January 23, 2009 143 Comments

The B2B vs B2C Thing

business MEN I posited to Twitter today that there’s not much difference between Business to Consumer (B2C) and Business to Business (B2B). Of course, with almost any question I ask, I’m looking more for your ideas than mine.

But now that we’re over here on the blog, I’ll give you my ideas, and then we can talk more in comments. Fair?

The biggest discernible difference in business communications between those two groups is the justification of purchases.

There. Am I wrong?

In B2C, I’m talking to you, who has to explain to your significant other why you need yet another computer bag when you’ve already brought home five backpacks and three messenger bags over the last 18 months. In B2B, I’m explaining to my CIO why I want to shift off Cisco and onto Juniper, and why I think we can get away with using WordPress internally instead of buying that weird $80,000 platform that’s all written in proprietary code.

If you’re using social media to reach either, then, it’s a matter of providing the buying proof, or the behavior options, or all those other things marketers and PR types are hoping for. Right?

The B2C Purchaser

If you’re working for Canadian Club and you catch via the twitter stream or via your top notch PR company (note: I now know who Canadian Club’s PR Agency is), then you know I’m a fan of the beverage. It’s only me making that buying decision. Not a lot of effort to keep me happy, and lots of ways to scale my interests to other people’s potential interests. Right?

The B2B Relationship

But if I’m doing B2B, then it’s tricky. If I’m EMC trying to sell storage devices to huge enterprises, I’ve got Len Devanna out there on Twitter just being there, being human, and not hocking. Is there B2B value? I say yes. Here’s how.

Think of this principle: “Be there before the sale.” Sales cycles for B2B products are often very long. When I spoke at IBM Research’s headquarters in NY, I heard about a supercomputer of theirs that has a 3 year sales lead cycle. How much marketing can one do in 3 years to move that box? Instead, how HUMAN can you be for 3 years, while going through the process. I think that’s where B2B gets a big boost from exploring these social tools.

The Social Difference

Is that different from B2C? You betcha. In the opposite direction. Meaning, I think that B2C can be a bit more “here today, gone tomorrow” at times, and that B2B might actually have a better potential use of these social tools because of the relationship lifecycle of their products. Are both effective? They can be.

Remember that these toolsets and strategies aren’t always the same. Should someone blog about TicTacs? I don’t think so. Who cares? Could someone make a really funny video about TicTacs that gets us to buy more to try and replicate the fun of what we saw? Yes. Think Diet Coke and Mentos. Is that a long-term sales win? Hmmm. I’m not willing to vote on that.

Now, could someone extend a buying relationship through engaging in a culture of “continuous touch” and relationship marketing? Could you see a culture of accessible, human, and helpful employees contributing to a purchasing cycle? Does that make sense to the B2B process?

Never get hung up on the B2B/B2C thing. Instead, focus on the ways you want to use these tools to reach a business objective. When you try to exclude a tool because it’s not the tried and true, you’re voting for fax machines and telegraphs.

Now, vivisect me point of view here. It’s okay. It’s part of the plan.

Photo credit foundphotoslj, one of my favorite Flickr accounts

ChrisBrogan.com runs on the Genesis Framework

Genesis Theme Framework

The Genesis Framework empowers you to quickly and easily build incredible websites with WordPress. Whether you're a novice or advanced developer, Genesis provides you with the secure and search-engine-optimized foundation that takes WordPress to places you never thought it could go.

With automatic theme updates and world-class support included, Genesis is the smart choice for your WordPress website or blog.

Become a StudioPress Affiliate

← Older Comments
Newer Comments →
  • http://powzot.tscreative.com Tony Santos

    My question as I read all these comments is, how many B2B customers are there using social media? With B2C you’re generally casting a larger net (so to speak) so twitter’s 6million users (for example) is likely to hold many more quality leads for you than a B2B sales/marketing person. Or at least I would think, I don’t do much work in the B2B space currently so I’m making lots of assumptions on this one.

  • Pingback: B2B and Social Media: It’s a Matter of Time « The Kadet Communications Blog

  • http://www.marketingfolio.com Katherine Ventres Canipelli

    So much good stuff to comment on. I’m going to focus on the premise that “The biggest discernible difference in business communications between those two groups is the justification of purchases.” Whoa, it’s not that simple!

    As another commenter noted, the impact of the purchase decision (major versus minor) pretty much defines the buying process and who’s involved–therefore, the sellers’ channel strategy, lead gen, sales process, and , yes, marcom. And while this does distill to the P2P concept–that ultimately comes down to trust factors even in elaborate RFPs–there’s something else going on in B2B that alters how and where social tools work. The “economic buyer” and even “influencers” that marketers target are often not the end user(s), as the goods and services they spec and select are inputs to another step in the value chain. Moreover, the most critical business communication often flows in reverse, from buyer to seller, particularly in technical industrial product and service sectors. What we find is that making the people-to-people connection that is far more complex in these B2B contexts. And this doesn’t address the generation gap that still represents a big hurdle to social tool adoption. (This too shall pass — quickly, I believe.)

    Nevertheless, the richest opportunity for “socialization” of industrial B2B may emerge in guise of enhancements to vertical market transactional systems with collaborative features and through knowledge management tools that extend from internal users to upstream and downstream supply chain partners.

  • http://www.marketingfolio.com Katherine Ventres Canipelli

    So much good stuff to comment on. I’m going to focus on the premise that “The biggest discernible difference in business communications between those two groups is the justification of purchases.” Whoa, it’s not that simple!

    As another commenter noted, the impact of the purchase decision (major versus minor) pretty much defines the buying process and who’s involved–therefore, the sellers’ channel strategy, lead gen, sales process, and , yes, marcom. And while this does distill to the P2P concept–that ultimately comes down to trust factors even in elaborate RFPs–there’s something else going on in B2B that alters how and where social tools work. The “economic buyer” and even “influencers” that marketers target are often not the end user(s), as the goods and services they spec and select are inputs to another step in the value chain. Moreover, the most critical business communication often flows in reverse, from buyer to seller, particularly in technical industrial product and service sectors. What we find is that making the people-to-people connection that is far more complex in these B2B contexts. And this doesn’t address the generation gap that still represents a big hurdle to social tool adoption. (This too shall pass — quickly, I believe.)

    Nevertheless, the richest opportunity for “socialization” of industrial B2B may emerge in guise of enhancements to vertical market transactional systems with collaborative features and through knowledge management tools that extend from internal users to upstream and downstream supply chain partners.

  • http://www.marketingfolio.com Katherine Ventres Canipelli

    So much good stuff to comment on. I’m going to focus on the premise that “The biggest discernible difference in business communications between those two groups is the justification of purchases.” Whoa, it’s not that simple!

    As another commenter noted, the impact of the purchase decision (major versus minor) pretty much defines the buying process and who’s involved–therefore, the sellers’ channel strategy, lead gen, sales process, and , yes, marcom. And while this does distill to the P2P concept–that ultimately comes down to trust factors even in elaborate RFPs–there’s something else going on in B2B that alters how and where social tools work. The “economic buyer” and even “influencers” that marketers target are often not the end user(s), as the goods and services they spec and select are inputs to another step in the value chain. Moreover, the most critical business communication often flows in reverse, from buyer to seller, particularly in technical industrial product and service sectors. What we find is that making the people-to-people connection that is far more complex in these B2B contexts. And this doesn’t address the generation gap that still represents a big hurdle to social tool adoption. (This too shall pass — quickly, I believe.)

    Nevertheless, the richest opportunity for “socialization” of industrial B2B may emerge in guise of enhancements to vertical market transactional systems with collaborative features and through knowledge management tools that extend from internal users to upstream and downstream supply chain partners.

  • http://www.kaplancopy.com/blog Jodi Kaplan

    I think generally the differences between b2b and b2c are:

    1) the amount of money involved – a few dollars for a tube of toothpaste, vs. $17,500,000 for say, an oil tanker

    2) the number of people involved in the decision – usually one person can buy toothpaste; many people may be involved in buying a tanker

    3) specifications needed – toothpaste: cleans teeth (check), freshens breath (good), fights cavities (sold!); tanker – capacity, engine, speed, length, tonnage, flag, etc. etc.

  • http://www.kaplancopy.com/blog Jodi Kaplan

    I think generally the differences between b2b and b2c are:

    1) the amount of money involved – a few dollars for a tube of toothpaste, vs. $17,500,000 for say, an oil tanker

    2) the number of people involved in the decision – usually one person can buy toothpaste; many people may be involved in buying a tanker

    3) specifications needed – toothpaste: cleans teeth (check), freshens breath (good), fights cavities (sold!); tanker – capacity, engine, speed, length, tonnage, flag, etc. etc.

  • http://www.kaplancopy.com/blog Jodi Kaplan

    I think generally the differences between b2b and b2c are:

    1) the amount of money involved – a few dollars for a tube of toothpaste, vs. $17,500,000 for say, an oil tanker

    2) the number of people involved in the decision – usually one person can buy toothpaste; many people may be involved in buying a tanker

    3) specifications needed – toothpaste: cleans teeth (check), freshens breath (good), fights cavities (sold!); tanker – capacity, engine, speed, length, tonnage, flag, etc. etc.

  • http://www.saugatech.com Mark Koenig

    While I agree with most of what you have written Chris, particularly with regard to the importance of the ongoing dialogue to the B2B sale, and social computing as an opportunity to strengthen that dialogue. I think we shouldn’t overlook that enterprise buyers often have a very personal agenda when making purchases on behalf of their business. Put simply, “how will this product/service help me do my job better and advance my career?” It doesn’t get much more personal than that and effective B2B marketers are always keeping that very close to top of mind.

  • http://www.saugatech.com Mark Koenig

    While I agree with most of what you have written Chris, particularly with regard to the importance of the ongoing dialogue to the B2B sale, and social computing as an opportunity to strengthen that dialogue. I think we shouldn’t overlook that enterprise buyers often have a very personal agenda when making purchases on behalf of their business. Put simply, “how will this product/service help me do my job better and advance my career?” It doesn’t get much more personal than that and effective B2B marketers are always keeping that very close to top of mind.

  • http://www.saugatech.com Mark Koenig

    While I agree with most of what you have written Chris, particularly with regard to the importance of the ongoing dialogue to the B2B sale, and social computing as an opportunity to strengthen that dialogue. I think we shouldn’t overlook that enterprise buyers often have a very personal agenda when making purchases on behalf of their business. Put simply, “how will this product/service help me do my job better and advance my career?” It doesn’t get much more personal than that and effective B2B marketers are always keeping that very close to top of mind.

  • http://powzot.tscreative.com Tony Santos

    Jodi,
    I would argue that your example ignores the consumer purchases of durable goods and real estate. While the numbers might not be as huge, $40K plus is an equivalent expenditure for a household to $17.5M would be to a large company. I do agree that the number of people involved is a key difference, esp. in big ticket capital purchases, like an oil tanker.

  • http://powzot.tscreative.com Tony Santos

    Jodi,
    I would argue that your example ignores the consumer purchases of durable goods and real estate. While the numbers might not be as huge, $40K plus is an equivalent expenditure for a household to $17.5M would be to a large company. I do agree that the number of people involved is a key difference, esp. in big ticket capital purchases, like an oil tanker.

  • http://powzot.tscreative.com Tony Santos

    Jodi,
    I would argue that your example ignores the consumer purchases of durable goods and real estate. While the numbers might not be as huge, $40K plus is an equivalent expenditure for a household to $17.5M would be to a large company. I do agree that the number of people involved is a key difference, esp. in big ticket capital purchases, like an oil tanker.

  • Pingback: Should the Basics Evolve? | Altitude Branding

  • http://outingmyinnergeek.wordpress.com Wendy Peters

    Chris, I always love what you bring up because 9 times out of 10, it’s a pretty accurate account of the protests I get from middle managers and senior managers in my company when I talk to them about social media. They deal more with B2B and think of it as a B2C. I think looking at any communications tool as merely a tool is a far more effective approach than categorizing it’s use. I think it depends on its integration with other communication methods and departments to effectively handle the relationship with your customers whether they be the general public or other businesses.

  • http://outingmyinnergeek.wordpress.com Wendy Peters

    Chris, I always love what you bring up because 9 times out of 10, it’s a pretty accurate account of the protests I get from middle managers and senior managers in my company when I talk to them about social media. They deal more with B2B and think of it as a B2C. I think looking at any communications tool as merely a tool is a far more effective approach than categorizing it’s use. I think it depends on its integration with other communication methods and departments to effectively handle the relationship with your customers whether they be the general public or other businesses.

  • http://outingmyinnergeek.wordpress.com Wendy Peters

    Chris, I always love what you bring up because 9 times out of 10, it’s a pretty accurate account of the protests I get from middle managers and senior managers in my company when I talk to them about social media. They deal more with B2B and think of it as a B2C. I think looking at any communications tool as merely a tool is a far more effective approach than categorizing it’s use. I think it depends on its integration with other communication methods and departments to effectively handle the relationship with your customers whether they be the general public or other businesses.

  • http://www.hooversbiz.com/ Anonymous

    Good stuff, Chris. Last week I was talking with someone about this very thing, and broached my idea that there’s at least one slot between B2B and B2C, which we might call B-to-mass-B. In other words, there are B2B markets that act *more* like B2C markets because of the size of the audience, the complexity of the sales cycle, etc.

    Having read the comments here — especially Kathy @5 and Jodi @20 — I want to nuance that some more. It’s not like a lightswitch with a binary choice between B2B and B2C. (I know you know this, I’m just addressing the oversimplified terms we all sometimes use.) It’s more like a polydimensional grid, with many factors including:

    –size of purchase (major vs, minor, whether in relative or absolute dollars)
    –complexity of options (chocolate bar vs. huge Oracle install)
    –speed of delivery (a soda from the machine vs. a tailor-made suit)
    –specialized knowledge of buyer (think high-end fly-fishermen, or CIOs)
    –number of decision-makers (like Jodi said)
    –how the purchase will be amortized in the buyer’s budget (capital expenditure vs. operating budget, or one-time buy vs. installment/subscription plan)
    – . . .

    Et cetera through many other dimensions I’m sure I’m forgetting.

    What made me think of all this in the first place was GE’s aircraft-engines business. How long is their list of *potential* clients — dozens? scores? However many aircraft makers there are in the world who could buy from them, it’s not as many steady customers as your average busy greasy-spoon diner has. For that GE business, social media in any outward-facing sense might not make sense, because the issues they face aren’t related to awareness: every single potential customer of theirs *on earth* knows that they exist and knows how to get in touch with them.

    So, the challenge — in that case and every other case, based on where your business lives in this polydimensional grid I’m proposing — is to parse it out: how will I use Technology X to build my business? Technology X could be a white-label social network. It could be geolocation sensors. It could be accounting software. It could (hypothetically) be pencil-and-paper (though I’ll bet they’ve got that one nailed down by now). The list goes on and on, and the savvy business will regard social media tools in light of its own situation and the needs of its customers — just like it should any other technology.

    Wow, maybe I should have just put this on *my* blog and pointed back here. ;)

    Have a great weekend, Chris.

  • http://www.hooversbiz.com/ Anonymous

    Good stuff, Chris. Last week I was talking with someone about this very thing, and broached my idea that there’s at least one slot between B2B and B2C, which we might call B-to-mass-B. In other words, there are B2B markets that act *more* like B2C markets because of the size of the audience, the complexity of the sales cycle, etc.

    Having read the comments here — especially Kathy @5 and Jodi @20 — I want to nuance that some more. It’s not like a lightswitch with a binary choice between B2B and B2C. (I know you know this, I’m just addressing the oversimplified terms we all sometimes use.) It’s more like a polydimensional grid, with many factors including:

    –size of purchase (major vs, minor, whether in relative or absolute dollars)
    –complexity of options (chocolate bar vs. huge Oracle install)
    –speed of delivery (a soda from the machine vs. a tailor-made suit)
    –specialized knowledge of buyer (think high-end fly-fishermen, or CIOs)
    –number of decision-makers (like Jodi said)
    –how the purchase will be amortized in the buyer’s budget (capital expenditure vs. operating budget, or one-time buy vs. installment/subscription plan)
    – . . .

    Et cetera through many other dimensions I’m sure I’m forgetting.

    What made me think of all this in the first place was GE’s aircraft-engines business. How long is their list of *potential* clients — dozens? scores? However many aircraft makers there are in the world who could buy from them, it’s not as many steady customers as your average busy greasy-spoon diner has. For that GE business, social media in any outward-facing sense might not make sense, because the issues they face aren’t related to awareness: every single potential customer of theirs *on earth* knows that they exist and knows how to get in touch with them.

    So, the challenge — in that case and every other case, based on where your business lives in this polydimensional grid I’m proposing — is to parse it out: how will I use Technology X to build my business? Technology X could be a white-label social network. It could be geolocation sensors. It could be accounting software. It could (hypothetically) be pencil-and-paper (though I’ll bet they’ve got that one nailed down by now). The list goes on and on, and the savvy business will regard social media tools in light of its own situation and the needs of its customers — just like it should any other technology.

    Wow, maybe I should have just put this on *my* blog and pointed back here. ;)

    Have a great weekend, Chris.

  • http://hooversbiz.com Tim Walker

    Good stuff, Chris. Last week I was talking with someone about this very thing, and broached my idea that there’s at least one slot between B2B and B2C, which we might call B-to-mass-B. In other words, there are B2B markets that act *more* like B2C markets because of the size of the audience, the complexity of the sales cycle, etc.

    Having read the comments here — especially Kathy @5 and Jodi @20 — I want to nuance that some more. It’s not like a lightswitch with a binary choice between B2B and B2C. (I know you know this, I’m just addressing the oversimplified terms we all sometimes use.) It’s more like a polydimensional grid, with many factors including:

    –size of purchase (major vs, minor, whether in relative or absolute dollars)
    –complexity of options (chocolate bar vs. huge Oracle install)
    –speed of delivery (a soda from the machine vs. a tailor-made suit)
    –specialized knowledge of buyer (think high-end fly-fishermen, or CIOs)
    –number of decision-makers (like Jodi said)
    –how the purchase will be amortized in the buyer’s budget (capital expenditure vs. operating budget, or one-time buy vs. installment/subscription plan)
    – . . .

    Et cetera through many other dimensions I’m sure I’m forgetting.

    What made me think of all this in the first place was GE’s aircraft-engines business. How long is their list of *potential* clients — dozens? scores? However many aircraft makers there are in the world who could buy from them, it’s not as many steady customers as your average busy greasy-spoon diner has. For that GE business, social media in any outward-facing sense might not make sense, because the issues they face aren’t related to awareness: every single potential customer of theirs *on earth* knows that they exist and knows how to get in touch with them.

    So, the challenge — in that case and every other case, based on where your business lives in this polydimensional grid I’m proposing — is to parse it out: how will I use Technology X to build my business? Technology X could be a white-label social network. It could be geolocation sensors. It could be accounting software. It could (hypothetically) be pencil-and-paper (though I’ll bet they’ve got that one nailed down by now). The list goes on and on, and the savvy business will regard social media tools in light of its own situation and the needs of its customers — just like it should any other technology.

    Wow, maybe I should have just put this on *my* blog and pointed back here. ;)

    Have a great weekend, Chris.

  • http://davidbeking.com David King

    I think you have to market different to both and treat both of them differently.

    It’s to seperate organizations.

    one is personal, one is business.

    knowing the most effective way to market to them in those positions will be more efficient and bring your more money! that’s the bottom line! (in my opinion… that is)

    Thanks…

    DBK

  • http://davidbeking.com David King

    I think you have to market different to both and treat both of them differently.

    It’s to seperate organizations.

    one is personal, one is business.

    knowing the most effective way to market to them in those positions will be more efficient and bring your more money! that’s the bottom line! (in my opinion… that is)

    Thanks…

    DBK

  • http://davidbeking.com David King

    I think you have to market different to both and treat both of them differently.

    It’s to seperate organizations.

    one is personal, one is business.

    knowing the most effective way to market to them in those positions will be more efficient and bring your more money! that’s the bottom line! (in my opinion… that is)

    Thanks…

    DBK

  • http://www.Brandtelling.com Arthur Germain (@ArthurGermain

    Chris,
    Thoughtful post as always. Everyone here keeps using examples that are apples and oranges to represent B2C and B2B, and then applies some metrics for comparison. That makes some sense (toothpaste for consumers, oil tankers for companies), but I wonder what the maker of a product sold to BOTH consumers and businesses would have to say about their use of social media. For example, Ford sells cars to consumers and to Hertz, local Police Departments and other companies for their fleets. What does Scott Monty and Ford say about social media, PR and marketing outreach to these very different buyers? Do they see a difference between B2B and B2C that challenges the thinking here?
    Thanks!
    ahg3

  • http://www.Brandtelling.com Arthur Germain (@ArthurGermain

    Chris,
    Thoughtful post as always. Everyone here keeps using examples that are apples and oranges to represent B2C and B2B, and then applies some metrics for comparison. That makes some sense (toothpaste for consumers, oil tankers for companies), but I wonder what the maker of a product sold to BOTH consumers and businesses would have to say about their use of social media. For example, Ford sells cars to consumers and to Hertz, local Police Departments and other companies for their fleets. What does Scott Monty and Ford say about social media, PR and marketing outreach to these very different buyers? Do they see a difference between B2B and B2C that challenges the thinking here?
    Thanks!
    ahg3

  • http://www.Brandtelling.com Arthur Germain (@ArthurGermain)

    Chris,
    Thoughtful post as always. Everyone here keeps using examples that are apples and oranges to represent B2C and B2B, and then applies some metrics for comparison. That makes some sense (toothpaste for consumers, oil tankers for companies), but I wonder what the maker of a product sold to BOTH consumers and businesses would have to say about their use of social media. For example, Ford sells cars to consumers and to Hertz, local Police Departments and other companies for their fleets. What does Scott Monty and Ford say about social media, PR and marketing outreach to these very different buyers? Do they see a difference between B2B and B2C that challenges the thinking here?
    Thanks!
    ahg3

  • http://patriotlandtransfer.com Fran Gaspari

    Chris,
    Great post! Early on, I decided to keep my blogging simple and universal…ALL business people are consumers…but ALL consumers are not business people…hence I concluded that if it’s good for the consumer, it MUST be good for business…!!! Thanks, Fran

  • http://patriotlandtransfer.com Fran Gaspari

    Chris,
    Great post! Early on, I decided to keep my blogging simple and universal…ALL business people are consumers…but ALL consumers are not business people…hence I concluded that if it’s good for the consumer, it MUST be good for business…!!! Thanks, Fran

  • http://patriotlandtransfer.com Fran Gaspari

    Chris,
    Great post! Early on, I decided to keep my blogging simple and universal…ALL business people are consumers…but ALL consumers are not business people…hence I concluded that if it’s good for the consumer, it MUST be good for business…!!! Thanks, Fran

  • http://www.fyindout.com/blog Scott Manley

    It’s interesting that most people still view B2B as selling to the huge corps. Granted, that’s where the big money is but when you look at large corps as a percentage of all businesses out there, it probably is less then 30%. We see a majority of B2B being small businesses and entrepreneurs that are out there looking for a good web hosting site, accountant, IP lawyer, project management software, etc., and we beleive a majority of those professionals are touched and reached via social media just as in B2C. Anyone have a take on that?

  • http://www.fyindout.com/blog Scott Manley

    It’s interesting that most people still view B2B as selling to the huge corps. Granted, that’s where the big money is but when you look at large corps as a percentage of all businesses out there, it probably is less then 30%. We see a majority of B2B being small businesses and entrepreneurs that are out there looking for a good web hosting site, accountant, IP lawyer, project management software, etc., and we beleive a majority of those professionals are touched and reached via social media just as in B2C. Anyone have a take on that?

  • http://www.fyindout.com/blog Scott Manley

    It’s interesting that most people still view B2B as selling to the huge corps. Granted, that’s where the big money is but when you look at large corps as a percentage of all businesses out there, it probably is less then 30%. We see a majority of B2B being small businesses and entrepreneurs that are out there looking for a good web hosting site, accountant, IP lawyer, project management software, etc., and we beleive a majority of those professionals are touched and reached via social media just as in B2C. Anyone have a take on that?

  • http://www.southplattewebdesign.com Bill

    @ Scott Manley – It’s very interesting you bring this up – having been in the VAR/Solution Provider business in the past, one of the most under-served segments was the SMB market. These SMBs are generally looking to compete in highly competitive markets, save money and generally are more apt to embrace new technology much more readily than a larger business or corporation would. I think the SMB market would be key to jump into social media mixing to try and reach them, collaborate with them and find out who these SMBs truly are: their needs, desires, competitive atmosphere and pitfalls they face – in essence gain an understanding of the customer as never before through social media – then when they feel valued, you get your value back.

  • http://www.southplattewebdesign.com Bill

    @ Scott Manley – It’s very interesting you bring this up – having been in the VAR/Solution Provider business in the past, one of the most under-served segments was the SMB market. These SMBs are generally looking to compete in highly competitive markets, save money and generally are more apt to embrace new technology much more readily than a larger business or corporation would. I think the SMB market would be key to jump into social media mixing to try and reach them, collaborate with them and find out who these SMBs truly are: their needs, desires, competitive atmosphere and pitfalls they face – in essence gain an understanding of the customer as never before through social media – then when they feel valued, you get your value back.

  • http://www.hooversbiz.com/ Anonymous

    @Scott Manley — You make a very good point. Most of the jobs in the United States are created by small businesses (not even medium-sized), and the SMB sector represents a huge chunk of the economy. Of course, these companies also have different needs, and they can’t afford the mondo-sized products / service packages that the big dogs can. In other words, selling to SMBs (which, by the by, has been a specialty of my employer for many years) can be un-sexy, but the value there can be huge.

    Going back to my comment @24 above, the size of the client enterprise (expressed in # of employees, revenue, total IT budget, whatever) would be another important dimension to add to the grid.

  • http://www.hooversbiz.com/ Anonymous

    @Scott Manley — You make a very good point. Most of the jobs in the United States are created by small businesses (not even medium-sized), and the SMB sector represents a huge chunk of the economy. Of course, these companies also have different needs, and they can’t afford the mondo-sized products / service packages that the big dogs can. In other words, selling to SMBs (which, by the by, has been a specialty of my employer for many years) can be un-sexy, but the value there can be huge.

    Going back to my comment @24 above, the size of the client enterprise (expressed in # of employees, revenue, total IT budget, whatever) would be another important dimension to add to the grid.

  • http://www.hooversbiz.com/ Tim Walker

    @Scott Manley — You make a very good point. Most of the jobs in the United States are created by small businesses (not even medium-sized), and the SMB sector represents a huge chunk of the economy. Of course, these companies also have different needs, and they can’t afford the mondo-sized products / service packages that the big dogs can. In other words, selling to SMBs (which, by the by, has been a specialty of my employer for many years) can be un-sexy, but the value there can be huge.

    Going back to my comment @24 above, the size of the client enterprise (expressed in # of employees, revenue, total IT budget, whatever) would be another important dimension to add to the grid.

  • http://www.ignitingtherevolution.com Jeremy Epstein

    I think Ron hit it on the head, “people buy from People.”

    Godin posted on this a while back. His conclusion was that “the only difference was in who signs the check.”

  • http://www.ignitingtherevolution.com Jeremy Epstein

    I think Ron hit it on the head, “people buy from People.”

    Godin posted on this a while back. His conclusion was that “the only difference was in who signs the check.”

  • http://www.ignitingtherevolution.com Jeremy Epstein

    I think Ron hit it on the head, “people buy from People.”

    Godin posted on this a while back. His conclusion was that “the only difference was in who signs the check.”

  • Pingback: This Weeks Helpful Reads… Week 143

  • http://www.othersidegroup.com Kate Brodock

    Chris –

    We’ve been talking to our clients about this a lot lately (they’re mostly B2B) and we say pretty much the same thing.

    To add on to your point of “getting them before the sale,” often times, B2B companies wonder how something like Facebook would benefit them. Another great thing about popular and niche social networks is you have like minds congregating somewhere online, talking about like interests etc. Some of them have access to decision-makers in their companies (or may be them!), or may be in a position to refer a colleague. You touch point in what may be considered a B2C community (but even that generalization is being challenged) still has many B2B consequences.

    Great conversation,
    kate

  • http://www.othersidegroup.com Kate Brodock

    Chris –

    We’ve been talking to our clients about this a lot lately (they’re mostly B2B) and we say pretty much the same thing.

    To add on to your point of “getting them before the sale,” often times, B2B companies wonder how something like Facebook would benefit them. Another great thing about popular and niche social networks is you have like minds congregating somewhere online, talking about like interests etc. Some of them have access to decision-makers in their companies (or may be them!), or may be in a position to refer a colleague. You touch point in what may be considered a B2C community (but even that generalization is being challenged) still has many B2B consequences.

    Great conversation,
    kate

  • http://www.othersidegroup.com Kate Brodock

    Chris –

    We’ve been talking to our clients about this a lot lately (they’re mostly B2B) and we say pretty much the same thing.

    To add on to your point of “getting them before the sale,” often times, B2B companies wonder how something like Facebook would benefit them. Another great thing about popular and niche social networks is you have like minds congregating somewhere online, talking about like interests etc. Some of them have access to decision-makers in their companies (or may be them!), or may be in a position to refer a colleague. You touch point in what may be considered a B2C community (but even that generalization is being challenged) still has many B2B consequences.

    Great conversation,
    kate

  • Pingback: B2B Is Not Just The Big Guys | FYIndOut

  • http://kadetcomm.wordpress.com Ken Kadet (@KadetComm)

    Great discussion here…I appreciate the direction that I believe, Tim was taking this … that many B2B purchase decisions are based on a far different matrix than consumer purchases. This affects the kinds of social media where you can effectively be involved. In the tech world, if I’m selling an enterprise software system, for example, I’d avoid a venue as personal as Facebook — IT and IS managers I’ve worked with brook little BS on tech. Would I blog about pertinent issues? Yes. Would you build a following on Twitter? Participate in TechTarget forums? Create a user/technology community around issues we’re passionate about? Yes, yes, and yes. In a commodity/supply/distribution business, you take a different tack — more local, for a start.

    Commonalities? Seems to me that ever business could benefit from more engagement with the folks to who buy their products. As people, they can care about the things their customers care about — whether it’s the need to establish standard communications protocols between automation systems or the best way to make lasagna. The opportunity to bring organizations and people together is one of the cool things about social media — and what makes it worth our while at work.

  • http://kadetcomm.wordpress.com Ken Kadet (@KadetComm)

    Great discussion here…I appreciate the direction that I believe, Tim was taking this … that many B2B purchase decisions are based on a far different matrix than consumer purchases. This affects the kinds of social media where you can effectively be involved. In the tech world, if I’m selling an enterprise software system, for example, I’d avoid a venue as personal as Facebook — IT and IS managers I’ve worked with brook little BS on tech. Would I blog about pertinent issues? Yes. Would you build a following on Twitter? Participate in TechTarget forums? Create a user/technology community around issues we’re passionate about? Yes, yes, and yes. In a commodity/supply/distribution business, you take a different tack — more local, for a start.

    Commonalities? Seems to me that ever business could benefit from more engagement with the folks to who buy their products. As people, they can care about the things their customers care about — whether it’s the need to establish standard communications protocols between automation systems or the best way to make lasagna. The opportunity to bring organizations and people together is one of the cool things about social media — and what makes it worth our while at work.

  • http://CommunityZenMaster.com/blogs/LLiu/ Lawrence Liu (Telligent)

    Chris, you forgot one: B2E. That’s Business-to-Employee. :-) You’re too focused on the marketing angle. What’s much more important is a community mindset of openness and sharing. If a partner doesn’t understand how you sell to customers, they won’t be a partner for long. Want your employees to come up with better ideas for products and services? Get them out there engaging with customers and partners.

    A community (and teamwork) mindset is what will transform organizations and entire industries (e.g. pharma is leading the way). What/how/where/when to use tools like social media is secondary.

    - http://twitter.com/lliu

  • http://CommunityZenMaster.com/blogs/LLiu/ Lawrence Liu (Telligent)

    Chris, you forgot one: B2E. That’s Business-to-Employee. :-) You’re too focused on the marketing angle. What’s much more important is a community mindset of openness and sharing. If a partner doesn’t understand how you sell to customers, they won’t be a partner for long. Want your employees to come up with better ideas for products and services? Get them out there engaging with customers and partners.

    A community (and teamwork) mindset is what will transform organizations and entire industries (e.g. pharma is leading the way). What/how/where/when to use tools like social media is secondary.

    - http://twitter.com/lliu

← Older Comments
Newer Comments →
GetSocial