Some web designers and even some marketing agencies believe that there’s no fundamental difference (let alone a whole bunch of them) between a B2C website and a B2B website. To say that these people are wrong is a gross understatement.
Whacking a wasp’s nest with a baseball bat is wrong. Going against a waitress’s dire warning and ordering the super-ultra-suicide sauce for your chicken wings is wrong. And licking a pole in winter to see if it’ll actually stick? Yes, you guessed it: wrong!
However, thinking that the only difference between a B2C website and a B2B website is the letters C and B is egregiously erroneous. That’s not to say that one is more important, valuable or easier/harder to craft than the other — because that’s not the case. But they aren’t the same thing, and they don’t have the same jobs to do.
We’ll explore the do’s and don’ts of B2C websites in a future article. For now, because the need is far greater (read: the mistakes and errors abound), here are 8 B2B best practices to profit by:
1. Establish brand differentiators quickly — and often.
B2B websites can’t bury what they’re known for and best at on some back page. This messaging obviously must be on the home page, and then strategically added to all main and supporting pages (yes, even the contact and 404 error pages) to reinforce key brand differentiators.
2. Target Buyer Personas
B2B websites need to identify and target buyer personas, who may not necessarily be in charge of making a purchase decision, but are influential members of the deal team. One-size-fits-all messaging never fits anyone.
3. Use Content Get Prospects to Dive Deeper
While plenty of great content is obviously important for B2C websites, it’s absolutely essential for B2B websites because prospects are conducting research and evaluating the brand. If they run out of relevant, compelling content (e.g. blog posts, case studies, web copy, FAQs, etc.) before they get a confident sense that they’re engaging the right vendor or service provider, they’ll bounce away and never return.
4. Provide Assets to Build Relationships
Getting on a B2B prospect’s radar screen is hard. Staying on it is even harder. Assets such as ebooks, white papers, reports, checklists, and so on are practical and effective ways to spark a relationship that endures after the website visit is over.
5. Great UX is Essential
While B2C prospects certainly don’t want to plod through a website trying to find which way to go, they’re paragons of tolerance compared to B2B prospects who will leave a website within seconds if the usability isn’t intuitive, and there’s no clear path to the information and content they want. Remember: B2B prospects are on-the-job (even if they’re surfing from home or on the weekend). They literally can’t afford to waste time trying to find menus, search boxes, etc.
6. Be Personal — but Professional
One of the most important — and also the most elusive — balancing acts that all successful B2B websites achieve is that they’re personal and engaging, but at the same, they convey and maintain an appropriate level of sophistication and professionalism. If there’s an imbalance towards the former, the business comes across as amateur and desperate. If there’s an imbalance towards the latter, the business comes across as cold and disinterested.
7. Looks Matter.
B2B prospects are looking for information and gathering facts. But they aren’t computers. They’re people who are very aware of excellent production values (e.g. graphic design, information design, etc.) when they see it. Of course, they’re just as aware of lousy production values. The moral to this story: if a B2B website looks like it was put together by a high school student, then it’s a liability rather than an asset. Oh, and it goes without saying — but we’ll say it anyway — that a B2B website has to load fast, and look flawless across devices and browsers.
8. Don’t Forget Social Proof
Last but not least: B2B prospects are just as interested in social proof as B2C prospects; and sometimes even more. As such, give ‘em what they came for by showcasing testimonials, reviews, case studies, customer videos, and so on. Remember to push these out through social media channels as well, as they make great content.
Learn More
To learn more about ensuring that your B2B website is firing on all cylinders — and is a profitable asset rather than a costly liability — contact the Leap Clixx team today. Your consultation with us is free.
For more information on how to turn your website into a lead generation machine, download our FREE eBook:
Topics: Inbound Marketing
