketing officer at content management platform provider Ektron, todays marketers need to behave less like Don Draper from Mad Men and more like Sir Ronald Fisher, the father of modern statistics and experimental design. He explains, Experimental design is the predecessor of multivariate testing on a website. This gives marke ting teams the ability to test ideas like copy, layout, imager, and calls-to-action so they are able to deliver the best possible web experience. Instead of marketers going off their gut instinct, they need to take a mathematical and statistical approach to marketing, constantly running experiments to drive outcomes and better business results. The more things change While much has changed in marketing, it is worth noting that some aspects have remained the same. B2B marketers still need to be able to manage staff, analyse competitors, report to colleagues and so on, and at the end of the day the fundamental principles and processes of good marketing remain constant.

Susie Lee-Kilgariff, group head of marketing at Parasol, a company that helps freelancers, contractors and small businesses manage their accounts, says, Some things in marketing dont change, and above all else B2B marketers still need to truly and thoroughly understand the decision-making process that takes a business from generating a lead through to closing a sale. Those processes may have become faster, more diverse and more complex, but the principles endure. Another B2B marketer, Diana Abebrese, commercial director at CBS Interactive B2B UK, admits that technology is indeed transforming her profession. However, she argues it is still less important than a fundamental understanding of what drives people to buy. She comments, In this brave new world of marketing automation, behavioural tracking and performance-based campaigns, it can be easy to forget that stats on a spreadsheet alone wont sell your product. It can be easy to forget about people, and that is a mistake. The keen and curious beast The fundamentals of process and people may have stayed the same, but much has changed. And it will keep changing, so B2B marketers must seek out information and training to remain relevant. Duxbury at IAS B2B Marketing offers this advice, First you always learn from implementing digital campaigns because theyre measurable. Second is training. Even agencies need to re-skill their employees to offer better value to clients (three years ago, we placed every employee on an intensive personal digital training programme). Finally, there is a very large and growing B2B marketing community actively sharing knowledge via social channels, so create the time to participate. However, you do it, it must be done. As Bryony Thomas, owner of Clear Thought Consulting, concludes, I was gobsmacked by someone I recently interviewed for a head of marketing position who said they didnt need to read any blogs because theyd studied marketing at university. Marketing is not a discipline you can ever consider to have mastered. Todays B2B marketer is a keen and curious beast who is sucking up the vast resources available, digesting them and putting them into place against a core understanding of how real people really buy.

The Role of Marketing in B2B What Should It Be?

The classic B2B company is often sales-driven or product-driven. Professional service firms often rely on the power of the rain-maker salespersons contacts to drive their growth. In those firms, marketing exists to feed the sales beast. In a product-driven firm, the engineers are in-charge. Their high IQs and detailed knowledge of ball bearings, chemical compositions or software code can put marketing into the awkward position of trying to translate detailed product specs into a piece of content that anyone might read. In the eyes of the CEO, Marketing has a credibility gap. But I think the role of Marketing in B2B should be much more than creating product brochures and buying print ads in the magazines the sales folks read. I think the role of Marketing is to transform our companies into a customer-driven enterprise. Marketing owns the customer experience. This means marketing is more than the typical B2B Marketing setup covering field sales enablement, demand generation and awareness through outbound marketing messages and campaigns. It must include product development and service delivery. In classic B2C companies marketing owns the P&L for the brands they manage. The coveted position in those companies is the brand manager who

essentially acts as the CEO of that brands business. B2B marketing needs to evolve to this position within our companies. Why? you ask. Because Marketing Represents the Voice of the Customer. This is about more than research and surveys. At the core is the knowledge we gain from speaking to our customers to understand their needs, their fears and the reasons they buy. It comes from the rigors of analytics, message testing and keyword analysis. It flourishes with the creative arts of developing effective copywriting and visual design. And like any complex system, this organizational knowledge puts the strategic marketer in the drivers seat for leading our companies strategies and visions for the future. Marketing is More Than Just Branding. In Social Media And The Brand I talk about how todays social customers are looking for an understanding of what a brand stands for. The only way to accomplish this is with a strategic and consistent representation of the brand in every channel. This is way bigger than the marketing department. With the proliferation of social channels to meet just about every personality, interest and need, we must come to realize that everyone is in marketing. And having a positive impression in the minds of our customers translates directly into a prce premium, lower cost of sales and a higher company valuation by any measure. Content Strategy Will Save Marketing. A content strategy flips the tables on traditional, linear marketing by defining the process and then securing the right resources for producing a consistent stream of content mapped to buyer needs across all phases of the buying cycle. This is done for each buyer type or buyer persona that is involved in the B2B decision-making process. And as I said before, this is much bigger than the marketing department. This is everyones job. Marketing Needs To Earn (and then Command) A Seat At The Table. Says Mike Gospe author of The Marketing Highground. And this recent article by MarketingProfs outlines 4 four ways CMOs can gain the kind of power we need to lead our companies to become customer-driven enterprises:

Articulate the company vision Lead innovation Personify the voice of real marketing experience Take bottom line responsibility for sales

Thats my view. But what do you think? What is the role of marketing in B2B companies?

B2C Marketing Strategies

The author of famous business management, Philip Kotler defines marketing as an art. Yes, it is an art. With a number of companies and marketing agencies running actively on the market, the real art is to create a unique selling proposition (USP), which makes your business stand out from the rest. Speaking specifically of strategies of B2C marketing, the target market is consumers who may or may not be familiar with the techniques of business and principles, and will be more focused on getting good products at a lower price. Therefore, should maintain the point of view of the consumer as the base while the construction of these strategies.

Stationary What is B2C Marketing? B2C marketing can be defined as the company that provides goods or services to a consumer based market. B2C marketing examples include targeted marketing to the retail consumer online stores purchases, etc the term discount marketing 'B2C' is rarely used these days, but undoubtedly played an important role in the rapid growth and development of Commerce at the end of the 20th century. Later, when the capital markets slowed, many companies marketing B2C transformed into the marketing business to business (B2B) companies. Stationary Difference between B2B and B2C marketing Although both types are involved in the sale of goods or the provision of services, the difference lies in the basic pattern. Let's talk about the basic differences between the two. Business to Consumer (B2C) Marketing (You need this product, we have it for you!) B2C marketing is when a company offers products or services to the consumer market. When it comes to marketing B2C strategies, its base must be consumer-oriented. It is necessary to emphasize more on the benefits and features of the products and / or services that you are trying. B2C marketing strategies are based on emotional decisions based on consumers, while facing different human beings have different expectations and priorities when purchasing products. Marketing B2C, final consumers are mainly domestic consumers, which means that there is a huge target market. In addition, the sales process is very small because it deals directly with the final consumer. Another point of difference is that in B2C marketing, consumers rely on the seller to acquire knowledge about the product and services. Buyers would choose you, based on the USP and the uniqueness of the product you offer. Business to Business (B2B) Marketing (This is the product, we are going to sell to you!) B2B marketing is the company that sells goods and / or services to other companies. a. Unlike B2C strategies, when it comes to B2B marketing strategies, the main focus is based on the benefit. Strategies are structured on the basis of the logic detail in profitability. Marketing B2B, strategies are based on pure knowledge and logic. It is not very less or no emotion personnel involved between the two parties involved. They are companies that are seeking the benefits of the organization.

 In B2B marketing, it is companies, which means that the target market is relatively small compared to B2C. The sales process is more complicated and involves many steps, including e-mails, appointments, presentations, etc. In B2B marketing, you are selling your products and services to companies that are aware of the features and other essential details about the services we offer. Buyers who go for you, based on the profitability. Stationary Some useful B2C marketing strategies It is clear that the basis of these strategies should be oriented to the consumer as already explained above, and only then become successful marketing strategies. Below are some of the strategies that embrace the houses of business for successful commercialization in order to reach the target consumer market. Marketing campaigns: publicity always helps to reach the target market in terms of awareness of the characteristics and the USP of the products. Successful marketing campaigns also arise some jobs marketing B2C, as a representative of the company that goes directly to the potential consumers and gives to know the products / services offered by the company. This is mainly done in the B2C marketing offline.

B2B Marketers: It's Time to Become a Growth Engine

McKinsey & Company, Contributor

For B2B companies to grow, their marketing organizations need to grow up By Maryanne Hancock, Rodger Boehm, Candace Lun Plotkin If B2B companies are serious about growth, its time they got serious about their marketing. Marketing needs to take on the challenge of becoming a growth engine for companies. That means CMOs have to step up and lead. The trends that are rocking B2C companies are just as relevant to the B2B world: multiplying customer touch points, changing customer behaviors, massive floods of big data. And like their B2C counterparts, B2B companies need to put the customer at the center of everything they do.

B2B companies are clamoring for the skills and insight marketers can provide. In interviews with more 80 leaders in B2B businesses, we saw three clear needs:

A deeper understanding of their customers (and their customers customers) Reliable market intelligence to identify where to compete, particularly across digital channels where theres lots of growth Methods for defining a products value and credibly communicating that to customers

But too many marketers arent delivering. A wide gap often exists between the importance given to strategic marketing activities such as gathering customer and market insights, and how well companies believe they are actually executing on them. B2B companies dont want CMOs who can just run events or roll out ad programs; they want leaders who can drive business value and more sales. Marketers need to shift from delivering campaign success to delivering business success. Its not easy to be B2B B2C marketers have generally outstripped their B2B cousins in adjusting to the new customer decision journey. To be fair, marketers in the B2B realm labor under some unique complexities and weaknesses that are tripping them up. For one, B2B players dont just need to understand their customers; they need to understand their customers customers. Also, procurement has become much more sophisticated and demanding, creating a big challenge for vendors in quantifying and communicating the value their product offers. As if that werent bad enough, the marketing function in many B2B companies often suffers from a deficit of talent and credibility at a moment when it needs to stretch its tentacles deep into the company. Five steps for marketing to power sales Starting down the path to more productive B2B marketing means going beyond day-to-day tactics:

Know thy customer. Marketers need to dig into both their customers business how they make money, what regulatory issues they face and their customers customers. Marketers should be spending 25 30 percent of their time with

customers. They should conduct in-depth interviews to understand current and emerging needs, or invest in immersive research, embedding engineers with customers or going to the factory and seeing production cycles live. For example, a well known product company bypassed their distributors and embedded some of its engineers in paint shops because customers had reported having trouble keeping the walls clean. While there, they discovered dust in paint bays was causing defects. So, they created a new system for their distributors that reduced paint job defects by 49 percent. Figure out where to compete. Marketers need to go much deeper on analysis, identifying growth areas by drilling down to the zip code or micro-segment level, and understanding their customers value chains. These deep segments need to be prioritized according to value, and analyzed to identify concrete sales opportunities. They then need to feed those insights into product development and tailor market plans for prioritized segments. But they need to go one step further and define key business goals including customer acquisition, cost reduction, and profit growth. This means accepting accountability for, and driving, business growth. Ground decisions in data. Marketers need to ground decisions in data, such as micro-market transaction pricing trends and prediction algorithms. When you develop a program, dont try to do it all at once. One company identified more than 30 capabilities to assess but wisely chose to start out with just three. Their focus on a customer profitability initiative, for example, was so successful it became a valuable proof point and helped build credibility within the rest of the organization. Be a best friend to other functions. Marketers can win influence by sharing market intelligence with other functions and supporting their needs. For example, they can partner with sales in the field and rotate marketers through finance, ops and customer service to get them thinking across functions. In one company, marketing partnered with the sales team in a Commercial War Room to provide support and guidance across the customer journey such as providing customer analysis and developing tailored proposals that led to crucial wins in the field. The marketing team at an industrial wholesaler built a churn prediction model that fed data to the sales function on what and how much customers were buying, and pinpointing who was at risk of leaving. When marketing brings crucial insights to bear, they win a seat at any table. Put the customer at the heart of everything. This requires a significant shift in mindsets at the C-suite level. At one company, for example, executive compensation was partly tied to customer satisfaction. CMOs need to recruit professional marketers to create a customer engagement capability. But the need for deep knowledge of the business and company culture and strong relationships within the organization mean that much of the talent needs to be home grown. That means building in-house talent through applied learning programs as well as clear career tracks linked to performance on delivering excellent customer experience, both within marketing and throughout the organization.

B2B SEO vs. B2C SEO

Business to business and business to consumer markets are treated differently in many ways, including the ways that they are marketed to. Each market includes very different target audiences and this needs to be reflected in all business decisions that are made. As internet marketing and search engine optimization become increasingly more important in both sectors, its necessary to understand that the strategies for each should differ. The main difference between B2B and B2C SEO is the goals of the campaign. The decision process in the B2B market is often much longer than that of the B2C market, often due to the higher cost of a product or length of commitment to a service. Therefore, a B2B SEO campaign needs to raise awareness and generate leads that will turn into sales in the long term. The goal is often to get the visitor to sign up for a newsletter, download a white paper for more information, or fill out a lead form that the sales team can use to follow up. On the other hand, the goal of most B2C websites, specifically those with an e-commerce component, is to get the visitor to make an immediate purchase from the website. These differing goals affect all decisions made throughout the SEO process. One of the most important parts of an SEO campaign is the keyword selection process. Because the buying cycle in the B2B sector is longer and more complex, a B2B company needs to include keywords that attract an audience at different parts of the cycle. This means that keyword research is more extensive and should incorporate keywords for both informational and transactional search. Since B2B keyword research often attracts a smaller, niche audience the terminology can often be more technical. The B2C keyword research process can also be complex because of the higher search volume. A B2C company needs to find the right keywords that arent too broad or too niche and find that sweet spot in the middle that will lead to quality traffic tha t will result in conversions. After keyword research has been completed and selected keywords have been implemented on all pages of the site, the next step in the SEO process for B2B and B2C companies is ongoing link building. B2C links tend to grow at a faster rate since there is a wider audience. B2B companies need to work harder for their links. In addition to attracting the attention of the search engine spiders, link building is about attracting attention of your target audience. A B2C audience and a B2B audience have different online behaviors. Its important to do research to find out where they are most likely to hang out and actively pursue getting links in those places. A B2C audience may spend more time using social media to find products and a B2B audience may spend more time browsing blogs to find more information. A diverse link building strategy improves the chances of being seen.

We all know B2B means business to business and B2C stands for business to customer sales and branding, but should your marketing plan be different or the same when attempting to gain customers? First off, when developing your marketing plan you goal is sales revenues and getting either the end user (customer) or the business owner to purchase your product or service. This initial goal is the same for both B2B and B2C. After that, your marketing and branding campaign will vary immensely. Focusing on B2C B2C is all about enticing customers to buy. Todays customers want a great price but they also want exceptional customer service and seek out brand loyalty. With B2C marketing, business owners rely on brick and mortar stores which or enticing websites to attract new customers and build a large customer base. If you take time to build your brand, make it recognizable with great a great logo and promotional campaigns, customers will flock to your product or service. The customer buying experience is also of utmost importance. If end users have a difficult time purchasing, returning or interacting with your sales staff, youll lose themfast. There are some important marketing elements in any B2C campaign including: Shorter sales process you need to grab them, reel them in and get them to buy. Emotional process The consumers of today want to feel good about their purchases and tell others. Nurturing your sales pitch and following through on promises are essential in the emotional buying process. Although consumers think they know what they want, you need to focus on the need and be convincing. Well Researched When consumers make a decision to buy anything, they take the time to research the productalmost always online. Your online presence should not be confusing, clouded with too much information or hard to maneuver. FAQs, more information pages and technical spec pages are an absolute must. Commitment Ultimately, your marketing campaign must focus on your brands commitment. Try role-playing with your sales teams on famous brands like Tide detergent or the Kleenex brand. Why are they doing that make customers attracted to their brand like a magnet? Use your role-playing ideas to help build you brand.

Focusing on B2B

Oh, the tough B2B marketing campaign! Why so tough? In reality, before a business owner even looks at your product, they more than not know a lot about it perhaps as much as you do! Theyve done their research, visited websites, read tech specs, compared vendors and looked at elements like returns, customer service and product reviews. They may have also called some of those customer testimonials you post on your website to gain feedback. With a B2B marketing campaign, you need to focus on forming relationships with your business customers. Your sales team (online or off) will need to really get to know customers and their business goals. What are they selling? What do they need to help them increase revenues? Why will your product or service make a difference to their company: Will it save them money? Will it pull in more customers? Will it help them build their brand? B2B marketing campaigns should focus on: Sales Pitches - Schmoozing the customer but delivering on promises. Relationships - Building a strong relationship and trust. Preparing for a longer sales process - You need to convince them your product and service is the very best even if it takes a while to convince them. Research Never go into a sales pitch blind when going after B2B customers. As said above, they know what they want, have researched it and probably know more than you do about your product. In turn, you should also know everything about them as much as you possibly can. Partnership Trust Most B2B customers do want long-term relationship they can rely on with no surprises down the road. Building an atmosphere of trust is very important in gaining a strong B2B customer base. Getting Help Marketing and branding are a challenge for some businesses. Is your website the best it can be? Do you need to learn more about branding? Below, youll find some great article links to start your journey and learn more about B2C and B2B branding!
B2B marketers have a tremendously difficult challenge. CEOs are continually expecting CMOs and VPs of marketing to provide more leads that are more sales-ready than those they have previously delivered. Yet most of these marketers have to deliver these results with the same or fewer resources. Smart marketers are drawing from the B2C marketers playbook. While most B2B companies are complacent with using a mix of demographic and website visitor data to score leads, smart marketers realize that they can learn much more from a companys buying behavior. B2C companies are tracking consumers every time they swipe their credit cards. The transactions are analyzed to determine an individuals personal buying patterns. The data can then be used to determine what products they are most likely to buy next. That information is sold to B2C companies who place it into their own models and then send the individual an advertisement. Now imagine using that type of data and insights in a B2B scenario. Here are three things to consider to help in the lead-nurturing process.

1) Understand a companys life events Just like people, businesses have events that indicate a change in their behavior. Just as an expecting mother is likely to buy a baby crib, a business that is buying a new warehouse is likely to need more raw materials or machinery. A small business that has grown to a particular point may likely need a new billing system. Some external factor has to come in, some forcing action that causes a company to go a different direction. If a business has a layoff, opens a new location, hires new management, launches a new product or misses its sales forecast, there will be a change in its buying behavior. If a B2B company is aware of these events, it can determine which companies are most likely to buy. 2) Create purchase behavior buying personas Take the company life events that make companies more likely to buy your product or service and turn them into purchase behavior buying personas. Make sure your sales and marketing team understands what these events are and what they should do when they find a company that fits the profile. What communications should marketing send? How should sales engage these companies? What value proposition resonates best with these companies? 3) Score leads by purchase behavior Lastly, score leads based on purchase behavior. Scoring leads based on demographic data approximates whether a prospect is a good fit for your product or service. Scoring leads by online behavior, such as spending time on a companys pricing page, is an effective way of determining interest. Determining propensity to buy based on demographics and behavior is challenging. By including purchase behavior in lead-scoring models, marketing can make a much more accurate determination of who has the highest propensity to buy and is truly sales-ready. As with consumers, the manner in which companies spend their money speaks volumes about their priorities and direction. If you had a view into that behavior you would ideally see purchasing data for raw materials, shipping services, and an array of business supplies and services. The details and trends revealed in these spending areas can tell you if a company is experiencing growth or decline if it is expanding and adding personnel, or contracting and treading water financially.

Many executives wrongly believe that selling to businesses is the same as selling to consumers. As a result, they employ strategies that have worked in consumer-oriented businesses, like brand marketing, advertising, value pricing, and so forth. This concept turns up in comments whenever I write about the uselessness of branding in B2B markets. Inevitably, somebody writes "what about Coke?" as if that had some relevance to the discussion. I suspect that the belief that "selling is selling" comes from MBA programs that love consumer marketing case studies. The truth is that B2B selling is not only different from B2C selling, it's massively more difficult, for the following eight reasons:

REASON #1: The B2B buyer is vastly more sophisticated. For instance, because the Internet makes comparative pricing information publicly available, it is not at all unusual for a buyer in a B2B transaction to know more about the product category and the competition than the sales professionals who are trying to sell that type of product. REASON #2: The stakes are much higher. B2B buyers and decision-maker are being paid often quite high salaries -- to understand what they're buying and how it will be used. They can lose career points and get fired if they make a wrong decision, something that never happens when a consumer purchases a consumer product. REASON #3: B2B selling requires more knowledge. It's not enough just to understand a product and be able to present it coherently. B2B selling generally involves diagnosing a customer's challenges and then coming up with a customized solution that may very well involve a long-term business partnership. REASON #4: B2B selling demands better people skills. When consumers buy a product, typically there's only one or two decision-makers involved (like a husband and wife). Corporate buying decisions can involve dozens of decision-maker, influences, stakeholders, and nay-sayers. REASON #5: B2B selling involves more patience. While even "big-ticket" consumer sales (like homes and cars) can be completed in a day or a week (at most), many B2B deals involve weeks

and months of intermittent activity, meetings, phone calls, back-and-forth documents, along with all the politics and persuasion that characterizes large bureaucracies. REASON #6: B2B selling is more sensitive to the economy. One of the first things that happens in an economic crisis is that firms lock down their purchasing, add more layers of decision-making, and demand concessions from their vendors even for deals that have already been signed. Such tactics devastate even the best designed sales campaign. REASON #7: B2B selling involves very large sums of money. In consumer sales, million dollar deals are unusual and limited primarily to luxury home sales. In B2B selling, by contrast, deals that involve millions of dollars are so commonplace as to be almost unremarkable. Even billion dollar deals are struck from time to time. REASON #8: B2B selling is burdened with bad marketing. The problem is that many marketing professionals can't get their heads around the previous seven reasons and insist that they can use techniques from Mad Men. I can't tell you how many complaints I've heard from sales professionals who are carrying useless marketing teams on their back. None of this would be a problem if it weren't for the fact that executive who don't "get it" make it more difficult for sales professionals to get their job done. Selling B2B is vastly more sophisticated than anything that goes on the world of B2C. As such, it needs more support, more training, and more of the RIGHT kind of marketing, specifically lead generation.