B2B vs. B2C Social Media Marketing: Is There a Difference?

Marketing is integrated into every aspect of our lives in this age. In the world today, communication and interaction is constant. The average person has around five social media accounts, and spends around two hours on these platforms each day. That is a significant chunk of their life, which is why companies take full advantage of that in their advertising, and marketing in the last few years has taken a shift from being just newspaper ads, billboards and TV commercials to being social media ads, tweets, Instagram pictures, and commercials before YouTube videos or after Snapchat stories.

Both B2B and B2C companies take advantage of this shift, and integrate their marketing into social media. They both use a variety of platforms and types of marketing tactics.

But the question is: Is there a difference in B2B and B2C social media marketing?

In short, yes and no. Both business to business (B2B) and business to consumer (B2C) marketers use the basic social media platforms, interact with their customers, and are constantly producing content. How they go about these things, however, differ.

So, what is the difference?

The Audience and Goal of the content

The way that content is created and portrayed is different because it is catered towards different audiences. B2B is catered to other businesses who are using or considering using a company’s products or services. On the other hand, B2C is created for the average person to casually read while scrolling through their phone. The B2B audience is a smaller, more focused target market, while B2C is a much larger target market.

The Tone

B2C marketing can be emotionally triggered and very personal. However, B2C marketing can also be more entertaining, light hearted and funny. B2C marketing is focused on showing deals and getting the customer interested in the product, which marketers do in different ways ranging from company to company. For example, the 2018 Super Bowl Amazon Alexa commercial series was funny and entertaining, as Gordon Ramsay, Cardi B, Rebel Wilson, and Anthony Hopkins impersonated Alexa. On the other hand, Verizon’s 2018 Super Bowl commercial was much more emotionally driven, as they thanked first responders and gave everyone watching the chills. But what both Verizon and Amazon had in common is they created commercials that were focused towards getting a response and entertaining the viewer in one way or another.

B2B marketing is much less personal though. B2B marketing is more value driven, not focusing on entertainment, but instead focusing on showing expertise and professionalism.

B2B make their content longer and more complex, while B2C make it shorter and more engaging.

When creating B2C content, marketers are often focused on what is the most engaging. They strive for the content to appeal to the average Joe looking at his Instagram feed, and want their content to go viral. However, B2B marketers tend to make their content a little more serious and informative. They are usually more focused on looking professional to other companies than appearing fun and coming up with catchy slogans.

The Social Media Platforms they use

B2B marketing is done mostly on LinkedIn, as shown in the graphic from Brafton. B2B marketers also tend to keep up with a professional blog, geared towards their customers who are other businesses. B2C, however, primarily uses Facebook, Twitter, and other engaging social media platforms that the average person checks daily.

What B2B can learn from B2C

· Don’t forget to make content fun and engaging. Keep your content upbeat and energetic — just because it is written for a different audience does not mean it has to be boring. Ensure your content has personality!

· Do not be afraid of less formal social platforms (aka things that are not LinkedIn). You can still have a professional presence on platforms that the typical person checks multiple times a day, such as Instagram.

What B2C can learn from B2B

· Utilize LinkedIn! Just because the focus of your company is not to appear super professional on social media does not mean professionalism should be ignored completely. Use every medium you can-including LinkedIn.

· Often times the product is much more important than the relationship the company has with the customer. However, building a solid relationship with a customer can go a long way!

· Remain professional, even when entertaining. While there is nothing wrong with looking for a laugh or emotional response, do not forget to remain professional and cautious of what kind of impact you are making.