I heard a bad answer given by a presenter at a direct marketing event once. His answer was “nothing” and he is right from a technical viewpoint. He was answering the question in relation to the design of web landing pages, but this is applicable to Email, Direct Mail and most marketing mediums.

Clearly the campaign creation process is substantially different, involving a different approach to the following.

1) Campaign goals are different

Typically, B2B campaigns are not motivated by an immedate sale. They usually involve human interaction as an end goal;

• schedule a Webex
• get a meeting with a decision-maker or influencer
• give a free consult

For most B2C campaigns, success depends on how much sales increase. For most, the sale is usually immediate and is done directly from the Personal URL. Purchases mostly happen without a conversation with your sales staff. E.g. buying a pair of Nike sneakers, a book from Borders, etc.

2) Content will be different

Unless you are selling equipment to corporations, B2B campaigns typically use less/no product images, arguably more information although sassy campaigns that gives your company a personality could also initiate a conversation.

Consumer campaigns should typically elicit an emotional response. Enhancing brand relationships with consumers means conveying feelings of “pride and passion” and strengthening their association with your brand.

3) The offer will change

Not all business firms/corporations are motivated by price, the value of the offer needs to be more specific. The offer needs to provide some form of benefit, like a free consult or an industry report that they do not have access to.

For a B2C campaign, a limited time discount will not hurt. Invitations to join exclusive clubs for product users or limited editions not available in stores could help further your brand relationship with consumers.

Of course there are exceptions to this separation depending on complexity of the product/service, nature of the industry and the marketplace but clearly the approach to B2B and B2C campaigns must be different.

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Stay tuned for a list of offers you could use for your direct marketing campaigns.

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