Learning the Difference Between B2B and B2C from Lenovo’s Written Copy

August 31st, 2017

As a major electronic and personal computing company, Lenovo sells products to target business users and consumers directly. To be successful, Lenovo runs different marketing campaigns that attract these unique groups. Business owners and writers can learn a lot about tailoring written copy to business to business (B2B) or business to consumer (B2C) groups by closely analyzing Lenovo’s marketing campaigns. Here are some key areas to look out for.

Productivity

If you want to target business users, it’s key to focus on productivity. You need to show businesses how your product or service can tangibly improve productivity for their users. In some ways, Lenovo shows this by creating campaigns that highlight the business-related features of their electronic products. A computer screen is shown with a touchscreen that a business user relies on to show off a presentation to a client. Showcasing the in-demand business programs included in the price of the standard model demonstrates how business users will be more productive with these computers. This is important to decision-makers at companies, regardless of the size of the business.

Functionality and Innovation

While it’s true that B2B customers enjoy innovation and functionality, it’s likely that the company will be willing to pay for only certain basic features. They’ll want word processing, speed, and internet capabilities. However, consumers pay for innovation and advanced functionality, such as the ability to play high-definition games. Lenovo knows this because the company includes many images and campaigns geared toward the B2C market that simply highlight a computer user doing something out of the ordinary.

Focus on Younger Customers

Most companies that target the B2C market focus on younger customers, typically in the 18 to 24 demographic, because of the amount of disposable income they have. However, many businesses, especially large corporations, are managed by people who have more experience and are generally older. If your company wants to target the B2C market, you can use one of the strategies Lenovo (and many other successful companies) utilize to gear B2C ads toward younger consumers. That’s why many of Lenovo’s ads for the B2C market are set in youthful places such as bars.

Beauty

The B2C market really cares about how their electronics look. They often want the thinnest, most colorful, or most streamlined appliances. The B2B doesn’t prioritize this as much. This is why Lenovo focuses its B2C copy on how a product looks. But this isn’t the case with its B2B copy; B2B buyers often want uniformity and may make one computer model the “standard” edition for their company. This is reflected in Lenovo’s written copy.

Cost

It is true that both the B2B and B2C markets care about cost. However, these groups have different parameters on what they want to see. In the case of Lenovo, the least expensive computer models are targeted to most B2C customers (along with the most expensive ones with highest-end features). However, B2B customers prioritize cost slightly less, as these customers would be more likely to spend more for certain features and willing to negotiate a deal to buy the items in bulk.

There is a major difference when selling to the B2B and B2C markets. Lenovo demonstrates that companies can have effective campaigns that target each group. In some cases, Lenovo is successful at reaching both at the same time.