Role of B2B Sites

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Natasha is an avid web surfer. Her favorite sites include yahoo, msn, e.bay, BBC and CNN. Many a time, you will notice her shifting from one tab to the other. Natasha terms the Internet as ‘an excellent source of information’.

Jack is also an avid web surfer. Coincidentally, even Jack states that the Internet is a treasure trove of information. When the topic shifts to ‘favorite sites’, Jack lists tootoo.com ,VNUnet.com, techworld.com and silicon.com as his favorite sites.

Well, if you closely observe the site names listed by both Natasha and Jack, then you will notice that the sites listed by Natasha are the ones that are frequently visited by general web surfers. On the other hand, most you of will conclude that Jack visits some obscure sites. Well, that is clearly not the case. The sites visited by Jack are popularly known as B2B [Business to Business] sites. These are niche sites that basically cater to the demands of hardcore professionals. In other words, B2B sites are not meant for any Tom, Dick or Harry.

The basic purpose of a B2B site is to provide a platform that will allow communication between two business houses. A B2B site also enables a company to carry out communications with its suppliers as well as clients. It also allows a business house to view its opinions on events happening on the macro-level. At times, a B2B site may also store valuable information about a particular industry. Such information can be used by all the professionals who are related to that particular industry.

Most Internet marketing experts feel that a B2B site should form an integral part of any large or medium scale enterprise. However, most business houses still ponder over the importance of a B2B site.

Well, according to The UK Association of Online Publishers, business decision makers heavily rely upon B2B sites. A survey carried out by them revealed that almost 82% of the decision makers did make use of a B2B site.

Most decision makers use a B2B site to keep themselves abreast of the latest changes and innovations taking place in their industry. Well, as a decision maker, one must constantly be aware of the minutest changes taking place in his/her industry. And most feel that a B2B website allows them to recognize the pulse of the industry. According to a data revealed by The UK Association of Online Publishers, 44% of those surveyed stated that they had used a B2B site on a regular basis to keep a tab on the latest development taking place in their industry. Moreover, the decision makers also made an extensive use of B2B media websites. The data also revealed that 33% of the respondents use a B2B site for gaining technical information about their respective industries. The survey carried out by The UK Association of Online Publishers reveals that a large number of decision makers also make use of B2B websites to keep an eye on the policies and decisions pursued by rival companies. B2B sites are also used to gain information about various products as well as suppliers, which are useful for that particular industry. And in most cases, the decision makers usually use a B2B website to gain information about the latest entrants in their field of work.

Interestingly, many decision makers also made use of a B2B website for carrying out job-related activities. Survey carried out by The UK Association of Online Publishers reveals that 14% of the decision makers did make a regular use of a B2B website for finding or locating a job whereas 17% have admitted that they sometimes visits a B2B website for locating a suitable employment opportunity. Similarly, 11% of the respondents stated that they regularly visited a B2B site for locating new talents; whereas 19% of the respondents did state that they visit a B2B website for the purpose of recruiting new employees.

Having a good content on a B2B website also allows the site owner [which usually happens to be a company] to make few bucks. The survey carried out by The UK Association of Online Publishers shows that 39% of the respondents, who also happen to be major decision makers, got themselves registered with the site whereas 17% of the respondents paid for the online content.

Thus, if we look from a decision maker’s point of view, B2B websites have an important role to play. However, if we look at B2B websites from the view point of an internet marketing professional we will realize that B2B sites can prove to be a good alternative medium for carrying out advertisements of one’s product and services.

Research has brought to light the fact that B2B websites are an effective medium for carrying out an online Internet marketing campaign. A survey carried out by The UK Association of Online Publishers reveals that 71% of visitors have clicked on an advertisement after seeing it on a B2B website. According to the same survey, 64% of B2B site users reported to have visited a particular site after a mention of the same was made on a B2B website. Similarly a large number of B2B site visitors also stated that they have registered with the website that was mentioned on a B2B site. Similarly, 53% respondents to the survey carried out by The UK Association of Online Publishers also stated that they had requested further information from a site that was advertised on a B2B website.

As an internet marketing professional, you must be aware that procuring online shopping orders is one of the main aims of any website belonging to a manufacturer of a product or a service provider. Placing an ad on a B2B website can help the manufacturer to realize this aim. The UK Association of Online Publisher’s survey of B2B site users revealed that 45% of the respondents bought a product online whereas 38% of the respondents used the offline methods to purchase a product. The aforementioned figures underline the importance of using B2B websites for the purpose of advertising.

Having a B2B website allows an easy access to information to all the players in a particular industry. And since various surveys and research have revealed the effectiveness of B2B sites as an advertising medium, B2B sites have a bright future. In the words of The UK Association of Online Publishers, “B2B online will grow and usage will become more sophisticated and integrated.”


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