8 Major Differences between B2B and B2C Social Media Marketing

Both Business-to-Business (B2B) and Business-to-Consumer (B2C) marketing involve selling products. But while B2B and B2C marketing may seem similar, there are several major differences between the two, eight of which we explore here.

There is more at stake in B2B transactions compared to B2C

B2B transactions often take more time, involve more people, require more decision-makers, and are more expensive than B2C purchases. This is because B2B marketers need to prove that their purchase has a return-on-investment (ROI), while in B2C marketing, the job is done once the purchase is made. ROI is the financial benefit received from an investment. Companies want to get some of the money they put into the purchase back. In marketing, this means that effective marketing will make up some of the money the company invests in the campaign.

B2B marketing is logical. B2C marketing is emotional.

When you market to a B2B client, you must streamline the process to minimise cost and time constraints. On the other hand, when marketing to consumers, you should focus on the benefits they will experience if they purchase the product. This is why B2B marketing is often based on logic, while B2C marketing is emotion-driven.

When marketing to B2B clients, you should focus in-depth on how that product will save them time, money, and resources. However, consumers want to go right to the point and will be put off by a lengthy, detailed promotional message. Hence, with consumers, keep the marketing message short and to the point. The easiest way to do this is to make the message provoke an emotional reaction. This encourages them to find the product emotionally appealing and to buy it.

Customer service

Although both B2B and B2C clients want to receive high-quality customer service, in B2B marketing, customer service happens before the purchase takes place, while in B2C marketing, customer service is the start of establishing customer loyalty. In B2B marketing, customer service comes into play before the first purchase even takes place and begins with the first contact established between the client and the company, regardless of who makes the first call. But B2C clients want to use their first purchase to establish a relationship with the company they are purchasing from based on trust, so that they know who they are dealing with. Customer service is therefore important to both B2B and B2C clients, but comes into its own at different stages of the marketing and purchasing process.

Branding

A strong brand is an important aspect of the marketing process, but B2B and B2C clients place different levels of value on branding. For B2B clients, a strong brand will encourage them to consider the value of a product, but will not be their primary motivation to pick that product over others. However, a strong brand will encourage a B2C client to buy, remain loyal, and even pay a higher price for a product. This is because the B2B purchasing process is more rational and logical than the emotion-driven buying process used by B2C clients.

Long versus short decision-making process

B2B clients take more time to make decisions than B2C clients. For this reason, companies need to spend more time and resources establishing a relationship with a potential B2B client. This is because B2B clients often need to see a formal proposal before committing to a purchase. Also, B2B clients will often think about potential purchases several weeks or months before they might need the product concerned. On the other hand, B2C clients tend to make in-the-moment purchasing decisions as their need is immediate, not something they might need to potentially account for in the future. Once again, this difference harks back to the fact that B2B purchasing decisions are logical, while B2C ones are emotionally driven.

The number of stakeholders involved

There are more stakeholders in the B2B marketing and purchasing process compared to its B2C counterpart, as illustrated by the image below. Here, we can see that B2C involves one person or contractor, while B2B involves a group of purchasers, all of which must agree to the purchasing decision being made. To market B2B, it is often necessary to speak to multiple stakeholders and identify the key decision-makers before making a sale. But B2C marketing and purchasing usually only involves one decision-maker, or two at most. Because only one person is usually involved in B2C marketing, it is easier to establish an emotional connection with the purchasing party.

The pool of leads

B2B marketing usually involves a smaller number of leads than B2C marketing. Chuck Cohn highlights the difference by citing the example of Amazon, a B2C company that sells to millions of consumers across the globe. As such, B2C marketing can be directed at a large pool of people. By way of contrast, a B2B company may manufacture a niche product needed by a small group of companies to create products to sell on the B2C market. Consequently, the B2B marketing audience is far smaller than that of its B2C counterpart.

The type of product knowledge.

B2B purchasing requires a different kind of knowledge than that involved in B2C marketing and purchasing. When selling B2C, the primary concern is to explain why your product is better than that of your competitor. On the other hand, selling B2B requires a deeper technical knowledge and a knowledge of the benefits the product will bring to the company. This is because B2B purchasers need to know more about the product than B2C purchasers, as they need to justify why the product has been purchased by more stakeholders and why it will be useful for the company as a whole, not just one particular person.