B2B vs B2C Marketing - Which One Is Better for Your Marketing Career?
First, what is B2B and B2C?
There are two separate business models that serve different types of customers. A B2B, or "business-to-business," provides services or products to other businesses. This can include client management software, marketing services, or office equipment. A B2C, or "business-to-consumer," sells directly to end users. This can include games or consumer packaged goods.
You may think that being open to both B2B and B2C marketing positions is a good way to broaden your job search, but most companies have their own target business. For example, a toy company would most likely hire marketing talents who have B2C work experience, while a SaaS company would most likely hire marketing talents who have B2B work experience.
Essentially, companies need different marketing tactics to accommodate their customers’ needs, and here are 5 different marketing tasks that you should know:
B2C marketing requires marketers to:
Establish an emotional connection with a large consumer market.
Be involved in community discussion and collect feedback to improve the company’s product/service.
Create content or messages that people can relate to and have a brand voice.
Build innovative campaigns and entertaining ads to attract eyes across multi-channels.
Encourage consumers to make buying decisions in a short period of time.
Some examples of B2C-focused industries and companies include Starbucks (food and beverage), Nintendo (game), Amazon.com (e-commerce), Target (retail), Netflix (entertainment), L'Oréal (cosmetics), and Nike (sporting goods).
B2B marketing requires marketers to:
Form long-term professional relationships with multiple decision makers in other businesses.
Embrace data-driven marketing and use the data to help clients learn about the ROI.
Create detailed educational content and use industry terminology to showcase your professional service.
Build logical and rational campaigns to appeal to business leaders.
Create strategic marketing plans to accommodate a longer and complex sales process.
Some examples of B2B-focused industries and companies include Cisco (computer networking), DocuSign (software), IBM (Information Technology & Services), WeWork (shared office space), and Salesforce (internet).
Now that you understand the differences between B2B and B2C marketing tasks, here are pros and cons of choosing B2C or B2B marketing as your career path:
B2C Marketing Career
Pros
More diversity in the consumer market
Use your creative mind at your marketing job
Be involved in community discussion
Be able to see your work that makes a bigger impact in a large market
Cons
Consumer market changes fast, so it is hard to predict results
Need to constantly follow the trends and explore potential marketing opportunities
Hard to create content that can attract consumers’ attention
Too competitive in a mass market
B2B Marketing Career
Pros:
Expand your professional network
Gain industry knowledge and be an expert in the product/service that you market to
Most tech industries require a B2B marketer, so the industry has many job opportunities
Work closely with sales team and be involved in the whole sales process
Cons:
Lack of creativity, more black-and-white marketing strategy
Being too niche in one field
High risk of the result—it is harder, takes longer, and is more expensive to convert a B2B customer
Need to use professional terminology when creating content or messages
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No matter which one you choose for your marketing career, you can always change your path in the future. Take time to research these two marketing tactics, and see how you can leverage your strength, knowledge, and passion to help your next employer!
For those seeking deeper clarity and guidance, my 1:1 marketing career coaching program offers personalized support to refine your career objectives and navigate the job market confidently.
Consider starting with this trial session focused on marketing career exploration to help you articulate and pursue your desired role.