Content marketing for B2B vs B2C is different in several key areas. This stems from how most business purchases are different from consumer purchases.
Let’s delve into some of these differences:
The Nature of B2B vs B2C
Higher Ticket Price Point
First of all when businesses make a purchase it is typically at a higher price point than similar consumer purchases. This is because business purchases are usually larger in most ways. Think of a business purchasing or leasing a building versus an individual buying a home or renting a single apartment. A restaurant will purchase restaurant grade kitchen equipment and appliances, rather than consumer grade. Many businesses need specialized equipment that is not available to consumers at all. All of this comes at higher price points.
More Complex Sales Process
In making the decisions for these larger business purchases, more people tend to be involved and the purchase decisions often need to be justified to a board of directors and a CFO. This results in a much more complex sales process for most B2B transactions.
Longer Lead Times
As a result of the higher price points involved and the more complex sales process, the time from initial lead to sale to delivery is often dramatically longer than with a typical B2C sales process.
While consumer sales can take moments between initial desire and purchase (think of the chocolate bars near the cash register at your local grocery store), B2B sales can often be months or even years in the making.
Content Differences between B2B and B2C
Because of these fundamental differences, content marketing for B2B is very different in most cases than for B2C.
Audience
Content in B2B marketing is aimed at a decision maker in a business context, often an executive who must be able to back up any decision or recommendation with hard facts and data. Contrast this with content marketing for B2C, where the audience is typically an individual consumer who is the ultimate decision maker in the matter.
Where you reach a B2B audience is usually business-related, such as through professional networks, conferences, authoritative industry websites and journals, industry-related podcasts, and LinkedIn. Consumer audiences are typically reached through more informal social media channels (think Tiktok, Instagram, etc), TV, and a broader range of interest and entertainment websites.
Appeal to Authority
All of this reinforces that in B2B marketing it is best to appeal to authority in your content. You want to present your brand as a trusted authority with maximum expertise in whatever market you are in.
The actual content produced for B2B marketing is typically longer form than for B2C. Examples include:
- Books
- Whitepapers
- Webinars
- In-person talks and presentations, especially at industry events
- Booths and exhibits at conferences and industry events
- In-depth articles and blog posts
- Industry specific podcasts
While B2B marketing may be more involved than B2C, it is very rewarding especially when trusted relationships have been built in your market. In B2B marketing you typically have fewer sales than in B2C marketing, but the size of the individual sales is higher and there is much less churn. In short, B2B marketing is very rewarding when done right.
If you want to strategize B2B content for your business, contact us to set up a free intro meeting.
