HOW IS CONTENT MARKETING IN B2B COMPANY DIFFERENT FROM B2C?

B2B companies and B2C companies have stark differences in terms of their functioning. It is widely understood that both B2B and B2C companies have a distinct approach toward the brand image, brand positioning, business models, business ethics, customer relations, etc. The differences are all-the-more important in terms of marketing strategies- especially content marketing strategy.

While creating a content marketing strategy for any firm, the primary focus always remains on the target audience or potential clients. Some companies entirely function as B2B or B2C, while some have a mixed target of both, businesses and customers. As a content writer, it is necessary to have in-depth knowledge about the difference between B2B and B2C companies and client approaches for effective perusal.

In this article, we will elucidate the differences between B2B companies and B2C companies and help you increase your efficiency in content marketing in both.

Functioning of a B2B Company

A B2B company focuses on marketing its products and services to other businesses. Here, the purchase decision is prolonged and systematic, or, has a longer buying cycle. The target audience of such companies look for a working relationship rather than engaging in a one time purchase. 

The content for B2B companies is primarily based on showcasing your expertise in the domain, and building trust, and authority to attract businesses. Using industry-related jargon or technical terminologies is helpful. Your agenda is to sell yourself rather than the product or services.

Some important elements of content marketing for B2B companies are:

Brand Positioning

Brand positioning is the starter point in this industry. Through different content, you should be able to promote your product or services and their features. Indicate the nature of your business, the businesses you cater to, and the needs your brand will fulfil. This aids other businesses to understand your brand better.

Client Motivation

‘We know what we are doing’ holds a distinct value in this domain. Using authoritative content such as compilations of case studies, downloadable PDFs, white papers, etc attracts high-quality links from high-ranking websites. This results in higher search engine ranking and quality traffic on your website. Website visitors are likely to find the content appealing as it asserts knowledge and in-depth information, hence converting into leads. 

Establishing Brand Value

Establishing authority in the market is a primary requirement of any B2B company.  Any business will engage in business with you only if you have a respectable brand value and experience. 

Businesses usually have a long hierarchical process of decision-making. The process involves extensive research, numerous meetings to determine the benefits, etc. As a result, brands will always prefer concrete proof of your expertise over hypothesis or vague generalization. Using concrete data, statistical analysis, etc through blog posts, case studies, whitepapers, etc are commonly used content. Such content not only showcases your expertise in the field but also helps you come across as a valuable resource. 

Developing Trust

As aforementioned, in B2B firms, businesses prefer engaging in a working relationship. Such business engagement can be successfully drawn using content rooted in empathy. Buyer’s personas of such businesses are very specific, sharing similar interests, making it easier to reach and attract your target audience. 

Using the buyer’s persona, you can draft empathy maps and create content that efficiently improves interaction and eases their pain points. Content that not only highlights the features of your company but also asserts your company’s efficiency in solving their problems can help in achieving a headstart in such businesses.

Functioning of B2C Companies

B2C companies are focused on selling products and services to individuals. Since the decision-making lies in the hands of a single person, the buyer’s journey is short, impulsive, and mostly, emotionally triggered. The goal of these companies is to identify the pain points of the customers and attract them using empathy. 

The content for such businesses needs to be crisp and induce action. The importance of efficiency and emotional staggering is immense and will ultimately attract quality leads for the company.

Here are some key elements for content marketing for B2C companies:

Brand Recognition

Customers generally have certain preferences based on which they purchase from a brand. It ranges from product preferences, quality, brand status, affordability, etc. This also implies that the target customers should recognize your brand. 

Content is a great way of asserting the brand position using informative articles and getting quality traffic. Moreover, content makes it easier to have a strong digital presence, coming up on their search result page or their social media feeds and leaving a long-lasting impact on their minds.

Empathy Approach

Content marketing for B2C companies is largely driven by empathy. The content should be able to trigger their emotions, and solve their pain points, hence attracting them to associate with your brand. However, in B2C businesses, the target audience is very diverse. Each product or service has the potential to cater to various types of customers with different needs and pain points. There can be multiple buyer’s personas and each content should be very diverse, attracting as many of those personas at once. 

Highlight Value

The target audience of B2C companies generally has a hard time parting with their hard-earned money. It is important to make them believe that your company provides the best value for their money. Implying the benefits of the products, highlighting special offers, and convincing them that they need the product can be done through content. This will attract increased traffic and quality leads.

Addressing Immediacy

The decision-making process by the customers of B2C companies is rather impulsive. They usually skim through blog posts and perceive their notion about the company within seconds. This is why the content for such companies should be compulsive and attention-grasping. The more concise it is, the better impact is it likely to have.

Each industry has specific needs for its content marketing strategy, the ultimate goal is to attract profits. A clear understanding of these differences will come in handy while creating content for the different target audiences. 

Whichever industry you work with, the secret to success lies in a perfectly designed strategy and efficient execution with quality content. Once you crack the code to your target audience, you will be able to attract increased traffic with every content. 

To learn more about content marketing, follow our blog!