The business market is different. While some consumers are also small business owners, it can be challenging to ferret out those segments. In addition, small businesses do not represent a homogeneous group that has the same needs, interests, avocations, and “hot buttons.”
This distinction can represent challenges to companies not familiar with—or aware of—the distinctions between B2C (business to consumer) and B2B (business to business) advertising.
Strategic Orientation
The primary difference between B2C and B2B is strategic orientation. Instead of addressing, typically, one decision-maker in a B2C environment, the B2B advertiser must connect with multiple decision-makers. Understanding the decision-making process that takes place within your target B2B environment is obviously critical. Not understanding means that you may be spending time and resources attempting to influence the wrong decision-maker—or, in many cases, someone who really isn’t a decision-maker at all.
The big benefit of B2B advertising, of course, is the ability to clearly and directly segment the masses into key target segments. Are you targeting start-ups? Companies based on size? Companies in a certain geography? Industry? People in a specific role? Multiple people in several different roles? Some combination of all of the above?
As with B2C marketing, opportunities for online communication have exploded over the past decade, particularly during the pandemic as face-to-face interactions become quickly and widely limited. Even post-pandemic it still makes sense to begin exploring the online environment for your target market. Are they already engaged? To what degree? In what venues?
It’s All About Relationships
The primary value of online targeting, of course, is the ability to develop relationships—critical in the B2B environment since many transactions can take weeks, months—sometimes even years!—to develop.
Unlike consumer advertising where you’re trying to develop awareness and perception with individuals, when dealing in the B2B realm there can be tens if not hundreds of points of communication that need to happen over a period of time to really convince business people to make a major switch in their current service providers. Communication needs to be varied and constant.
Selling to the business market requires a long sales cycle and careful coordination of all of the individual elements so that they come together to create a unified, compelling and ever-present message that becomes impossible to ignore.
B2B is different, and those differences matter. A lot.
About Us
Strategic Communications, LLC, works with B2B clients to help them achieve their goals through effective content marketing and management with both internal and external audiences. We work with clients to plan, create and publish high-quality, unique content. Whether on- or offline, or both, we’ll help you achieve desired results.
(Strategic Communications is certified as a Woman-Owned Business Enterprise through the Wisconsin Department of Administration.)
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Recommended Reading:
21st Century Secrets to Effective PR
Direct Mail in the Digital Age
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Strategic Planning
The Everything Guide to Customer Engagement
Best Practices in Influencer Marketing
