B2B & B2C Search Marketing Closer Than You Might Think
At every SES show, I hear from those involved with business-to-business marketing that they want more content on that topic. OK, I’ve got more planned for our
San Jose show this August. But the differences may not be as great as some people assume.
I’ve talked with a lot of attendees who raised “B2B” issues to me that I’ve found just as applicable to those running business-to-consumer sites. Similarly, I’ve read far
too many pitches to speak about B2B search marketing issues at SES that don’t hold up as being unique to B2B, when I review them.
That’s why reading The Shortest Distance from B to C from David
Berkowitz at MediaPost recently really resonated with me. He reflects on a B2C speaker being at a B2B breakfast and finds that the differences between the two may not be as
great as some assume. But there are some things that do stand out for B2Bers, in particular:
Of course, as Berkowitz points out, both of these points are valid to B2C, as well. Most purchases don’t happen immediately after a search, and many purchases take place
offline in the B2C world, as well (and see Most Conversions Happen Offline; You Need To Measure These! for
more on this).
Here are some additional points I find unique to B2B search marketing, having moderated a session on the topic recently:
Looking for more? Business to Business Forum covers presentations and tips out of our B2B session at
SES Chicago in December 2004. Search Engine Marketing Boosts ROI for B2B Sites covers the same session
from SES San Jose 2002. Creating Compelling Search Engine Ads and Landing Pages touches on landing
page issues for B2B versus B2C. B2B SEM: Sorting Ambiguous Traffic and
B2B Search Best Practices from ClickZ are both older articles with tips from Kevin Lee for the
B2Ber.