It’s little secret that social media has completely redefined the way companies market themselves, interact with their customers, and conduct business.

But simply engaging in social media platforms isn’t a guarantee for success, even if you’re using tried-and-true marketing strategies. That’s because the approach you take depends heavily on the type of business you do—a B2C and B2B company will have to follow different paths to derive the most value from their social channels. 

In order to highlight the differences, we’re breaking down B2C and B2B social strategies by these four components: 

  • Audience
  • Platform 
  • Content
  • Objectives  

Audience 

Business to consumers (B2C) companies attempt to influence buyers on an atomistic level by targeting ideal personas. As a D&B study notes:

“Although consumers are influenced by their surrounding social sphere, the decision-making power lies primarily with one person. As a result, B2C marketers tend to segment customers by their age, income, gender, and other personally defining characteristics.” 

Typically, social media marketing is addressed to a single buyer who makes decisions as an individual or on behalf of their household. And while their purchase size is small, a single buyer could potentially influence many more users. 

Business to business (B2B) companies social marketing targets various businesses within the country. Often sold as a service (like SaaS), social messaging is aimed at the people who make buying decisions on behalf of the company. Usually, purchases are much larger, especially for enterprises—therefore, multiple people are involved in the purchasing decision process. 

Platforms 

Some platforms are more effective tools than others. For B2C companies, the most powerful marketing platforms allow a company to sell directly to the consumer, build community, drive awareness, and leverage influencer sway. 

They include but are not limited to:

  • Instagram
  • TikTok
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

For B2B companies, there are three primary social networks: LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Of those, LinkedIn is by far the most powerful way to build personal relationships that drive long-term business. 

According to CMS Wire: “LinkedIn’s channel promotion and ad capabilities make LinkedIn the number one B2B social media platform… You have complete control over the content in your promotion, the budget of your promotion, and the audience who sees your promotion.”

Content 

Certain messaging resonates with the right audience and then falls flat with the wrong one. In terms of content, B2C companies focus on telling an emotional story that resonates or captures the audience’s attention. This includes a focus on two types of content: 

  • Storytelling – Building narratives to convince consumers to buy
  • Visual content – Grabbing the audience’s attention with video, images, or infographics 

Social media marketing content aims to entice the reader to take a next step—be it signing up for a newsletter, clicking on a landing page, or making a direct purchase. 

B2B content is more focused on providing thought leadership and insightful information. The goal is to move the B2B prospect down your marketing funnel, so the most effective content includes: 

  • White papers
  • eBooks
  • Infographics 
  • How-to content
  • Guides

Objectives

While the end goal is the same for B2C and B2B companies—making a sale—different metrics can be used to gauge the effectiveness of your social media marketing strategy. 

For B2C, direct sales and customer interaction are what drives their social strategy. Metrics that matter may include: 

  • Engagement
  • Likes
  • Follows
  • Conversions 
  • Viral posts 

For B2B companies with much longer sales cycles, benchmarks are tied to growth and awareness since they inevitably lead to sales. Common markers include:  

  • Brand awareness
  • Lead generation
  • Brand growth
  • Authority as an expert    

Creating Your Social Strategy

Are you looking to build your social presence? 

Whether you’re a B2B or B2C business, Semgeeks has the skills you need to tailor a social media strategy that fits your industry and its target audience. 

We know what works for one type of company may not work for another. That’s why we partner with you to design a custom social strategy built to make an immediate impact. If you’re ready to optimize your social strategy and bring in targeted leads, then you’re in the right place.

Welcome to Semgeeks, your social media agency New Jersey raves about. 

 

Sources 

Dun and Bradstreet: The Stark Difference Between B2C and B2B Advertising. https://www.dnb.com/content/dam/english/dnb-solutions/sales-and-marketing/difference-between-b2b-b2c-advertising.pdf

CMS Wire. Where B2B Marketers Are Winning in Social Media. https://www.cmswire.com/digital-marketing/where-b2b-marketers-are-winning-in-social-media/

 

Erin McDonald
Business Development Strategist

Erin McDonald is a Business Development Strategist with a degree in Communications from Rutgers University. Fostering effective teamwork to drive results, she is able to solve tough problems and implement solutions that require strong intellectual abilities and rigor. In her free time, you can find her spending time with friends and family or at the gym.