Think about B2B - Business to People

I've had a couple of clients recently who've got their knickers in a twist about whether or not they should use Linkedin for consumer products and services.

"We're B2C, and Linkedin is all B2B, why are you suggesting this?" They say, looking at me as though I were mad (well, I am probably mad in a lot of ways, but on this topic, I'm as sane as it's possible to be).

All you need to think about is this - B2P - Business to People.

It doesn't matter if you are a business selling industrial wind turbines or holidays in the South of France. You are still selling to an individual. A human being is making the decision.

Everyone uses the phrase People buy from People - and then totally forgets about it as soon as we think of anything to with Linkedin.

There are business pages on Linkedin, but to be honest they're a bit of a damp squib. The real power lies in the relationships you build with the individual profiles.

The bottom line is this.

- Linked in is full of people.
- People with good jobs.
- People who own businesses.
- People who earn money.
- People who have disposable income.
- People who like nice things.

According to Linkedin statistics (pre-pandemic) 48% of UK Linkedin users earn over £56k p.a. The average UK income is £29k p.a. (source: ONS 2019).

Smart consumer brands are already onto this...

...and are doing very well. B2C sectors that use Linkedin in a B2P (business to people) context include:

- Travel - including hotels, resorts, air, rail etc.
- Luxury goods
- Sporting goods and events (golf, shooting, fishing etc.)
- Hotels and high-end accommodation
- Car companies, particularly luxury brands
- 'Boys Toys' and gadgets
- Clothing, including lingerie
- And, drumroll please...Greggs! Yes, even Greggs is all over Linkedin with its tagline - 'Feeding the nation with freshly prepared food'.

Here are some examples. I've snipped the business page, together with an example of how their employees are sharing the content via individual profiles.

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Consumer brands who are active on Linkedin

1. Greggs

2. A lingerie company

3. A golf/sporting equipment company

4. Starbucks

5. Kate Spade - luxury handbags

Remember, of the simplest strategies in marketing is:

• Work out who your audience is.

• Work out where they hang out (i.e. what they read, what social platforms etc.)

• Go there

If you have a product or service and need customers who have the money to pay you, then chances are, you'll find a fair few to go at on Linkedin.

(my LinkedIn profile is here if you'd like to connect)