Are your current business solutions a right fit for your current profit model?
Business-to-business customers are
not the same as typical consumers. These two demographics follow different customer journeys, requiring different
sales funnels, content strategies, communication methods, etc.
For example, Instagram may not be
the best place to generate plumbing business leads for your home services
marketing company. However, Facebook, Angie's List, Google, and other local
online directories are more practical solutions to this problem.
Understanding who a B2B customer is
(and isn't) goes a long way. Now, go the extra mile with these B2B eCommerce
solutions for your dream business!
Choose
a Reliable B2B Website Platform
Every business needs a trustworthy
website. In many cases, small business owners don't need a retail space
operating from their website inside their homes. However, you need a website
that can handle your growth ambitions.
One of the biggest mistakes
eCommerce entrepreneurs make is not designing for scale. If you're planning on
expanding your business quickly, expect your responsibilities to grow. Expect
more inventory, increased web traffic, and a rise in customer support emails;
is your website equipped to handle such growth?
Most small business owners use
online web builders to build their sites. These tools have improved tremendously,
allowing people with no web design experience to create unique professional
websites. However, web builders may not have the hosting capacity to support
your dreams.
Web builders like Wordpress.com,
GoDaddy, and Shopify, use shared servers to host websites built on their
platforms.
Pros include:
- Maintained website security
- Tech support
- Affordable hosting
Since the company itself hosts these
sites, you're less vulnerable to cyberattacks than self-hosted sites. If you
build and install your server, you'll need to pay for a reliable web security
solution. Therefore, you may want to start with a dedicated web builder,
especially if you're a solo business owner selling limited products.
The good news is you can build your
website on a web building platform and move it to a dedicated server if you
wish. Platforms like WordPress allow users to export and backup websites.
Keep
Your Team Connected With B2B Ecommerce Solutions
Cloud-based B2B solutions also
connect team members from across the globe!
Today's project management apps
consolidate email, voice conferencing, work meetings, document editing, and
more critical tasks into one tool. Human resources managers can also conduct
new hire orientations through these platforms.
Such tools allow for powerful (and organized)
collaboration. Feedback-heavy project management frameworks like Agile depend
on PM apps like Slack to quickly streamline projects, giving each step its
proper attention. Plus, managers enjoy more organized documentation and
searchable project notes.
Team members also need tools that
enable the following tasks efficiently:
- Clocking into work remotely
- Accurate product scanners
- Product purchasing apps
- Gas mileage tracking
- Employee time tracking
- Support ticketing
If you run a fleet or another
business that uses independent contractors, notice how apps like OrderTaker let
contractors claim and log jobs quickly from their smartphones.
Keep
Following B2B Ecommerce Trends
To stay ahead of your competition,
you have to keep up with the latest B2B eCommerce solutions. Remember these
tips as you reassess your current strategy.
The blog is also packed with ideas
and inspiration for upcoming projects.
