Business to Businesses are obviously different from Business to Customers, yet, I often see B2Bs with content that would be more appropriate for a B2C. Different business models require a different approach to content, meaning things like blogs, marketing emails, and eBooks all need to be written differently if they are either a B2B or B2C. The content strategy itself also needs to take special considerations depending on what type of business you are. For those who aren’t sure if their content is designed for the right audience, here is a breakdown of three of the biggest differentiators.
Three Major Differences Between B2B and B2C Content Marketing
1. B2B Has Greater Emphasis on Thought Leadership
Consumers usually look for items and services based on things like budget and needs. Businesses look for these things too when searching for a company to partner with, but are also more concerned with things like thought leadership and authority. Whoever they decide to partner with will have a big impact on their business, and therefore want to find a company that they can trust and who they can be confident will get them results.
As a result, companies that need the services of a particular B2B will do much more research than a consumer would. They will look to see just what kind of voice a potential partner has in their industry, as well as how knowledgeable they are, by looking at their content. This means that B2B content strategies need to focus more on establishing authority than B2Cs.
2. B2C Content Should Typically be Less Formal (Though It Doesn’t Need To Be)
Tone is another key differentiator between B2B and B2C content. Generally, B2C content will be a little less formal than B2B content. With B2C, it can be good to build a community around your brand, which is easier to achieve if you take a more light-hearted and less formal approach. The more open, friendly tone makes a brand more accessible, which in turn encourages prospects to convert.
That being said, you definitely can be less formal with B2B content, it’s just very dependent on circumstances and you have to be more careful if you do. For example, if you sell network technology to businesses and write a funny, casual blog article that is targeted for their IT person, they may appreciate some jazzier content. In other circumstances, adding humor may be the kiss of death that causes the prospect to lose interest.
3. B2B Takes Longer Time to Convert
As you probably have realized, it will take a business, especially a larger business, much more time in order to convert than it would for an individual or family. As such, your content marketing strategy will need to reflect this, with additional content to keep prospects interested as well as longer, more involved email campaigns that should target them.
One of the major reasons why B2Bs take longer to convert is because there can be a number of people who have to sign off on going with you. Because of this, you will find it helpful to create content that is helpful for different members of an organization.
Now it’s important to note that there are also a number of things that are similar between B2B and B2C content marketing. For example, consistently posting up new content is crucial, as is having a clear idea of your target persona.
I would love to hear from you what you see as being the major difference between B2B and B2C content marketing are. Please share your thought in the comments below.
Image by Danilo Rizzuti
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