B2B or Not B2B

In marketing it always used to be the case that businesses selling to other business (B2B), would have their way of doing things whereas businesses selling to consumers (B2C) had to do things slightly differently. Both are marketing, but they are both different beasts and have different challenges to overcome. Each would have their specific channels, and if some channels are applicable for both, they would certainly use different language.

These days, the B2B and B2C lines still exist, as there are (and always will be) fundamental differences in how you reach that elusive decision maker in a business to consider your product, or how you can ensure a specific group of the population prefers your consumable offering to that of your competitor. However, the lines are getting blurred…

We live in an unrivalled age of marketing communication. Never before have there been so many ways to reach someone. Never before have there been so many people to reach on an individual level, and certainly not on a truly world-wide scale.

Back in the day, reaching a mass audience was done via TV, billboard advertising, and radio (all still true today). More targeted efforts were via door drops, direct mail campaigns and advertising in specific print publications, but that was about as good as it got.

Now picture this; through the likes of social media and mobile apps, it is possible to reach someone -having already filtered them in terms of demographics, location, interests and likelihood to buy- on an individual level, even interact with them, one-to-one, in real time!. A marketer’s wet dream if ever there was one.

So given the options potentially available, are B2B businesses still right to “just” limit themselves to B2B activities? If your product requires a relationship to be established before a purchasing decision is made, are some of the more B2C channels perhaps not more relevant?

It may well be that you are already doing it without realising. Ever “LinkedIn stalked” the employees of a company you are targeting? Or perhaps used social media to organise the next golf game with a potential client? If not, you could be missing out…

Getting communication with your target audience just right has never been more important. Gaffes can spread like wildfire and do serious damage to your brand. Likewise, a successful viral campaign can reap untold rewards. Consider your audience carefully, and consider how they would like you to interact with them. Getting it right can be tricky, so don’t shy away from getting expert advice.

We are here if you need us.