4 Things B2B eCommerce Companies Need to Know Do you want 73% of your customers to be willing to pay a price premium? How would you like to significantly increase your advertising, email, CTA, and overall sales conversion rates? If you want to know the secrets to speaking your customers' language, learn how to create content that builds a successful long-term relationship with potential clients, and the difference between B2B and B2C eCommerce marketing, read on. B2C Social Currency vs. B2B Business Currency Social currency, derived from Bourdieu's social capital theory, is the idea that an individual may increase their status in their social circle by sharing knowledge and information. In the business world, however, priorities are different. Influence is garnered in fundamentally contrastive ways, and one can almost make the claim that business currency, in terms of the individual, translates into tangible financial gains through the benefits of increased performance. The major distinction is in which types of information or knowledge are valuable for your B2B or B2C marketplace. B2B customers are more professional or business-focused, and as such desire knowledge and information that helps them stand out in the workplace. Information or content that helps B2B eCommerce customers generate new ideas, increase personal and workplace performance, save money, and gain new revenue are more likely to be valued, shared, and advocated by your prospects. Depth and expertise are key components to successful B2B content that grants business currency and eventually converts business to business eCommerce customers. According to a Nielsen report, brands with higher business currency see 73% of their customers willing to pay a price premium! The Logic of Emotion in B2B eCommerce Marketing ECommerce Marketers understand that various individual personalities respond differently to psychological triggers like excitement, anger, happiness, sadness, fear, gain, logic, and more. However, B2B eCommerce consumers purchase with a business mindset, and as such are not easily swayed by emotion-heavy messaging such as anger or sadness. Instead, business-to-business eCommerce prospects are focused more on product task orientation, logic, gain, and fear of loss. B2B consumers are driven less by personal satisfaction and personal security and more by trust and utility. Does the product solve their business problems? If so, how does it save them time and money? Your offer or content should make your prospect a rock star in their workplace because of what they gain or learn. B2B eCommerce Customers Want an Intimate Relationship The purchasing cycle for business-to-business customers is markedly longer than that of B2C marketplace platform consumers. This is because B2B customers seek a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship with their suppliers. Additionally, these business eCommerce customers spend more money and are thus held to a higher degree of accountability for the business purchasing contracts they choose to pursue. Because of this, B2B eCommerce organizations must spend more time on relationship nurturing rather than attempting to convert prospects into sales upon initial contact. Nurture marketing strategies must be implemented and these strategies should have, among other goals, a focus on developing trust with the prospect. As such, content that focuses on highlighting expertise and thought leadership will work best to coax prospects into a sale later on down the line. B2B Marketing Content: Niche, Useful, Detailed, and Lengthy A recurring theme in this article is building a B2B eCommerce brand that portrays a high level of expertise in their prospects' particular niche. Typically, B2C content is shorter, more high level, and focuses on sharability so that the prospect may garner social currency. Conversely, business-to-business content should be lengthy, containing technical specifics and statistics that convey positive reinforcement of your offering. This information should be useful when applied to other segments of your prospect's business as well. While this type of content may not result in an immediate sale, it does increase brand awareness and trust. If the targeted audience looks at your company content as a constant source of helpful resources, it follows that they are more likely to turn to your B2B eCommerce organization when they have a problem that your services or products solve. B2B eCommerce Marketing: Conclusion Your content should give prospects business currency, or the resources they need for success at the office. Appeal to business emotions like logic and fear of loss or simply your products utility and problem-solving abilities. Focus your marketing on nurturing long-term relationships before focusing on the sale. Your content should convey expertise in a specific niche.