B2B and B2C Marketing
Brandi
University of Phoenix
B2B and B2C Marketing
“International Data Corp. estimates that U.S.-based B2B e-commerce transactions will surpass $650 billion by 2008 and $1trillion worldwide, representing a compound annual growth rate of 52 percent.”(Harris, 2006) Marketing is large part of commerce in today’s world no matter if it is land based or as e-commerce. In the 21st century, e-business has essentially become a way of life for people to shop. The businesses that participate in the e-business strategies must consistently be aware of competition and what features they can offer to bring in loyal customers. Many of these companies have land based stores as well, and are trying to conquer the world of e-business as a way of becoming an industry leader. In this analysis, the differences in marketing between B2B and B2C websites will be noted with specific examples available from www.statefarm.com and www.b2b.statefarm.com. Also explained will be how each approach effectively reaches its target market while contributing to the company’s overall e-business strategy at the same time.
B2B Marketing
B2B means business to business. In the case of marketing, we are looking at a website that offers their services for other businesses to take advantage of. Specifically, we are looking at www.b2b.statefarm.com. State Farm is an insurance company that has policies available for a wide range of subjects including auto, home, life, and health insurance. According to www.b2b.statefarm.com “the Business-to-Business Portal (B2B) is a website portal for businesses to conduct business with State Farm electronically.” (2006) In other words, other businesses conduct transactions through State Farm to be able to offer the health insurance and life insurance to their employees.
B2B marketing is about building relationships. Fundamentally, marketing for B2B and B2C is the same; they both include events, direct marketing, internet marketing,...