ABSTRACT
Marketing has its roots in understanding consumers, and because we are all consumers it has become altogether too easy to concentrate on using consumer-based examples and theories when discussing marketing concepts. Understanding the differences between marketing to consumers and marketing to professional buyers in commercial organizations and institutions is the first step in developing a successful business marketing program. The business to business (B2B) market has been defined to include organizations that buy products and services for use in the production of other products and services that are sold, rented, or supplied to others. Business buyers generally buy to increase their company's profits. The pervasiveness of the Internet is fundamentally changing the way B2B firms are marketing their products and services. The company website has become the indispensible tool for B2B marketers and effective use of social media is quickly becoming critical to success. According to the Institute of Business Marketing (ISBM), even the term 'digital marketing' is becoming obsolete.
