Marketing isn’t the same as it once was a few years ago. Things have changed drastically, which is okay. In previous decades, marketing, in most cases, wasn’t an independent entity. Firms had to identify themselves as B2B or B2C. This made all the difference. The primary focus of B2B was to generate leads while B2C was all about brand promotion via paid media and product pushing.
Over time, the lines between B2B and B2C marketing have become so blurred, and the two strategies are barely recognizable in today’s market. It’s almost like the two have flipped roles. B2C marketing is now concerned with measurements and conversion rates while B2B heavily relies on messaging and branding to engage buyer personas, but it’s hard to tell them apart.
Welcome To the New Age
The advent of the internet age has made the two converge so quickly- it’s like we are course correcting. The fact is, even though the two strategies began differently, B2B and B2C marketing are on the verge of becoming one and the same. As consumers, our shopping experiences are becoming more and more personalized — online shops use customized product recommendation — and helping has become the new selling.
It doesn’t matter which role we are playing (business or consumer), when we shop, instead of being sold to, we want to be helped. People buy from people, not businesses.
A New Marketing Approach
B2H or business to human marketing approach is a new authentic technique that focuses on establishing a more personal relationship with the consumers. This comes in the light of technological inventions devised to reduce human interaction through automation. Think of machine learning, bots, and other forms of artificial intelligence.
Business to human marketing is the opposite of what everyone is asking for in a world plagued by on-demand decision making and short attention spans. It is the contrarian approach. It’s practically impossible to automate authentic relationships. Business to human marketing focuses on personalizing customer experiences with authenticity and empathy. B2H adds value to the customer’s experience at every touch point.
Conforming To the New Standard
B2B and B2C companies focus on selling. Their primary concern is how to increase sales by asking themselves what the customers are more likely to buy. B2H, on the other hand, focusses on establishing the consumer’s needs. Instead of asking the question ‘what will they buy?’ business to human marketing asks ‘what are your problems?’ and builds on that.
The outcome of business to human marketing is bona fide and remarkable. It’s a delicate balance of gaining trust from the delivery of valuable and meaningful information to your customer, being helpful in their unique situations, being empathetic to their needs, and just being knowledgeable about them and their needs. Humanize your brand from the inside out.
Take Advantage of Available Technology
But how does a business do that? Business to business brands must become smarter when choosing their distribution partners and defining their target audience. They can use web scraping services to customize their data and expand their reach. But the process of rolling out B2H marketing approach starts with the employees. Find a way to reward them for their daily activities in real time. Major CRM platforms like Siebel, Salesforce, and Oracle Fusion provide ways to reward sales representatives in real time for the use of right sales behaviours.
Create an entire brand based on authenticity. Empower the company to embrace a business to human mindset. Engage your employees in the full experience of the company. As a business, ensure that you take the necessary measures to ensure that the B2H revolution doesn’t catch you off-guard.