The differences between B2B vs B2C impact your digital marketing strategy, from how you advertise to how you design your website. We compare these differences and reveal the best way to design your B2B website to suit your digital marketing strategy.
How much do you know about B2B vs B2C marketing?
Whether you’re marketing to both audiences at once, or pivoting from one to the other, it’s important to know how to best approach digital marketing. B2B and B2C digital marketing have some important differences.
Recently, there has been a significant rise in the B2B marketing industry. Are you prepared to get the most out of both types of sales? In this guide, we’ll outline the key differences so you can design your website and marketing strategies accordingly. Keep reading to learn what you need to know!
1. Industry Jargon is Great for B2B
When designing a B2B website, you might want to pack it full of relevant industry jargon. The voice will resonate with people who know exactly what you’re talking about.
However, if you’re creating a B2C website, you’ll want to avoid jargon as much as possible. With B2C marketing, you want the voice to be relatable to the widest possible audience. This means using simple language and fewer industry buzzwords.
2. Consider Purchase Drivers
The drivers differ between B2B and B2C customers. With B2B consumers, they’re driven by industry expertise and efficiency. However, B2C shoppers are looking for a fun shopping experience and great deals.
B2B purchases are more likely to be driven by logic and rationale, while the B2C purchase tends to be driven by feelings and emotions, from hunger to desire for status.
3. Educate B2B Customers
A B2B shopper wants to learn something from you and gain from your expert knowledge. The more you can make your website a resource for useful information, the more likely you are to make a B2B sale.
B2B customers are also driven by a desire to be admired in the workplace thanks to their great knowledge and purchasing decisions. You can help them get there. But B2C customers are looking to have fun instead. They want a purchase that they’ll be happy with and that will meet their emotional needs.
4. B2B Customers Want Detail
On your website, you’ll want to include the details that B2B consumers are looking for. They’re looking for a marketing team that’s going to cater to their interests and desire for knowledge.
However, B2C customers want content that’s funny, useful, or shareable, but not necessarily full of relevant industry details. Creating both kinds of content can be complicated but in different ways.
5. B2B Customers Look For Longer Content
You need to show your expertise to your B2B customers, so it’s good to strive for long-form content that will keep them engaged with the information they’re looking for. B2C customers are more likely to gravitate toward short, punchy content, especially if the product is at a lower price point.
6. B2C Customers Don’t Look For Close Brand Relationships
Sometimes, B2C customers want to connect closely with a brand, but that’s not always the case. However, B2B customers are looking for information from a trustworthy source, so they’re more likely to seek out closer brand relationships. It’s worthwhile to strive to build those relationships so they’ll become repeat customers.
7. B2B Consumers Work With a Chain of Command
When you’re creating a website for a B2B brand, keep in mind that your customers are dealing with a long chain of command. This process can include everything from procurement to accounting to manager approval.
However, individuals making B2C purchasing decisions usually don’t have any factors influencing them but their own desires. The suggestions or recommendations of others are the only outside factors likely to have an effect.
8. B2B Decisions Take Longer
Because of this process, the timeline for B2B decision-making tends to be longer than for B2C. You’ll need to pay closer attention to the B2B process and make sure that your marketing is designed to nurture your customers along the way.
B2C purchases are typically focused on meeting immediate needs, while B2B purchases are aimed at meeting long-term goals.
9. B2B Contracts Last Longer
The B2B purchase contracts are also likely to last longer than a B2C purchase. The B2C cycle might only take a few minutes, while the B2B process can involve a contract for recurring future orders.
10. B2B vs B2C Each Has Its Own Problems
No matter which group you’re marketing to, there are unique problems for each one that you’ll have to navigate.
The biggest problem in B2B marketing tends to be that there’s not enough content or not enough time to create the detailed content these customers are looking for. However, B2C advertisers often seek out bigger budgets and use a wider variety of advertising techniques.
Let’s take a closer look at these differences with a comparison of marketing styles for each group
Marketing to B2B
As you market to B2B customers, you’ll quickly learn that businesses want a streamlined buying process that will save both time and money. That’s why logic factors into B2B buying decisions more than in B2C.
B2B marketing needs to focus on the logical aspects of the product. Talk about its features, and try to understand your buyer’s role in their organization so you can best speak to them. Keep in mind that your marketing really isn’t about the product, but about the people who will be using it. What will it do for their business? What are trends that will drive conversions to their website?
Give in-depth, information-rich content, and you’re likely to see your B2B sales grow.
Marketing to B2C
With consumers, you also need to talk about the benefits of the product – what will it do for them? But this content needs to hinge on emotion more than on logic.
These customers want a lot of different convenient distribution channels, and they don’t want long messages. Keep things short and simple, and focused on pain points that your product will solve.
Let Us Help
There’s actually a lot of overlap between B2B and B2C. Although the customers may want the content in somewhat different forms, they both want to know how your product will help them. We have clients in both B2B and B2C spaces and know how to speak to both audiences. If you’d like help in catering your messaging to your audience, check out our digital marketing services page!
