By Felipe Morales, CEO of ESBUENISIMO LINKS
B2B marketing: how companies buy and which strategies work in 2026
B2B marketing in 2026: how it differs from B2C, how companies buy today according to Gartner, what a B2B click costs on Google Chile and 4 strategies that work.
B2B marketing (business to business) is the marketing a company does to sell to other companies: software, financial services, logistics, consulting, industrial supplies. It differs from B2C marketing in something basic: the buyer is not one person deciding in five minutes, but a committee that researches for months, compares suppliers and, more and more often, asks artificial intelligence before talking to a salesperson.
This guide explains how B2B marketing works in 2026, with data on how companies buy today, how much it costs to reach that customer on Google Chile and which strategies work to make the shortlist.
What B2B marketing is and how it differs from B2C
The logic is the same, winning profitable customers, but the buying process changes everything:
| Aspect | B2B marketing | B2C marketing |
|---|---|---|
| Who decides | A committee from several areas | One person or a household |
| Sales cycle | Weeks or months | Minutes or days |
| Ticket | High and recurring | Low or medium |
| What matters most | Risk, trust and return | Price, taste and convenience |
| Search volume | Low, but each click is worth a lot | High, with cheap clicks |
| Sources consulted | Industry media, comparison sites, analysts and AI | Social media, reviews and marketplaces |
Interest is steady across the region: the Spanish search "marketing b2b" gets 590 searches a month in Mexico, 170 in Colombia and Peru, 140 in Chile and 110 in Argentina, according to Google Ads (November 2026). In the United States, "b2b marketing" gets 4,400 searches with an average click of US$31.79. In Chile, the click costs US$8.10 on average.
View the data as a table
| Mexico | 590 |
| Colombia | 170 |
| Peru | 170 |
| Chile | 140 |
| Argentina | 110 |
How a B2B customer buys today
Gartner surveyed 632 B2B buyers in August and September 2024 and published the results in June 2025: 61% prefer a rep-free buying experience, 73% actively avoid suppliers who send irrelevant outreach and 69% found inconsistencies between the supplier's website and what the salesperson told them (Gartner, June 2025).
View the data as a table
| of B2B buyers prefer a rep-free buying experience | 61% |
| actively avoid suppliers who send irrelevant outreach | 73% |
| found inconsistencies between the supplier's website and what the seller said | 69% |
The consequence is direct: the decision takes shape before the first contact. The committee reads industry media, compares on Google and increasingly asks ChatGPT or Gemini "which X provider do you recommend in Chile?". In our study of AI answers, in business energy the AI tools named only 3.42 brands per answer on average and named none in 16.8% of cases. If the brand is not in the sources AI reads, it does not make the list. The details are in our analysis of the sources AI cites by industry in Chile.
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B2B gets few searches, but each one is worth a lot. In our analysis of 59,790 keywords in Chile (September 2026), the median click in B2B software and services was US$3.91, 16 times the automotive median. The most expensive (Spanish keywords):
| Keyword | Average CPC (US$) | Monthly searches |
|---|---|---|
| software de remuneraciones | US$26.06 | 140 |
| crm marketing | US$21.26 | 140 |
| factoring para pymes | US$20.09 | 110 |
| factoring | US$14.80 | 5,400 |
| software de contabilidad | US$13.96 | 170 |
| sistema de facturación electrónica | US$12.81 | 170 |
| servidor vps | US$12.60 | 210 |
| software contable | US$12.39 | 480 |
| erp para pyme | US$11.32 | 140 |
| agencia marketing digital | US$10.88 | 260 |
With clicks of US$10 to US$26, paying for every visit is expensive. That is why in B2B, SEO and domain authority, the trust Google assigns to a site based on the links it receives from others, pay off more than in almost any other industry. The software case is in our guide to link building for B2B SaaS.
B2B marketing strategies that work in 2026
One finding helps organize the budget: according to research by John Dawes of the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, published by LinkedIn's B2B Institute, at any given time only about 5% of B2B buyers are in market; the other 95% will buy later (Marketing Week). B2B marketing has to speak to both groups:
| Buyer stage | Goal | Tactics |
|---|---|---|
| Out of market (about 95%) | Be remembered when the need arises | Articles in industry media, proprietary data studies, executive opinion, AI presence |
| Researching (the committee looks for options) | Make the shortlist | Category SEO, comparisons, case studies, clear pricing pages |
| Buying (about 5%) | Win the decision | High-intent Google Ads, demos, technical content, references |
In practice, the B2B marketing strategies that work best today are four:
- Content with proprietary data. An industry study with numbers nobody else has is what media and AI cite. One well-made annual report is worth more than 50 generic articles.
- Mentions in industry media. The committee reads the business press and specialized portals. An article published there works twice: for the reader and for Google and AI, which use it as a source. That is how the esbuenisimolinks.com/link-building-chile service works for companies selling in Chile.
- Category SEO and comparisons. Pages that answer "best X software", "X vs. Y" and "X pricing", because those are the committee's searches during research.
- Measure AI presence. Ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Google the 30 to 50 questions a buyer would ask every month and record which suppliers they name. In our study of the agencies AI recommends in Chile, half of Google AI Mode's sources were "best agencies" lists: whoever is not on those lists does not show up.
B2B marketing examples in Chile
A look at the most expensive searches on Google Chile shows where B2B competition is concentrated. On "software de remuneraciones" (payroll software), "software contable" (accounting software) or "factoring para pymes" (factoring for small businesses), Chilean management software companies such as Buk, Defontana or Nubox compete alongside banks, factoring firms and international providers. None of those searches exceeds 600 queries a month (except "factoring", with 5,400), but a single customer can be worth years of recurring revenue.
In that landscape, the B2B companies that win usually combine three pieces: product and pricing pages that answer the committee's questions without forcing a meeting, educational content that ranks for research-stage searches ("how to calculate a final paycheck", "what is factoring") and presence in business media and industry portals, which are the sources AI uses when someone asks it to recommend a supplier.
Common mistakes when selling to companies
The first is treating the B2B buyer like a consumer: short-term campaigns, generic messages and early sales pressure, exactly what 73% of buyers avoid according to Gartner. The second is measuring only this month's leads, when 95% of future customers are not buying yet. And the third, increasingly costly, is not knowing what AI answers when a committee asks about the category. B2B marketing in 2026 is won before the meeting.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is B2B marketing?+
It is the marketing a company does to sell to other companies, such as software, financial services or logistics. It involves committee decisions, long cycles, high tickets and a strong focus on trust and return.
What is a B2B strategy?+
It is the plan for reaching companies that could buy from you: which accounts to target, which content and channels to use at each buyer stage and how to measure progress. Today it includes SEO, industry media mentions, proprietary data content and presence in AI answers.
How does B2B marketing differ from B2C?+
In B2B a committee decides, the sales cycle lasts weeks or months and risk and return matter most. In B2C one person decides, the purchase is quick and price and convenience matter most.
How much does a B2B click cost on Google Chile?+
The median cost per click in B2B software and services in Chile was US$3.91 in September 2026, according to an ESBUENISIMO LINKS analysis of Google Ads data. Searches like “software de remuneraciones” (payroll software) exceed US$26 per click.
What is the 95-5 rule in B2B marketing?+
It is a finding by John Dawes of the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, published by LinkedIn's B2B Institute: at any given time only about 5% of B2B buyers are looking for a supplier. The other 95% will buy later, so the brand needs to be remembered before the need arises.
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