B2B Business
Businesses need to buy products and services from other businesses to function. Everything from the food that companies stock in their kitchens to the signage that companies display on their office buildings are purchased through B2B suppliers. Every company in existence relies on a variety of B2B suppliers and companies to launch, operate and grow. There are four types of B2B businesses: producers, distributors, resellers and ecommerce B2B retailers.
Producers produce goods on a large scale and sell them to other businesses who transform the goods into something else, for example, McDonald’s purchases beef from a B2B supplier and then transforms it into tasty burgers that they sell to their customers. Producers can also produce goods on a small scale and sell them to other businesses directly, like the company that produces brake pads, which are sold to auto manufacturers who then build the cars from these parts.
Distributors distribute goods to other businesses, and their distribution channels can be physical or digital. A great example of a successful B2B distributor is Staples, which has both a brick-and-mortar store and a digital ecommerce platform where it sells office supplies to other businesses. The Staples ecommerce site features content that helps other businesses determine what type of products they need, including a search feature that allows buyers to narrow their selection by product category and brand name.
B2B Business With Example
Resellers sell goods to other businesses, and their sales channels can be physical or digital. Rioks is a great example of a successful B2B reseller, offering marketing consultancy services to other businesses. The resellers’ ecommerce sites feature content that is tailored to the needs of the businesses they serve, including a product page for each service that features detailed information about the benefits of each solution, including ROI calculations and case studies.
Business-to-business marketing
B2B ecommerce retailers are businesses that operate online marketplaces that connect business sellers and buyers. Amazon is one of the most popular B2B ecommerce retailers, and its site features content to help business buyers find what they’re looking for, including a search feature that lets users filter by product category and brand name. The site also features product pages that provide in-depth product information, such as the page for Quill’s wholesale program, which includes a full list of programs, tiers and pricing, and a downloadable PDF featuring program details and a listing of available items.
B2B marketing differs from B2C, as it focuses on targeting business audiences instead of individual consumers. It is important for businesses to understand their target audience, as this will influence the messaging and creative used in their B2B marketing campaigns. For example, a tech company that markets its cloud security software to IT departments within other organizations will create ads that highlight the value of protecting their sensitive data. The same is true for a software company that markets its SaaS tools to HR professionals at other businesses. The key is to focus on the overarching goals of a business’s end-customers and appeal to those specific stakeholder groups with targeted, customized marketing campaigns.
