So, you bought the piece of land, planted your vines and now produce a very nice range of wines.

You went big, so there’s enough to sell through your cellar door and at local markets. In fact, you’re producing so much you could supply a chain liquor store.

The choice here is marketing B2B or B2C.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN B2B AND B2C?

The B2B model involves one business marketing to another. In our scenario, this would be the vineyard
entering a supplier contract with, say, Dan Murphys.

B2C is business to consumer. If the wine maker chooses to forgo the chain store option and instead just open her cellar door and sell wine at markets and online, she’s selling direct to individual customers.

Online Influence has a foot in both camps. We market B2B, but many of our clients operate in the B2C space.

So, while we market ourselves to businesses, the wine we’re selling is strategies that connect our clients to their customers. You could say we’re an example of B2B2C!

ARE THERE DIFFERENT MARKETING RULES FOR B2B AND B2C?

Well, yes and no.

The golden rule for business success is to find and meet your customer’s needs. But there are differences depending on who that “customer” is.

With B2B, the customer or client is another business. Transactions or negotiations are less personal and more about cost, features and data.

B2B marketing also usually involves a longer transaction time. Here’s why.

The vineyard owner would need to prepare a business case, ensure she has every scrap of technical information and be prepared to nut out costs and logistics. Armed with this information, she would make contact with the company and wait for a response.

As you can imagine, it may take several attempts to connect with the company, and once contact is made she may need to work her way through several layers of authority before making a “sale” – or in this case, becoming a supplier to the store.

• With B2B the focus is on lots of data, logic and financial scrutiny.
• Because the B2B market involves more decision makers, the costs can be higher.
• It’s important to know, and be able to communicate, what your product or service does rather than what it means for another business.

With B2C your customer is usually an individual and a sale is based more on emotion and brand appeal.

A visitor to the cellar door will be influenced by their surroundings, the warmth of the host and the label on the bottle as much as what’s in it.

The transaction will be relatively fast – a few minutes at least, or possibly a week or so when they realise they should have bought a case instead of just two bottles.

• Your focus should be on the benefits of the product to the person in front of you – literally or digitally.
• B2C is more emotional and often about convenience – think great communication and a variety of distribution channels, in this case cellar door, markets, online orders and more.
• Keep your marketing short and simple – make it easy for the customer to know why they need your services or your product.

Of course, emotion and brand are key factors when marketing B2B as well. A strong connection is vital for any business success, but in the case of B2B you’ll need to back the emotion with facts.

WHERE DOES ONLINE ADVERTISING FIT?

The good news is, Google ads work well for both B2B and B2C. You just have to remember the golden rule and tailor your campaign to the customer and your specific business needs. As you can imagine, the way you pitch to another company is not the way you’d pitch to an online shopper.

Facebook ads generally work better in the B2C space – it’s a friendly, emotive platform after all – but, they can work well in the B2B space if customised to your ideal client. The Online Influence team can help you design a campaign for effective cut through.

And, whether you’re selling B2B or B2C, your website needs to be designed with user experience in mind. Again, the needs and habits of your potential client or customer are paramount. You can read more about hooking customers through a good online experience here.

NOT SURE WHAT’S RIGHT FOR YOU?

If you’re unsure of how to market your business, or even which business model to focus on, the Online Influence team has the insight and experience to help – we are B2B2C experts after all! Call us today to find out the best solution for you and your business.

It might sound like something from a science fiction novel, but Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic idea.

AI and its manifestations, machine learning and deep learning, already play a large role in our daily lives and in directing how and where we spend our money.

• Google uses AI to give you the search results you’re after.
• Machine learning helps Siri translate your speech and helps sort your emails.
• It’s machine learning that makes the ads relating to pages you’ve visited pop up in your Facebook timeline.
• AI adds the “smart” to your TV.
• Machine learning is built into most cars and deep learning will control the driverless cars of the future.
• Deep learning is what helps computers beat chess grandmasters at their own game.

What is AI and how does it work?

The theory of AI has been around since the 1950s. True machine learning surfaced in the 1980s and the related art of deep learning has really taken off in the last five years.

As its name suggests, artificial intelligence is about creating a machine that can make decisions and solve problems.

In the past, we programmed computers by giving rigid rules (algorithms) telling them step-by-step what to do or what to look for.

Machine learning combines more fluid algorithms with masses of data. This process allows the computer to “learn” or, more correctly, recognise patterns, predict outcomes and make informed decisions – “I think that email belongs in your junk folder” for example. What’s more, the program gets better with use.

Deep learning is the next step. It enhances and complements machine learning and is inspired by biology. Inside our brains are multi-layered neural networks. These layers work together to help us learn and make informed decisions. Deep learning uses artificial neural networks – lots and lots of them that are fed masses of information. This process helps the computer to “see”, to make the kinds of decisions we make and, for example, pick up cancer indicators in blood a human might miss.

What does AI mean in marketing terms?

There’s a whole lot of data flying round out there, the kind of data machine learning and deep learning systems thrive on. And there are many good reasons Google, Facebook and Microsoft are investing heavily in their own AI research and development.

Here’s one. By analysing just 10 of your likes on Facebook, an AI enhanced algorithm can evaluate your character better than a work colleague. After analysing 70 likes, the system picks up more subtleties than your friends, by 150 likes it’s more accurate than your parents and by 300 can give a clearer picture than your partner.

So, it’s easy to see how these smart algorithms, that get better with use, can pinpoint your buying and search habits, your hobbies and dislikes, even your colour preferences.

• Online searches are the number one way to connect with future customers, and AI exponentially improves the chances of the right connections being made.
• Google algorithms rely heavily on machine learning and Google AdWords also reap the rewards of the clear picture that emerges when AI is applied.
• AI is making market research faster and more efficient.
• Machine learning is a great way to predict and jump on trends.
• Big companies are using the information supplied by AI systems to constantly tweak their web content and ad campaigns.

Can AI enhance your business?

If you’ve got a website and are working with an SEO expert you’re already reaping the rewards of ongoing developments in AI as Google and other search engines continue to integrate more and more AI features into their systems.

You could also consider running a Google AdWord campaign as machine learning is what drives this highly targeted form of advertising. You can read more about why Google Adword gives you more bang for your buck here. The team at Online Influence has the knowledge and experience to run successful AdWord campaigns – which is why we’re a Google AdWord Partner.

Contact us to find out how we can help your business today.

 

When it comes to running successful Google AdWords campaigns, smaller agencies have a lot to offer. You don’t have to think big to get big results!

Google Ads focus on keywords. This targeted and tailored form of advertising is a great way to promote your business and win more leads. What’s more, with a Google AdWords campaign you can set a budget and you only pay when people click on your ad.

There are some good large agencies in the Google Ads field, but smaller agencies can often give more bang for your buck.

How? Think about the little guy on the football team. He’s quick on his feet and slips through spaces others miss. He has to be nimble, mentally and physically, to survive! He can’t rely on brute force, so he’s got to be smart, fast and creative in the way he plays the game.

Here’s 10 good reasons to think small for big Google Ad returns.

1. Small agencies have to be highly-skilled and dynamic
Smaller Google Partner businesses have to be smart and creative. At Online Influence, we have to think outside the square, be flexible and problem solve as we go – no need to wait for a response from another department, we are the other department!

2. True partners
Three members of our small team have studied for, sat and passed the rigorous Google exams that earnt Online Influence it’s Google Partner Badge. These are the staff members who look after our Google AdWord clients. However, that’s not always the case. A business only needs one qualified person to earn a badge. At a big agency, your account won’t necessarily be handled by a qualified Google expert.

3. Google Ads don’t fit the system
Big agencies, like all big businesses, have clearly delineated roles and systems in place. To get the best results from Google AdWords, you need a campaign that’s tailored to your business, not someone else’s, and you need a flexible expert on your side. At Online Influence we “customise not systemise”.

4. We won’t lock you in
At Online influence, we rely on great results to keep our clients happy. Because of their large overheads, most big agencies lock you into expensive contracts you just can’t get out of, even if the ads aren’t working.

5. Know what you’re paying for
Big agencies will often bundle your ad spend and management fee together, which means it can be hard to tell how much was actually spent on Google ads. At Online Influence our accounting is clear and transparent.

6. Reporting you can trust
Our reports are extracted from your Google account, not generated from a reporting system that leaves out critical data. They are true and accurate and give you the real picture, not just a bunch of facts and figures that make us look good.

7. Own your history
When you choose Online Influence, you choose the rights to your history. Big agencies often don’t give their clients access to their Google ad account. This means that if you leave, you lose all your valuable history.

8. Know, like, trust
With a small agency, the person who signs you up looks after you from start to finish. In larger agencies, your campaign is, more often than not, assigned to a junior (often unqualified) staff member you’ll never meet.

9. A double shot soy latte, right?
At Online Influence, we believe in personal service. We work hard to get to know you and your business. We don’t want the overview, we want the nitty gritty. This gives us a better understanding of what you need and the market you’re trying to target.

10. We’re a small business just like you
When you choose a smaller agency, like Online Influence, you’re choosing someone who understands your struggles and needs.

Google Advertising has some very awesome features that most advertisers are completely unaware of. If you already have a Google Advertising campaign running and are not taking advantage of these,you could be losing valuable leads and sales to your competition. The world of online advertising has changed, but sadly many ad agencies just aren’t aware of the numerous changes in Google Adwords (400 just in the last year).

1. Google forwarding phone number

Did you know that Google Advertising offers a free forwarding phone number that displays on your website? This makes attributing the calls from Google advertising so much more efficient and effective. How does it work?

 

• Whenever someone visits your website from your ad, they will see the Google phone number and they are “cookied”
• Every time they come back to your website they are shown that Google phone number again.

The reason this is so great is when they do call you (using this Google phone number) it gets counted as a conversion – and is attributed to the ad. We know that not everyone takes action immediately after visiting your website and we know they will often come back several times before they take action, previously there was no way of knowing if they had found you via your Google ad or not. Now we do and it’s a real game changer.

2. Google Advertising Re-marketing

This has been around for a while, you most probably have been re-marketed to but didn’t know it.

• Targeted banner ads can be shown to people who have previously visited your website
• You can choose to show different ads to them based on the pages they visited on your website
• These ads will “follow them around” the internet for pre-determined amount of time

It’s an extremely effective and cheap way to advertise to a very targeted group of potential customers. Another real game changer. 

3. Product Listing ads

Sometimes called Google shopping, Product listing ads are for advertisers with a shopping cart on their website.

• These ads show when someone searches for products on Google search
• Google extracts the information in your shopping cart and displays it at the top of the search results
• The ads are targeted to people who have the intention of buying – this is determined by the words they use in their search

Not many advertisers are taking advantage of this here in Australia (yet) so it’s not very competitive (yet) and is very cheap (for now).

Don’t miss the boat

The opportunities are huge. Is your business missing out on increased leads and sales? Find out more about Google Adwords here.