B to B to C

B to B to C is a story of communication. The language is supposed to be different depending on whether you are speaking to a professional or a client. In the past, the communication channels were very distinct, but today, it is no longer very clear…

B to B to C

From English Business to Business and Business to Consumer.

Clearly, I am addressing the profession or I am addressing my clients. And obviously the language is totally different. The people in my business are able to absorb the figures, the techniques, the long-term vision… Customers are more interested in the product and its daily application.

Knowing that the Christmas tree market is up or down, the customer doesn’t really care. His motivation is to know the difference between Spruce and Nordmann, and also to control the evolution of the price of these two trees in order to have a balanced Christmas on the wallet!

Until recently, we had a professional press and a general public press. But is this still the case?

When you are well established in the gardening professions, should you address the general public or buyers?

The question is becoming a recurring one, and since savings are essential… You might as well kill two birds with one stone, if that is possible!

Savings

B to B to C is a new formula that allows you to scrape a little money.Communication is very expensive, so you have to save money and, above all, optimize your messages.The arrival of social networks has shaken up the order of things a little. Pros and customers meet on Facebook, Instagram or TikTok.At the same time, the possibility of selling online opens up the field of possibilities. You can very well offer your products for distribution while having dynamic online sales. This direct access to the consumer also allows us to better understand their expectations, without depending on the information and directives of our favorite distributor.With such exchanges, the confidentiality of professional communications takes a hit. We must reinvent other intermediate models.And speaking of model, the economic side becomes complicated. The professional press is financed with professional advertising, but if there is no more money, there is no more professional press, it’s as simple as that.

Consequence?

In around fifteen years, we have lost a few garden titles intended for professionals, and the latest seems to be “Jardinerie Végétal”. The historic title founded by Francois Langendorff in the last century did not survive the “questioning” either.There are still a few specialized magazines with very different models, but the trend is downward…At the time of Mistral or Chat GPT, it is not good to be a freelancer and make a living from your texts. It is therefore necessary to reinvent the thinking to further interest potential readers, or even advertisers.The paper has taken lead in the wing. TV advertising costs an arm and a leg and audiences are at half mast. We still have social networks on condition of being remarkable so as not to find ourselves in a soft stomach…In summary, it’s a whole communication thing to rethink by addressing your customers directly, whether they are professionals or amateurs!

B to B to B to C

Since social networks are omnipresent in our daily lives, let’s join the dance! It seems necessary to have internal Community managers, specialized in real events and stories.Ephemeral information is found in different applications. The garden doesn’t have enough material to compete with the 24/7 news channels… That’s for sure! It’s a big job to bring together all the gossip of the week in one single medium. And a week is a long time on the scale of network communication.Then there remains the substance, the analysis, the long-term vision… But in this case, we might as well pay for a consultant who will offer us a tailor-made solution, adapted to the company’s problem. The professional advertising page is as expensive as the day of consulting…All communication and thinking has a cost. And as our garden market no longer has the means to disperse or live in opulence, the first line on which to save seems to be professional advertising. Is a new model to be created, more efficient and more economical? Patience ! More in the next issue…

Roland Motte… Gardener!