What is B2B marketing?
When working with marketing, it is important to be aware that marketing to businesses is very different than marketing to consumers. That's why there is a completely different marketing method - B2B marketing.
A distinction is therefore made between B2B marketing (business-to-business) and B2C marketing (business-to-consumer). B2B marketing refers to any marketing strategy or content aimed at a business or organisation. Any company that sells products or services to other companies or organisations typically uses B2B marketing strategies. B2C marketing is the opposite of the marketing that companies target at individuals.
To give you an example, InboundCPH is a B2B marketing company. That's because InboundCPH's customers are other businesses, not consumers. Therefore, all our marketing efforts can be classified as B2B.
When you want to acquire more B2B customers, you need to start marketing yourself. Just as individuals are exposed to advertisements for various products when browsing the internet and social media, companies that want to engage with other businesses can also advertise through various channels and media.
Examples of ad channels:
- Google (Google Ads)
- Banner advertising
- E-mail marketing
- content marketing
- SEA (Search Engine Advertising)
Get started with B2B marketing
Every business - whether you focus on B2B or B2C sales - needs a digital presence - consisting of paid ads, search engine optimisation and a website. Let's go through what actions can strengthen your digital marketing strategy.
Define your target audience
A strong B2B digital marketing strategy starts with defining your target audience or persona. This demographic and psychographic information will ensure that all your marketing activities, i.e. your content and digital materials are exposed to the right eyes and ears.
Get a website
Digital marketing can't quite work without an informative, engaging website. Over 80% of shoppers visit a website before making a purchase. Since the typical B2B sales cycle often involves many key players, websites are great for sharing information about your product or service.
Search engine optimisation
Your website needs to be more than informative and engaging... it needs to be visible. You can do this with on-page SEO and off-page SEO. These include everything from content to structured data, website speed, etc. Read more about SEO here.
What else can you do?
If you don't have the time or skills to design your B2B marketing strategy and execute and manage it afterwards, you can advantageously get others to do it.
You can either hire an employee who has experience in developing and managing a B2B marketing strategy.
You can also choose to work with an agency that specialises in designing and executing your strategy.