B2B vs. B2C Marketing

For B2C, the possibilities are endless—you can find your target audience driving down the road, researching various topics online, watching television, using social media, reading online reviews, and doing a number of other activities that give you an opportunity to tell them your story. But for B2B marketing, you have a much more specific target audience, so you should use much more specific mediums in order to reach them. For example, if you sell medical equipment to primary care doctors, try sponsoring a conference or advertising in a newsletter for the applicable area of medicine.

The Language You Use

Whether you’re writing long copy or a print advertising, B2C communications should be accessible to the average person. However, B2B requires a much higher level of detail. Your audience is knowledgeable about the subject matter, and they likely have more at stake with every purchase because it affects their business and/or their reputation within their company, so the information you relay to them must be more sophisticated and precise.

The Way They Make Decisions

Generally, the sales cycle is much shorter in B2C scenarios than in B2B. In other words, while an individual consumer can make their own purchasing choices, people who are buying for their employer or their own business tend to take far longer to ultimately make a purchase, because they need to gather and analyze information about their options, make calculations like return on investment (ROI) and cost evaluations, and they may need to receive approval from other co-workers or superiors before a final decision is made.

While they both have the goal of spreading the word about a business and ultimately driving sales, B2B and B2C require very different approaches. Understanding the differences between these two categories should inform your entire marketing plan and where you choose to invest your budget. At McCauley Marketing Services, our range of professionals are experts in both B2B and B2C. To discuss how we can help your business reach its full potential, schedule a meeting today. Or, for more marketing tips and industry news, follow McCauley Marketing Services on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.