What is B2B Marketing?

We’ve all heard of marketing before, right? Most commonly we think of the ways that companies advertise their products to customers. However, the term marketing is actually very broad and can look quite different from company-to-company. Today, we’re going to look at a whole different side of marketing, business-to-business (B2B) marketing.

After reviewing the sections below, you should have a thorough understanding of:

• What B2B Marketing is

• The Differences between B2B and B2C Marketing

• How to Create a Successful B2B Marketing Strategy

• B2B Marketing Content Formats

• Tips that Help you Stand Out from your Competition

What is B2B Marketing?

B2B marketing involves one business marketing its products/services to other businesses. Instead of selling to individual consumers (like in business-to-customer B2C), you are selling to a team of people. With more people involved in the purchasing decision, your marketing tactics must be concise and informative. So make sure you offer product education, explain the product’s value, and how you’ll solve their problems. It’s not that simple though, you’ll want to keep reading to learn how to be strategic in your marketing and how you can stand out from your competition.

To better understand how B2B might look, let’s consider a real life example:

Let’s say that you own a company that creates curriculum for online learning platforms. In this case you would be selling (and marketing) your products to a remote education organization–not directly to each student.

Like any smart business owner, you want to gain more brand exposure and have the chance to personally connect with potential clients. So, you decide to work with a B2B Podcast Partner. In this case, you would accomplish all your goals without worrying about any of the planning. You would network with ideal clients as a podcast guest on your show while building an audience that targets your customer niche.

B2C Versus B2B

B2C (Business-to-Customer) marketing individually targets consumers who are purchasing products/services for themselves (rather than an organization). B2C companies consider a customer's everyday individual needs, interests, and challenges. Customer buying patterns can often be spontaneous, rather than fact-based and waiting on an expected ROI (return on investment).

Just like B2C, B2B marketing aims to attract and convert leads into customers. Of course, the clientele is quite different, as they are selling to people who are making decisions on behalf of their company. The purchasing process is much more calculated, generally involving more people and time, as these stakeholders are considering their ROI. As a result, to target their audience, B2B marketing content is generally straightforward and informative.

Creating a Successful B2B Marketing Strategy:

It is important that you stand out from your competitors. Of course, technology has connectivity benefits, yet it opens customers up to a variety of buying options. So, if you want to attract customers, you need to be strategic and thoughtful in your approach.

We’ve compiled a few crucial steps that B2B companies should follow:

1. Create your Vision and Set your Goals.

You must forecast into the future. Think about what direction you want your company to take? What steps do you need to implement to get there?

Before you start posting content, you must outline your marketing goals. Once you determine what effect you want your marketing to have, it will become clear how to achieve this vision. This planning will ensure that all content aligns with the company’s direction.

2. Distinguish your Market and Customer Profile

Now you must do some research. You need to figure out which businesses could benefit from or may need your product. Consider things from their perspective–what do they value, what would they be thinking or feeling when they see your brand/product pitch?

3. Outline your Value Proposition Research your competition.

Compare your company to them. What makes you different? Focus on these differences in your messaging, give your customers a reason why they should value your products over others.

4. Identify B2B Marketing Tactics

So, you’ve identified your target audience; what comes next? Well, now you must determine how you’ll reach and engage with them. Consider their online patterns (e.g. social media networks), how their competitors communicate with them, and what types of industry events they attend.

- Make sure you check out the section below. We’ve identified popular and powerful platforms where you can market your product.

5. Put your Plan into Motion

Now that you have a vision and a targeted audience, you’re ready to put your plan into action. Be creative and thoughtful with your content! Offer relevant education about your brand and individual products.

Remember that everything you put out is a direct reflection of your company. Potential clients will judge you based on what they see, so keep it clean, sincere, and not too flashy.

6. Reflect and Improve

Practice makes perfect. Or it at least makes things better. Keep in mind–some content will receive more attention than others, not everything will be an immediate success. Do celebrate the wins, but also take the time to determine why they were successful. Don’t be pessimistic about your low-performing content. Instead, use this data as a learning curve, note what could be improved in the future.

Make sure you keep a close eye on the analytics. Take the time to understand and reflect on the engagement and conversion data.

Popular B2B Marketing Content Formats

Podcasts: Over the past decade, podcasting has grown significantly in popularity. Topics related to B2B marketing are regularly consumed by business owners and founders. If you’re looking to start your own profitable podcast but don’t know where to begin, you should consult with a B2B Podcast Agency (they’ll handle everything with the right strategy combining almost all the content formats for business growth).

Social Media: At this point, social media is used by nearly everyone. While some of us are merely scrolling through entertaining videos, business owners are using social media to conduct research. They are analyzing their buying options, determining which supplier fits their needs, and comparing between similar products. As a B2B marketer, you must create content that educates your audience. You should post a variety of content–videos and pictures, a combination of paid sponsorships and free posts.

Blogs: Regularly posting blogs will increase your website traffic–which is never a bad thing! Make sure that you are discussing topics that are related to your products/services and will be interesting for your target audience.

Videos: A picture may be worth 1000 words, but a video is worth even more. Watching a video often feels more personable and informative. Sometimes videos can be easier to watch, rather than reading something extensive. It’s smart to create various forms of content, you want to cater to everyone!

Emails: Email is a free way to gain exposure. Make sure that your message is sincere and personalized to your audience. But keep it to a minimum, no one loves receiving spam–less is more.

Customer Testimonials: When reputable companies have something positive to say about your company, you’ll gain the trust of others. Don’t underestimate the impact that word of mouth can have on your target audience. Post these testimonials on your website or social media, make sure your audience sees them!

B2B Marketing Tips

Before you go off and implement your own marketing strategy, we should set you up with a few tips.

1. Always Use Visuals

Engage your audience with some sort of visual (a photo, video, graph, etc.). B2B marketing depends on educating your audience, so why not use various mediums to get your point across. And seriously, no one loves reading endless paragraphs of writing, so break it up with a few photos, videos, audio tracks, or GIFs.

2. Build a Consistent Brand Image

The way you manage your brand image will impact how consumers perceive your company. In general, people trust and remain loyal to brands that are consistent and transparent.

Decide how you want consumers to perceive your brand, and continuously act in ways that will achieve that.

3. Solve your Customers’ Problems

Consider this an ongoing process. You must constantly prove your worth to customers. They must know what you are capable of and what value you can offer them. Express how your product will ease their operations and will remove all their frustrations.

4. Be Human

Be personable and sincere. Remember, you are communicating with real people. Though business purchases tend to be more rational, people are still driven and moved by personal statements. Your messages should speak to the individuals within a company, rather than the organization itself.

With AI on the rise, it's safe to say that you should avoid sounding overly robotic. Instead, pair logic with emotion.

Well, that’s it. That’s everything you need to know about B2B marketing.

Whether you’re planning to start your own B2B company, or if you are already working in the industry and are looking for inspiration and tips–this article outlines everything you need to be successful in your marketing.

Just as a final reminder:

• Have a clear vision and strategy before you start releasing content

• When you do start posting, don’t stick to one platform, you must use everything that

  your audience uses.

- Make sure you offer product education in a way that expresses sincerity and aligns with your brand identity.

Let me know what you think. Which of these marketing tactics will you start using in your future content?

Written by: Emily Nyikos

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Jony Studios is a content marketing agency specializing in B2B podcasting and audiobook services. They have worked with many clients, from startups to larger organizations such as Penguin Random House, Amazon, University of Waterloo, Freakonomics Radio, and many others.

10 Writing Tips from Famous Authors

If you are seeking a foolproof way for becoming a better writer, I should begin here by disclosing–there is no such thing.

While some authors opt for a quiet, isolated space, others get their best work done in a crowded coffee shop. Regardless of where or when you are writing, or how you brainstorm and organize your work, there’s no correct way to conduct a piece of creative writing. So, continue writing wherever or whenever works best for you–whether that’s after midnight, or at the crack of dawn.

Don’t stop reading here, though. In spite of freely choosing your preferred writing environment, there are changes you can (and perhaps should) consider making.

The following list will showcase ten pieces of advice from famous authors. Like myself, if you have a desire to improve your writing and wish to hone the art of creative writing, you will take a lot from this list. In fact, adopting some of these methods will require minor changes, yet will make an incredible difference.

After reading these tips, you’ll be well on your way to writing quality work, maybe a novel or a short story for Amazon, whatever you set your mind to. When you reach your goal and want to expand your reach, creating an audiobook can be a great next step. It allows you to connect with a whole new audience, those who prefer listening over reading. By working with an audiobook production company, you can save time and ensure every step, from production to distribution, is handled professionally and up to Audible standards.

1. Read Before Writing

William Faulkner emphasizes that you must “read everything–trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master.”

Allow yourself to absorb countless forms of literature. The reading you do will shape your own style of writing. You will discover two crucial things–how you do want to sound versus how you do not want to sound. So, when you do finally write, you will find that your writing incorporates the styles, phrases, and tones that originally captivated you, as a reader.

2. Take Charge of Your Own Writing Journey

Roald Dahl addresses how “you must have strong self-discipline. You are working alone. No one is employing you. No one is around to give you the sack if you don’t turn up for work, or tick you off if you start slacking.”

It is true that as writers, we must be entirely self motivated to accomplish our vision. If we slack off, the only person to hold us accountable is ourselves. In this way, the profession of writing differs greatly from other occupations. Before you can become a good writer that actually produces good work, you must exercise and master the act of self-discipline.

3. Don’t Be Afraid To People-Watch And Eavesdrop

Virginia Woolf advises writers to “observe strangers. Let your own version of their life story shoot through your head–how they got where they are now, where they might be going–and fill in the blanks for yourself.”

Go out into the public and become inspired by the people around you! Treat familiar places like something entirely novel.

For instance, on your daily commute, pretend it's your first time on a subway. Take in all the information in your surroundings, create different narratives about the people around you and what their life entails. As you gather this data and make these assumptions, you may just find yourself getting inspired.

4. Escape From All Distractions

Ray Bradbury once said that “you must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.” Meaning that to productively write you must enter this entrancing state where your concentration cannot be broken by external occurrences or thoughts.

Unfortunately, it is so easy to become overwhelmed and distracted by the pressures we face in our everyday lives. So much so, that it takes our focus away from the present moment. Thereby, when you find your thoughts drifting off, you must have the willpower to bring yourself back.

5. Don’t Try to Impress the Reader with Big Words

There is nothing worse than reading a piece of work that hides simple messages in complex, taxing phrases. Of course, that is quite dramatic, yet I cannot emphasize this enough. Unless each word is essential and conveys meaning, the extra jargon is entirely unnecessary.

Generally, readers are looking for a literary escape, rather than a test of their intelligence. So, as a general rule of thumb–be sincere and direct.

C.S. Lewis. gives a few notable examples:

• -  “Never use abstract nouns when concrete ones will do. If you mean ‘More people died’, don’t say ‘Mortality rose’.”

• -  “Don’t use adjectives which merely tell us how you want us to feel about the thing you are describing. I mean, instead of telling us a thing was ‘terrible’, describe it so that we’ll be terrified. Don’t say it was ‘delightful’; make us say ‘delightful’ when we’ve read the description. You see, all those words (horrifying, wonderful, hideous, and exquisite) are only like saying to your readers, “Please, will you do my job for me?”

6. Write With Passion

J.RR. Tolkien urges writers to “let your interests drive your writing”. Do not write about topics that you find bland. When you write about something that inspires you, it will feel effortless and natural.

Pause here and take a few moments to think about something that you love doing. Imagine yourself doing just that, and think about how it makes you feel in that moment.

Regardless of what you imagined, it should bring you a genuine sense of fulfillment and enjoyment. Oftentimes when we are doing such things, we lose track of everything else around us and time passes by at tremendous rates.

Consequently, when you are passionate about your writing, the content will come naturally to you; it should excite you.

7. Don’t Exclusively Focus on the End Goal; Take Things One Page at a Time

When you finally sit yourself down to work on a new piece, it is so easy to overwhelm yourself by thinking about how long it will take. I, myself, am quite guilty of this, for sometimes we are so focused on completing the final product and reaching our end goal that we forget to enjoy the process.

To avoid these dreadful thoughts, a change in perspective can be very helpful. John Steinbeck says that you should “abandon the idea that you are ever going to finish. Lose track of the 400 pages and write just one page for each day, it helps. Then when it gets finished you are always surprised.”

8. Write When You Feel Most Inspired

No one is forcing you, I hope, to work between the traditional hours of 9-5. Instead, you may wish to stay up late at night, like HP Lovecraft. He admired “when the objective world has slunk back into its cavern and left dreamers to their own, there come inspirations and capabilities impossible at any less magical and quiet hour. No one knows whether or not he is a writer unless he has tried writing at night.”

So, try writing at various times throughout the day/night, see what works best for you!

9. Writing Anything is Better Than Nothing

When athletes want to achieve faster times, the most important thing they must do is practice. This repetitive act of practicing a skill will undoubtedly bolster your performance. And writing is no different.

Katherine Mansfield reflects on how she “was always writing. [Stating that it was] twaddle. But better far write twaddle or anything, anything, than nothing at all.” You mustn’t have the expectation that you will become an amazing writer overnight. Just like athletes training, you must put in hours of hard work before you receive any recognition.

10. Exude Self-Confidence

Hillary Mantel claims the “most helpful quality a writer can cultivate is self-confidence –arrogance, if you can manage it. You write to impose yourself on the world, and you have to believe in your own ability when the world shows no sign of agreeing with you.”

Be proud of what you write and your accomplishments. Confidence bleeds into your work–if you believe in yourself, it will show.

While reading this list is only the first step, you’re already on your way to becoming a better writer! Now all you have to do is put it into action–that can’t be too difficult, right?

I hope that you close this tab feeling inspired and confident in your future as a writer. But before you do so, I would love to hear your thoughts! Let me know–have you previously received writing advice that impacted your process for the better? If so, what was it?

Written by Emily Nyikos

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Jony Studios is a content marketing agency specializing in B2B podcasting and audiobook services. They have worked with many clients, from startups to larger organizations such as Penguin Random House, Amazon, University of Waterloo, Freakonomics Radio, and many others.

11 B2B Sales Tips to Land More Clients

We often focus on B2C, but what about B2B? In a world where new businesses are constantly emerging, it’s important to know how to target these businesses to convert leads to sales and loyal customers.

To start landing more B2B clients you will need to find engaged leads that want to work with your company, a great way to start is by working with a B2B Podcast Partner that can handle the entire process for you, from finding your ideal client to network with as a podcast guest on your show, to building an audience of your ideal customer niche. They can help you host, manage, and create written SEO, audio, and video content from each episode to help grow your B2B business.

The decision-making process for purchasing a product differs significantly between individuals and businesses. B2C customers may act on impulse, influenced by friends, trends, and more. On the other hand, B2B customers involve various employees within a business, collaborating to make a decision based on a specific need and criteria. It's essential to distinguish between the two and apply the appropriate strategies to land clients.

Below we will cover 11 tips to help land B2B clients:

1) Existing Clientele

While cold calling and finding new prospects is a crucial part of B2B sales, focusing on your existing clientele is equally important. Your existing clients already have a relationship with you and prefer to leverage that connection rather than finding a new vendor. That is why nurturing these relationships is so important.

Make sure to keep in touch, check in with them, and see how you can continue to help them. You may have a new feature for existing products or entirely new offerings that could benefit them. By looking at existing customers, you eliminate the cost of acquiring new customers and can directly drive additional sales.

2) Conduct Research

The process for a B2B buyer is much more complex as purchasing decisions go through multiple individuals. This makes it crucial to research and understand your potential client thoroughly. It's not just about knowing who they are but also understanding what they're looking for.

A business will come to you because they have a problem to solve or a need to be filled. Delve deeper into their concerns, goals, and how you can assist them. By truly understanding the business and industry, you are better equipped to answer their questions and meet their needs, given that B2B clients are far more complex than B2C clients.

3) Build Long Lasting Relationships

People say that business isn’t personal, but in many ways, it is. Business relationships tend to be long lasting and are very important as companies prefer to work with trusted partners they know well. A business does not want to constantly change its supplier/business partner as it’ll disrupt the efficiency and flow of its operations. That is why cultivating genuine relationships is important, as it allows both parties to benefit mutually. Strong business connections can give you a competitive edge and help to secure loyal customers.

4) Be a Listener

Do not push the hard sell. This applies in many situations beyond B2B sales. Pushing too hard can make it seem like you’re willing to say anything to close the deal, even if it’s not entirely true. Rather, you should focus on building that relationship and having the right conversations.

You want to ask them thoughtful questions, listen to their answers, and incorporate personal touches in your conversation. This shows the customer that you have done your research, understand their business, and know exactly how your product can be integrated into their business to benefit them. By taking the time to listen rather than sell, you will gain even deeper insights into what they want and who they are. This information can be leveraged later to deepen that business relationship and serve as a basis for more effective future sales efforts.

5) Be Patient

B2B customers are not impulsive. They don’t just decide to buy something without going through the checklists and consulting numerous individuals. That is why you need to exercise patience and avoid pressuring a sale. Be understanding of the time the business needs to close the deal.

As we have said, B2B relationships tend to be long-lasting, so both parties will want to take the time before entering the relationship. If you push too hard for the business to make a decision, this will likely push them in the wrong direction. Instead, take the time to listen to them and answer any of their concerns to help them through the process.

6) Timely Responses

In B2B interactions, maintaining professionalism is crucial. Business clients usually have a problem that they need a solution to. They are diligent with their research, identifying possible companies that can help them.

Delays in your responses, whether for initial inquiries or follow-up communications, can discourage them from considering your business. Such delays can suggest a lack of professionalism and respect for their time, potentially leading them to choose a competitor who responds more promptly. Ensuring you quickly respond to potential customers shows you are serious, increasing the likelihood that they will work with you over those who have not responded.

7) Multiple Communication Channels

Finding B2B clients requires a well-diversified strategy. Relying solely on cold calling is unlikely to generate sufficient clients, as not all prospects will engage using these methods. Some may prefer email, call, social media, or other channels. By using multiple channels, you increase your exposure and potential to land a client.

Once you secure a client, it’s also beneficial to maintain multiple communication channels with them. It allows them to reach you in different ways they see fit. It also allows your outreach strategy to be seen in different outlets establishing a constant presence from your business.

8) Follow Up

Cold calling is a key component of B2B sales, used to reach new prospects you don’t already know. While there are various techniques for cold calling, it’s common to encounter a lack of response or interest initially. The key is to follow up.

Your email or call might have been missed, or the prospect might not have been interested at the time. Sometimes, it takes a little bit of persistence to establish yourself in that person’s mind and push them in the right direction. They might come to a point where they need your service, and if you follow up, they might just respond to you this time.

However, there is a fine balance between persistence and being overly pushy. Email is a great tool to follow up as the person doesn’t have to respond right away and can revisit your message. When following up, be sure to change up your message and add personalized touches. Generic, repeated messages tend to be impersonal and deter prospects away.

9) Sell Benefits, Not Features

As we’ve discussed, B2B customers seek solutions to their specific problems, which is why they turn to you. So, when selling your product, it makes sense to emphasize how your product will meet those needs. In other words, how would they benefit from your product or service?

Although this sounds simple, people tend to forget this and only highlight what the product does. For instance, instead of just mentioning a laptop’s dimensions, highlight how its sleek, compact design makes it easy to transport. Sometimes reviews or allowing the customer to demo the product is very helpful. It’s hard to deny the benefits once they see how the product works.

10) Leverage Competitors

B2B customers are all operating with different needs but they share a common goal: they want to be ahead of their competitors. Leverage this in your sales tactic. When chasing a prospect, do your research on their industry. Understand who their competitors are and make note of any that are your clients. By showing that their competitors are using your services, they will be more enticed as they don’t want to fall behind.

11) Track Performance

Just like with any other activity, you need to track performance. Looking at data and deriving insights can tell you what you are doing wrong. You might notice that one month you happened to drive many leads into sales whereas another month you did not.

By looking deeper into those months and the tactics used, you can identify what needs improvement, and what strategy to maintain. Without tracking data and performance, you will be wasting time and resources on strategies that are not yielding results.

Conclusion

With so many businesses on the market, it can be hard to stand out. Building those business relationships will give you a head start over those simply focused on numbers and outcomes. Get ready, build your strategy, and go win those clients.

Written by Kaitlin Duong

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Jony Studios is a content marketing agency specializing in B2B podcasting and audiobook services. They have worked with many clients, from startups to larger organizations such as Penguin Random House, Amazon, University of Waterloo, Freakonomics Radio, and many others.