Lead generation carrots

B2C vs B2B marketing

B2C marketing targets the needs, interests, and challenges of individual consumers making purchases on behalf of or for themselves.

In comparison, B2B marketing targets the needs, interests, and challenges of individuals making purchases on behalf of, or for, their organisation (rather than for themselves). This difference makes the organisation the customer. This fundamental difference changes the goals, purchase motivation, people involved in the purchasing process and purpose. 

B2B Marketing Goals

B2B customers are focused on ROI, efficiency, and expertise. Providing marketing content that can be discovered, accessed, navigated, and assimilated quickly is paramount to generating qualified sales leads. 

B2B marketing purchase motivation         

Customers are driven by logic and financial incentive. While this process has an emotional element, most purchasing decisions come down to a pragmatic list of priorities. Your marketing strategy should have the resources for purchasers to access this information in a format and at a time that suits the needs of purchasers.

B2B marketing drivers         

Customers want to be educated and are time-poor. Customers need you to help build a more comprehensive understanding of the business challenges and opportunities in front of them. Their goal is more than just selecting a service or product provider; they need to build knowledge that helps them present within their organisation as a subject matter authority. Your marketing content strategy should support this goal.

B2B marketing purchase process

B2B customers prefer to work with account managers and salespeople. The right marketing strategy and resources will allow them to focus more on fulfilling the needs of individual customers and building personal relationships. Unlike the B2C sales process, your B2B marketing strategy should facilitate seamless integration of your marketing and sales process, prequalifying leads and providing Business Development managers with actionable insights to close. Your B2B marketing strategy should also provide the qualification tools and resources that allow account managers and salespeople to spend less time selling your business model.

People Involved in a B2B purchase. 

 B2B customers often have to consult with decision-makers and stakeholders before making a purchase decision. Your B2B marketing campaign should provide online resources for procurement and project leaders to include and support others involved in the decision-making process. Visual content plays a crucial role in the dissemination of critical purchase information. This content should be easy to discover and written in a tone and style accessible to many decision-makers with varied understandings of the challenges and the solutions you provide.

B2B purchase purpose

Customers make purchases for long-term solutions, resulting in a longer sales cycle, more extended contracts, and longer relationships with companies. Your B2B campaign goals should include content and technology that helps shorten the sales cycle, build trust, and maintain long-term business relationships beyond individual involvement. 

When adequately resourced and executed, a B2B campaign can help increase the number of connections and engagements your sales team have with an individual or business over a year. This connectivity will help you to qualify new clients while revitalising existing relationships.