B2B Marketing FAQ

Austin Shong

Looking for the lowdown on B2B marketing? Wondering if B2B marketing is more complicated than B2C marketing?

You’re in the right place!

In this B2B marketing FAQ, you’ll find the answer to those questions, and more, as the Loomly Team answers all your questions.



What does B2B mean?

B2B is short for business-to-business, and refers to brands whose target market is other brands.

B2B brands promote their products, services, or information to other brands with a focus on helping them succeed with a particular aspect of their business.

For example:

Loomly is a B2B company because our brand success tool helps brands create and share their corporate communications effectively.


What is B2B marketing?

B2B marketing refers to the marketing of products or services to other businesses and organizations. It holds several key distinctions from B2C marketing, which focuses on consumers.

In a broad sense, B2B marketing content tends to be more informational and straightforward than B2C because business buying decisions are based more on return on investment (ROI).


Is B2B marketing harder than B2C marketing?

B2B marketing isn’t necessarily more difficult than B2C marketing, but it does require a different approach. Since the nature of the B2B audience and buyer journey demands patience, you could say it’s more challenging.

The five critical differences between B2C & B2B marketing are:

  • Buyer motivation: Emotionally driven vs value-driven
  • Length of the buyer journey
  • Complexity of the marketing effort
  • Tone and messaging
  • Relationship-building

How is B2B marketing different from B2C marketing?

Ten key factors make B2B marketing different from B2C marketing:

  1. B2B markets have a more complex decision-making unit.
  2. B2B buyers are more “rational”.
  3. B2B products are often more complex.
  4. B2B companies have a limited number of customers.
  5. B2B markets have fewer behavioral and needs-based segments.
  6. Personal relationships are more important in B2B markets.
  7. B2B buyers are longer-term buyers.
  8. B2B markets drive innovation less than consumer markets.
  9. Consumer markets rely far more on packaging.
  10. Sub-brands are less effective in B2B markets.

What are the benefits of B2B marketing automation?

Here are ten key benefits of B2B marketing automation:

  1. Identify more sales opportunities.
  2. Convert more leads by nurturing them on autopilot.
  3. Create a better end-to-end customer experience.
  4. Increase customer lifetime value.
  5. Reduce customer churn.
  6. Make marketing more accountable.
  7. Improve marketing return on investment (ROI).
  8. Make your marketing scalable.
  9. Bring science, structure, and process to the art of marketing.
  10. Give your marketing team a competitive toolkit.

What are the pillars of B2B marketing?

The 16 pillars of B2B marketing are:


What are the best B2B brands?

Storytelling has enabled tech companies to show their personality, make software human, and bring data to life. It makes a connection, and it’s powerful.

Here are the best B2B brands that are making us listen:

  • New Relic
  • Google
  • Salesforce
  • Sprout (from HP)
  • Invision
  • Workday
  • GE
  • Cisco
  • Hubspot
  • Intel
  • Fullscreen
  • Skype
  • Kickstarter
  • IBM
  • Qualcomm

What are the best B2B marketing tools?

Below are the best B2B marketing software tools for eight everyday use cases:

  1. B2B Lead Generation and Nurturing Tools
  2. B2B Email Marketing Software
  3. B2B Content Marketing and SEO Tools
  4. B2B Marketing Automation Tools
  5. B2B Marketing Attribution Platforms
  6. B2B Social Media Management Software
  7. B2B Marketing Analytics Tools
  8. B2B Account-Based Marketing Software

B2B Lead Generation and Nurturing Software

  • Leadfeeder
  • Act-On
  • LeadSquared
  • Leadpages
  • SharpSpring
  • Sumo
  • Autopilot

B2B Email Marketing Software

  • Outfunnel
  • ActiveCampaign
  • io
  • Constant Contact
  • Litmus

B2B Content Marketing and SEO Software

  • Moz
  • Ahrefs
  • BuzzSumo
  • Yoast
  • Clearscope
  • SEMrush
  • Google Search Console

B2B Marketing Automation Software

  • Marketo
  • Eloqua
  • HubSpot
  • Pardot
  • Mailchimp

B2B Marketing Attribution Software

  • Nielsen Marketing Attribution
  • Google Attribution
  • Neustar Marketshare
  • Ruler Analytics

B2B Social Media Software

  • Loomly
  • Hootsuite
  • Buffer
  • CoSchedule
  • Sprout Social
  • Mention

B2B Marketing Analytics Software

  • Google Analytics
  • Tableau
  • Kissmetrics
  • Mixpanel
  • Chartbeat

B2B Account-Based Marketing Software

  • Metadata.io
  • DataFox
  • Owler
  • Celsius International
  • Triblio

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B2B Marketing in a Nutshell

Use the tips, tools, and strategies in this guide to make your B2B marketing successful.

Loomly is the Brand Success Platform that helps marketing teams streamline collaboration: start your 15-day free trial now.