B2B vs B2C Direct Mail Marketing: Know Your Audience

If you’re looking to drum up business, then direct mail marketing is a good strategy to employ. Up to 90% of direct mail gets opened, which means the money you spend on direct mail marketing will be well spent. Depending on the services or products you offer, your approach to this type of marketing will have to be different if it’s B2B, as opposed to B2C. In this article, you’ll learn some tips for B2B vs. B2C direct mail marketing.

B2B Direct Mail Marketing

With B2B marketing, the buying cycle is longer than with B2C marketing. So, you need to make sure your marketing is consistent all throughout the cycle. If your marketing isn’t optimal at any point, it can cause people to lose interest and look somewhere else.

Another key aspect to keep in mind about B2B direct mail marketing is that the piece typically has to go through a Gatekeeper. This means you would want your marketing piece to appear to have the utmost importance and be addressed to the ultimate decision marker.

For example, you should consider using a letter in an envelope rather than a post card and personalize it to the specific person you are targeting and not to just the business. Gatekeepers typically won’t open a letter that looks personal or important to others. This will increase the chances of your prospects opening your marketing piece and in turn create a higher response rate.

While most people believe that B2B means cold and unemotional, the opposite is actually true. Since the buying cycle is so long, there’s more of a need to appeal to the emotional side to get buyers to commit and take a risk.

This means that while your B2B direct mail marketing shouldn’t be too casual or humorous, you still have to do your research into what appeals to the emotional side of decision makers. Find out what their pain points are, address them, and position your company as one to trust to solve their problems.

The most important messages you want to get through in your B2B direct mail marketing are ones that you can build a lasting relationship upon. This will include reliability, expertise, and credibility.

B2C Direct Mail Marketing

B2C marketing involves more storytelling than B2B marketing does. The B2C buying cycle is a lot shorter than the B2B one, which means you need to catch your prospects’ interests quickly. B2C purchase tend to lean towards impulse buys more, so if you can appeal to the emotions effectively, then you’ve almost certainly secured a sale.

When you use B2C direct mail marketing, you want to have strong branding. You’ll need to focus heavily on the graphics on your mailings. Since you want to connect with customers on a personal level, your copy can take on a more casual and friendly tone. In fact, you can even incorporate humor.

You want to ensure your B2C offer is clear and stands out. You only have a few seconds to grab the attention of your prospects, so you want it to be impactful. In fact, postcards are a great way for you to get your message in their hands, while making sure they see your offer right away.

Another commonly used strategy is to place a letter in an envelope that appears to be a personal card/invitation. Everyone likes to receive birthday/holiday cards or invites in the mail, increasing the chances of the consumer opening the piece.

Since you’re going for impulse buys, it may be a good idea to include coupons for either discounts or free items. These things can make all the difference between someone keeping your mailing or throwing it away immediately.

B2B vs. B2C Direct Mail Marketing: Know the Difference

When it comes to B2B vs. B2C direct mail marketing, knowing the difference in approach can have a huge impact on your marketing. Most other direct mail marketing is considered as “junk mail” by consumers. But if you use the right techniques, then you’ll create something that your potential customers will see,  like, and remember.

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