When we speak to companies that serve consumers, they always ask if we've worked with any B2C companies. When we speak with B2B companies, they ask if we've worked with B2B companies. In all honesty, strategies are very similar; it's the numbers and the buying process that differs. However, we do see differences in the profit per purchase. B2C companies tend to lean in the direction of very high volumes and low revenue per purchase - so enormous demand is necessary. For B2B, the engagement is much more expensive so lower numbers with high relevance are key.
I'm dumbstruck that many B2B marketers wonder whether or not online marketing will really help for them. I remember joining online forums 20 years ago I was using the Internet to find proximity sensors for production lines that had better sensitivity and a wider gap than our transport system was using at a Newspaper. It took a couple weeks, but I found what I was looking for and we saved tens of thousands of dollars per year when we didn't have to replace broken sensors. That was B2B. Online.
Now, it takes a simple Google search and I can find over 1,500 manufacturers of sensors, their specifications, reviews of the companies selling them, and videos of how to use them and where to purchase them. That's B2B content. It's everywhere. Businesses often invest serious dollars when making a purchase decision and procurement officers and business leaders don't sit and wait for a salesperson to call them before they begin making the a decision. Often, the decision is made by the time the prospect calls you!
GetAmbassador, an end-to-end brand referral system for businesses, developed this infographic on B2B Online Marketing strategies from data they got from BtoBOnline and TopRankBlog.
© 2013 DK New Media.