The way we marketed before Covid19 was the classic forms of "interrupt" and "broadcast" marketing.

For example; advertising, cold calling and email.  But in fact these types of marketing (and sales) have been around a long time.

Advertising which came about in 1930, cold calling which came out in 1980 and email marketing which came about in 1990.  The way this works is that you interrupt me and the broadcast a message.  Sometimes the broadcast is called a pitch, sometimes it's called copy.  But the same thing.

Here we have techniques that came about before many of us were born.  These were all "something" before the mobile phone was invented and before social media was invented.

Then came Covid-19.

Farewell BC (before coronavirus). Welcome AD (after domestication)

In this article by the Economist (sorry a subscription is needed) they talk about "BC" being the life before Covid19 and "AD" after domestication.

Just as we have had to change the way we work, we have to change the way we sell and market.

B2C is now B2B

All of us are used to Zoom calls, in fact there are 300 million daily participants on Zoom.  That is a 4 fold increase on last year.

Zoom is now the 6th most downloaded app.

My mother (82) runs her wine group through Zoom. They even had a member, who drives around dropping a wine bottle off on each members doorstep. So they can drink the same wine and talk about, all at the same time.

Simon Kemp in his research says that there are 4.57 Billion people in the world on the internet, that is up 7% on last year.  There are 3.81 Billion people, active, on social media.  That is up 300 million on last year.

So while "Sharon" on facebook left Facebook, 300 million people joined.

Covid19 has seen a 50% increase in social media usage.

In fact the world has changed with social media, from the way ideas are propagated to the way we do business. 

So what?

This Business to Consumer (B2C) gets pulled into Business to Business (B2B). In other words our B2C behaviours, become normal in B2B.

What does this mean for marketers?

This means that B2B buyers are very comfortable going online and searching for good and services.  Your good and services.

That means that if you and your sales team are not active on social, then you are leaving money on the table.

Why B2B Marketers Need to Listen Harder Than Ever

You need to listen because as buyers we hate advertising, cold calling and cold emails.  You are pissing us all off.

The other things you have to understand is that your buyer IS digital.  We went digital in the last 12 weeks.

If you are using advertising, cold calling and email then you are analogue.

You are Marketing and Selling in an Analogue Form But Your Buyers are Digital

Can you see the mismatch?

So what as a marketer and a sales leader are you going to do about it? 

To quote my good friend Larry Levine

"has the window of relevancy closed with many of your customers and prospects?"