Marketing for B2B: Its Advantages and How to Do It

Running a business takes the right promotional strategy. In this regard, implementing a marketing system that suits your business needs is considered important for business continuity in the long term.

One of the techniques used in promotional activities is a B2B marketing strategy. Advertising and promotion activities carried out in this way are carried out systematically, namely by targeting other businesses that need the products or services you provide.

What do you need to know about marketing for B2B strategies and how to properly implement them? Let's find out more in the following discussion.

What is Marketing for B2B Strategy?

B2B is an acronym for business-to-business. This term refers to companies that sell products or services to other companies. Companies that implement marketing for B2B strategies usually have the type of product or service that other companies are interested in.

The B2B marketing strategy only focuses on a few companies, but the volume of purchases is large. In general, B2B marketing strategies are more informative and outspoken. This is because companies, as consumers of B2B businesses, make purchasing decisions based on profit and ROI (return on investment).

This is different from individual consumers who make buying decisions based on personal preferences. As a result, marketing for B2B strategies is more complex and challenging than marketing for B2C (business-to-customer).

How B2B Marketing Strategy Works

B2B marketing strategies also have a buyer's journey as well as marketing strategies for B2C businesses. A company will perform several stages in making a purchase decision:

1. Identify the problems that exist in the company. 
2. Research to find solutions to problems.
3. If the solution requires a third party, the company will look for a B2B company that can provide that need. 
4. Conduct selection and evaluation of B2B company candidates to be selected. 
5. If the B2B company has been selected, then a business deal can be done.

The company's job is to guide the prospect through each buying process smoothly so that a business deal is reached. Some of the efforts that can be made in the marketing for B2B are:

• Be a company that is able to solve specific problems. 
• Show how your company differs from competitors. 
• Provide demonstrations or testers so consumers can evaluate your product. 
• Make a purchase agreement that is easy and uncomplicated. 

The Differences between B2B and B2C

Previously, you already understood that B2B has differences with B2C in terms of consumers and their working systems. Apart from that, there are some other differences that you need to be aware of. Here are some of them:

Objectives

B2B consumers are companies that are oriented towards increasing ROI, efficiency, and expertise. Meanwhile, B2C consumers tend to want entertainment or offers. Therefore, the B2C marketing strategy is designed to be more fun and attractive than the B2B strategy.

Purchase Motivation

B2B consumers will make purchasing decisions based on logic and financial benefits, while B2C consumers will make purchasing decisions based on personal needs and preferences.

Transaction Process

B2B consumers usually make transactions in large amounts and over long periods of time. Therefore, the role of account managers or salespeople is needed to accompany the transaction process with consumers. This is different from B2C consumers, who can make transactions directly because the transaction process is easy.

Transaction Purpose

B2B consumers need a long-term solution so that the business relationship that is established will last longer. It is different with B2C consumers who do not pay attention to solutions and long-term relationships.

People Involved

In making purchasing decisions, B2B consumers must involve various stakeholders because the decisions taken will affect the organization as a whole. Unlike B2C consumers, who tend to make purchasing decisions based on personal preference. 

The Examples of B2B Marketing Strategies

B2B marketing usually requires channels that are similar to those for B2C companies, but the implementation is different because it adapts to consumer behavior. The following are examples of marketing for B2B companies across multiple channels:

Organic Search

One of the stages in the buyer's journey is research. Most of it is done online to find a solution to a problem. Therefore, organic search is the marketing for B2B channels that you should take into consideration.

Search engines like Google are the tools most people use to answer their questions. By implementing SEO, your company will be more easily found by potential customers when they are looking for solutions to their problems.

Paid Search

B2B consumers do not only use search engines to find solutions but also look for companies that can provide these solutions. Usually, B2B consumers who perform these searches are ready to make a purchase, so the competition in these search results is very high.

You can use advertising channels like paid search to target B2B consumers who are ready to make a purchase. If executed well, you can increase sales quickly in the short term.

Content Marketing

Content marketing is a proven marketing strategy for many types of businesses, including B2B. With content, you can give consumers something of value for free, so this method can build good business relationships.

Sponsored Posts

Sponsored posts are content that you publish on other websites for marketing purposes. Usually, sponsored posts are published on popular websites with large audiences and those that have a niche that matches your business.

You can use this channel to get potential customers as well as build a reputation because if your business is promoted on popular websites, it will be known to more potential customers.

Advantages of Marketing for B2B Companies

If you just want to start a company with a B2B model, then it's a good idea to know what the advantages of a B2B marketing strategy are. Some of the benefits you will get are:

• Brand awareness - B2B consumers prefer to work with companies that have a good reputation. B2B marketing strategies can build brand awareness so that your business is more easily recognized and gets a reputation. 
• Bring in traffic - Using websites and other platforms like social media can increase the amount of traffic you can drive to purchases. 
• Increase ranking in SERP - Without implementing a B2B marketing strategy, your website will not rank high in the SERP, so prospects will find it difficult to find your business. 
• Generate leads - One of the most important objectives in a B2B marketing strategy is leads or lead data. Without leads, B2B businesses will not be able to build relationships with prospects. 
• Long-term relationships with customers - An effective B2B marketing strategy is when you can retain existing customers to continue to build business relationships and generate profits in the long term.

Implementation of B2B Marketing Strategy

After studying the definition, advantages, and examples of marketing strategies in B2B companies, now is the time to put them into practice in your business. To implement a B2B marketing strategy, you can follow these guidelines:

Understanding Brand Position

It's a good idea for your company to already have a brand position before implementing a marketing strategy. Brand positioning plays a role in shaping consumer perceptions related to the brand. Establish your brand positioning so that all the marketing strategies you run can be more aligned. 

Identifying Target Customers

Recognizing potential customers is a must when a company wants to run a marketing strategy. Even though the target consumer of a B2B company is a company, you must be able to identify who is the purchasing decision maker at the company.

The person who makes the purchasing decision can be the owner of the company, the marketing manager, the operations department, and so on. You must know these people well because they are your real target customers. To help with this, you can create a buyer persona.

Performing Analysis of Competitors

B2B companies must also be able to compete with competitors. By recognizing and conducting competitor analysis, your business is one step ahead of the others. Some things you need to pay attention to from competitors are related to the products offered, sales tactics and results, and the channels used.

Produce SEO-friendly Content

The way to increase website traffic for the long term is to produce content. Create content that is useful and able to answer the concerns of the audience. Your content must also be SEO-friendly, which means that it should be optimized to rank high on the SERP.

Increase Engagement Through Email

It is important to build B2B consumers' trust. This is because B2B businesses usually have large transaction values and are expected to establish long-term business relationships.

You can use email marketing to build consumer trust. Take advantage of the lead email data that you have obtained through other marketing channels to send content or offers on a regular basis. 

Introducing Brands Using Social Media

As explained earlier, the buyer persona of the B2B business is the decision maker in the company. Of course, the people in those positions also have social media.

You can use social media to build brand awareness so that your company name will be more familiar in their minds.

This is the end of the explanation of the B2B marketing strategy, starting from the definition, work system, the difference with B2C, examples of its application, advantages, and how to apply it. After studying this comprehensive guide, you can apply it to your business operation.

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