Differences Between B2B And B2C Marketing
When developing a marketing strategy, we have already seen that creating an online communication and marketing plan is the first thing. Still, depending on the type of our business, a B2B (business to business) or a B2C (business to consumer), we will have to Be clear about the different strategies.
Marketing strategy for B2B
Most companies that buy a product or service are different from those of a consumer. B2B businesses must follow a need strategy, focusing on adding value to a client who decides based on logical motivations and promoting how the products or services offered to respond to a specific requirement of the client’s business.
For this, it is necessary to have a team that knows how to plan, implement, and control our tools. It must take into account that between 60% and 90% of B2B purchase decisions are made online, so it is essential to focus on the client’s needs and advantages. The global experience generates confidence security, and so the purchase occurs.
Essential in a B2B:
The message that appeals to reason:
When our potential client is a company, we must bear in mind that their purchase decisions are meticulous since there is a lot of money at stake, and they are based on objective data (price, functionality, specifications, etc. .) and, above all, in the confidence that our brand gives them.
Content marketing with technical documentation: specific and technical content that can add value and even solve a problem will always create more confidence for a purchasing manager of a business. With Inbound Marketing techniques, we can use this content to capture leads to attract customers later.
Focus on a long-term relationship:
Does the concept of customer lifetime value (CLV) ring a bell? In essence, it refers to the value that a client can generate in our company over time. Given the characteristics of acquisitions (in many cases huge investments) in the B2B world, companies prefer to work with other companies on a stable and continuous basis. Therefore, the CLV is extremely important for B2B companies since, on many occasions, it is what determines their survival.
Specific means to make yourself known:
We must focus our efforts on our future clients and not kill flies with cannon fire. Organizing events, attending fairs webinars, appearing in sponsored posts, and using the appropriate social networks, such as Linkedin (fundamental), Twitter, or YouTube, are good practices to increase our visibility.
Marketing strategy for B2C
B2C businesses must use the desired strategy where the customer, not the product, focuses on the process. The reasons why a consumer buys a good or service are more varied and, usually, they are much more emotional than logical, and their purchase is more impulsive than in the B2B world.
Essential in a B2C:
The message that appeals to emotion must be understood that consumers acquire experiences. Certain products and certain brands make the customer feel differently. It is necessary to connect with the consumer, know what factors motivate their purchase, and deal with them in a familiar language.
Content marketing with interesting documentation:
the consumer expects you to entertain him. If he allows him to read your content, he hopes it is not advertising but of interest to him. To be in the minds of consumers when the moment of purchase decision approaches, it is essential to give them a good feeling from the beginning. In the same way, as in B2B, we can offer high-quality content (such as an e-book, a webinar, etc.) in exchange for contact information and thus get leads.
Focus on instant sales (short-term relationship):
Although it varies depending on the market, in general, consumer loyalty to a brand is lower than that of one company to another; that is, they have a lower CLV. Therefore, it is very effective to focus on moments: make promotions, discounts, or any action that awakens the impulse of consumers to purchase our product.
Mass media to get noticed:
our clients are usually found in general media. For example, in the case of social networks, LinkedIn is not a priority, unlike Facebook or Instagram, where we will be able to reach a much larger part of our audience.
Essential in both B2B and B2C:
Email marketing:
Once we have our leads, we can use them for three purposes: branding, sales, or (most commonly) a mixture of both. A good practice is to provide our leads with 80% valuable information (such as a newsletter) and 20% sales content. The use of marketing automation is vital if you want to save costs and improve the effectiveness of your campaigns. Both B2Bs and B2Cs can use email marketing.
Content marketing to improve SEO:
Although content marketing strategies are generally different in B2B and B2C when the objective is to position in search engines to gain authority in our domain, the operation is very similar. The content has to be optimized for SEO, it has to be of actual use to the user, and it has to be related to our business.
Offer a good user experience:
98% of companies search for providers on the Internet. In 8 seconds, you know what a provider is like and why to choose it. On the other hand, consumers have no time to waste, and whether your site doesn’t load fast enough or isn’t intuitive and takes too long to find what they’re looking for, they’ll walk away without making a purchase. In addition, as this post on the keys to an SEO audit explains, loading speed is a highly relevant aspect.
