One of the most significant aspects of branding is identifying who your customer is, what their service segments are and how they are positioned. This issue of Burst, we will help you refine your approach towards how branding differs based on the segment you are catering to.
Whether you manage a business-to-business or a business-to-customer brand, you need to understand what consumers of each segment look for in your product or service. The needs of a B2B audience differ significantly from that of a B2C audience, hence, the branding initiatives. B2B audiences prioritise value for their businesses, while B2C audiences focus more on emotional appeal and personal benefits.
Understanding this discrepancy is fundamental for your business or product or service to efficiently align the branding choices to achieve excellence.
The B2B branding is about showcasing why a brand is a great choice for other companies. The key is communicating the brand’s value to them. It’s not just selling a product or service, instead, offering a long-term partnership.
Whereas, the B2B customers are driven by personal connections and immediate benefits. The branding approach in this segment primarily focuses on delivering an experience that resonates with individual customer’s feelings, aspirations and lifestyles.
Identifying the audience groups involves exploring the key aspects such as the industry a brand caters to, various customer segments, differentiation in products/services, mapping buyer persona, understanding their needs & preferences, and analysing their decision-making journey.
For B2B brands, the focus is on aligning its offerings with the industry expectations; through a tailored approach that addresses unique challenges of specific industries they cater to. This allows them to position themselves as a trusted partner.
For B2C brands, the spotlight would be on how the brand is in sync with broader consumer trends and preferences across various markets.
This represents a full-scale profile of decision makers or stakeholders associated with the company being targeted. This includes professionals with high industry knowledge across various departments - managers, directors, CXOs, CFOs, etc. A generic approach doesn’t work well with them. Their information sources, pain points, evaluation methods and purchasing criteria differ greatly. Since, engaging with them is a longer and a multi-stage process, conducting an in-depth study on each buyer persona is essential.
B2C brands target a broader audience and a buyer persona is typically created based on demographic and psychographic information such as age, gender, lifestyle, interests & hobbies, and their purchase patterns. A b2b persona is more direct and generally focuses on emotional triggers that influence consumers’ quick buying decisions.
An ideal B2B customer is in search of long-term partnerships that could provide consistent value in future. They typically follow a data-centric approach. Plus, they expect a high degree of professionalism and industry expertise from their partners. These qualities are critical in ensuring a reliable and informed collaboration.
B2C consumers want to feel a connection with the product or service offered by a consumer brand. They prefer products that should enhance their lives in a meaningful way. Thus, visual storytelling is crucial in B2C branding as it evokes desired emotions in the minds of consumers. A catchy tagline, vibrant visuals, strong social media graphics or a relatable brand personality are key branding elements that a consumer gets attracted to.
A B2B product is developed with a focus on how it adds value to a business or organisation - cost reduction, efficiency enhancement, etc. It needs to meet unique requirements of a specific industry. Moreover, it must be reliable and durable as businesses look for long-term solutions. Factors such as adaptability, scalability, and post-sales support, are crucial in a customer's decision making process.
On the other hand, a b2c product is designed in a way that highly resonates with individual consumers’ emotions, preferences and lifestyle. It needs to be simple, accessible, convenient to use and affordable. Since consumers seek experiences the overall brand presentation is critical. Brand owners strive to create an emotional connection with the audience.
Buyers' interaction with the brand happens through more than one touchpoints such as webinars, product demo, industry events, etc. And, sales cycles are longer and complex; involving multiple stages, extending over months.
On the flip side, the b2c customer journey is quicker and shorter sales cycle. It involves fewer stages - awareness, consideration and purchase. Many b2c purchases are driven by impulse.
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