B2B vs B2C: are they really that different?

Back in September, I stepped into the world of B2C as the Head of Brand at Honest Mobile .

Before that, I’d worked mostly in B2B, dabbling in the odd bit of B2C along the way. It was a world I’d enjoyed diving into, but I was keen to learn how my skills would (or wouldn’t) transfer to B2C.

Fortunately, I managed to bag myself a role straddling both worlds, marketing to consumers and businesses. That in itself sharpened the focus on B2B vs B2C: how could I appeal to both without alienating the other?

Google ‘B2B vs B2C’ and you’ll be inundated with the endless differences between the two. But it wasn’t long into my new role that many of these began to feel less like hard fact and more like outdated fiction.?

Here are the top three.

B2B is more transactional

The B2B buying journey is long and complex, often with bumps in the road.?

It’s not unusual to spend months pitching to a prospect, only to learn they have very little buying power. That in fact they need to convince their head of department to present a business case to the leadership team, where the CFO will scrutinise forecast returns, the CTO will poke holes in security compliance, and the CMO will challenge if it’s really a priority.?

And that’s just the first stage of sign-off. Depending on the spend, the average tech purchase involves between 14 and 23 people. That’s a lot of people to win over.

Getting through those layers requires an insider. A champion stakeholder willing to make the case for your product or service.?

And getting that person onboard requires knowing them – really knowing them. What makes them tick, keeps them up at night, and will ultimately convince them that you’ve got the solution.?

Manage that, and you’ve persuaded them to do something deeply personal.

Invest something even more valuable than their own money: their professional reputation.

Suddenly, their advocating for your product or service puts them at risk. If the investment pays off, they’ll look brilliant in front of their senior stakeholders and be fast-tracked for promotion. If it doesn’t, their job could be on the line.?

On the flip side, the biggest risk a consumer takes when buying your product is wasting their money. That’s important, especially in a cost of living crisis, but it’s private to them.???

However you look at it, both B2C and B2B sales are transactions. But both can also be deeply personal – especially when it involves their job.

They require different marketing strategies??

I’m not about to argue that you can take the marketing strategy of a B2C brand, clone it for B2B, et voila, watch those sales roll in.?

Just like you can’t take the successful strategy of one B2C brand and apply it to another while expecting identical results.

Whether you’re selling software with a six-figure price tag, or a grab-and-go energy drink, the foundations of good marketing remain the same.

You need to know who you’re talking to, what you’re saying, and why they should care.

It’s easy for marketers to get caught up in the latest trends, flashy tactics and slick branding. But without segmentation, targeting and positioning, it all falls flat.?

Executing a marketing campaign without knowing who you’re talking to and why is like raising the mast on a boat that can’t float. You’re doomed to drown in the noise and competition.

Before you dive into the ‘fun’ stuff, nail the basics.?

• Get to know the market and how customers use (really use) your product or service
• Slice it up based on the biggest drivers of buying behaviour (the actionable x meaningful approach is handy for this)
• Identify the biggest opportunity for your business and set objectives against it
• Nail down the positioning and messaging that’ll help to achieve these goals.

Then – and only then – can you get to the tactical stuff. No matter who you’re selling to.

B2C marketing can be more fun?

This one is a self-fulfilling prophecy.?

The general misconception that B2B marketing is dull and dry means more B2B businesses conform to this criteria, perpetuating the belief that that’s how it should be. A quick scroll through LinkedIn will confirm that bland marketing in B2B is alive and well.

But this doesn’t have to be – shouldn’t be – the case.

Whether you’re selling to a global corporate, or the guy who lives down the road, you’re selling to people. And people want their lives made easier.

Think about it.?

Does Sally who feels warm and fuzzy at the latest John Lewis Christmas ad turn her nose up at a business contract she can understand? Or does she breathe a sigh of relief that she won’t have to blag it next time her manager asks her about the break clause?

Work can be challenging. If you’re a business selling to another business, it’s your job to help ease that – not add to it.?

Now that I’m working across both B2B and B2C, it’s been interesting to flex Honest’s tone of voice across both worlds. And it’s not primarily the audience that dictates how much we lean into the playful or serious, light-hearted or sincere.

It’s the context.

An email chasing late payment, for example, is always going to be less playful than an ad in the Metro. Regardless of who’s seeing it.

Your research should tell you what will land with your target audience. Define that positioning and lean into it.?

To assume that B2B marketing should be dull and jargon-y is to turn your back on your customer – and take the fun out of your job as a marketer.

My biggest learning crossing the bridge from B2B to B2C

Full disclosure: when I first considered moving into B2C, I worried that my largely B2B background would work against me. That I wouldn’t understand the quirks and needs of a consumer audience.

But it turns out the leap I’d built up in my mind was really a short hop, skip and a jump away.

Because marketing for B2B and B2C audiences isn’t – and shouldn’t be – that different.

Of course, there are differences between the two that shouldn’t be overlooked. But that’s the case with any business, whoever you’re selling to.?

In fact, the less we approach the two as foreign worlds to one another, the more we can share learnings from each side – and improve marketing effectiveness across both in the process.

What do you think? Is marketing for B2B really that different to B2C? What learnings do you think each side can impart on the other? Let me know in the comments below.