There are a lot of differences between B2C and B2B. The biggest difference between the two has got to be their audiences. Of course, this depends on the client, but more often than not B2C addresses a large audience with vastly different needs, while B2B is limited to a much more refined and specialized target group.

This means the entire strategy and approach need to be different too because we want to accurately reach the target audience. It determines which channels to use, how to leverage social, which targeting, and even which KPI we measure.

B2C is often seen as more important and sometimes more “glamorous” than its B2B counterpart. That’s simply because B2C gets more visibility to the public and has more sway over the company’s image as a whole. As a result, the bulk of the budget for many clients is allocated towards B2C. Sooner or later, however, clients realize that neglecting their B2B marketing funnel soon catches up with them.

Another big difference I often see is how clients approach B2B communications. Often budget constraints lead to smaller marketing departments being responsible for all B2B communication channels. In most cases, the client doesn’t have the in-house specialists to get the most out of each campaign. Plus, it can lead to internal overwhelm as the department takes on multiple roles outside of their comfort zone.

Agencies like RDB are key to provide support, especially during critical stages such as re-assessing a strategy without the need to invest in building in-house resources.

It depends on what the client asks us to help them with, but generally speaking, a big focus is to achieve measurable results. For SMEs even more than for large corporations, it’s important to know how much business comes in from every Euro spent on marketing.

The way we approach it is first getting a better understanding of the client’s business model. We usually start with a series of interviews and intensive online research, including a review of the competitive environment before we begin with the strategy.

We want to know which channels they have used before, how effective they were, which audiences they focused on and what their key messages were, among other things. If the client used social before, we also always like access to their profiles in order to review the results of previous campaigns ourselves. That way we can see exactly where to optimize!

By its very nature, B2B marketing campaigns go on behind-the-scenes. That’s why it’s important to first fully understand both your client as well as their business partners (aka your audience). This way you know where they’re looking to grow and what pain points they might have.

It’s all about crafting effective messages that are conveyed through the right touchpoints. Of course, we also want to consider how to do all this in an effective and cost-efficient way.

This is a question I get a lot from my B2B clients. Targeting on social media for B2B marketing is much harder than for B2C since you can’t actually target companies. Platforms like LinkedIn provide some options to target based on the job description, but the channel itself is very expensive and often falls short of expectations.

We advise our clients to change the ways they approach targeting. Businesses are made up of people, and people prefer companies that have a “human” or approachable face. The best way to build a more human brand persona is through social media. It can be invaluable to becoming visible to key B2B decision-makers. Even before approaching the lead, you can build a rapport with them and foster a more long term approach. This is how you can generate leads with success!

A strong brand with a clear brand vision, mission and values can be a very important factor in differentiating yourself from the competition. If your brand is competing based on the product qualities and pricing alone, then you’re going to find the “sell” far more difficult.

Branding can give you a competitive edge, especially if you’ve incorporated your brand purpose. Using purpose allows you to differentiate yourself from the competition in a more authentic way.

What companies have to remember is Millennials are not entry-level employees anymore — they’re managers and CEOs in their own right looking for purpose-driven ventures to boost their business. Approximately 5 million to 11 million Millennials are now in management positions. B2B companies have to think about how their brand purpose is helping them to bring in new leads from the younger demographic.

I would say if you’ve taken care of the branding and factored in purpose, then the next area to take a look at is the channels used.

• Is your brand set in their ways?
• Are you curious and open to change?
• Are you exploring new platforms and exploring new ways of approaching your B2B marketing funnel?

These are all areas to consider to ensure that you stay one step ahead.

The first thing many companies do in any crisis is to cut the marketing budget completely. This is done out of shock and fear, which is completely understandable. However, this means often B2B gets the sledgehammer and not B2C. At RDB, we saw that in times of uncertainty reaching out to business partners and communicating actively was the best way to go.

Letting them know you’re there and that you will figure it out together is actually really reassuring and can create a huge difference in the long term. Displaying resilience and reliability will help your brand build strong ties and loyalty — which is the best outcome we can ask for in this pandemic!

Leading a brand through a crisis can be a daunting task. By simplifying your approach and taking action on what matters most, your company can come out on top and can even find better strategies to move forward.