B2B and B2C. Two very different worlds in a lot of ways – different levels of scope and scale, different ways of working, and different metrics and measurements of success. However, that doesn’t mean there’s no room for overlap between B2B and B2C, or that those operating in one field should completely ignore the other.
In fact, there’s a lot that B2B and B2C firms and professionals can learn from one another, with many clever ideas translating quite well from one to the other. In this guide, we’ll explore that idea, looking specifically at eight valuable lessons that those in B2B can learn from their B2C counterparts – and vice versa – encompassing marketing, technology, service, and more.
Simple and Straightforward Marketing Language
A lot of the best lessons that B2B providers can learn from B2C revolve around marketing, and it’s not hard to understand why. While B2C marketing is often described as innovative, ever-evolving, and exciting, the same can’t quite be said for B2B marketing methods.
Indeed, B2B marketing has a tendency to be a little rigid, robotic, or repetitive –over 80% of surveyed business leaders called it “boring.”
This is often because B2B services and products are harder to communicate than their B2C equivalents, with complicated concepts and industry-related terminology. Those confusing terms and “industry insider” language can alienate prospective buyers.
In other words, if people can’t understand your marketing, they’ll naturally be far less likely to buy what you have to sell. This is something that those in B2C are very familiar with.
That’s why so many B2C marketing materials are designed with simplicity in mind. B2B can learn from that. Obviously, you may still need to use certain professional words and relevant concepts in your marketing but try to tone down the complexity where possible to make your materials more widely understandable.
Forming Emotional Connections with Clients
There’s a lot of focus in B2C circles around building bonds with customers – forging the kinds of emotional connections that keep people coming back in order to build loyalty. This is something that the B2B world has historically ignored and overlooked.
This all ties in with the aforementioned idea of B2B being a little more “robotic” in its approach.
Too often, B2B brands are excessively oriented around the product or service they offer, and the results that product or service can provide. They fail to account for the human element in the equation.
To remedy this, follow the B2C philosophy of being more empathetic. Relate to your customers – see them as people, not just numbers – and find ways to better connect with them through your communications.
Listen to their needs, understand their situations, put yourself in their position, and think of ways you can tailor your products to suit their specific situation.
Focus on a Frictionless Sales Experience
Easy, fast, convenient – that’s the kind of sales experience that B2C companies constantly strive to provide. It’s easy to see why, as countless surveys and stats show that customers will quickly abandon carts and buy from a rival brand if they feel the process of placing an order is too slow or awkward.
People don’t want to click through five different screens to buy an item. Nor do they want to feel pressured or forced into making an account before they can place an order. As such, a lot of B2C sites and stores have undergone redesigns in recent years to become as user-friendly as possible.
One high-profile site even switched its “Register” button to a “Continue” button and saw a colossal $300 million rise in sales. That shows just what a big difference it makes if you focus on eliminating friction and making your buyer experience easier and more accessible.
This isn’t to say that B2B brands will also instantly earn millions more by getting rid of customer registration processes. But, making it easier for your clients to order products or services is definitely not a bad thing and could quite logically lead to a rise in revenue.
Invest in B2B-Style Influencer Marketing
Go back a decade or so and most people would have no idea what the term “influencer” even means. But these days, it’s a concept that the whole world has grown increasingly familiar with, and influencers have proven themselves to be valuable marketing forces for B2C companies.
Many B2C brands, small and large, engage influencers to market products for them, reaching huge audiences in the process and building brand recognition.
At first glance, influencer marketing seems to have little value for those in B2B industries. Let’s say you’re a manufacturer of industrial parts and devices, for example. It wouldn’t make much sense to pay some glamorous Instagram celebrity to talk about your products to their legions of teenage fans.
However, the fundamentals of influencer marketing can still work in B2B, if you pick the right kinds of influencers. Instead of celebrities and social media stars, focus on leading figures and experts in your industry. You might even have long-term clients who hold sway in the industry, who you can ask to review your brand or advocate on your behalf through a video testimonial, for example.
Increase the Focus on Personalization
Personalization has been one of the biggest buzzwords in B2C sales and marketing for years now. That’s because it’s so valuable in terms of generating sales and fueling long-term customer loyalty. People appreciate when brands go out of their way to connect with them on a personal level, and they tend to be much more receptive to personalized recommendations, marketing messages, etc.
It’s reached a point where over 70% of modern-day buyers have come to expect a personalized, customized buying experience, tailored just for them. Since so many people are used to this sort of thing in B2C circles, more and more are coming to expect it in B2B, as well.
Of course, B2B marketing and sales sometimes need a more technical outlook, but there’s still room for personalization. Adding a human touch to your marketing can help to build those all-important bonds between your business and its clients, fostering better experiences and long-term loyalty.
Sell Through Third-Party Marketplaces
Another area in which B2B brands can learn from B2C businesses is in sales channels.
These days, the biggest and most successful B2C brands have adopted multi-channel sales strategies. They don’t just rely on their online stores or a single major marketplace to make sales – instead, they advertise and sell their products on a plethora of platforms and third-party marketplaces.
More platforms mean more visibility. More visibility means more leads and ultimately, more sales, too. It’s simple logic, and it’s not exclusive to the B2C sector – the very same concept can work just as well in B2B sales, too.
By marketing and selling your products on a wider range of platforms, including major third-party marketplaces (like Amazon Business), you can reach a bigger audience. That builds brand recognition and awareness and should lead to rising revenue over time.
Focus on Faster Order Fulfillment and Delivery
We live in a world of convenience. A world where people can log onto a major online marketplace, find a product they want, order it in a couple of clicks, and get it delivered the very next day – or even the same day, in some cases.
Younger generations have grown up with this kind of experience. They’ve come to expect it as normal. So, when a company or online store is slower than the norm, that can lead to frustration – 23% of B2C carts are abandoned purely because the expected delivery date is too far away.
In B2B, things may work a little differently, but you still can’t expect buyers to be content with slow order fulfillment processes and long waits for the items they need.
As more millennials and younger generations start their own companies and enter the B2B sector, demand for speedy delivery times will rise. As such, it makes sense to get ahead of the game and find ways to accelerate your order processing now, ideally with the aid of technological tools designed to maximize efficiency and minimize delays.
Real-Time Engagement and Support
Go to a typical B2C e-commerce store these days and you’ll most likely see some sort of live chat help tool, and perhaps even a phone number that customers can contact for help and advice, whenever they like.
These real-time support services are invaluable. A lot of customers, for example, want to chat to an advisor before making a purchase, to make sure they’re getting the right product for them. Even those who don’t need to use the live chat or helpline still often feel reassured by their presence – it shows the company cares and values its customers.
In B2B, these kinds of support services can be just as valuable, if not more so.
Let’s say a client is browsing your site, but wants more details about a particular product before making an order. If you only have an email support system, they might have to wait a day or more to get a response – plenty of time for their initial interest to cool off. If, however, you have a live chat service, that client can get instant answers and advice and make a buying decision right away.
That means more leads, more conversions, and more sales. Your support team, too, should appreciate the opportunity for more real-time engagement with prospective clients.
Build Your B2B Business on B2C Philosophies
Clearly, there’s much that B2B can learn from B2C. But, to get the best results, you won’t want to merely copy ideas from B2C wholesale and “paste” them into a B2B setting.
Instead, try to adopt some of the philosophies and principles that drive the best B2C trends and changes. Shift more of your focus onto providing a peerless customer experience, for example, and adjust your marketing to be more engaging and personalized, just like the biggest B2C companies.
Embrace these concepts, and the other B2C ideas listed above, and watch your B2B reap the rewards, from faster growth to more loyal, long-term, and satisfied clients.
