Want to know what B2B2C is all about?

You clicked this article, of course you do.

tl;dr

Read time: 8min

B2B2C means Business to Business to Consumer.
There are two models:
- A two pointed sale, one to businesses and one to consumers.
- Selling to businesses that will then be selling to consumers.
The B2B2C model is found in E-Commerce, FinTech, online food ordering, real estate, grocery, recruitment, etc.
B2B2C marketing can be challenging because you are marketing to two sides, businesses and the users.
B2B2C marketing gives you skills in both B2B and B2C, which can lead to many opportunities for your career.
Smartpay B2B2C Marketing JD

B2B2C is not a new arena, but with new platforms emerging in fields like Fintech, E-Commerce, and Online Food Ordering, there has never been more demand for marketers with this skillsets.

Our client, Smartpay, is currently hiring for a marketing manager that can execute B2B2C campaigns, be sure to check the JD at the end of this article.

In this article, I will go into:

What B2B2C means
What B2B2C marketing is
The tasks performed by B2B2C Marketers
Requirements for getting a B2B2C marketing job
Challenges faced by B2B2C marketers
Career path of a B2B2C marketer

Let’s get into it.

What is B2B2C?

B2B2C means Business to Business to Consumer.

This can have two separate definitions, but let's start by looking at the individual parts:

B2B = business to business and B2C = business to consumer.

If you are not familiar with these terms, check out our previous article where I breakdown the skills needed for each.

B2B

B2B marketing is targeting businesses that you want to acquire as customers. B2B businesses will generally be selling software tools that are used to optimize business operations such as internal systems, budgeting, marketing ROI, etc.

These companies will be less known than the more public-facing B2C companies.

Examples of B2B businesses are AppsFlyer, Cisco, Databricks, Salesforce, the list goes on and on.

B2C

B2C marketing is focused on consumers. B2C companies will have end products that are used by people, not businesses.

Examples here would be companies like Colgate, Coca-Cola, Apple, and anything you have in your house.

Now that we have covered the two parts, let’s see how those combine to form the Voltron of B2B2C marketing.

B2B2C

B2B2C can have two meanings.

First is what I like to call the ‘Layers’ model, and the next is what I like to call the ‘Middle Man’ model.

In the Layers Model, you have two layers, a B2B layer and a B2C layer.

These are businesses that sell their product to other businesses that sell the product to the end consumers.

An example of the Layers B2B2C model would be pharmaceutical companies who sell their products to healthcare professionals (buyers), who then prescribe them to patients (consumers).

This model is not the main focus of this article, but if you are a marketer working in the Layer Model, here is a great article going over 3 tips for successful b2b2c marketing from Altitude Marketing.

For a more in-depth breakdown of the layers model, read this Forbes article about B2B2C Marketing.

The second type of B2B2C marketing is what I refer to as the Middle Man Model.

These are companies and platforms that need both businesses and consumers (users) on their platform in order to be successful.

An easy example is Wahl+Case and all of recruitment.

In recruitment, we have two sets of customers: clients (businesses) and candidates (consumers). Although clients are the ones who pay for our service, candidates are just as vital to our business.

So we need to attract both businesses and consumers, thus B2B2C.

Another example of this is our client Smartpay.

Smartpay is a FinTech platform that makes the paying experience seamless for the user (consumer) and drives more sales for the merchant (business). Without either of these customers, the business would not work.

This concept is not new, it exists in many industries you are familiar with; Real Estate, Online Delivery services, Grocery Stores. Even Amazon fits into this model.

What is new about this is the rate at which B2B2C companies can grow. If you are launching a B2B2C business now, you need to get partners onboarded fast to secure users.

This is where marketing comes in.

What is B2B2C Marketing?

B2B2C marketing is using the strategies of both B2B and B2C marketing to attract both businesses and consumers to your platform.

If you are a B2B2C marketer, you must effectively market to both users and partners to create an ecosystem that is a win-win for both parties.

A prime example of this would be Amazon. (no pun intended)

Amazon has to get and maintain relationships with sellers as well as obtain customers.

Amazon obtains sellers by providing incentives to sell on Amazon as well as marketing campaigns aimed at small businesses.

Amazon also has marketing activities targeted at consumers, to ensure that they are your first destination when you need to buy something.

So, what does this mean for marketers?

What Does a B2B2C Marketer do?

Working as a B2B2C marketer myself, I will break down some of the thinking behind our various activities here at Wahl+Case.

In B2B2C Marketing you get to develop both B2B and B2C marketing skills.

You will need to create separate customer profiles for your businesses and users, then find what works best for each of your target customers. Generally, the strategies used to execute these will be:

Digital Marketing

As with any marketing role you will need to have a strong digital skillset. You need to know what works in search ads, social advertising, and data analytics to drive the best ROI.

Digital Marketing includes more than paid channels. You need to set up and maintain your company website, landing pages, Google Mybusiness, and SEO.

All of the following skills could also fall under the umbrella of digital marketing, but I separated them out to give more details.

Content Marketing

One of the cornerstones of the inbound marketing methodology, popularized by Hubspot, is content marketing. You will need to create content that attracts, engages, and delights your target customers.

This article that you are currently reading is an example of the content marketing efforts that we use at Wahl+Case to attract people who are interested in working in the tech industry and maybe even in a B2B2C marketing role. (use this link to apply)

Social Media

No matter what your product is, you need to be on social. In fact, your Instagram page will basically function as your website.

Every channel you can be on, you should. Studying what works on each platform then generating content in those formats.

Often companies will undervalue social, which is a big mistake. It is the first place that many customers will interface with your brand and the first place people will go when they want to reach out.

Don’t make this mistake. Prioritize your social channels.

Influencer Marketing

Influencers are an obvious tool for B2C marketing, but they are an essential part of B2B2C marketing too.

Not only can you leverage influencers in your industry for B2B marketing, but if you think back to the layer model I mentioned earlier, B2B2C sales can be driven by these influencers or distributors.

In the middleman model as well, you want to create a strong brand that both sides can buy into. A key part of that will be finding the right ambassador or influencer to partner with.

Converting Leads to Sales

The last part of this skillset is converting the leads generated from your marketing efforts (MQLs) into sales qualified leads (SQLs). This means working closely with the sales functions in your company to engage with leads at the right time to ensure that they are not slipping through the cracks.

You will need to be vigilant in your tracking of customers who engage with your brand across all channels and make sure to approach them at the appropriate time with your sales team.

If you want to learn more about converting Marketing Qualified Leads into Sales Qualified Leads, read our tech sales funnel guide here.

So what does it take to be a B2B2C Marketing Manager?

B2B2C Marketer Requirements

These will vary between companies, but typical requirements include:

3 Years of Experience in Digital Marketing; 5 Years of Overall Marketing Experience
Bachelor’s Degree
Copywriting Skillset
Content Creation Skillset
Project Management experience
Data Analysis Skillset

B2B2C Career Path

Being a B2B2C marketer gives you the skills to move towards B2B or B2C, or advance as a B2B2C marketer.

You can also move to be a marketing leader at companies that have complex product offerings, such as Google, Facebook, and Amazon.

Some of these titles would be:

CMO
Digital Marketing Director
CRM Marketing Manager
Marketing Manager

Really any marketing-focused role would be a good fit because of the broad experience you gain when marketing to both B2B and B2C channels.

Conclusion

In creating this article I came to realize that this topic is complex because of how big companies have gotten. Amazon for example has business lines that fit into all of these categories, with AWS and Amazon Business selling to Businesses, Amazon E-Commerce selling B2C with their Amazon Basics and original products, and Amazon E-Commerce operating as a B2B2C platform for third-party vendors to sell their products to consumers.

This is an exciting time to develop the versatile skill set of a B2B2C marketer.

Want to learn more?

Check out the JD below to apply to the Smartpay position!