As a B2C marketing girl in a B2B world, I’d like to weigh in on the emergence of B2H (Business to Human) marketing. Quick back story – I work for a company that makes medical devices that are sold through physicians to patients. Our primary product is FDA-cleared for specific disease states. It’s pretty cool, and very B2B.
The product that I market, however, is a consumer wellness device, only available online to end consumers. This means we have a very small B2C team within the primarily B2B-minded company, a smaller voice to preach the importance B2C strategies and tactics to achieve our KPIs. This can be frustrating at times when aligning strategies and getting promotional materials approved.
But as different as the B-Team is from the C-Team, we have more in common than not. That’s where B2H enters the chat.
B2C, B2B, and now B2H
Business to Human (B2H) marketing is simply an approach used to target the individual behind the screen, focusing on the individual’s needs rather than just those of a customer segment or business. In other words, a crossover between Business to Business (B2B) and Business to Consumer (B2C). The tried-and-true strategies have remained consistent over time:
- B2B marketing strategies focus on building relationships and providing solutions tailored to business’ need. This involves providing value, and addressing pain points. Trust and credibility are key.
- B2C marketing strategies appeal to individual consumers, creating urgency, and offering convenience. Emotion and brand loyalty plays a big role in consumer decision-making. Consumers expect personalization and a positive experience in dealing with businesses.
Does that mean B2B targets don’t respond to emotion? And B2C targets don’t need trust or value? It’s hardly that simple. Let’s focus on what they have most in common: Humans, like you. Humans work at the companies other business are trying to reach, and humans buy product companies are trying to sell. The channels may differ, but we’re all human. Something that has been brought to light in a new and different way over the past 4 years.
The Pandemic Pivot
Back in March 2020, we were abruptly pulled from the status quo of marketing, and from life as we knew it. As we tracked the dark statistics by state, hoping we and our loved ones were safe, we felt the tug of humanity. We even watched videos of Italians in quarantine singing together from their balconies during their darkest time. We were moved.
As restrictions slowly lifted, we retrained ourselves to follow arrows on the floor in the grocery store, and sort of nodded to other masked shoppers and made light conversation about the availability of toilet paper, commiserating in the unreal. We were connected in our disconnect.
All of this changed us humans, and in many ways.
The Humility of Work-from-Home
As the #wfh life became the norm, the esteemed leader of commerce in the corner office was relegated to just the (lame) mom or dad in the corner of the living room making noise yet requiring silence. Humility. Same rang true for the “regular” workers without corner offices. It leveled the playing field to some degree, humanized us in a very real way.
As many companies moved away from paying for unused office spaces, the #wfh movement grew. After a couple years, the argument between remote work and back-to-office demands made a lot of noise. But for many remote companies, they couldn’t simply put the toothpaste back in the tube. As an attempt towards compromise, hybrid became a thing, and some companies do it better than others. End result, there are a lot us continuing to thrive in the work-from-home or hybrid life.
Isolation Impacts
Even introverts struggled during the most restrictive time of the pandemic. We felt so isolated from other humans. Social media took on a new level of necessity for connection. We talked to our dogs more, and I even made a video of my pack pretending they were suddenly being home schooled.
Doomscrolling became a thing as we struggled to connect in some way with the world around us. TikTok, gaming, curb-side take-out dining, and lots of online shopping contributed to a hollow level of self-sufficiency and connection. Zoom and other video conferencing tools took on a huge role, yet many still kept their cameras off.
We likely showered less, and rarely wore “hard pants.” Of course, the biggest disruption happened to our suddenly home-schooled kids during key development stages of their lives. Even pets adopted during the pandemic developed slower socially and tend to have more separation anxiety.
Human Expression
As social platforms perfected their algorithms (I’m looking at you, TikTok) and individuals felt a need to express themselves somehow, social media became the new water cooler. The creator community grew, and not just kids dancing on TikTok. Social platforms evolved to fit the needs of consumers and businesses alike, you know, for humans! I even wrote daily haiku’s and posted them on Instagram for over a year! Note: TikTok may be going through some growing pains in terms of mandatory divestiture, but a rock can’t stop a river.
It would be remiss to not mention AI here. As ChatGPT takes over, there’s a real opportunity for those who use it to their advantage – to do their job better. However, I believe there will always be a place for authentic voices who add a human perspective to the conversation. Original thought cannot be commoditized.
What Next?
While tried-and-true strategies for reaching businesses and consumers will likely remain intact, there is much that the B-Team and C-Teams can learn from each other. Perhaps a little human-to-human is in order here?
I recently started a weekly lunch & learn with my B2B marketing counterparts at work. Every Friday at noon we get together on zoom and watch a presentation from Social Media Marketing World conference earlier this year. After each session we share our thoughts, and found we learned much from each other’s point of view.
Business-to-Human is a wonderful opportunity to be mindful of who is behind the screen. Take a beat and remember humanity. We have a lot to learn from each other.