3 Differences Between B2C and B2B Social Media Marketing

The use of social media tools has long changed since the times of using it as a platform for socialising and use of personal blogs. When Facebook was first launched it was merely used as a socialising tool and Twitter used as personal blogging tool.
So what has changed? A lot has changed, in fact it has changed massively over the years.  Gone are the days of solely using Social Media as a social aspect and instead we have evolved and noticed the incredible potential of social media marketing.  Advanced organisations started to slowly adopt this method into their marketing strategies and saw the huge impact that it could create, to the point where it is now unheard of to not be using social media in their marketing strategies.
Whats the difference between B2B (business to business) and B2C (business to customer) companies and their use of Social Media Marketing?  It’s safe to say that B2C companies adopted the social media marketing approach first and are continuing to do so noticing the huge benefits it has to them.  B2B on the other hand do use social media marketing, however they are quite hesitant in their approach.   The explanation behind this aversion is an apparent powerlessness to gauge the viability of such marketing strategies.
Below we are going to discuss 3 important differences between social media marketing for B2B and B2C:

1. Content Marketing

What is Content Marketing? As with the use of social media, content has also evolved over the years.  Once upon time content used to be solely based on just written words.  However as the world has evolved so has technology.  It has now become a type of marketing that involves the creation and sharing  of online materials such as videos, blogs and interactive content.  The number ONE rule we should all be following for content marketing is to not explicitly promote a brand but instead it is intended to stimulate interest in its products or services.  Just think, we all hate when we get sales calls, it can be annoying and bothersome – so why do it with your social media?  Your aim is to provide valuable content that is interesting and appealing that makes people want to engage and share your values.

• B2C

As a general rule it is highly advisable for B2C companies to focus on blog content.  Why? As stated above content marketing has evolved from the days of boring written words.  Blog content has changed for the better in the fact that their are now so many different options to get a message across.  B2C companies can use this to their advantage with a more relaxed casual aspect of marketing – through the use of videos and interactive visual content – this can include wit and humour (without being offensive). When creating this type of content your aim is to gauge how shareable and likeable it is going to be.  You want content to be distributed as easily as possible, so you need to make sure that there are share buttons for readers to access.

• B2B

Whilst B2C marketers have the luxury of creating relaxed and casual content, B2B marketers have to focus on a more professional approach.  However B2B marketers have a wealth of various options when it comes to content marketing.
Below we are going to share a few of these approaches:

1. White Papers/eBooks:Although the work can be a laborious job, there are great beneficial factors for B2B marketers.  White Papers will include a plethora of information that is both beneficial and interesting for the reader, hence more people are likely to want to read it.  This in turn is a great tool for Lead generation.
2. Case Studies:Case studies are an important and effective marketing staple.   Businesses utilise them to demonstrate how their item or service has been implemented effectively by clients. Rather than basically discussing a product, case studies allow businesses to indicate how their product/item can be used.
3. Webinars:It is easy to overlook the benefits that can come from running Webinars.  One of the main reasons that businesses have started to utilise the use of webinars is the fact that you deliver a huge amount of value.  Some of the benefits included but not limited to are:
   – You are instantly positioned as an expert in your field: People love to get free things, but someone signing up to a 3 hour webinar means they want to listen to what you have to say and hold what you say as near gospel.
   -Engage your audience: Webinars allow the option to have a free flowing chat and the option to ask questions this automatically engages your audience.
   -Soft Selling: When done correctly you can soft sell your product/service without having to hard sell.  Create content that teaches your audience what they want without actually saying it.
   -Generate New Leads: With almost all Webinars you need to register, therefore submitting essential contact information.  If registering they are most likely to invite other people who also interested in your topic.
4. Infographics:Infographics are a great tool for sharing internal data transformed into useful information.  They are largely beneficial for B2B companies due to the amount for data and analytics that can be formed into graphical form. There is nothing a blogger loves in excess of a well done infographic.

2. Channels

Since the inception of Facbook and Twitter we have seen an explosion of social media channels come our way. Each social media network is focused on different types of communications depending on what you are trying to promote.  We now have social media networks focused solely on visual data, socialising/networking and video content.
With such a wide array of social media channels it is impotant to understand which channels are best suited for B2C and B2B.  We will go through these briefly below:

• B2C

  Facebook:
  This is probably the best social media channel for B2C companies, due to the vast amount of users (1.19 Billion) it has on its network along with the fact that it was the first social media channel available.  It is an amazing tool for promotion due to the increased exposure, but is also a way of minimising marketing expenses.
  
  Twitter:
  Twitter is a great tool for increased exposure, if done correctly you can reach as many people as you want.  Unlike Facebook with its privacy options twitter is know for its “open” network, meaning your post can be viewed by anyone whether following your or not.  This is a great asset as it means you can reach more people than you would on Facebook.  However, it is important to understand how to get the right visibility to your posts.  The use of Hashtags, lists and pinned tweets can help you achieve this goal.
  Instagram:
  As you are aware Instatgram is focused heavily on visual content, which is a great tool for B2C companies who are wanting to create a brand.  With Instagram any type of image can be a great way to engage your audience.  People like to see what you are doing and when you are doing it, behind the scene images are a great way to capture this.
  Youtube:
  
  Video content has become increasingly popular over the last few years, whats great about it is you can keep it as short or long as you want providing you are keeping your audience entertained.  This is especially good for B2C marketers as they can be casual and fun videos that promote the personality of your business.

• B2B

Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ and Twitter are the social networks that are most beneficial for B2B marketers.  Why? From a professional aspect these 4 social media tools can get the right message across without being too casual which is what B2B companies should be aiming for.  The main aim for B2B marketers is to distribute content evenly without solely focusing on promoting your business.  If you are only promoting your business and not sharing valuable content then no tool is beneficial to you at all as people do not want to constantly be sold a service without getting anything back.

3. Goals and Metrics

We have highlighted the main differences between B2C and B2B social Media Marketing, so what have we learned? The main focus of B2B social Media Marketing is to gain new lead generations whilst the main aim for B2C Marketers is to focus on increased exposure.

• B2C

B2C marketers should be focusing on creating content that is intended to go viral, the aim is to get as much human traffic looking at their service/product.  The focus is on community engagement and sharing knowledge and awareness.

• B2B

As stated the main goal for B2B marketers is to gain lead generations.  All methods used for social media marketing should be resulting in new lead generations.  B2B measure the effectiveness of their marketing strategy very differently to B2C companies, the only way they really can is through its web traffic.  A thousand likes of a post generally doesn’t mean much to a B2B company if it cannot see website traffic increased.  Hence the reason why B2B companies are very reluctant to utilise social media for marketing.
Questions? Get in touch with one of our social media experts today.  SocialWarehouse.co.uk is the UK’s number one social media agency boasting clients worldwide and all managed by our wonderful staff in our London offices.