When you learn about business or are planning to have one, you must be familiar with the terms B2B and B2C. Yes, when you get into the business world, you will meet these terms. For those who don’t know, business-to-business companies or B2B, are companies that offer products or services to other businesses. For example, if you are a company that sells fresh and raw materials for food, such as beefs, chickens, or vegetables, you are selling to another business that will use those raw materials for their restaurant business before they sell the end result of the food made using those raw materials to their consumers. Business-to-consumer or B2C, however, is a business type in which a company sells products or services directly to their consumers. To make it more understandable for you, let me give you another example. You have a salon, you offer direct services to your customers, which means you are a B2C business type, but when you buy products to be used for that service, you buy the products from your supplier, which means your supplier belongs to a B2B company that offers your business their products, so that you can use their products to give direct services to your customers.

It’s as simple as that, right? That being said, when it comes to having a business, whether it is small or big, B2B or B2C, we still have to do strategic planning in order to succeed in managing our business. With that in mind, marketing is one of the ways to grow a business. However, B2B and B2C have a different approach but the same goal when it comes to content marketing strategy. Want to know more about it? Keep reading to find out!

In terms of content marketing, B2B and B2C companies have the same goal: to increase their brand awareness by showing values to their customers. However, they use different approaches when it comes to the strategy. Below are the approaches they use depending on the strategies.

Social media strategy

B2C. Since B2C companies sell their products or services directly to their consumers, they use visual and emotional approach in this strategy. Social media is a tool for direct communication and information, which in this case, is between consumer and seller; therefore, visual content such as promotional videos, real photos of their products, and some footage of what they are currently up to are important in order to show values to their consumers.

B2B. When we are talking about B2B, we are talking about insights. Yes, since B2B companies are catered for another business, when they are doing content marketing on social media, they provide information and insights on what’s happening in this world. Also, motivational quotes are important to deliver passion between businesses. While B2C companies use visual content to promote their products, B2B companies should use visual content to provide information that can include numbers, statistics, facts, and even their activities to make sure their business is considered as reliable and trusted.

Target audience

B2C. When it comes to target audience, B2C companies have their own target range based on ages, genders, or places. If you own cosmetics and skin care business, your major target audience can be women aged 17 and above, and men aged 17 and above.

B2B. When you are targeting audience for your B2B company, you are not targeting people based on their ages or genders. You target them based on their status in their business. Before your offer reaches the senior-level executives, who basically make a deal eventually, you have to reach to the B2B researchers in that business first, because they are the ones who actually convince the executives to make a deal with you. If your marketing strategy can convince the researchers, then they can make assessments regarding your offer and when they find quality in it, they will know exactly what to tell the executives.

Why and what

B2C. In their content marketing strategy, B2C companies focus on answering WHY their products and services are reliable and useful. Their audience does not think about WHAT, but WHY they should buy your products, starting from quality, specifications, to endurance of use.

B2B. In B2B content marketing strategy, companies focus on answering WHAT information they can give to their customers and how they will use that information to provide the right products or services for their customers.

With different approaches but the same goal, managing B2B or B2C businesses still has the same principle in their goal as well; to cater to customers. However, don’t get it in reverse, as the two hold different principles in their approach. If you don’t do it properly, it would be difficult for you to grow your business. Stay in your lane, but expand your knowledge. That way, your business will run smoothly with as little hassle as possible.