An outsider looking in might glance at the concept of B2B and think that they have this handled. How different can they really be? Well, we’re here to tell you, very. Find out how B2B and B2C marketing differ here.
The purpose
B2C is simple enough because everyone has already been on the C end of things. B2C means Business to Customer, where a business creates a product or service intended to be put out to the public for customers to buy. B2B is more insular because it means Business to Business and, as the name suggests, consists of businesses making products and services for other businesses.
And just to overcomplicate things, there are actually two forms of B2B nowadays. There is Business to Business, wherein a business makes a product or service designed to be used by other businesses, and there is Business to Brand. Business to brand can be broader than you’d think. Brand to brand covers big brands like McDonalds, Nike, etc. but also influencers, affiliates and small businesses who are carrying a brand in themselves.
The media
One big difference in approach to B2B versus B2C marketing is the media that you focus on. B2C marketing focuses on the visual and audio. Video is best, radio station ads, banners, social posting, etc. Whereas B2B marketing does all that plus a lot more research. B2B businesses should be ready to start writing white papers, cite case studies, or even write their own, create infographics, and write one-papers, all for the pleasure of their demographic – other businesses – to find out what they’re all about. It’s a lot more in depth than making a funny joke that interrupts your YouTube video.
The language
The biggest hurdle in shifting from B2C to B2B is the language. It’s the part everyone stumbles on to begin with. Your language has to shift from talking to the customer to talking to the business selling to the customer. So, for example, when summing up the benefits of a product you should be saying “Your customers will love this” rather than “You will love this”.
It’s a simple change, and yet it’s lost on a lot of people. Going deeper, they then ultimately only say what the customer will love about it and ignore the business side. Add in what this product will do for the business. Will it be the standout product? Will it lead people to buy others? Will it boost any business stats? Sticking to all the benefits of the product according to the customer misses the point of B2B marketing.
The approach
B2C marketing is famously all about the feels. Any Mad Men episode will tell you that you’re not selling a product, you’re selling a lifestyle choice. It’s not a disposable camera, it’s a way of capturing memories. It’s not a car, it’s freedom, it’s travel, it’s metropolitan, it’s high tech, etc.
B2B marketing can’t be doing with that nine times out of ten. There are exceptions, most commonly appealing to managers who want a better work environment, but for the most part, B2B marketing sticks to the cold hard facts. B2B marketing’s point is to prove that they are better than all the rest, rather than neatly slotting into your life.
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