If you have ever worked in the digital marketing field, then you must be familiar with B2B and B2C business. But you might not be familiar with B2B and B2C marketing strategies or the differences between B2B and B2C marketing. Most of the time, B2B, also known as business-to-business marketing focuses on logical process-driven buying decisions, whereas B2C, also known as business-to-customer marketing focuses on emotion-driven buying decisions.
What does this B2B and B2C even mean? What is the comparison between B2B and B2C?
Business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-customer (B2C) marketers focus on capturing the attention of two different sets of audiences. And though there are several similarities between these kinds of marketing, how they engage audiences on every channel is quite different.
Marketing business-to-business (B2B) is different from marketing business-to-consumer (B2C). Though you are selling a product to an individual, experience shows that the difference between these two kinds of marketing runs deep.
When you do marketing to B2B, you realize that businesses work hard to streamline the purchasing process to save both money and time. It often describes why a B2B purchase depends more on logic and why a customer’s purchase is based on emotion.
It is true that the cost of a sale for the B2B market can be costlier than the B2C market. The simplest way to justify this is that a B2B transaction generally takes more consideration, involves more and more people, and needs more decision-makers. Often B2B customers need to prove a return-on-investment (ROI) for their acquisition.
What is B2B marketing?
B2B stands for Business-to-Business. It defines businesses whose clients are other businesses, and thus all their marketing efforts are dedicated to the interests, requirements, and challenges of customers who are making acquisition on behalf of their company- instead of themselves. In B2B marketing, you must focus on the logic of the product or services and its feature. There is no emotion attached to the buying decision, so you must focus on understanding your purchasers and how they work within the boundaries of their company’s processes. What is their role? What is important to them?
This kind of marketing is about individuals using the product more than it is about the product itself. Be more-in-depth with your marketing resources. Your most useful messages will aim at how your products or services saves money, resources, and time. What type of return on investment can purchasers expect with their buying?
For example, imagine that you own a company that sells productivity software. If you are marketing about your product to businesses, the important thing you must be able to show your clients is that by utilizing the software will save them time and money. Because people can use this software to streamline their work, employees can do more work in the same amount of time. As this would be a vital purchase for many companies wanting several software licenses and adequate training, expect the sale procedure to involve a thorough demonstration and trial period.
What is B2C marketing?
B2C stands for Business-to-Consumer. It defines businesses whose customers are individuals, rather than professional purchasers. Thus, all the business’s marketing is wholly dedicated to the interests, needs, and challenges of people in their regular lives. Here is some example of B2C marketing:
- An oral care brand that sells toothpaste, toothbrushes, and mouthwash to people
- A real estate company that rents and sells a property to families, students, and individuals
Major Differences between B2B and B2C Marketing
Target Audience
The differences between B2B and B2C marketing becomes more evident when it comes to the target audience. B2B marketers often go after the key decision-makers within a company. They do not have to think about everyone in the company or even the end-user.
For example, it does not matter if a medical device or software will be utilized by hundreds of clinicians and care reams; only the CIO, relevant hospital bosses, and information technology officer will make the final buying decision. So, B2B marketers must ensure that all their marketing efforts are focused on this small group of decision-makers.
Like we discussed above, B2C marketers sell directly to customers, not retailers or any other business in the supply chain. B2C marketers can supervise their campaigns at just about anyone who can utilize their products and services, not mandatorily the purchaser. A kid who sees an ad for a PlayStation, for instance, might convince his mother and father to purchase it for him. Even still, it is important for B2C marketing to reach the decision-maker.
The Language
Obtained from the targeted audience, one of the major differences between B2B and B2C marketing is the language. Language in B2B marketing tends to be heavily influenced by industry jargon and associated terms that speak more about the company’s knowledge that the products and services themselves, as the objective is to target another company. Alternatively, B2C, caters toward specific customers, leading to language that is relatable and enough for a wide audience to understand.
Like language, another distinguishing factor between B2B and B2C marketing is the sound.
As B2B focuses on other businesses, the tone will be more formal and will provide an authoritative air that is meant to convey value and trust. B2C, while still striving for authority, will most often have a more humorous and informal tone, that will sound more conversational.
Return on investment
B2B customers want to know the Return on their Investment (ROI). They want to know your expertise, and if your products or services will help them improve the efficiency of the company. Most of the B2B purchases are driven by financial incentives and the idea behind the products or services. Therefore, data-driven marketing plays a significant role for B2B marketers. On the other hand, consumers are more interested in deals, entertainment, and many other exciting parts of the buying process. They will possibly care more if they can earn a discount instead than if the product is long-lasting.
Time period
Ultimately, ass businesses and customers require different products and services than the other one, the final important difference between B2B and B2C marketing is the time in which the marketing efforts will last for each.
To clarify this, think, why a business would require a service from other businesses? Often, they will require service for a specific period, like a certain software that simplifies processes within the company.
In such a case, the purchase will be contract-based and can be extended for a few months, or even years. For B2C marketing, though customers can also make contract-based acquisitions that last for a long time, the time period is generally much shorter and reserved for the time of the initial buying and the item’s delivery, which can be at times few minutes for some. As such the time slot is much shorter.
In addition, B2C is more into the sense that customers not likely to get a product based on an ad or a post which they saw a few months ago. On the contrary, B2B focuses more on the long-term and cultivates relations in case the target businesses will require their services in the coming future.
Marketing expenses
Usually, B2B marketing is a lengthy process that involves a lengthy chain of control. After all, the decision-maker is most of the time, not a single person, which means B2B marketers must spend more money. B2B customers usually make quick and one-person decisions. This can help marketers to save their time and money.
Conclusion
Ultimately, the differences between B2B and B2C marketing can be summed up to whom you are targeting and why.
If you are targeting other businesses whose main interest is the company and those who serve them, you do marketing using a formal tone that is business-oriented and focuses on the logic.
Instead, if you are targeting customers, the language you must use is informal. You must focus on the emotions of the customers.