In the business world, services and products are served to companies and financial institutions as well as to end users. The abbreviation “B2B” (Business to Business) stands for the commercial relations between firms. Business efforts to satisfy consumers are referred to by the abbreviation “B2C” (Business to Consumer). Commercial success is naturally essential in both areas, but the sales and marketing strategies used are different.
Since it is important to reach end users in the B2C field, activities on directing them to sales points online and physically are at the forefront. In B2B, it is important to deliver products or services to other businesses. There is a more direct sales approach. Establishing long-term customer relationships is important for the survival of companies. While the value per customer in B2C is less than in B2B, the total profit generated can be many times higher than in B2B, as there is a very large audience. In both methods, it is necessary to know the target customer group well and to perform appropriate sales-marketing practices for success.
What is B2B (Business to Business) Marketing?
Marketing is of great importance in terms of sales and profitability of companies. Marketing activities, which have gained great diversity in the digital field, especially after the Internet revolution, are indispensable for B2B companies. We can summarize B2B Marketing as marketing activities carried out to promote services and products to another company. Although it has a lot in common with consumer marketing activities, it differs in terms of targeted personas, strategy, and tactics. At the most basic point, there is a serious difference between a B2C buyer and a B2B buyer. A B2B buyer is a person who represents a company and has a certain budget for it. Practices on reaching and influencing these people differ significantly from those for end-users. B2B marketing methods should be considered within this framework.
Why is B2B Important?
B2B is as important as B2C studies in contributing to economies. The supply of raw materials and parts that only contribute to products and services that reach the end users reveals the importance of B2B. According to Statista’s data, the size of the B2B e-commerce market was $17.9 billion in 2021, five times the B2C market. B2B is also of great importance, especially in terms of widespread online marketplaces all over the world. Especially in Alibaba and similar sites, there is a very voluminous international trade. In addition to this economic impact of B2B, it also affects the supply chains, thus directing the trade toward the end user. We can define B2B as an important item in terms of general economic welfare. Among very large investments, the B2B field stands out. It also provides significant advantages to B2B companies in terms of reaching the global market.
What are B2B Marketing Strategies?
B2B marketing strategies are of great importance for gaining new customers and increasing revenues in the B2B field. Although there are points that overlap with the B2C field, especially in the digital field, there are differences in terms of slogans, campaign types, and marketing tactics. For example, events and meetings held in the physical world are a very valuable type of activity for B2B marketing. Fair, symposium, forum, etc., where decision-makers come together. B2B marketers try to present their products and services most effectively. In the online field, they try to bring their expertise to the fore with webinars and similar events.
B2B marketing communication is also different from B2C. At this point, in PR studies, concepts such as the reliability of the brand, innovation, vision, leadership in the subject, and sensitivity to social responsibility are highlighted. It is very important that the company, whose products or services will be bought by serious investments, draw a prestigious image.
B2B marketing strategies in the digital are very diverse. Let’s take a closer look at B2B-oriented digital marketing strategies.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO is a strategy that must be implemented for any company that does business in any style, whether B2B or B2C. In addition to technical fixes, the consistent creation of the right content is also important in B2B. It is a fact that B2B decision-makers also search for products and services from the search engine. In this context, being at the top of the relevant keywords will bring a competitive advantage. The depth of the content information can put a B2B company ahead of its competitors faster.
Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
In B2B marketing, search engine marketing is a prominent topic just like search engine optimization. After determining the right keywords and target audience, it is possible to get ahead of competitors with search engine advertising campaigns. Digital marketing experts always emphasize maintaining a balance between SEO and SEM studies. With these methods that feed each other, it is possible to reach more people and attract them to the brand.
Content Marketing
Perhaps one of the most distinctive aspects of a B2B company in digital marketing is content marketing. B2B companies with strong content marketing create a more professional and reliable image than their competitors. Consistent release of blog posts, research, e-books, infographics, videos-vlogs, success stories, etc. will strengthen the company’s position. A B2B company with weak content marketing will have a serious challenge against its competitors.
E-Mail Marketing
Email marketing is still among the most efficient marketing strategies. The B2B world benefits from this method in a different way than B2C. While e-mail marketing in B2C is more of a direct sales-increasing style, in B2B it serves to strengthen the bonds established with more audiences. In this context, event invitations, e-newsletters, and useful content stand out in B2B e-mail marketing. Updates related to products and services are also among the topics that are followed with interest.
Marketing Automation
In B2B (business to business) marketing, automation helps us optimize customer relationships, marketing processes, and sales funnel. After the benefits of automation are clarified and the strategy is determined, a proper automation platform is selected. Detailed customer segmentation and properly planned campaigns increase the success of marketing automation for B2B as well. Automation setups that benefit optimization provide benefits in terms of new customer acquisition, retention, or cross-selling in a few steps. Click here to learn how SmartMessage supports corporations in marketing automation.
Social Media
The social media space, when well managed and provided with the right content, also provides advantages for B2B marketing. B2B companies take care to have a presence even on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and even TikTok platforms preferred by young people. Here, it is necessary to highlight LinkedIn. Bringing especially business professionals together in the field of social media, LinkedIn is the main platform for B2B companies. It is important to have a company page, to share regular content, to be active in groups, and to use content tools such as surveys and e-bulletins. With LinkedIn’s unique advertising efforts, B2B companies get the chance to announce their events, new products, and services to a much wider audience. Companies active in the B2B field must first be active on LinkedIn.
What are the Advantages of the Business to Business (B2B) Marketing Model?
B2B marketing has numerous advantages for businesses. First, the B2B marketing model allows businesses to identify their target audience and customer segment more precisely. It supports the formation of long-term relationships, which is the most important factor for success in the B2B field. It helps in the creation of large-scale projects and works. Leading to long-term agreements also provides an advantage in terms of trade stability. Since B2B marketing communication requires a more serious and professional language, it brings benefits to companies in terms of reliability. B2B marketing is a valuable resource for collecting customer data. Customer data can be used to optimize marketing strategies and strengthen customer relationships.
How to Increase the Impact of B2B Marketing?
Although B2B marketing stages are like B2C, implementation methods and tactics differ. When starting in B2B marketing, first, the target audience and purchasing personas must be created correctly. Accordingly, the strategies and tactics to be applied are diversified. Competition and market analysis should be continued in parallel with all these studies. Professionalism and seriousness in the language of communication are among the factors that will affect the target audience. Continuing content marketing activities by choosing the right platforms will strengthen the competitive position. Again, with tactics such as ABM (Account Based Marketing), that is, corporate-based marketing, communication with large customers can be strengthened and cross-selling opportunities can be provided. Not only the acquisition of new customers but also the efforts to retain the customer gain more importance in B2B than in B2C. Marketing units should also pay extra attention to this issue.
What are the Examples of B2B Marketing in the World?
Platforms such as Amazon Business, Alibaba.com, eBay Business, and Global Sources are also examples of B2B marketing around the world. We can include the marketing studies of institutions providing services to other institutions within this scope. In B2B marketing, brands that have reached a worldwide user base also organize big events to bring their audiences together.
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