B2B vs. B2C Email Marketing

As B2B marketers we tend to look at others for inspiration.

To innovate we often take what other b2b marketing organizations have done and build on those ideas to improve and make more interesting.

When it comes to acquisition email marketing, though, there is one tricky part of the equation.

There are B2B emails and there are B2C emails.

In this post we’ll look at the differences between B2B email marketing and B2C email marketing. You’ll want to pay attention because while some of the methodologies are the same the differences are important because the outreach strategy for one might not work for the other.

B2B Email Marketing

B2B opportunities tend to be large. There are exceptions on both sides of the fence. There are small purchases in B2B and large purchases in B2C, but in general the large purchases lean toward the Business-to-business world.

Because the purchases are larger there is more marketing in B2B email marketing than sales.

What does this mean?

By now, all B2B companies know that their email marketing efforts should mirror the sales process. The first touchpoint happens when a new prospect is reached. From there the emails continue to work like a salesperson.

Messages are directed at educating and qualifying the prospect. The first email might include a high level overview of the features and, client-focused, benefits.

Subsequent emails, should the marketer elect to send multiple campaigns, often provide additional insight into the industry and eventually additional the products and services offered by the company.

The entire process is about presenting the state of the industry and the problems that exist and take the prospective client down the path of solving that issue with the solution provided by the business marketers.

Once qualified you probably recognize that B2B email marketing lends itself well to a well-tested welcome series, one that works in concert with your CRM system, web analytics and sales team.

B2C Email Marketing

B2C companies tend to be more aggressive in tone. Another aspect of B2C email marketing is the fact that nearly all acquistion-focused camapigns are sales-focused. This means that the email is about getting to a sale, quickly. Purchase price tends to be on the small side for B2C products so the sales process is more impulsive and quick.

You might see an email that introduces a new product. The expectation is that you immediately become interested in the item and make the purchase. But unless the stars are are inline, email is not the ideal medium of impulse buys.

Another common scenario is to see an email that puts the pressure on your to purchase. Urgency is a common tactic in B2C email marketing. You’ll see a sale that is ending soon and you have to act now otherwise you’ll miss the promotion.

Urgency is actually one of the areas where B2C and B2B are similar. B2Bs do try to get urgency attached to their offer too but it is often less believable and effective than it is in the B2C arena.

Finally, B2C emails tend to not follow a welcome series, once the prospect becomes a customer or opts-in. There are instances when it does happen, but the welcome series is usually not longer than one or two emails. This is in contrast to some advanced B2B email marketing campaigns who well know client cultivation.

Final Thoughts B2B vs. B2C Email Marketing

These differences in B2B and B2C email marketing are important to note. If you understand the differences you can really focus in on what will work best for your company.

On some occasions you can use inspiration from one for the other. It might be a way to get a little edge on the competition.