How you market depends on what you are selling.
Seems sensible, right?
Yet, time and again, I meet people in professional services marketing as if they were selling a product.
Let’s look at this more closely and compare how dish soap is marketed to a B2B service.
Product Marketing Versus B2B Services Marketing
Here are seven key differences in strategy and approach.
Target Audience
Dish soap is marketed to individual consumers, focusing on household needs and preferences. In contrast, B2B professional services are marketed to businesses, which involves understanding entire organizations’ needs, challenges, and decision-making processes.
Marketing Channels
Consumer products like dish soap often use mass marketing channels such as TV, radio, and online platforms for broad audiences. To reach specific professional audiences, B2B services use more targeted channels like LinkedIn, industry publications, and trade shows.
Sales Cycle
The sales cycle for dish soap is typically short, with consumers making quick decisions. B2B services marketing has a longer sales cycle, often involving multiple touchpoints, detailed proposals, and lengthy deliberation processes.
Emotional vs. Rational Appeal
Dish soap marketing often leverages emotional appeal, focusing on the brand image and lifestyle aspirations. B2B services rely more on rational appeal, emphasizing ROI, value, efficiency, and the expertise they bring to a business.
Content Complexity
The marketing content for dish soap is usually straightforward, highlighting the product’s benefits, scent, or cleaning efficiency. In contrast, B2B services marketing requires in-depth content, often including case studies, whitepapers, and technical specifications to demonstrate value and expertise.
Customer Relationship
For consumer products like dish soap, the brand-customer relationship is often transactional. In B2B marketing, the relationship is more complex and long-term, involving ongoing engagement, support, and consultation. In other words, relationships.
Pricing and Value Proposition
Dish soap is typically a low-cost item with a simple value proposition. B2B services are usually more expensive and require a detailed explanation of the value, showing how the service can impact the client’s business operations or bottom line.
Understanding these differences is crucial for marketers to tailor their strategies effectively to the specific product or service they are promoting.