The classic intro to marketing: B2B vs B2C

If you're an NYU student doing marketing or at least thinking about a career in marketing, you’ve probably come across the terms B2B and B2C. They’re quite different in strategy, execution, and even career opportunities and it's important to understand to better navigate your career. So, let’s break it down.

Alright, so what’s the Difference? Well At its core, B2B marketing focuses more on selling products or services to other businesses, while B2C marketing is all about selling directly to consumers. 

Let’s start with breaking down B2B marketing. B2B marketing targets companies and professionals in an executive, decision-making position. The process of pitching a product in B2B marketing is much longer, more rational and involves multiple decision-makers. And thus the marketing content focuses a lot on using informational, data-drive, and ROI (return on investment) based persuasion points. 

B2C marketing on the other hand is a lot more popular and I guess interesting. An alumni from NYU Stern working at IBM came to talk at a marketing society meeting, and talked about how courses and learning has been catered a lot more towards B2C while a lot more jobs are actually rooted in B2B. B2C marketing focuses on individual consumers. These are emotional, often irrational, and impulsive decision-makers. Therefore the marketing process is much shorter, attention grabbing, and appealing to your emotional side. The marketing content in B2C marketing is engaging and visually striking, making good use of social media, celebrity ambassadors, and influencers.

B2B marketing is all about building long-term relationships, educating potential clients, and proving value over time. Meanwhile, B2C marketing thrives on storytelling, emotional connections, and quick decision-making.

So why is it important to understand both B2B and B2C in marketing? It’s because it helps you get a better idea of which fields you can potentially go down, what each company focuses on which side, and which one your skills and attributes are better suited to. Whether you're into B2B or B2C, both paths offer exciting opportunities. Examples of brands that focus on B2B marketing are Salesforce, Hubspot and IBM, which markets product solutions to other businesses to use and implement. While examples of brands that focus on B2C marketing can be much more familiar to us. Such as Nike, Coke, or Uniqlo. B2B marketing is better suited for people who are good at managing inter-company relations, doing competitive analysis, and understanding which rational points make their company stand out as opposed to alternative options. B2C marketing on the other hand is a lot more creative, it requires an understanding of people and the lifestyles that appeal to them, and also needs someone who is up to date with current trends and culture.

But no matter which side of marketing you lean toward, there are transferable skills required in both. Both careers require communication skills that can persuade someone in either a casual or professional setting. SEO, content marketing, and market analysis are technical skills useful in both. And finally, in the world of social media, even B2B marketing requires an online, social media advertising presence.