Marketers, founders – what were the best practices when you wanted to scale a B2B product?
I work with B2C products most of the time. I have experience with B2B in sponsorship.
But I can’t compare it most comprehensively.
That’s why I think some of you have more relevant experience and can compare your work in B2C and B2B.
Could you summarise for me what worked for you and what the biggest differences?
1️⃣ What B2B marketing steps brought you the best results?
2️⃣ What were the most visible differences between B2C and B2B marketing from your perspective?
3️⃣ If it was a paid campaign, did you do it yourself, or did you hire a third party or consult with a third party? (+ channel)
From my external observation, I noticed that in smaller companies, marketers sometimes also play the role of salespeople and go on calls to convince people. + Everyone exaggerates LinkedIn (or at least that's what it seems to me). Is this really true? I would be happy if you could refute or confirm this for me.
Replies
Based on my experience :
LinkedIn WITHOUT HESITATION. However, it's extremely important to properly brand both your personal LinkedIn and your company profile as these are virtually the only signals you're sending. Cold outbound works well, but it's essential to correctly target your ICP and have good message-market fit.
What were the most visible differences between B2C and B2B marketing from your perspective? The margin for action. In B2C, noise is noise, whether good or bad. The margin for error is much larger because the TAM is equally large. In B2B, this is much less the case, hence the importance of having clear and precise processes. The advantage in B2B is that with a good product, scaling is much easier than in B2C where a true network effect must be created.
Never pay for a campaign (ofc they are always a few exceptions). In common thinking, outsourcing product development is a bad idea. The same applies to GTM. You must own your process from A to Z.
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@hanafi_iss What do you mean by "properly brand both your personal LinkedIn and your company profile" – do you mean that from my personal account, I act like an ambassador of the brand, right? Regarding 3. I didn't mean outsource GTM, but someone who would set up performance campaigns?
@busmark_w_nika I would go even further than that : every person from the founding team should act like an ambassador -> have a professional profile photo, post occasionally, highlight their previous experience to build trust, etc.
And also maintain an active company LinkedIn profile with client reviews and regular updates.
Also regarding your observation: "From my external observation, I noticed that in smaller companies, marketers sometimes also play the role of salespeople and go on calls to convince people. + Everyone exaggerates on LinkedIn (or at least that's what it seems to me). Is this really true? I would be happy if you could refute or confirm this for me."
-> This is absolutely true for the first point. In a small company, every marketing person has to function as a full-stack leader of the sales flow (not like in a large company where you have SDRs, AEs, etc.). So imo yes market people are finding prospects but also selling them the solution
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@hanafi_iss I think that one of the people who are great ambassadors for the company they work with is @sandradjajic – she is my role model in this! :)
@hanafi_iss what do you mean by never pay for a campaign?
@natnovok I mean that 99% of the time, it's never worth using a Marketing/GTM agency to run campaigns for your company. The results might be good, but in the case of GTM, the process is always more important than the results.
The same applies when using KOLs, it must be strategic. You need to truly understand what kind of audience they bring on board and exactly how they do that, because if it's not replicable, it's simply useless.
@hanafi_iss thanks, got it!
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@natnovok @hanafi_iss I have seen many cases – either GTM agency burnt money or they really helped to company (because boss thought first he can do ads the best but it turned out that he couldn't) :D
In my opinion :)
(1) Unlike the “eye-catching” model of B2C, what really works in B2B is in-depth, professional content. while B2C is like a sprint, B2B is more like a marathon; B2C marketing touches on emotions, while B2B requires building a rational business case.
(2) Successful B2B marketing campaigns are usually webinars, where brand owners don't sell products directly, but have experts teach solutions to industry pain points. This establishes professional authority and allows the sales conversation to happen naturally.
(3) As for LinkedIn, I think it's really undervalued. In addition to being an advertising platform, it is also:
An invaluable source of competitive intelligence
A place to build your personal professional brand
A starting point for business relationships
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@partick_support Do you have any personal experience with B2B? Some your own case study?
@busmark_w_nika Most of my previous work has been in the B2C direction, but my friends have personal experience in B2B. 😄We talked about this in our chat, and the combination of channels they find particularly effective for B2B: [industry-specific conferences/trade shows, LinkedIn ads, and specialized vertical media sites].
They secured two six-figure customers through direct LinkedIn connections, which is difficult to easily achieve on other platforms.
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@partick_support specialised vertical media sites – do you mean building any influence via backlinks changes?
@busmark_w_nika Yes, I think it's worth a try.
@partick_support
Agree with your second point
In this case, not one size fits all.
The best approach I've seen usually goes something like this:
Define your Ideal Customer Profile. Going beyond Firmographics and demographics, the idea is to include the Pain we are solving for theStakeholders: the customers as a business, for the budget holder, and for the user. Also include information about where they usually "hang out" online and offline
Define your Pricing & Packaging -> This is very important because depending on the Annual Contract Value we are expecting, we will need to have different approaches to marketing
The. information above, find the best channels to get in front of the stakeholders. Small ACVs usually mean running inbound campaigns in the place the hang out online. Big ACVs (Enterprise) tend to be a mix between online campaigns and a lot of real life interactions (through events, and on site meetings)
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@dg_ Also include information about where they usually "hang out" online and offline – This is so obvious but I usually forget about that. Thank you for a reminder! :D
people don't like doing it, but what works FAST is mass cold outreach with a free offer, no expectations.
Massively overdeliver, build easy and compelling social proof, and turn that into content and referrals.
This works with B2B more than B2C b/c business people will take up free services all the time.
You can spin this up and convert to paying customers within 1-2 months tops.
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@emikes919 What about free offers? Do you also reach out to "picked" companies that can use your 2nd tier for free so they can "spread the word"? Or is it more technique for B2C and influencers?
@busmark_w_nika i mean literally offer whatever you're selling for 100% free. Just during a test phase.
Then use semi-automated scraping and qualification with Clay and blast out an email campaign. It takes work, but it's basically forcing insights and early social proof, which in the long run helps you monetize faster.
EDIT: for your absolute TOP prospects (no more than a handful), you can do personalized manual reach out)
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@emikes919 I think that it depends on the stage cycle of the product. Giving for free is more for new products. Or do it anyway?
@busmark_w_nika more for new products for sure. sorry if I misinterpreted!
Kalyxa
B2B and B2C have very different rhythms. B2B demands patience and education — webinars and demo requests outperform flashy ads. LinkedIn definitely deserves the hype, but success depends heavily on personalization and follow-up. In smaller teams, marketers often jump on calls to qualify leads, blending marketing with sales. For paid campaigns, we found a hybrid approach—some in-house effort with consultants for scaling—works best.
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@parth_ahir Do you have any interesting case studies of yours from your business? I would like to read.
B2B marketing works best when you're solving a pain point for businesses. Cold outreach can be a useful tool, and you have to pitch directly because businesses don’t just buy products, they invest in solutions to real problems.
One big mistake? Jumping straight into paid ads. It’s an easy way to burn through money fast, and without the right foundation, it won’t get you far. Instead, start with networking and in-person introductions connect with potential clients, build relationships, and identify businesses that need what you’re offering.
Once you’ve got their attention, your value proposition needs to be crystal clear:
What specific problem does your product solve?
How does it improve efficiency, save time, or boost revenue?
Why should they choose you over competitors?
Get these fundamentals right, and your marketing will scale naturally. When you understand what businesses truly need, it’s easier to position your product in a way that makes them say, “This is exactly what we’ve been looking for.”
Also, don’t let LinkedIn perfection hold you back, especially in smaller companies, wearing multiple hats is the norm.
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@rhodab How do you approach potential customers? In DMs on LinkedIn or emails? Isn't this part more for sales?
Hi Nika, great question! Having worked on both B2B and B2C products, here’s what I’ve found:
1️⃣ For B2B, building relationships and trust is key. Content marketing (like case studies, whitepapers), LinkedIn outreach, webinars, and targeted email campaigns have brought the best results. Demonstrating ROI and solving specific pain points resonates more than broad messaging.
2️⃣ The biggest difference is the sales cycle length and decision-making process. B2B usually involves multiple stakeholders and a longer, more consultative journey, whereas B2C is often more impulse-driven and emotional. Also, B2B marketing tends to be more educational and data-driven.
3️⃣ For paid campaigns, I’ve done a mix. LinkedIn Ads and Google Ads work well for B2B. Sometimes I manage campaigns myself, but for complex targeting or scaling, consulting with or hiring specialists helped optimize budgets and results.
Hope this helps — would love to hear others’ experiences too!