I would suggest the first question to ask is "what problem do I solve?" And of those people I solve problems for "who do I create the most value for?" In the non-profit world you need to add "How does my business help the non-profit run better and/or help the group the non-profit focuses on?"
For example, if you've created a platform that drives donations, your company "has created a platform that helps you reach fundraising goals faster."
What you don't want to do is market and sell to B2B and B2C audiences simultaneously. They have different ways of buying - a B2B audience needs to have their benefits quantified (using your thing makes me x amount more) - and it's extremely hard for a startup to be able to do both well. Better to start with one, execute really well and move into the other.
Feel free to give me a call and we can dig into who your most valuable audience is.
Having built one of the the first charitable crowdfunding websites in the world, I feel uniquely qualified to answer this. The answer is that in the non-profit sector (and I'd argue enterprise as well), it's not one or the other, it's really both. Without a "forcing function" of some bottom-up adoption, it's really difficult to get non-profit decision makers' attention. But without the ability to answer a lot of questions, and hand-hold them to adoption, no bottom-up approach is going to really gain traction.
Happy to talk to you in a call about your specific questions and challenges.
Companies that implement both B2B and B2C products have a deliberate strategy around it.
1) Supply & Demand
Often times, you'll notice see a company seek out businesses to create the supply and then consumers to create the demand. These companies are usually in a chicken-and-egg situation where they need both to actually have a complete product. Think of travel (Orbitz/AirBNB), e-commerce (Amazon), dining (Yelp/OpenTable), etc. The hottest companies in each of these areas needed to create the supply (hotel rooms, retail products, restaurant listings) to ensure consumers would have a reason to stop by and purchase. While working at DIRECTV, we had to have a strategy to gather exclusive content (NFL Sunday Ticket), the supply, to drive demand. We also had to make a push to gather customers (typical TV commercials to even working with larger apartment complexes to demonstrate that it is always legal to put up a satellite dish regardless).
2) Moving Up/Down the Value Chain
Some companies have great products that achieve product market fit with either consumers or businesses. After this milestone, these companies adapt their product, messaging, and/or strategy to tap into the other market by going heavier (B2B) or lighter (B2C) with quality/service/customization. They often use freemium pricing models to get the best of both worlds. Some examples would be Dropbox and Google Apps. While working at Cisco, I was part of the Linksys group where more basic products would be sold under the Linksys brand whereas those with more business features or better quality would be sold under the Cisco brand.
The non-profit sector is unique but the above strategies still do apply. So I would recognize the nuances of non-profits but still assume that standard business/product logic remains. I would be happy to give more specific recommendations over a call where you can tell me more about your background and product ideas.
I treat non-profit sectors exactly like for profit businesses. If you do not do this you may have the false assumption that people automatically care as much as you do. That is seldom the case. Find out what people care about, who is your market and what do they want. It is easy sell food to a hungry crowd.
Don't stop taking massive action.
Best of Luck,
Michael T. Irvin
michaelirvin.net
My books are available exclusively through Amazon Books. Check out my book "Copywriting Blackbook of Secrets"
Copywriting, Startups, Internet Entrepreneur, Online Marketing, Making Money
Hello -
I work in the non-profit sector. My advice for someone just starting a business in this area is to offer B2C. You can of course, opt for both or either or, however from my experience the business to consumer model is a great choice if you are new to the space. With a B2C, you will find companies that are in the non profit largely promotional based, and run on mission type efforts. If you'd like to explore these areas together, I'm available to jump in on a call and talk more.
Running a B2B ecommerce channel is inherently more complex than traditional B2C ecommerce.
Payment methods are vast:
I. PO.
II. Check.
III. ACH.
IV. Terms.
V. Quote.
Catalogues are large, and complicated by high numbers of variants for individual products and even custom needs.
Add to that the fact that many B2B ecommerce channels rely on inbound sales – the result of a optimized site – but outbound sales still account for many a salesperson’s commission, and the closing of larger deals. Instead, many have turned websites into digital catalogues or information pages pushing to a contact us CTA. But today’s technologies and changing consumer expectations are raising the bar for B2B ecommerce. Today’s B2B buyers want a B2C-like shopping experience, with sleek site design and functionality for large catalogues and segmented pricing.
Successful B2B companies are as follows:
1. Flexfire LED.
2. Assurant.
3. Atlanta Light Bulbs.
4. Selini NY.
5. Berlin Packaging.
6. ResMed.
7. The Knobs Co.
8. NutreeVit
9. BuySwings.
10. CleanAir.
11. BulkBookstore.
12. Best Access Doors.
13. Telephone Man Telecom Supply.
The term business-to-consumer (B2C) refers to the process of selling products and services directly between a business and consumers who are the end-users of its products or services. Most companies that sell directly to consumers can be referred to as B2C companies.
B2C became immensely popular during the dotcom boom of the late 1990s when it was mainly used to refer to online retailers who sold products and services to consumers through the Internet. As a business model, business-to-consumer differs significantly from the business-to-business model, which refers to commerce between two or more businesses. Business-to-consumer (B2C) is among the most popular and widely known of sales models. The idea of B2C was first utilized by Michael Aldrich in 1979, who used television as the primary medium to reach out to consumers.
B2C traditionally referred to mall shopping, eating out at restaurants, pay-per-view movies, and infomercials. However, the rise of the Internet created a whole new B2C business channel in the form of e-commerce or selling goods and services over the Internet. Although many B2C companies fell victim to the subsequent dot-com bust as investor interest in the sector dwindled and venture capital funding dried up, B2C leaders such as Amazon and Priceline survived the shakeout and have since seen great success. Any business that relies on B2C sales must maintain good relations with their customers to ensure they return. Unlike business-to-business (B2B), whose marketing campaigns are geared to demonstrate the value of a product or service, companies that rely on B2C must elicit an emotional response to their marketing in their customers.
Successful B2C companies are as follows:
1. Chobani
2. Starbucks
3. Spotify
4. Herschel Supply Co.
5. Everlane
6. Taco Bell
7. Threadless
8. TOMS
9. EDEKA
10. Purina
A non-profit organization is a business that has been granted tax-exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) because it furthers a social cause and provides a public benefit. Donations made to a non-profit organization are typically tax-deductible to individuals and businesses that make them, and the non-profit itself pays no tax on the received donations or on any other money earned through fundraising activities. Non-profit organizations are sometimes called NPOs or 501(c)(3) organizations based on the section of the tax code that permits them to operate. A non-profit designation and tax-exempt status are given only to organizations that further religious, scientific, charitable, educational, literary, public safety or cruelty-prevention causes or purposes. Examples of non-profit organizations include hospitals, universities, national charities, churches, and foundations. A non-profit must serve the public in some way, whether through the offering of goods, services, or a combination of the two. They are also required to make financial and operating information public so that donors can be informed about how—and how well—their contributions have been used. Before it can receive a tax exemption, an organization needs to request 501(c)(3) status from the IRS. Once registered and running, the organization has to maintain compliance with the appropriate state agency that regulates charitable organizations. This often requires a dedicated CIO and accounting team. While some not-for-profit organizations use only volunteer labour, many large or even medium-size non-profits are likely to require a staff of paid full-time employees, managers, and directors. Despite having special tax advantages in other respects, non-profits typically must pay employment taxes and abide by state and federal workplace rules in the same way as for-profit organizations.
Non-profits can provide assets or income to individuals only as fair compensation for their services. Indeed, the organization must explicitly state in its organizing papers that it will not be used for the personal gain or benefit of its founders, employees, supporters, relatives, or associates.
Given the definition of the NPO I will suggest you go for a B2B business rather than B2C business.
Besides if you do have any questions give me a call: https://clarity.fm/joy-brotonath
In times of despair and joy, we often look up to little things that give us happiness and a sense of satisfaction. According to a 2011 study in the Journal of Psychology and Marketing, it was noted that 28% of the shoppers had purchased something to celebrate the occasion or personal victory, and 62% to cheer themselves. Therefore it can be concluded that shopping plays a crucial role in everyone’s lives.
In the present day when the physical world has come to standstill, the virtual one has surpassed all the boundaries and expectations. The recent report by Amazon, clearly demonstrated that shopping for groceries has increased by as much as 50 times in just 6 months of lockdown. Therefore, in this constant cross rapid-fire amongst big business houses, it has become very important for the customers to know what they are looking for and expecting from the virtual marketplace.
The online marketplace can be broadly classified into 3 categories based on the target audience:
Business to Business (B2B)
Business to Customer (B2C)
Customer to Customer (C2C)
Business to Business (B2B)
It is a type of online marketplace that acts as a mediator between the seller and the buyer, where the trade of products and services takes place in large quantities.
This kind of marketplace requires a lot of investment and consistency and is hard to establish initially. But once it is established it becomes very profitable and builds up a wide range of
customers. B2B marketplace is a preferable choice for most of the sellers as:
They are not required to make their own e-commerce trading website.
It provides a wide range of customers.
It is quick and efficient.
It does not require much investment.
Being a mediator, B2B marketplace has different business strategies and set of terms and conditions for its sellers and buyers.
Based on Commission
It is used most frequently, as the big industries can easily adapt this method and sell their products by giving some percentage of commission to the mediating platform for providing the customers. Some of the examples are Alibaba, freelancer, etc.
Based on Subscription
A subscription-based method is usually opted for by companies who already have customers and buying a subscription won’t be much big of an investment. For example, fashion brands, etc.
Based on Listing Fees
Marketplaces like Etsy take a fee for listing the products and add additional commission chargers to every purchase made.
Business to Customer (B2C)
It is another kind of marketplace where the business industries do not sell their products or services to another business industry but to the customer directly. This kind of marketplace is most popular these days as it helps direct interaction with the customer. For example, AliExpress and MakeMyTrip.
Just like the B2B marketplace B2C also have different types of business strategies and set of terms and conditions.
Based on Commission
B2C marketplace requires the provider and receiver of the service to pay an amount of commission for delivering and mediating the service or products. Travel sites like travelyaari, MakeMyTrip, red bus widely use this method.
Based on Subscription
Unlike B2B marketplace, B2C marketplace requires only the seller to pay for the subscription and not the buyer. For example, eBay.
Based on Listing Fees
Along with the commission, there are some sites like Etsy which also charge listing fees of about $0.20 for a premium listing, etc.
Customer to Customer (C2C)
C2C marketplace is the most convenient form of the marketplace as it allows people with the same interest to share the products and services. Peers can share their services or products they want to offer to people who wish to take those services. It is a very organic way of reducing unemployment as it provides a platform for all range of service providers. A buyer can be a seller tomorrow with no bars. For example, Uber.
Unlike B2B and B2C marketplace, C2C marketplace has different business strategies and terms and conditions.
Paid Promotions
The service provider can promote its product or services by paying some amount to the marketplace, in order to stand out. It helps them attract customers and build up their business.
Paid Promotions can be further divided into 3 parts.
a) Sponsored Vendor profiles
b) Featured Products and Services
c) Promoted Products in cart/at checkout
Advertisement
Another method is the promotion of the product or services by the third party through
