When looking at B2B vs. B2C, the first distinction that must be considered is that B2B is business-to-business, whereas B2C is business-to-consumer. Now business-to-business refers to the transaction between one business and another, as opposed to business-to-consumer, which refers to the trade between the business and the individual consumer. The goals could be expected between the two, such as communication with customers, promoting their products, or effectively guiding somebody or some company through the sales cycle. But there are many critical differences between B2B and B2C campaigns that maximize their
Key Differences between B2B and B2C
Length of Buying Cycle: B2C sales cycle has a quicker turnaround process than B2B sales. The amount of time taken to turn a prospect into a lead is due to the decision-making process that is highly considered on the B2B side due to evolution-driven and financially focused buyers. In the Business aspect of things, there is an approval process; as a result of this process, the email marketing campaigns for B2B is a multiple-step workflow that is, in some cases, considered drip marketing over some time. B2C email marketing campaigns are directed at a broader audience, allowing marketing toward consumers' compulsive habits. A much scarcer email marketing funnel needs to be followed for success. With this in mind, the B2C cycle should be equipped to create engagement and brand awareness, adding personalization where necessary.
Tone / Voice: B2C email marketing Campaigns have a much more casual and personal tone. Often companies try to brand based upon having a simple appearance and being very transparent as opposed to being strictly professional. There's also a sense of urgency in B2C emails that triggers the impulsive habits that Everyday consumers adhere to. There are different styles of emails as well in B2C based on the goal such as products or services, customer details, or marketing strategies. The tones have a variety of playful, humorous, friendly, etc.
When creating a marketing campaign for B2B customers, it is essential to observe that they are still people making the decisions. Being too robotic and not striking an emotional connection could hurt the sale of conversion. Frequently it's perceived that B2B emails need to be strictly professional and have a nonobjective tone, but if there is a clear message being served, it is okay to get creative. If you are looking at a specific word, technical jargon will be more likely to be found in B2B email marketing campaigns than in B2C email marketing campaigns.
Email Content: About B2C email marketing campaigns, the consumer often makes haste decisions off immediate emotions, quickly trying to make the transaction as simple as possible. This is great in creating campaigns because if the drive is done correctly and a call to action button is prominent, there is a significant opportunity for entrance into the sales funnel. In addition, there needs to be an understanding of the audience that is trying to be reached, meaning that there needs to be a clear motivation that the email needs to specifically trigger to get the results in mind.
Regarding B2B email marketing, the purchasing cycle takes longer, so it is wise to bring up pain points in the industry that your brand can stand out and assist in. This is a great way to make your company stand out as a potential solution to a problem.
To make its statistics based on a report by The Economist Group there was a survey done of about 1000 global marketing and business executives. In observing the business executives' side, approximately 75% of business executives were looking for business ideas as opposed to looking at a product or service. The surprising statistic from this report was that 71% of business executives preferred valuable information instead of a sales pitch approach. Finally, approximately 85% of business executives prefer a text pitch instead of a video or voice-over content.
Best Time: If B2B is the audience you are trying to reach, the best time to send an email to them would be Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday during working hours; this would be for the typical working audience. That all could change if the business audience is made up of 'workaholics' because they are always on their devices, opening up the ideal reach-out time every day. There needs to be a relationship built when emailing and selling within B2B settings. When looking at B2C emails, the perfect time is Saturdays and Tuesdays. These two days have proven to be the two highest opening rate days. It is also essential to remember that the frequency can depend on age, demographic, gender, etc. B2C offers much more flexibility because promotional emails will get activity regardless of when they are sent due to consumers wanting to partake in the deal or see what is new. Although there is information on the best day and time to send emails, that is generally consistent. It is always good to run tests to determine what works for you and your brand based on your audience. There are tons of deciding factors, such as:
Demographic location
Email Frequency
Behavior
Age
Ideal Audience: B2B marketing campaigns often depend on segmenting the audience, whereas B2C audiences dive more into personal information such as stats, keyword research, previous interactions, or history. It is also essential for both B2B and B2C to integrate some segmentation and personalization. In B2C email marketing campaigns, personalization is an excellent touch as it creates a connection with the customer. A great way to incorporate personalization and emailing is to include a personal story with the company that could speak to the potential business and give them a better idea of who they could partner with.
Purchasing Behavior: There are behaviors based on the ideal brand audience; in B2C and B2B campaigns, audiences are very different, requiring alternative approaches. The point of a B2B email is to have an ROI which means the return on investment. The client will want to observe and ensure that the product or service being offered is ideal and beneficial to them. This is also why B2B deals take longer because they involve multiple decision hierarchies. There is much more logic involved than impulsive purchasing based on emotion. Recently in the email marketing industry, specifically B2B, it is being emphasized more than ever that the relationship with the potential client holds more value. The behavior behind B2C is much different as it is almost a play on consumer emotions. An extensive sales tactic is to create a sense of urgency in doing this. There is a fear of missing out, which drives sales. Understanding customer behaviors, habits, and preferences is a large portion of success.
Visual Layouts: When creating a visual layout, the creativity invested is much more profound when content is made for B2C instead of B2C. This is due to the impulsivity that B2C marketers lean towards. Impulsive decisions are more receptive when the content is presented attractively, such as layouts, colors, imagery, etc. Consumers will often not want to spend time reading an email that is heavy in text. Instead, blurbs on concise text and images would be ideal. With the B2B approach, serious research is done when deciding between products and services, and it is not impulsive. This is an opportunity to present using data and details to emphasize the importance of why the business will benefit from the product or service. There are also video models that can be included, and there is a chance that an interactive video will increase your click - rate.
Sending Frequency: Consistency is essential in both B2B emails and B2C email marketing campaigns; the frequency of sending these emails must come across as unified as it will present a strong front. Figuring out the best days and times to send emails is ideal for success, as most people are on their devices at a given time. B2B email marketing campaigns require much more discipline as it is a much longer process due to the number of people involved; a bond must be created to ensure a positive relationship.
This is the opposite of B2C promotional emailing because to be effective, and they need a much different approach. Customers are much more likely to participate and promote regardless of the time or day they are at. Frequently B2C email marketing campaigns can have a much more aggressive approach, and the frequency with which they send emails out will lead to an increase in conversion. It is wise to be conscious of how many emails are being sent so that they are not triggering people to unsubscribe to them being annoying. B2C marketing can also vary in frequency due to several outside factors such as gender, age, time zone Etc. It is essential to run tests to see what is the preferred frequency from customers. Frequently with B2C emails, customers are likely to chase the promotion. There is a notable point to include in your B2C campaigns. Be aware of the Holiday season: be sure to stay mindful of when the holidays are and be able to market your products following the holiday. If the sales in the marketing are made correctly, this could drastically increase sales, so be sure to Market towards this.
Spam: Meal service providers now have a mighty spam filter within the algorithm they use. To ensure that the emails you are trying to send go through, there are a couple of tricks and tips you might look into. This helps avoid spam filters.
use personalization in your emails
do not use too many images, especially if they are low quality
avoid using email blasts
avoid using spam-triggering words
What Works For you?
Both B2B and B2C emails have advantages and disadvantages regarding which emailing method to use. If you are deciding on your email marketing campaign and are unsure which direction to go, be sure to do your research and see what fits your business the best. Considering everything from your audience to your marketing strategy to the budget that you have in mind. B2c emails how to reach out to individual customers and you are personalized. As opposed to being emails are ideal for building relationships with businesses and having long-term companionship.
A Clear B2B vs. B2C Difference
B2B
Lower Volume, Higher Price
Education, efficiency
Interpersonal relationship
Logic and features
Long term goals
Long sales cycle
B2C
Higher volume, lower price
Entertainment, convenience
Transactional relationships
Desires and benefits
Short - term goals
Short sale cycle
Bottom Line
B2B email marketing is ideal for building relationships with Business owners. Focusing on the relationship in a long-term development strategy, the Email campaigns need to be much more detailed and have a more professional feeling to them. Unlike B2C, email marketing campaigns focus on short-term sales and promoting what is up and coming. Often using sales and promotions, b2c emailing has a shorter funnel to conversion. It is essential to pick the correct type of marketing based on your company's goals. Once that is determined, the campaign, content, visuals, and audience segmentation cut-off start rolling and taking place. Mailsoftly is the ideal platform to launch a B2C or B2B email marketing campaign due to the flexibility in creating contact lists and personalization. Malilsoftly can assist in making emailing campaigns more simplistic due to its Hands-On interactive approach with its clientele. Regardless if the email is being sent to a business or a consumer, the passion and creativity in the email content are unmatched.
