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B2B vs. B2C Digital Marketing

B2B vs. B2C Digital Marketing

First of all—What is B2B & B2C?

“B2B” – otherwise known as business-to-business – is a term that describes the commercial transaction between two businesses or corporations. Examples of B2B transactions include:

  • A clothing boutique buys tshirts at wholesale from a clothing manufacturer prior to selling them in their shop.
  • A local restaurant purchases meat from the town butcher.
  • A construction company builds commercial office space for a

In contrast, “B2C,” or business-to-consumer transactions take place between business suppliers and consumers. Some examples of B2C transactions:

  • Purchasing a watch or piece of jewelry from your local jeweler or favorite online brand.
  • Buying airplane tickets for a family vacation
  • Paying a moving company to help you relocate your belongings during a move.

B2B vs. B2C Marketing

When it comes to digital marketing, the same marketing strategies and tactics that work for B2B companies aren’t going to be as successful for B2C, and vice versa— simply because the customer and audience types are so different.

B2B brands focus on selling goods and services directly to other businesses, whereas B2C brands are trying to sell their products and services directly to customers for personal use.  As such, each business type is going to take a different approach to online marketing.

Here is a chart below to help you understand the differences between each:

Business-to-Business (B2B)Business-to-Consumer (B2C)

Focus

o   Educate

o   Lead generation

o   Cultivating & maintaining relationships

o   Educating prospects

o   Entice

o   Brand awareness

o   Appeal to a challenge, interest, or need

o   Trigger an emotional response

o   Offer a solution

o   Entertain

Target Audience

o   Corporate teams/committee

o   Individuals and end-users

Language & Tone

o   Use industry terms

o   Professional

o   Rational/logical

o   Formal

o   Direct

o   Echo consumer language (read: digital listening)

o   Personal

o   Emotional

o   Straightforward

o   Sense of urgency

Motivation for purchase

o   The needs of the company/employees

o   Emotional desire, instant gratification

Customer Experience

o   Consultive sales

o   Strong customer service

o   Open communication

o   Enjoyment

o   Ease/Efficiency

o   Convenience 

Marketing Musts

o   Lead generation

o   Discuss ROI and improving business performance

o   Requires more nurturing

o   Salespeople

o   Digital advertising

o   Email marketing

o   SEO

o   Social proof (social media, reviews)

o   Calls to action & incentives

o   Make your brand relevant, memorable

o   Visual appeal 

Of course, the differences in these two types of marketing approaches aren’t hard-and-fast—there certainly can be overlap between B2B and B2C marketing tactics.


Common Mistakes to Avoid When Transitioning from B2C to B2B or B2B to B2C

Transitioning your business from B2B to B2C or B2C to B2B? Here’s what NOT to do during the big switch:

B2B DON’Ts:

  • DON’T spend too much time on the wrong platforms.
    Attempting to generate leads on social media platforms that are more tailored for consumers than other businesses (i.e. Instagram, Vimeo, Tumblr, Pinterest) is only a waste of time. Ideal social media networks for B2B include platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. LinkedIn especially is an excellent platform for generating leads and cultivating business relationships.
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B2C DON’Ts:

  • DON’T forget your touch points.
    The goal of B2C marketing is to make it fast and simple for consumers to purchase your product or service. Therefore, make sure you’re creating clear calls to action with quick and easy ways for your consumer to complete their purchase.
  • DON’T lose sight of your customers’ pain points.
    Remember, your product or service has been created to meet a specific need. Make it obvious what its purpose is and appeal to the consumer who will most benefit from what you’re offering.
  • DON’T try to be clever.
    If it doesn’t come naturally, your cleverness likely will go right over your consumers’ heads. The best way to get customers to buy your product or service is be getting straight to the point. Trying too hard to come across as witty or clever backfires more often than not.

At the end of the day, understanding your business model is the number one step in creating an effective marketing strategy that will ultimately lead to success.


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Creative Director/Senior Designer

Tom DiGrazia

With over a decade and a half of professional design experience, Tom brings his knowledge of design principles and focus on user experience to every aspect of his contribution to TTG. Paying special attention to each client’s brand, personalized needs and individual interests, he strives to create compelling concepts utilizing intuitive and highly-refined design solutions. In addition to traditional and digital design work and oversight at TTG, Tom also boasts a wide portfolio of web development projects with the company, allowing him to stretch his CSS and HTML skills across multiple platforms and disciplines. He feels that being a designer in the digital landscape of websites, eCommerce solutions, email marketing platforms and social media, it is important to understand the code that goes into these areas as it assists his ability to tailor designs specifically targeted to achieve the best end result and further builds understanding and communication with backend development teams.

In his off hours, Tom is an avid pop culture enthusiast, staying up to date on the latest shows, films, comics and games. He can also typically be found taking part in a whole host of artistic activities that help him further stretch his creative legs. Regardless of the activity, Tom is always accompanied by his dog, Eli, and his cat, Tib.

Specialties:
Design, Photography, Illustration, Digital Imagery Manipulation, Wesbite Development

Platforms/Tools:
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Analyst/Strategist

Courtney Dumont

As Senior Marketing Strategist & Analyst at Technology Therapy Group, Courtney is energized by the ability to flex both her left and right brain daily. Courtney discovered her passion for Marketing at Bryant University, where she spearheaded research on students’ perceptions of Social Media Marketing for her Honors Capstone Project. After graduating Bryant in 2012, she joined the Technology Therapy team, where she’s honed her skills in social media, search and social advertising, email marketing, SEO, and more.

Since joining the team, Courtney has created digital marketing strategies and managed campaigns for clients across the country, ranging from plastic surgery centers, to jewelry stores, to construction companies. With a cohesive, cross-channel approach and a focus on data-driven decision making, she has increased their leads by up to 217%. But Courtney doesn’t leave her zeal for social media at the office; she also runs a local foodie Instagram account with her husband to document their meals across Rhode Island and beyond. Check them out: @hoppilyfed.

Specialties:
Marketing Strategy, Data Analysis, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Social Media

Platforms/Tools:
Google Analytics, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Facebook Creator Studio, Instagram, Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Emma Mail, Google Data Studio, WordPress, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, Microsoft Office