Marketing Strategies for the Most Common Business Models

The best marketing strategies communicate effectively to the intended audience and match their expectations. Consumers, companies, and the government each receive and process marketing differently. Getting a good return on your marketing investment requires knowing the best tactics for each.

The four most common business models are:

• Business to business (B2B)
• Business to government (B2G)
• Business to consumer (B2C)
• Consumer to consumer (C2C)

For each business model, we’ve suggested a customized strategy of digital marketing tactics to consider in 2020:

B2B Digital Marketing Strategies

B2B marketing refers to all marketing efforts targeting other businesses or organizations. Companies prioritize return on investment and want to know how your product or service will improve their process or profitability.

For example, Shopify invited brick-and-mortar business owners online with their “Let’s Make You a Business” campaign. Shopify promoted the campaign through multiple channels, from billboards to videos to social media postings. This omnichannel strategy fueled the campaign’s success.

Crucial B2B digital marketing tactics to highlight in 2020 are:

Content marketing

Content continues to be the least costly way to win top rankings on search engines. As part of researching new products and services, B2B buyers make up to 12 searches online and  62% of buyers say they decide what to buy based on content alone. Quality content positions your company as an expert in the field and starts the sales process before the first contact.

Mobile optimization

Google has found that 50% of B2B searches are on mobile devices — and that number keeps growing.

Account-based marketing (ABM)

ABM helps marketing teams create targeted messaging. They take what they know about the customer and then tailor the message, tone, and design to that specific audience’s preferences.

B2G Digital Marketing Strategies

B2G refers to businesses that sell products or services to governments or government agencies. For example, an engineering firm that designs for public works utilities or a specialty supplier.

B2G marketing challenges include a long acquisition cycle and complex government regulations and restrictions. Winning B2G businesses is often the result of a bidding process, and companies with prior government experience tend to receive priority.

PAE is a REQ client. They are an American defense and government services contractor and an excellent example of B2G.

After completing our research, REQ positioned PAE as a steadfast partner with a legacy of delivering precise results. Our content strategy articulated the company’s reliability and we refreshed their logo and modernized the visual system.

To put PAE in front of its most important customer — the United States government — we coordinated a “Metro Takeover.” By outfitting the Pentagon Metro station with PAE advertisements, we generated over 541,000 impressions in a four-week period.

Crucial marketing tactics to highlight in 2020 are:

Make sure your website projects your brand strategy and positioning

Making inroads into government contracts is a long-term proposition. Your website should present your company as a steady, reliable provider.

Build trust and credibility

Spend time with decision-makers to share your company’s advantages, compile compelling case studies, or visibly contribute to the community.

B2C Digital Marketing Strategies

Any company selling products or services to consumers is direct to consumer, or B2C. Over the past two decades, the digital marketplace has transformed B2C marketing, offering automation and personalization levels previously unimagined.

VitaCup engaged REQ to decrease cost per acquisition, increase conversion rate, and increase the overall revenue of their new Keurig® compatible, vitamin-infused coffee and tea brand.

REQ leveraged VitaCup’s digital marketing by:

• Testing new ads on Facebook every 72 hours created from 100 different custom audiences
• Identifying strategic affiliate networks and partners
• Working with VitaCup to develop a paid media strategy, targeting customers at every stage of the digital marketing funnel
• Leveraging heat mapping analyses, click tracking, and presell pages

Results from our campaign included:

• Revenue goals exceeded by 900%
• 20% lower CPA than the initial target
• 39% repeat purchase rate
• 5.5% site conversion rate

The cost-per-sale performance model VitaCup and REQ set up with their affiliate networks now drives nearly 40% of VitaCup’s sales.

Crucial marketing tactics to highlight in 2020 are:

Expand your digital presence

Digital marketing enables you to reach deep into target markets and spread the word about your business. Stay active across multiple platforms. Share every relevant image, video, and blog post to drive traffic and build your brand’s visibility.

Paid media prospecting

Paid online advertising helps businesses build a new audience and gain traction quickly. You can test and compare campaigns and use data from paid advertising to refine your marketing strategy.

C2C Digital Marketing Strategies

Craigslist, eBay, and Etsy are well-known examples of C2C commerce platforms that allow consumers to sell goods online. In the U.S., C2C sales exceed B2B online sales.

Jen Thomas, the owner of Smudgy Monkey Gifts & Accessories, started her career on eBay when her husband was laid off and looking for work. At first, she only intended to fill the income gap.

By identifying niche products that were trending, Jen’s business grew each year. Today, Jen sells on her company website in addition to eBay. She credits eBay as her most successful marketing tactic to date.

Crucial marketing tactics to highlight in 2020 are:

Include quality images and optimized descriptions in every listing

In C2C commerce, bright, professional images reassure buyers of the quality and condition of the product they are buying. By writing complete descriptions for each listing and including relevant keywords, you help the search engines connect you with buyers on the hunt.

Vlogging

Video is both popular and great for SEO. Vlogging creates a personal relationship between the vlogger and the audience. It’s an opportunity to share background on the products, personal experiences, success stories, and breaking news.

Conclusion

The digital marketing world is full of opportunities. New platforms emerge monthly, and avenues to reach customers are multiplying.

However, across all platforms, the strongest marketing strategies that communicate effectively are the ones with a carefully defined target audience.