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Electronic Marketing in B2B E-Commerce

Some of the issues related with B2B electronic marketing are: 
 
1) Direct Marketing: In business organisations, the buying decisions are generally made by groups of individuals. As a result, direct marketers need to extend the reach of their programs to different functional areas and perhaps even different levels within a functional area.
 
There are multiple buyers and influencers in any organisation who play a role in the buying decision. One may know with reasonable certainty who one's primary target is, but secondary targets can be just as important to reach. One may have to reach business buyers and influencers in three basic management (functional management, financial management and general areas management) and do it at middle to upper managerial, as well as technical, levels. To do it companies need accurate e-mail lists, which they can develop by viewing companies' websites and reviewing annual reports and other public documents.

2) Relationship Marketing: In businesses, due to many factors such as company's budgeting process, the need for additional approvals, long purchasing procedures, etc., it may not be possible to match the timings of the buying organisation's decision to buy and the selling organisation's desire or ability to sell. Thus there always exists an uncertainty for the B2B marketer as to when the buyer may buy.
 
To make-up for this the B2B marketer makes use of a continuity program wherein it maintains regular, ongoing communications with the buyer. This may be achieved through e-mail or by placing the information on the website and may include information on new products, product upgradations, discounts and schemes, newly established associations of the seller with other partners, and so on. This helps in building a long-term impact of the selling organisation on the buying organisation.

3) Audience Strategy and Mailing Lists: Audience strategy drives the process of evaluating and selecting mailing lists. There are three basic kinds of lists:
 
i) House List: The house list is typically made up of customer and prospect names (with appropriate segmentation) collected by a variety of methods:
 
a) Input from the sales force,  
b) Trade shows,  
c) Leads from various media, and so on.
 
ii) Response List: These are lists with names of individuals who responded to you by e-mail, filling out Web questionnaires, and so forth. Typical response lists include subscribers, buyers, and member lists.
 
iii) Compiled List: These lists are compiled from a variety of sources, including t iephone directories.
 
4) Electronic/Interactive Media: Business organisations depend mainly on three basic media for B2B marketing - e-mail, web, and the CD-ROMS. E-mail and the web are internet-based media. CD-ROMS are used to execute full-fledged multi-media promotions with text, sound, animation, and full-motion video.

5) Internet Marketing Strategies: Several potential marketing strategies can be used in B2B. Silverstein (1999) classifies them into the following five categories:
 
i) Generating and qualifying leads with the Internet.  
ii) Using Internet events to promote products and services.  
iii) Executing instant fulfillment on the Internet.  
iv) Generating orders through the Internet.  
v) Enhancing customer relationships with the Internet.

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