Branding is the key driver for your business. There are differences in B2B vs B2C branding practices. Let’s have a close look!
If you’re looking to create a world class brand strategy and branding program to accelerate growth and differentiation, it’s critical to understand the difference between branding a B2B company and B2C company.
First off, corporations are not consumer products. While this may seem to be a blindingly self-evident statement to make, many branding agencies insist on lumping them together as “brands” and both therefore equally susceptible to consumer branding techniques. The fact is they exist in vastly different worlds.
B2B companies are often complex businesses systems that specialize in tackling large-scale problems and responding with individualized solutions with a high proportion of consultative services. B2B businesses configure their brand around customer preferences and groups, not around the products or services they offer.
Corporate brands are configured around vision, shared values, and long-term strategy.
B2C companies on the other hand are based on a volume-operation model. They specialize in serving high volume markets through standardized products which are “branded” and mass-marketed through low-touch distribution channels and serviced by close-ended transactions.
B2C branding is more about product packaging and marketing than corporate strategy. In the past, B2C brands were characterized by nice design and huge budgets for online and offline advertising – but little content.
These days there’s one significant commonality – both are benefiting greatly from social media techniques. But that said, each requires a very different approach – B2B brands tend to do better on LinkedIn, for example, which makes sense given the business focus of the platform. B2C brands are seeing more success on Facebook, and increasingly Instagram.
