B2B and B2C Marketing Differences and Strategies

Executive Summary

please be sure to follow the guidance on the executive summary carefully, the table of contents etc. It sets the scene for any assignment and this, along with the conclusions, is usually all that gets read by busy managers. So do make every effort to make sure this is articulate, robust and informative.  Note, many students confuse an executive summary with an introduction. It is for this reason, we want to emphasise the essence of an executive summary in this assignment and we are awarding specific marks for it.  Follow the instructions for drafting your executive summary as per the footnote in the assignment brief which you will find in the Module Handbook.

So, follow the assignment instructions carefully. Also please see the grading rubric on Blackboard.

-A succinct discussion of the core differences between B2B & B2C marketing (10%).

Following a brief few lines, we would suggest that you present the key differences in a table: this should be very short words/bullet points so not to usurp too much word-count.

Follow this with a fuller discussion on the key differences you have highlighted, and support your discussion with apt academic literature which is well referenced using the standard Harvard referencing system.

-Using a customer journey map illustration, outline the key touchpoints likely to be encountered by B2B customers at a company of your choice. You are expected to use various models, and paradigms which companies are using to help understand and measure  the various touchpoints encountered (35%) (approximate word-count- 1200 words)

See lecture 2(b) which illustrates the B2C customer Journey map. This is helpful as it illustrates the typical journey. As B2B marketers, we think it would be helpful for you reproduce a similar type diagram to illustrate the various touchpoint, or pain points a B2B customer might have.

We would suggest you start by discussing generally the importance of the customer journey in B2B Marketing. This should flow easily from the earlier section where you highlight the core differences between B2B and B2c. There is a strong expectation that you will use pertinent academic research throughout your report to achieve a good mark. This said, we would rather see you effectively use fewer sources than include a multitude of sources poorly. You should aim for 15-20 quality sources in this report, which will be a combination of academic sources and other relevant/reliable sources (e.g, Industry sources).

We would recommend that you draw an illustration of the ‘journey map’  that a B2B customer might have in an organisation of your choice. This will allow you to break your discussion down into various parts, all of which have key challenges.

There are many metrics for measuring the B2B customer journey satisfaction: we would expect you to select a few of these to demonstrate their relevance and importance. The asset test here is the impact of an organisation not doing this, for example.

Some of these metrics or measuring frameworks (which we have covered on the module) are more relevant at various stages of the journey in understanding the impact of satisfaction, or dissatisfaction at these stages. For instance, a dissatisfied existing customer, would be seen as more important than someone who is searching for information and at the early stages of the AIDA framework. Finally, don’t forget to discuss why all this is important in a B2B marketing context. This is the crux and answering the ‘so what’ part of what you have found out will help increase the grade you achieve.

-Based on your research and understanding of your brief, you are asked to summarise keys ways that B2B marketers can enhance their customer experience. You are advised to structure your key ideas under clear sub-headings (25%)