Building brand credibility with B2B and B2C communications means understanding the differences and synergies between the two, especially in an evolving technology landscape.
Globally, we have witnessed the adoption of digital technologies transform industries from financial services to fintech, marketing to martech, healthcare to health tech, automotive to mobility and retail to e-commerce.
Similarly, the media landscape in South Africa is rapidly shifting, with traditional media channels moving to digital. Success in this space involves transitioning from mass market reach and awareness to authentic audience engagement that meets business objectives and delivers real impact for brands through relevant strategies.
It is through this lens that PR professionals and digital marketers need to reevaluate how they approach business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) PR and digital marketing strategies to increase brand credibility.
The differences between B2B and B2C
B2B marketing and communications entails businesses promoting products or services to other businesses, building long-standing relationships with targeted audience segments and providing expert insights within a specific industry.
With B2C marketing and communications, businesses promote offers to consumers, through short transactional interactions with a broader audience, providing products and services based on the needs of daily life.
In the new digital era, the nuanced differences and opportunities for integration between B2B and B2C become critical for brands looking to make the most impact and drive brand credibility.
Audience and relationships
B2B: Businesses must ensure they interact with the right (often niche) target audience, sharing extensive knowledge and focusing on product features that show value and return on investment. Reaching this audience can be achieved through the right digital platforms, but that is just the start. Building long-term relationships often requires the conversation to move from online to offline and knowing how (and when) to do this is key.
B2C: Consumers have multiple product and service options and ensuring sufficient data and research to understand their daily needs, concerns and aspirations can build stronger relationships, albeit short at times. For example, adjust your existing strategy by considering the buying behaviours of next-generation consumers (Gen Z) such as the need for sustainable products and brands actively involved in the circular economy. A successful and engaged relationship with consumers can be achieved by creating a real emotional or purpose-driven connection with a brand, even through on-screen interactions.
Messaging and content
B2B: While simplified messaging is the preferred communication style for any audience, key decision-makers in a particular industry can easily recognise the language used by an expert in their field. Balancing easy-to-digest digital content with expert advice would aid in effectively communicating key messages, and building brand credibility with an online audience.
B2C: Engaging with the consumer audience online goes a step further than simplified, emotions-driven messaging. Given that audiences can now do almost everything on their mobile phones, any content or message, from logo design to explainer videos, would be most impactful when created for mobile. A single core message and two or three key messages incorporated into mobile collateral across platforms can ensure brands land these messages more impactfully with a digitally savvy audience.
Building brand credibility through PR and digital marketing across platforms
B2B: Elevating the profiles of expert leaders through thought leadership and key industry insights requires factual information backed by data to increase brand credibility. This tactic is necessary but takes time. Incorporating newsjacking – engaging with topics as and when they happen to join conversations aligned to industry and business – can enhance awareness of a brand’s expertise and increase engagement with an online audience, especially when these topical insights are shared across platforms such as LinkedIn and online news media.
B2C: Similar to newsjacking, brands can hone in on trends and stories as and when they happen to increase their digital presence and relevance across platforms, but this requires alignment with the overall brand positioning and understanding the views of a particular audience. Incorporating news monitoring and social listening will ensure tactical opportunities bring about the desired results for the brand, without risking its reputation and credibility for fear of missing out.
Building brand credibility with B2B and B2C audiences becomes vital when competing with countless messages across multiple platforms and channels, in an age of misinformation, disinformation, deep fakes and cybercrime.
DUO Marketing + Communications understands the value of both differentiating and integrating B2B and B2C marketing practices in an era of accelerated digital transformation to drive genuine engagement and business impact for our clients in the business and consumer tech PR industry.
Integrated B2B and B2C campaign case study
An example of this is our integrated launch campaign with Parket, a turnkey parking technology solution for property owners and consumers that alleviates the pain points of managing and finding parking. We successfully built brand awareness starting with a strategic B2B PR and digital marketing campaign that resulted in 31 published articles across business, tech and property media, three radio interviews, a speaking opportunity at Africa Tech Festival, an honourary award from Heavy Chef as one South Africa’s Top 5 Most Exciting Startups for 2022.
Following the launch, we extended our campaigns to include B2C campaigns resulting in an additional 51 published articles reaching and audience of 2.7 million overall and our targeted digital campaigns illustrated the use of the Parket platform for business and consumer audiences leading to 523 974 impressions of content, 2 536 advert clicks and 1 944 new users. More importantly, our integrated campaign secured six new business meetings with investors.
If you’re looking to elevate your tech business and build credibility to achieve that business objectives through relevant B2B, B2C and integrated PR and digital marketing strategies, contact us today.
