B2B vs. B2C digital marketing

Digital marketing from business to business (B2B) is focused on online lead generation with the goal of an organization finding another business that will purchase its product or service.

Digital marketing from business to consumer (B2C) is focused on attracting individuals and having them become customers. B2C digital marketing also pays more attention to creating an accelerated buyer's journey for customers.

B2B clients typically have a longer decision-making process, as it requires more than one person's input. B2C customers, on the other hand, only need their own input -- and could also make purchasing decisions based on emotion or mood. B2C customers might also respond better to social media marketing or the short-term deals and offers that appear in email digital marketing.

While B2B marketing focuses on relationship building and positioning, B2C marketing targets brand recognition.

Digital marketing benefits

Benefits of digital marketing include the following:

Global and local reach. Individuals can see the same ad in different time zones or across the globe. Digital marketing also improves local ad visibility, so organizations can customize their locally targeted ads.

Targeting specific audiences.

Customers and prospective customers can stay connected to brands through email or social media platforms, where organizations can then communicate with them or test offers to gain insights.

Cost-effectiveness.

Digital marketing is less expensive than traditional forms of marketing, such as TV spots. It costs almost nothing to promote through email campaigns and social media.

Customized channels.

Digital marketing channels can be marketed differently, depending on the organization and the platform it's on. Marketing teams within an organization can find their best and strongest forms of marketing and modify those methods as needed.

Digital marketing challenges

Digital marketing does have the following challenges, however:

Time-consuming. 

Organizations must continually create content and optimize their marketing campaigns, which takes time.

Competitive. 

This can occur when prospective customers are inundated with too many competing ads. Marketers must make their brand stand out, which can be challenging.

Data privacy.

If an organization is using an individual's data to target them for advertising, then it should understand how to handle that data and follow data privacy laws.

Technology.

Digital marketers must ensure websites are set up for mobile users so that the customer journey can quickly lead a prospective customer from learning about an organization to making a purchase.