Forget B2B and B2C – Business to People

For decades we’ve operated with a mentality of two separate marketing worlds, B2B and B2C. It’s another one of those things that’s ingrained in us, but that’s ripe for upheaval and disruption. 

Consolidate B2B and B2C into B2P (Business to People). Business is about people.

Marketers traditionally think of themselves as targeting either businesses or consumers. Books and blogs vie to tell us how to succeed in either of these schools of thought. We can turn to experts, resources and companies based on their reputation for executing one or the other, but then we might miss out on the opportunities today’s technology offers us.

We should be more excited than ever about the current opportunities to connect with potential customers in new ways, driven by tech.

There is no more B2B or B2C. It's H2H: Human to Human.

It used to be that marketing was segmented into two categories; business-to-business (B2B) or business-to-consumer (B2C). This was done to separate specialties, audiences and segments in an effort to more highly target the groups of people who ultimately would consume a brand’s message.

Communication shouldn’t be complicated. It should just be genuine and simple, with the humility and understanding that we’re all multi-dimensional humans, everyone of which has spent time in both the dark and delightful parts of life.

Business is about People. Businesses do not have emotion. People do. People want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. People want to feel something. People are also humans.

What’s “B2P Marketing”?

It’s the recognition that businesses aren’t buying what you’re trying to sell. Individual decision makers, people, inside those businesses are buying what you’re trying to sell (or not), making judgment calls on behalf of their companies.

B2C Marketing is aimed at consumers making purchasing decisions primarily around simple products for personal use. B2B Marketing boils down to getting leads, and there’s plenty being written these days about B2B content marketing for achieving just that. 

B2P Marketing “gets” that human decision makers and influencers drive both.

It’s no surprise emotions and perceived relationships with brands influence product & service recommendations. Be aware corporate decision makers and influencers are entrusted with major investment choices, so the perceived relationship will factor greatly in their willingness to recommend you and be your inside advocate.

People Do Business With People They Like

People ultimately choose to do business with people they like, and everyone likes someone who appreciates them. People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel. The most powerful tool you have in creating success in your life is to appreciate other people. When you appreciate others you will find that your relationships are stronger, your circle of friends will grow wider, your career and business will succeed beyond your expectations, and your life will simply be happier.

Why Does “B2P Marketing” Matter More Now?

With the rise of social and engagement, it’s become increasingly obvious we’re all targeting people. 

Ghostwriter Paul "Pablo" Croubalian believes beBee understands that business is about people and credits the service with providing the deepest engagement with potential clients, often through a shared love of food.

“Certainly it provides way more engagement than all other sites that I am on,” he says. “I recently earned a contract with a multinational with offices in North America, Europe and Asia. That is a substantial amount of business for me, worth about $150,000 over the next nine months or so.”
Paul Croubalian on The Guardian

Keys to B2P Marketing Success

Continuously Offer Content of Value:
Content is created every day and of every kind people gravitate towards – repeatedly! Yes, as marketers, we’re trying to sell. But those with whom we communicate will find real value if we primarily educate and inform so they can be better at what they do.

Have a Clear Brand Voice:The impersonal “one to many” communications on most corporate websites often fall flat. Crafting content as if you were writing personally to a professional colleague help your messages sound more genuine. beBee is about deeper professional relationships. beBee believes in genuine connections. That is the best way to succeed.

Engage in Ongoing Customer Dialogue:
Social offers a two-way dialogue, complete with the ability to see, comment, share…positively and negatively.

Provide Support that Helps End Users:
“Businesses” don’t call your customer support, people do. They’re reaching out to your account managers or combing through your “help” materials. What kind of human experience are they having? Individuals lose precious time when they have issues with their purchase from you. Keep your support info updated and easy to find. Making customers input search terms that surface mostly irrelevant results from a massive online catalog will rarely get you rave reviews.

So B2B and B2C, welcome the B2P concept, marketing with a keen awareness that real people drive decisions and effectively managing social relationships with them is critical.

Whether it involves swiping right to arrange a coffee with a nearby contact or striking up a chat about a shared passion with a potential new business partner, beBee - a new generation of networking platform - is making it simpler to do something productive and more human (powerful connections) – rather than just building a huge list of contacts you are unlikely to ever meet.

beBee encourages you to create deeper connections

We encourage you to employ this strategy when creating a connection with others. It might seem frightening at first—that is the reason why many professionals want to keep separate personal & professional profiles—but it will help you open up and allow you to create a different kind of connection with someone: a deep, lasting connection.

With an integrated personal and professional profile, you can connect with people based on shared hobbies, passions or interests. Not only does this help start the conversation, you may also find you develop a stronger, more successful business relationships by being able to bond over something outside of office talk.

Remember this: Business is about People.