In the world of marketing, there are generally two large branches that encompass a wide variety of more specialized marketing. Business to business and business to consumer, or B2B and B2C respectively, marketing efforts are usually very different marketing initiatives since there are a variety of different motivators in each field. Here are three major differences to consider between B2B and B2C marketing strategies.

Purchasing motivation.

This is probably the biggest and most important factor in the difference between B2B and B2C marketing. Companies marketing their goods and services to other businesses must focus on the practical benefits of their products. They aren’t selling someone based on gut response; they are marketing to an entire chain of command. The purchaser needs to convince his or her boss that the product they purchase makes financial sense.

Whereas, consumer purchases are based largely on emotional connections with the products. Consumers, in large part, need not consult with other parties before they make their decisions and therefor tend to act on emotion. This knowledge will affect much of the way that businesses develop their marketing.

Length of marketing period.

B2B marketing is a long game marketing effort. You may get a connection when the company is not ready to purchase, but must maintain that relationship until funds are freed up for the purchase. Much of consumer marketing is based on the concept of scarcity. If customers don’t “act now” they’ll miss out on something great.

Delivery methods.

While both marketing efforts involve social media, B2C marketing interaction is more often directed at consumers and not conversational in nature (with the exception of social media), such as print ads, billboards or TV commercials. B2B marketing is all about relationships. Because when you sell a business, you sell more than one unit, you sell numerous units, it’s important to maintain direct one-on-one contact with prospective customers.

Much success,

Looking for more great reads? Check out these related articles:

• How to Write an eBooks and the Advantages for B2B Marketing
• Leveraging Industry Influencers in your B2B marketing Strategy
• What are the Top B2B Marketing Challenges This Year?
• What Kind of Team Should You Assemble for Content Creation in your B2B Company?
• Why Your Business Should Practice Social B2B Marketing
• Improving Your B2B Lead Generation with Inbound Marketing
• B2B Marketing: Managing the Customer Lifecycle
• B2b Marketing; Focus on One-on-ONe Customer Relationships
• B2B Marketing: The Year of Predictive Analytics
• Are B2B Businesses Having a Hard Time Succeeding with Content Marketing?