WEAVING B2B AND B2C MARKETING STRATEGIES by Jessie Eby, Senior Manager of Marketing, Scentsy, Inc.
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s you look at the many aspects of marketing models and how they come to life across various industries, it is especially intriguing how marketing operates within the direct selling business model. The relationship between a corporate marketing team and independent consultants (or business owners) blurs previously distinct marketing methodologies—B2B (business-to-business) and B2C (business-to-consumer)—into one interconnected, dynamic experience. The specifics of marketing within direct selling have morphed considerably over the last decade, driven in part by the rise of the digital age, but the end-consumer experience remains foundational to the whole existence of the product, the brand, and the business model. And the customer must continue to be at the core if the business model is to thrive moving forward. Conventional B2B vs. B2C vs. B2B2C Marketing You could make the argument that there is still a customer in both B2B and B2C marketing. But those customers tend to have different mindsets. Traditionally, B2B marketing focuses on more logical, process-driven purchasing decisions where relationships are key and detailed messaging related to matter-of-fact business decisions is important. Whitepapers and webinars abound.
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B2C marketing focuses more on emotions-driven purchasing where brand awareness is critical and the simplicity of hyper-relevant messaging aids in moving customers through a purchase funnel. Catchy storytelling often plays a bigger role when the relationship between the brand and the consumer is comparatively minimal to that of a B2B marketing relationship. It is also important to understand traditional B2B2C (business-to-business-to-consumer) marketing, which focuses on selling through distributors to the end-consumer. In this case, distributors don’t buy anything they don’t expect to be purchased by an end-consumer. As a result, it is critical that marketing focuses on creating demand in the marketplace for traditional distributors to even want to carry a product. Weaving a Unique Marketing Tapestry One of the most interesting marketing challenges is to find ways to take learnings and best practices from past experiences and weave together a unique tapestry of strategies to drive business goals in a direct selling business model. This helps to drive the global corporation forward and support small business owners in achieving their goals, however big or small they may be. The direct selling business model mashes these concepts together, forcing corporate marketing
