What is the difference between B2B marketing and B2C marketing?

What are the differences between B2B and B2C marketing techniques?

B2B (business-to-business) and B2C (business-to-consumer) marketing targets are different. While B2B and B2C marketing methods have many things in common, there are actually significant differences in how each communication channel approaches its target audience.

First of all, let’s understand the difference between B2B and B2C.

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B2B is an abbreviation for ” Business-to-Business “, which means business with companies other than your own company as customers. Keep in mind that your B2B marketing efforts are centered around the needs, interests, and challenges of the customer who is considering purchasing for their organization, not the individual. Now let’s take a concrete example of B2B.

• Recruitment software service that sells recruitment tools for personnel departments
• Interior design office specializing in office design
• A marketing software service that sells content strategy, search engine optimization (SEO), social media management, lead generation, and other related tools to marketing departments. As you can see, here it is.)

B2C is an abbreviation for ” Business-to-Consumer,” which means a business whose customers are general consumers, rather than customers who make purchases as part of their business. Keep in mind that B2C marketing activities are centered around the needs, interests and challenges that ordinary people have in their daily lives. Now let’s take a concrete example of B2C.

• Oral care specialty store that sells toothbrushes, toothpaste, and mouthwash to general consumers
• A real estate company that rents and sells residential properties for individuals, such as families and students.
• A music distribution platform that sells premium plan contracts for individual music distribution services

Of course, sometimes B2B and B2C businesses overlap. In the real world, there are many companies that operate both B2B and B2C businesses at the same time.

For example, some businesses operate interior design offices that specialize in office design (B2B service) for companies, while others provide specific room design solutions (B2C service) for home buyers. , While operating an oral care specialty store that sells toothbrushes, toothpaste, and mouthwash to individuals (B2C service), there is also a business that sells products for dental clinics (B2B service).

As in the example above, if the distinction between B2B and B2C companies is ambiguous, it’s a good idea to look at the marketing strategies of both. There are many differences between B2B and B2C marketing strategies.

By the way, where exactly is this difference? Review the following points to understand the distinctly different goals of B2B and B2C marketing, and determine the direction of your company’s strategy.

ROI (return on investment) is important in B2B marketing

B2B audiences look for efficiency and expertise, while B2C audiences tend to look for value and entertainment. So naturally the B2B buying process will be more susceptible to logic and financial incentives. The ROI of the product and the commercial profit from the purchase are the deciding factors. Ultimately, employees will only make purchases on behalf of their organization if they are in the company’s best interest.

B2B customers want useful information

B2B customers are often valued for their decision-making ability and want to be recognized in the workplace. But when it comes to decisiveness, you need the right knowledge of the product under consideration. This is where B2B content marketing comes into play. B2B audiences need to be empowered with the information and expertise they need to take a multi-faceted view of the industry to guide them in making purchase decisions they won’t regret later.

Need content with detailed information

B2B customers expect their sales and marketing teams to “meet their needs.” Now, take a deep dive and think about your product. What are the business benefits that your company can offer? Conversely, what are the business benefits that your company cannot provide? Also, what information should customers know in order to get the benefits of introducing your product?

B2B marketers need to deal with multiple decision makers

In B2B marketing, procurement, accounting, and other department heads are often required to approve purchases. As an individual B2C customer, of course, most of the purchase decisions are made on their own based on the opinions of friends and family. B2B customers, on the other hand, must delegate decision-making to higher levels within the organization each time a handover takes place. In other words, B2B marketing is not aimed at one individual, but at everyone who makes decisions during the buying process.

The B2B purchasing lifecycle is much longer than the B2C decision-making process

In B2B marketing, there is a high need for lead nurturing (development of prospective customers’ willingness to purchase), and detailed consideration of customer experience is required. B2B purchasing decisions are driven by the company’s long-term goals, making the product evaluation process very complex for companies. Therefore, it is important to be persistent in marketing activities targeting companies and to create content that corresponds to the various stages of the purchasing lifecycle.

B2B purchase contract terms range from months to years

B2B purchases often involve an ongoing relationship with a vendor, and unlike individuals, companies cannot simply get rid of a product because it doesn’t meet their expectations. B2B marketers should keep in mind that this is a big decision for the client. Consider your long-term plans to keep your B2B audience interested in using your product. Additionally, consider the following: When will we be able to see the effects of the various functions installed in our products? How will user needs change over time?

Just because B2C consumers follow your brand doesn’t mean they want a close relationship

B2B customers want useful information and the ability to build close relationships with brands. However, when it comes to B2C, there is not so much interest in brands. Of course, B2C buyers may have the same brand loyalty as B2B customers when it comes to the customers they transact with, but they may not be as enthusiastic as companies pour into their B2C customers. . With this in mind, you should carefully consider how much content to offer to past B2C customers. Also, you don’t have to worry if there are customers who follow your company on social media but don’t subscribe to your blog posts.

Don’t use jargon in marketing activities

Let’s talk about “brand voice” here. The simpler the words used in B2C marketing, the more effective they are. The B2C community must create a strong sense of brand affinity. In other words, it is important to refrain from technical jargon and to maintain a less formal attitude. While the jargon exchanged among co-workers may be a good opportunity to demonstrate expertise to corporate clients, this language risks completely losing interest in individual clients. In fact, 83% of consumers (in English) said they prefer a particularly informal tone to the language used in video content .

B2C purchases are subject to emotion

It can be said that all B2C purchases are based on more or less emotional decisions . These days, more and more people tend to rely more on emotion than reason when making purchasing decisions. For B2B customers, there is little room for emotion in their purchasing behavior as they have to consider the business implications. B2C customers, on the other hand, are more likely to rely on their intuition when making purchases. Because there is no accountability for purchases. Therefore, in B2C marketing, you can expect a sufficient effect in increasing the purchase intention of the audience just by telling the success story of product introduction .

The element of “fun” is essential

B2C customers are more focused on their own enjoyment than the company they work for when making their purchases. Of course, we all want products that improve our quality of life, but compared to the average B2B audience, the B2C audience is definitely looking for fun. With this background in mind, your marketing efforts should focus on providing your expertise to your business audience and “entertaining” your consumer audience.

The biggest problem B2B marketers often face is not enough content and not enough time to create it. This is in contrast to the problem faced by B2C marketers, who want to increase their advertising budgets and diversify their means of spreading product word-of-mouth. Of course, this difference greatly affects the implementation of marketing strategy.

What marketers need to understand is that effectively reaching prospects requires a strategy that takes advantage of the differences between B2B and B2C marketing methods. However, even though there are superficial differences between B2B and B2C, essentially all marketing activities are “P2P (Person-to-Person)”, that is, human-to-human activities. Whether you’re in charge of B2B or B2C, keep this point in mind.