Marketing communications on B2B markets

Abstract

Business to business (B2B) communications have long been based on personal contact. With the development of internet technologies, however, part of B2B communications has moved online, and this trend will continue to increase. This article investigates how the marketing communications on modern B2B markets have been changing and provides information to European industrial companies on how to modernize their current communication techniques. In order to report on the current state of B2B communications, a literature review has been conducted. A qualitative study among representatives of the European machine tools market followed, so as to determine the state of communications in a specific part of the market. It was discovered that the European B2B marketers in the field of machine tools have an overview of the new marketing communication techniques, but the use is narrow. This shows the large reserves in marketing techniques and the opportunities to make the communications strategies of these companies more efficient. Future research should validate these findings by means of quantitative methods to propose actions for restructuring their communications strategies and techniques, as in the following decades the millennial generation will take over management positions and will call for modern forms of communication.