Industry Spotlight: B2B Marketing

 B2B Marketing is the specialist field of understanding and communicating the challenges of communicating often complex and technical business products and services to niche business markets.

One of the keys to successful business to business marketing is the understanding that, regardless of what service or products you are selling, that while they are buying on behalf of a company, your buyers are still individuals at the end of the day. As individuals buying for a company, many of the values and needs still apply, however they may just need to be highlighted in a different manner.

Guiding a business buyer through the buying journey can be a gradual process, marketing strategy and communications should be used to lead them to the right end result. Ultimately, business buyers want to make the right decision for their company at a range of levels and therefore the sales process is often much slower than a B2C purchase.

So what is a business buyer looking for from you?

Assure them they are making the right decision
When buying on behalf on a business, there is even greater pressure to make sure you are making the right buying decision, that the product or service you select solves the problem and fits the bill. So it’s the B2B marketer’s role to help buyers to feel confident and comfortable in their buying decision.

Make them look good
A similar thought process, when buying on behalf of a company we, as B2B marketers and suppliers need to help them look good to their bosses and management. After all, their job in part relies on their ability to make the right choice.

Value add
Businesses and people are busier than ever. So most B2B buyers are looking for a supplier who can provide tailored solutions that account for unique challenges and priorities.

Ease of doing business
Your processes and people are a big part of B2B buyer experiences. If you product is the absolute best but you aren’t easy to do business with, buyers will simply turn elsewhere.

And very importantly in the B2B marketplace, your buyer generally isn’t just one person. It’s a range of roles who all have their own agenda in mind. Your Unique Selling Proposition needs to appeal to the business on a range of levels, often the reason why the selling cycle can take so long.

Icon Visual Marketing's team of specialist B2B marketing consultants can assist you in helping to establish your key value proposition for your markets or major customers. The determination of your value platform is critical to successful B2B marketing. Understanding your product or service from a holistic position will provide your business the distinct advantage you have been looking for and a platform for significant growth.