B2b Internet Marketing

B2B Marketing

B2B marketing or Business-to-Business marketing, also called organizational marketing and industrial marketing, is a type of marketing in which commercial entities, government agencies and institutions market their goods and services to other commercial entities, government agencies and institutions. The relationship is business to business (B2B) in sharp contrast to business to consumer (B2C) or business to government (B2G).

In recent times, B2B marketing has grown in popularity and now attracts more marketing professionals than B2C marketing which has traditionally been the face of marketing as a practice. While B2C marketing or consumer marketing is aimed at large demographic groups - segments of population on the basis of age, sex, occupation etc or psychographic groups - interests, hobbies etc, B2B marketing is based upon personal selling. The customer of B2C marketer is an individual, whereas the customer of a B2B marketer is another organization.

How is B2B Marketing done?

B2B branding seeks to align all the brands - corporate, divisional and product or service brands and communicate the brand message to its customers via e-mails, newsletters, events and direct contact. These informal channels of communications require high level of training on the part of B2B sales and marketing professionals to communicate the brand attributes by their actions, interactions and communication.

B2B offerings need to be highly differentiated and must promise clear value via revenue enhancing or cost reduction benefits. Unlike consumers, B2B customers are not emotionally driven in their purchase decisions. They want to take logical, defensible and accountable decision.

B2B customer firms can be segmented and better business and market intelligence is vital in success in B2B segmenting and marketing. Business decisions are often taken by multiple stakeholders. Even when there is one decision-maker, their decision is influenced by the opinion of others.

B2B promotion is generally undertaken by participating in trade shows, industry fairs, exhibitions, speaking in conferences, advertising in trade publications and participating in associations and its events. It is vital to have a clear positioning and message.

Trends in B2B marketing

In the past decade, as the effectiveness and popularity of mass media has declined in the developed markets, B2B marketing has gained. Growth of entrepreneurial energy has also led to growth as entrepreneurs typically develop products and services catering to the needs of a niche segments which are typically businesses.

Internet and B2B marketing

Internet has revolutionized B2B marketing as companies find it easy and effective to identify and segment their customer organization, learn about their needs, and contact them with highly relevant offers. At once it is a research tool and a communication tool.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is an important tool of B2B marketing. With cloud computing and products like SalesForce and SugarCRM, B2b marketing has made it easy for B2B marketers to qualify, track and communicate with their customers.

Below are some of the resources that would help you to further provide an insight into the topic.