Why B2B vs B2C marketing is bullshit
It’s time to bust the B2B vs B2C marketing myth and set the record straight.
What is the difference between B2B and B2C Marketing?
From the moment I opened my first marketing textbook at uni (which was far too many years ago, so we won't dwell on that), I've been taught B2C and B2B marketing are two very different things.
To this day, I see job ads demanding candidates are either a B2B marketer or a B2C marketer. You can't be both. Jump online, and you'll find countless article preaching about the virtues of a good B2B marketer vs a good B2C marketer.
I call bullshit.
B2B marketing and B2C marketing are not different. The skills required to be a great B2B marketer are the same skills necessary to be a great B2C marketer. Both B2B and B2C are two sides of the same coin, and they both serve the same purpose, that is:
They are both in the business of people.
We are all in the business of people.
Sadly, this ridiculous concept of B2B vs B2C marketing has left many marketers with B2B in their job description at a disadvantage. They've been fed a lie and taught to market to "businesses" rather than people. Which, unfortunately, is a crock of shit. I can say this with authority because I've done my fair share of "B2B marketing". I can testify that many executives and some marketers genuinely believe they are marketing to a business. And to successfully market to a business, the communication must be emotion-free, fact-based, and process-driven.
Wrong!
I'm not having a go at B2B marketers, not at all. My heart goes out to you. I've been you. Many B2B marketers have got the short end of the proverbial stick, and this B2B vs B2C crap has limited ideas, creativity, potential, performance and revenue. But now, we need to clear this up.
We are NEVER marketing to a business. Never.
And marketers who build grand B2B marketing strategies and tactics based on the concept of selling to a business are in trouble.
The question should never be, "are you a B2B marketer or B2C marketer?" But "are you a good marketer?"
A good marketer understands we are always (I mean always) marketing to people. No matter our product. No matter our industry. No matter if it's professional or personal. We are always marketing to people, and the decision-making process is always innately human.
There is a widely held belief that an organisation's decision-making process is disciplined, process-driven, and rational.
Bullshit again.
No matter how complex, process-driven, or disciplined we think it may be, in the end, every decision within a business for a business comes back to people. And people are innately irrational creatures. We like to think we can leave our "humanness" at home and re-wire our primal brains when we put our suit on. But we can't.
There's a field of study called Behavioural Economics, that reinforces economic decision-making is far more emotional than rational.
Studies suggest all decisions made within an economic, or organisation, are 30% rational and 70% emotional!
A good marketer knows this. A good marketer understands that while there are variables every customer (B2B or B2C) needs to work within (budgets, policies, time etc); in the end, the customer is human, and humans make decisions based on desires, emotions, beliefs, self-interest and cognitive biases.
So, it's time to let go of the ridiculous philosophy that the skills and processes for a B2B marketer are different to that of a B2C marketer. They're not.
The principles of, and therefore skills required for, good marketing are universal.
They can be carried across industry, segment, product, service, or region. If you look at it through the lens of timeless 5P's of marketing principle, all five P’s apply to both the B2B and B2C environment:
PEOPLE: Know thy customer. Know them intimately. Know what they want. Know their desired emotional state. Know their problem (you're trying to solve). Know their aspirations (you're trying to serve). Know how the human mind works.
PRODUCT: Deliver the right product or service that solves the problem or serves the aspirations of the customer, and helps them reach their desired state.
PRICE: Design and deliver the best value exchange with your customer through the right price point.
PLACE: Know the channels that influence the customer and market through these channels. Whether it's LinkedIn or TikTok, influencer or industry newsletter, TV or trade show. Know the right place to be to reach your customer.
PROMOTION: Create. Create content, campaigns, customer experiences and promotions that connect on an emotional level. That entertain, inspire, inform, educate and motivate. Human to human.
So let's stop limiting ourselves, and our marketing, with this B2B vs B2C nonsense.
Instead, let's focus on doing exceptional marketing by making it about people. Always.
If you are a B2B marketer who has been taught to market to a business, do not despair. Luckily there are marketing experts and resources out there to help you shift your thinking and set yourself free. I recommend you check out MarketingProfs as a great starting point.
It will change the game for you.