B2B and B2C might only be one letter apart, but understanding their subtle differences will make a world of difference to your marketing. Because B2B and B2C are two entirely different markets! And if your sales approach doesn't match your market, it's just not going to work out.
Throughout this article, we'll explore the B2B and B2C markets and their meaning to your business. As always, expect plenty of tips and tricks along the way. Let's dive in!
B2B stands for business-to-business. Put simply, it's businesses selling products and services to other businesses. For example, accountancy software, manufacturing materials and advertising services. And if you haven't figured it out already, Owlee itself falls into this marvellous category.
B2B brands more often than not have a set of common traits. These include:
Whether you're marketing to a business or consumers, people like dealing with people and not faceless corporations. Whatever you do, your messaging needs to be human and authentic. With that said, here’s how to market to B2B customers:
To B2B customers, details are everything! They're on the lookout for products and services that solve their unique business problems. They need educating as to why your brand is the perfect fit.
Blogs, articles, email newsletters, infographics and podcasts are your best friends when it comes to educating your B2B customers. Fill your content with as many juicy details about your brand's value as it can manage, and you'll be converting B2B customers before you know it.
Always remember that when you sell to a B2B customer, you're never selling to an individual. Every purchase decision a business makes goes through an entire team before it can be signed off.
Take this into account and think about everybody who's a part of that team. Consider that your content will be put in front of managers, accountants, company directors and more. You have to wow them all if you want to win that contract!
B2B contracts are typically long-term, lasting months and even years. And it makes sense, too, as businesses seek a perfect solution to help them in the long run.
Take that into account when planning your marketing. Don't just think about how you can solve your customer's problems today. Think about how you can continue to solve their problems next month, next year or even the following decade. This is how you convince businesses that you will provide long-lasting value.
Knowing this, it pays to have a plan. Wield a timeline like your life depends on it. Business people love knowing what value they'll receive and when. Make it blatantly obvious in your messaging!
B2C stands for business-to-consumer. This is when businesses sell their products and services to everyday shoppers — not other businesses. They're the businesses most of us are used to dealing with daily, for example, supermarkets, clothing stores and restaurants.
B2C brands, more often than not, have a set of common traits. These include:
So, you want to sell your products to the masses, hey? Here's how it's done:
Raise your hand if you love industry jargon! Gosh, we're not seeing many hands today. People hate jargon. It's confusing, and it sucks. While you, the business owner, entrepreneur or marketer, might know what a term means, your audience likely does not.
Your audience doesn't need or want to be deciphering your messaging as if it were ancient hieroglyphics. So make sure whatever you say is easy for your audience to understand. For example, instead of saying ‘B2C,’ you could say ‘selling to consumers.’ It’s plain English that doesn’t require a Google search to get.
We’re not saying bring a bouncy castle into the office, although that does sound like a great time. What we are saying is that your marketing for B2C audiences should never be boring. While B2B customers need facts, figures and a long list of details, B2C customers want entertainment. Use humorous videos, witty copy and interesting articles to win them over.
B2C customers are chained to their emotions. They’re what drive the majority of their purchase decisions. Knowing this, don’t be afraid to get emotional with them. Make them laugh, tell them an uplifting story — you can even make them cry if it’s appropriate!
We can see great examples of emotional advertising when we look at luxury brands such as Gucci and Dior. They don’t bombard us with the fantastic number of features that their products have. Instead, they use artistically inspired videos and clever copy to pluck on our heartstrings and make us feel something.
Struggling to sell to B2B or B2C customers? Let Owlee do the hard work for you! Our automated advertising platform creates, targets and publishes ads on your business's behalf, so you don't have to. We even have a guaranteed sales feature, so you know precisely how many sales each campaign will earn before you even hit launch.
Start reaching the B2B and B2C customers you deserve with Owlee!
B2B and B2C aren't so scary. They're just different markets that you can sell your products and services to. By now, it should be pretty obvious which market your business needs to focus on. And we hope we've managed to provide you with enough tips and tricks to get you started.
If you have any questions, feel free to fire them away in the comments. While you're at it, why not share this article with a colleague or friend? Catch you next time.
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