Don’t Make These B2B Marketing Mistakes

Online marketing is a tricky arena even for companies who are only B2C. For companies who deal solely in B2B, things can seem even more tricky.

But hold up: what are these things I’m talking about? B2C? B2B? Amazingly, there are many companies who are one or the other (or both) but don’t know these terms apply to them. In short, B2C stands for business to consumers. B2B stands for business to business.

Once you know what those letters stand for, you can probably guess which one you are. But to clarify for the latter (who I will focus on in this article): You are B2B if you are selling your products to other businesses. If you provide ingredients to a restaurant, you’re B2B. If you supply medical supplies to a hospital, you’re B2B.

Online marketing in the B2B world is often misunderstood. Here are some of the common mistakes you might make when marketing a B2B brand.

Neglecting unique opportunities. People often think that B2B and B2C are a lot more different than they actually are. In the end, you do often have to use the exact same techniques that you would in a B2C company. The principal, after all, is the same: get the message out there in as attention-grabbing a way as possible.

This being said, there are some distinct differences. One of the more obvious differences is that you have more options in certain areas of marketing. Take email lists, for example. B2C email lists are highly regulated, and trading them with other companies is highly unethical. But you can buy and sell B2B email lists are part of common practice!

Thinking social media is useless for B2B brands. There are two mistakes that business owners make here. One: they believe that the stuff they have to share is too dull for the general social media public to enjoy. And two: they believe that other businesses (i.e. the people they actually need to sell to) are too serious to enjoy social media content.

Neither of them are close to the truth. General consumers are often interested in the exploits of B2B brands. Oracle, a B2B company, have nearly half a million followers on Twitter, after all. And B2B group VaynerMedia have a stupendously fun Instagram that grabs the attention of clients.

Forgetting that B2B buyers are making business decisions. Some make the controversial assertion that B2B buyers are more “rational” than regular consumers. Let’s change the phrase a little. B2B buyers are often forced to make more “rational” decision. The reason for this is because B2B buyers are at work. They’re making business decisions.

Your average B2C buyer has been proven to make less rational – or, shall we see, more frivolous – purchases. Let’s say the consumer has this choice. They could get a high-end, big-name pair of shoes for $500. Or they could get a less famous, less stylish pair for $100. Consumers very often go for the first option, based on indulgence or peer-pressure or whim. B2B buyers are buying things for the workplace. Make sure your marketing is planned appropriately.