B2B vs B2C Content Marketing - Any Differences?

If you speak with modern marketing experts to share some success advice or secret roughly 9 out of 10 will tell you the same phrase: “content is king.”

However, not all marketing content is born the same, as you might have learned already by not paying attention at what your content writer does, and it takes a lot of tweaking to get your content “just right”.

Which brings me to the question in the title: Are there any differences in B2B and B2C content marketing?

For those of you scratching your heads at these acronyms B2B refers to “business to business” and B2C is short for “business to consumer”.

The differences between B2C and B2B content marketing can be summarized into three things:

1. Goals and Format 2. Distribution 3. Obstacles

Okay, let's dive in and try to find an answer to this question, shall we?

What are Their Goals and Format?

First we need to understand what B2B and B2C content marketing have as their goal(s)?

This is actually one thing they have in common and that is to “hook” the potential customer with the power of words. Of course, regardless if you're into B2B or B2C, your primary goal should always be to inform and connect with your customers.

Of course, beyond that, B2B and B2C content marketing may tell the same story, but it is definitely written with different ink, if you catch my meaning. That is to say, B2B and B2C content strategies are in fact different.

B2C content marketing, for instance, focuses on the most part on what the customers are interested about, which sometimes might seem a bit distant from the actual products the business is selling. Its usual goal is to entertain the audience, provide help or a community and make them repeat customers.

Tip: Here, shorter and more entertaining articles, along with capturing visuals usually work better than long form ones.

On the other hand, B2B content marketing is more aimed at developing thought leadership for the business and solving particular problems their clients have. This is due to the fact that B2B products are often much more intricate than B2C and they have a longer way to go in order to get purchased and used by clients.

Tip: Here, more lengthy content, how-to guides and screenshots tend to work better than short articles that barely scratch the surface.

How is Content Distributed?

B2B marketers are much more concerned about how certain channels and new communication trends can be applied within a specific industry. Because of this, they usually choose to wait until these channels are proven before jumping on the train.

Some channels are traditionally for B2C (for example Facebook), but this doesn't mean that B2B businesses should ignore it. Most people won't share a business article on Facebook, but sharing your content there as well is mandatory. Of course advertising there is suitable both for B2B and B2C.

If we talk about what social media networks are used by each of these, B2C content marketing is usually distributed through Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter, while B2B content is much more likely to be shared via Linkedin and Twitter.

Note: (Did you notice that Twitter serves for both B2B and B2C?)

Of course, you also have to take into account that B2B and B2C content marketing often target different personas. While B2C is more focused on the average person shopping for personal use, B2B usually goes straight for the executives, founders and managers, who have a budget for business expenses.

As such, reaching B2C or B2B customers often require different tactics.

What Obstacles are Out There For Each?

Both B2C and B2B face various obstacles and challenges regarding content marketing. Some of these are the same, but, again, there are a lot of differences.

The biggest problem with B2C content marketing is that there is so much of it these days. It is very difficult to be noticed in the forest of other, very similar, content.

One workaround that problem is having top notch and entertaining content for your readers, as well as engaging with them in the comment section, on a personal level. This works synergistically with promoting each of their content pieces.

When it comes to B2B brands, they have also found themselves often unable to stand out from the crowd. According to CMI's research the number of B2B brands doing content marketing is increasing, which makes sense, since most of them have seen an increase in lead generation.

Furthermore, B2Bs also have to deal with multiple approval processes. For example, when we shop for ourselves, we do some thinking and decide if we want to buy something. In B2B, the larger the company and its organization, the more people are usually involved in the buying process. Thus, content needs to answer most of their questions, before they even start thinking of engaging in a transaction.

Conclusion

Although they are different in many tactical aspects, B2C and B2B content marketing share some common ground. For one, they are both (or at least should be) focused on the target customer's needs and wants.

It does not matter what you are trying to sell. Whether its socks, mobile applications, LMS software or something entirely else, your goal, regardless of your industry, is to provide valuable content for the potential client and have adequate calls to action, so you can convert those that are interested into subscribers or buyers.

I hope you found this useful. If you want to learn more about B2B Marketing and Growth Hacking, I share my experiences on my personal blog.