Traditionally there has been a clear distinction between B2B (business to business) and B2C (Business to consumer) audiences, whether working in sales, marketing, or any other industry. In saying that, are they closer than we think? There are facets of both that have similar qualities, yet they are treated very differently.
The demand generation sector is traditionally B2B. However, after I moved from a mixed B2B and B2C sector to working at oneninefive, I realised I'd never truly worked in B2B in this unique way before. Understandably, the most consistent aspect between B2B and B2C is that we are all obsessed with targeting specific individuals. In B2B everyone wants to understand the psychology and mindset of this individual in order to target and sell to their business. Hence personalisation of content should be at the forefront of everything we do, no matter the industry, in turn making it unique to the individual. Understanding what the individual is thinking, how they're behaving, their competitors and any other factors that may influence their decision-making process is important. So, is B2B all that different to B2C?
Think of it this way. We're selling directly to a person within a business, in the same way we would B2C. So, why do we as marketers treat B2B and B2C so differently?
Content is usually the focal point of many B2C marketing strategies, to drive interest, awareness, and trust around products and brands, which improves conversion rates and customer loyalty. 58% of marketers in 2018 reported content marketing creation was their top priority (CMI). This has now risen to 94% as marketers are investing in content marketing and 68% plan on increasing their budget for 2021 (The state of content marketing 2020 by SEMrush). When we think of content we usually think of B2C but it's important to remember content in B2B. Remember, behind every business is a person.
The importance of content marketing and specialist targeting has only increased during the pandemic, highlighting the importance of being able to convey a message to an individual without being directly in front of them – a particularly exciting and important time for the marketers in the world!
B2C marketing campaigns are seen as much more fun, exciting, yet there is no reason that B2B cannot be the same.
- We can still be customer centric
- Use the power of social media
- Tell the story of our brand
We as B2B marketers should look at deploying some of the same principles as B2C, this is exactly why here at oneninefive we don't want to look like a narrow minded B2B demand generation business.