CHAPTER 7  THE B2B WEBSITE

further reading ...

The following links take you to content that supplements and updates this chapter of the book. Note that

I’ve included some articles that are a few years old  ... don't let their publication date put you off - they are

still relevant now. The most recent posts are at end of each section.


In the book I make the point that this subject is not popular - or sexy - and yet most marketers will work in a B2B environment. The lack of popularity is also reflected in articles about it [would you rather write about social media and influencers or wiring component lead times for just-in-time(JIT) manufactures?] - hence the shortages of links for this chapter. Ho Hum.


7.1 INTRODUCTION

Building on my comments above - take a look at  5 tactics to make your B2B content hit harder and stick longer  and then apply each of its tactics to the B2B organizations in the book's case studies. Are any of them relevant? Take the first tactic: 'Make your visuals reflect identity, lifestyle or status'. Really? This tactic is for B2C, not B2B.


I saw this headline: 'Brand is the decision in B2B, and AI decides first', with the sub-header of: 'AI forms brand perception upstream, long before buyers see your positioning. Consistent delivery across every touchpoint is now the differentiator'.

Hmmm, I thought, that would be good for this section of the website.

That was until I read the article. Like most B2B articles and stories in the digital marketing environment, it's about selling software. That should be in the title because - in my opinion - no other B2B market is the same as SaaS [software as a service]. Not only that, it is as close as you can get to B2C for a B2B market.
So, why so few examples of digital marketing in B2B? Perhaps it's because martech doesn't have that big a roll in B2B marketing? Oh, and no link to the article ... I didn't think my readers would gain anything from reading it.


As per my previous comment, I suspect that Why most B2B buying decisions happen on Day 1 – and what video has to do with it has its core in SaaS - or similar. Although I like some of the advice, I'm not sure how relevant it is to the majority of organizations - particularly SMEs.


7.2 B2B BUYER BEHAVIOUR


It is well worth reading

What Do B2B Buyers Want From Sellers, and Why Do They Go Elsewhere? because it makes clear some of the key differences between marketing B2B and B2C,


I have included How Long Do B2B Deals Take to Close? to show that B2B sales rarely happen at the click of a mouse [or tap of a screen] - so B2B websites are used for lead generation.


Although I’ve included Digital Sources Now Generate 40% of Leads for Professional Services Firms here, it could be in several other sections.


How B2B marketers can help sales overcome customer indecision offers nothing new to experienced B2B marketers ... but few [none?] reading this will be experienced B2B marketers.


Although the service being sold isn't typical of all B2B, What B2Bs Need to Know About Their Buyers applies to a much wiser range of products. The third paragraph [starting 'For example ...'] is particularly relevant.


AI tools are rewriting the B2B buying process in real time is yet another article which refers to B2B marketing as if the content applies to all B2B  - but it's only about SaaS, which is actually very different to other B2B products and services.


What B2B marketers can learn from Asia’s fast-evolving strategies ... from China’s mobile-first tools to Japan and India’s evolving practices, these shifts show how buyers react when messaging, data and culture converge.


I would have no problem with this article IF its title had been Marketing on Instagram: What you need to know. It offers some reasonable advice. However, its title is actually B2B marketing on Instagram: What you need to know. Which I think any reasonable person would read to be advice on marketing to other businesses on Instagram - and not to consumers [B2C]. I read the article because - with a very few exceptions - I'm sceptical about the use of social media for B2B. And when I read the article it is, effectively, about B2C - in particular stats used to enhance the story. For example, it says that 'Instagram is now part of social search in B2B' and that 'B2B buyers increasingly treat social platforms as search engines' and that '61% research their next purchase on the platform'. Now, I read that to mean that B2B buyers used social media in their job - but the 'evidence' was that 61% of people [which might include B2B buyers] used social media to research next purchases. Full stop. That is any personal purchase. The piece also says 'For B2B marketers in 2026, the question is no longer whether Instagram is relevant — it’s how to use it strategically'. I'm not so sure, and neither am I sure that this article offers much to change my mind. Take a look yourself - what do you think?



7.3 B2B WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT


Perhaps What Types of Videos Are B2B Buyers Watching? should be in the previous section – but I’ve put it here so that readers can compare these figures with those on the use of videos in the book.


What Do Visitors Want From Your B2B Website?


What Types of Content Generate Leads That Convert?


The title of How a website redesign drove 120+ leads and 1,400% more traffic for a B2B manufacturer suggests that the original site must have been truly awful [yes, they do exist] - but I do rather like the solutions, particularly as they are very similar to the what the solutions were 25 years ago [see chapter 5]. 


7.4 THE B2B E-COMMERCE WEBSITE


How digital is shaping customer experiences in B2B is about more than the B2B website - worth a read. Note, however, the article refers to B2B products that can be sold on a website as are retail products.


7.5 B2B E-MARKETPLACES


GO ONLINE *page 192* Some examples of B2B e-marketplaces


You should note the products listed in Amazon’s B2B Marketplace Dominates - it could almost be a list of consumer products.


A ‘mental shift’ in B2B commerce: Why marketplaces are thriving.