While B2B and B2C marketing bear several similarities, the difference between the two runs even deeper. How marketers from the two camps engage their target audience, the level of emotion involved and how they craft their content are profoundly dissimilar.

1.
Any digital marketing enthusiast would have come across the
terms B2B and B2C marketing strategies often. Both are
fundamentally different despite being integral components of a
successful marketing campaign. Their difference lies in the target
audiences they tend to cater to – either individual customers or
businesses.
De
fi
ning B2B and B2C Marketin
g
B2B (Business to Business) marketing refers to any marketing
strategy, method, or campaign that is targeted toward a business or
organization. A business that sells its products and services to
other businesses employs B2B marketing strategies
.

2. On the other hand, B2C (Business to Customer) marketing refers
to a marketing strategy, method, or campaign that is aimed at
individual customers, consumers, and users of a company’s
products and services, to attract their attention, generate leads, and
increase conversions
.
B2B vs B2C Marketing: Different Perspective
s
Despite sharing the same technical processes and best practices,
the two strategies differ signi
fi
cantly in terms of certain key
parameters
.
Customer Relationship Developmen
t
B2B marketing requires a greater focus on personal relationships
to drive long-term impact and loyalty among the target audience
pool. Unless they connect with their customers through best
practices, cultural trends, and evolving morals close to the
customers’ heart, they cannot expect to establish and develop
meaningful relationships with them. As generating leads is the

3. topmost priority for B2B businesses, referrals and repetition are
highly signi
fi
cant to them
.
Uber: B2C marketing on LinkedIn
On the other hand, B2C marketing aims primarily at driving sales.
Getting to know the customer is not a matter of concern, as much
as focussing on the product and providing value to the buyer.
Therefore, B2C marketing can be said to lay more emphasis on
transactional relationships, which can be suf
fi
ciently generated
and maintained using strong PR outreach skills and quality
products and services.
Brandin
g

4. Brand recognition is crucial to both B2B and B2C marketing.
However, for B2B marketing this is closely linked with
relationship development and market position. It is important for
B2B companies to closely understand and analyze the
personalities they want to target within the market. Thereafter,
they adjust their branding strategy around these customers.
Therefore, branding takes the second precedent after relationship
development. Know how to establish b2b brand’s authority in a
niche.
MongoDB, a B2B Company, campaigning on Twitter
On the other hand, for B2C companies, branding is their number
one priority. They focus on delivering a message to create a pool
of loyal, repetitive customers with the help of a lasting impression.

5. Clear and motivational messages are, therefore, imperative to the
success of a B2C company’s marketing campaign.
Decision-Making Proces
s
A B2B marketing strategy focuses on open communications
between businesses on both ends to arrive at a con
fl
uence that
works for either party. Customers are likely to compare the
services of one B2B company with another besides rational and
emotional motivations. Therefore, B2B companies need to market
themselves in a way that places them ahead of their competitors.
At the same time, B2B campaigns must be targeted at a speci
fi
c
individual or small group of individuals within a business who are
the decision-makers
.
For B2C companies, however, there is no such requirement for
speci
fi
city in the earlier stages itself. a B2C marketer must be able
to create in
fl
uential campaigns at the top of the funnel to attract
attention, whether or not the in
fl
uenced is theoretically not the
buyer. The idea is to appeal to the masses, instead of speci
fi
c

6. individuals, and rely on campaigns to eventually reach the
decision-maker by in
fl
uence
.
Audience Targetin
g
Having a speci
fi
c, closed-room niche, is very important for B2B
marketing. This also makes it important to evaluate, analyze and
understand the audience demographics qualitatively as well as
quantitatively. It is very important to know who are your target
audience. Advertisements can then be targeted using collated data,
targeting speci
fi
c keywords, demographics, and even customers
through the right marketing tools. Lead generation being the
foremost priority, B2B marketers need to work on a niche prospect
list from the top of the funnel itself
.
Amazon, a B2C giant, on Instagram
This is not the same for B2C campaigns, which can work on a
larger scale, with more spread-out marketing initiatives. The top of
the funnel can be much wider than the eventual conversions
because the idea is to create a lasting impression
fi
rst
.

7. Target Audiences Matte
r
The biggest factor that determines effective marketing is your
audience. If you are not directing your promotions and
advertisements to the right buyer persona, they are likely to fail in
producing optimum results
.
We have seen how the two prime categories of target audiences –
individual customers and businesses – can dictate marketing
methods and tactics completely. As a business, it is essential to
understand your speci
fi
c needs and employ those strategies and
tactics that work best for you
.