Understanding The Difference Between B2B and B2C Email Marketing Campaigns
Email marketing is the new direct marketing, a digital marketing tool that continues to grow and in which - of course - we believe. Sending emails can contribute a lot to building your personal brand, increasing sales, meeting your business objectives and maintaining a constant relationship with your customers.Of course, as in all digital marketing tools, the key to success is segmentation: knowing the recipients of each action well. By knowing the tastes, characteristics and interests of your audience, it will be much easier to direct the messages and success will be guaranteed.In this way, the recipients of B2B and B2C email marketing do not have the same needs and we believe that knowing those differences will make you stronger when it comes to guiding your strategy.
B2B Marketing
B2B marketing is carried out from business to business (business to business), between two companies or brands. In B2B marketing ¨a company sells to another company and not to the final consumer¨, as explained in Inbound Cycle.Companies create products or services to be consumed by other companies, which are the ones that -finally- satisfy the final consumer.
B2C Marketing
B2C is the abbreviation of the expression Business-to-Consumer (from business to consumer, in English). It refers to the strategy that commercial companies develop to reach the customer or final consumer directly.
Differences between B2B marketing and B2C marketing
- The B2B market is smaller and more specific than the B2C market. There are millions upon millions of potential end consumers versus a more limited number of companies.
- Typically, B2B transactions are larger than B2C - by quantity or volume. Getting a good B2B customer can pay off in the long run.
- End consumers often change brands and stores many times in their lifetime. A B2B consumer tends to switch suppliers less frequently.
- The B2B depends on the B2C. Although it does not depend on selling to the final consumer, it does feed on the demand for the products.
- In B2C marketing it is much easier to reach end consumers. Any communication or advertising tool is valid. You can reach people who may potentially be interested much faster.
- In B2B marketing, getting customers is a challenge: you must get in touch with the people with the necessary decision-making power to hire you.
Coincidences between B2B marketing and B2C marketing
- Both businesses require well thought out and planned strategies to reach their consumers.
- Knowing the market is essential in both cases: being able to have a clear map of client companies and also, for B2C, an X-ray of the market.
- Both markets are key to the movement of the economy and, as we have said before, they complement each other. Consumer demand drives B2B demand.
- Setting good prices is a good strategy in both cases.
- For both B2C and B2B, the online channel is becoming increasingly important. Not only end consumers buy online, so do companies.
- Both sectors increasingly require strategies that integrate the physical channel and the digital channel.
- Digital marketing is a very useful tool for all strategies
B2B email marketing and B2C email marketing
In B2C email marketing, the aim is generally to provoke immediate purchase, while in B2B it is more interesting to promote long-term loyalty to establish a more lasting business relationship. Parcel companies are perhaps one of the most current examples that we can find today, promoting their services among ecommerce of different sizes.Email marketing for B2B usually contains fewer images and more sober or corporate designs. Still, creativity and design are valued in this sector as well, so it's key to start thinking outside the box.When we talk about B2C email marketing, everything is more accepted. There are many strategies to encourage creativity in emailing.Another important difference between emails to end customers and other companies is the time of delivery. In B2C email marketing, the aim is to reach subscribers at the time when they may be more predisposed to buy certain things or read emails. However, in B2B it is much more recommended to ship during office hours.Content is still king in B2B and B2C email marketing. For companies, more corporate newsletters are usually sent providing key information on the sector; and, for end consumers, the strategies are more varied.The list of a B2B business is made up of clients, suppliers and former clients, contacts in companies. Even with brand or company domains. This is important to take into account because spam filters vary from those of Gmail and Hotmail that are most common among end consumers. In both cases, it is essential to make yourself a trusted sender.