How is B2B content marketing different from B2C content marketing?

At Kafen8, we often get asked what kind of content works best for B2C or B2B companies. 

The answer, unfortunately, is that there’s no hard and fast answer. It really depends on the marketer’s goal and the intended audience. 

That’s where the big difference between B2B-focused content and B2C-focused content comes in. 

Let's break it down.

What is B2B?

B2B is an acronym for Business-to-Business. A B2B business will profit from selling products and services to other businesses. 

Think of toilet paper as an example.. Toilet paper has been enjoying a star turn recently, and was very in-demand in 2020.

A business that makes the larger, industrial sized toilet paper for public bathrooms would be a B2B company. They sell to other businesses. 

What is B2C?

B2C is an acronym for Business to Consumer. B2C businesses sell products and services to consumers, who will use the end product for themselves. B2C is often the more recognizable type of content marketing; you as a consumer are familiar with being marketed to when watching ads on tv, hearing them on the radio, or seeing a business’ content on social media. 

Most e-commerce is considered B2C. Websites like Etsy and Nordstrom follow the B2C business model as the provider of a product or service selling directly to a consumer.

A company can be BOTH B2B and B2C. Back to our toilet paper example, many toilet paper manufacturers sell small rolls to be used in the home, as well as selling the larger sized big rolls to companies to be used in their shared restrooms. 

How Content Marketing Works: B2B versus B2C

Content marketing is used by both B2B and B2C companies because no matter the target, content marketing can help establish a genuine relationship with your audience. It’s also a great way to establish trust. 

Your approach to content marketing may vary depending on whether your target is a consumer or another business. Here are some examples. 

B2B Content Marketing

With B2B content marketing, businesses will use marketing strategies to hone in on a specific persona within a company or organization. Back to the toilet paper example, the B2B marketer will likely focus on creating content for the toilet paper decision maker within other businesses. So, they’re to create content specifically aimed at operations managers, building managers, or janitorial staff. Content created for CEOs would be wasted, because they’re not typically part of the toilet paper decision making process. 

To build a specific audience, B2B companies can create a variety of relevant and helpful content that is beyond just how a product or service works. They can share industry-specific news, or tips and tricks that will feel useful to that target audience.  

The ability to create content that’s hyper-focused on a specific persona is one of the things that makes B2B marketing unique. 

Soapbox alert: B2B content marketing does NOT have to be boring. It can be useful AND entertaining. A brand’s B2B content marketing can be professional and funny at the same time. 

Here’s a great B2B content marketing example from ZenDesk. They dramatize a common business struggle in a very funny way.  

B2C Content Marketing

The best B2C content marketers have clearly defined audience segments that they market to. For example, diaper brands often market to new moms, but more and more, as household roles evolve, they’re now also marketing to new dads with a different message. 

In a B2C model, consumers are usually looking to solve a problem or enhance or improve something in their everyday life. That’s usually where the pain point lies. Where there’s a pain point there’s an emotion, and where there’s emotion, there’s opportunity to speak to your consumer in a meaningful way. 

B2C content marketing that elicits an emotional response like laughter or tears helps a consumer to feel more invested in that brand, which can drive the consumer to choose that brand over another. 

When consumers feel emotional over a product or service (whether that emotion is happy or sad), they are more likely to invest in that product. 

B2B vs. B2C - What's the Difference? 

Well, the answer is, not much. Both B2B content marketing and B2C content marketing should be targeted, should work to establish trust, and should be entertaining or useful. 

The biggest difference between B2B and B2C content marketing is the forms or types of content created. 

Both B2B and B2C content marketers typically use blogs, videos, and social media. However, some types of content, like eBooks, whitepapers, and webinars are more typically used for B2B content marketing purposes. TV ads and influencer marketing are more typically used for B2C content marketing. 

That’s not to say that we don’t see TV ads for B2B companies - of course we do. But, the vast majority of television advertising is coming from B2B brands.

Where to Go from Here

Whether you are running a B2B company or a B2C, content marketing can be a useful tool to build a relationship with your target audience. 

If you find yourself panicking at the prospect of all the effort and time it takes to create content for your B2B or B2C brand, don’t panic. Consider outsourcing your content marketing to us. 

Think on it, and reach out when you're ready to take the next step!