Email Marketing – Business To Business (B2B) compared to Business To Customer (B2C)

Email marketing is a powerful tool, and if used correctly, it can reach its full potential.

In fact, 60% of marketers say that they are generating a positive return for their company via email marketing.

Taking the same tactics to a business-to-business campaign as you would to a business-to-customer strategy won’t give you the desired
results.

Instead, you need to know the differences and put effort into them so that your email marketing is relevant and effective.

Here are some differences between B2B email marketing and B2C email marketing:

➢ The Purchase Cycle:

Usually, their purchasing decision should go through various levels of management before a final decision is made. This means the B2B email marketing campaign needs to offer different types of content in order to support and bolster the buying decision.

On the other hand, individual clients tend to be more impulsive in their purchasing decisions, especially for products and services under $50.

It means it is possible that the customer could open your email, click on a link, and visit the landing page and makes the purchase in just a few minutes.

In this case, B2C email marketing campaign doesn’t need more than few emails per promotion. This holds true for the solo-preuneurs also. In most instances, the work from home business owners operates the same as a B2c.

➢ Content:

Since the B2B public have longer buying cycles and they require in-depth marketing content, it would be beneficial to offer a combination of non-promotional, educational content like eBooks, infographics, and blog posts, along with additional information like
statistics, case studies and whitepapers to create demand for your product over time.

On the other hand, B2C audiences need persuasive content that appeals to their emotions. We should discover the specific needs
of the individual customers.

Provide additional information like visual (videos, infographics etc.) and discounts and promotions that provokes them to make a purchase. However in today’s online world, depending on what you offer providing good content is key no matter who you serve

➢ The tone:

The tone of B2B email marketing campaigns should be different from B2C email marketing campaigns. The B2B public prefers a
more professional or objective tone based on the facts that tell them exactly what they are going to get and for what price and
how it’s going to benefit them. In simple words, it should be efficient.

Individual clients respond to a more casual and personal tone that tempts and gives them a reason t

o buy

your products and
services. A softer and nurturing tone with a hint of urgency should be used for B2C email content.

Of course, it always depends on our audience. I work with businesses and yet I speak in a very casual/personal tone. The people that I want to attract are not working in corporate offices. Usually, I am talking directly to the decision maker.

➢ Timing:

While businesses may have their emails open all day, and individual customers will likely be at work during the day, they may
check their personal emails in the evening or at the weekends, so make sure your timing of your campaigns is relevant to this.

For example, business recipients may be extremely busy at the beginning and end of the day so it is better to send email to them
between 11 am and 1 pm. Individual customers may check their emails at 8 pm or 9 pm so it would be better to send their email
in the evening.

I know it’s hard to know what to say when you’re sending an email so I’ve created some templates so that you know exactly what to say when someone first opt-in for your irresistible freebie. You can get the templates here.