In the past, marketing was all about The Four P’s. They are Product, Price, Placement and Promotion. The P’s were mostly for marketing from business-to-consumer (B2C). Today’s marketing scheme has evolved into The Four C’s. According to Roy McClean, the Four C’s are Customer, Cost, Convenience and Communication.
Customer wants and needs (vs. Product): McClean asserts that instead of developing a product and trying to sell it to the masses, it is helpful to find out what the customer wants first.
Cost to satisfy (vs. Price): Think of the cost of the service or product as not only a dollar figure.
Convenience to buy (vs. Place): Consider where the customer will be shopping (on the internet, for example).
Communication (vs. Promotion): “Promotion is manipulative,” says McClean. This is especially true in Social Media Marketing (SMM). Instead, converse with customers on a personal level.
Although these C’s are relevant, it may be more beneficial in business-to-business (B2B) interactions to employ what Paul Dunay calls The Four C’s. They are Content, Connection, Communication and Conversion. Dunay believes that B2B is “more of a marathon than a sprint in marketing,” so his C’s have a focus on long-term investments in relationships between businesses.
Content – “the creation of a steady stream of engaging content”
Connection – “connecting with the audience you wish to attract”
Communication – “communicating with them in an ongoing conversation”
Conversion – “converting them at the illusive moment of need”
How can you employ the Four C’s of B2C and the Four C’s of B2B in your marketing strategy?
