5 Ways to Grow Your B2C Brand by Listening to Your customers

In a survey of 500 business executives, 94% of them agreed that listening to customers is critical to overall growth. It is especially true for B2C (business-to-consumer) brands. And, customers demand a smoother user experience. In other words, improving the UX of a B2C platform demands paying attention to what their customers are saying.

Customers are the primary source of revenue for any brand. Paying attention to their needs wants, and feedback can be the difference between closing a deal or customers walking away. You may offer superior products or services; but, in the end, your success depends upon how your customers perceive you. Asking for customer feedback can help reshape your offerings, the way you sell, and your overall customer service strategies to improve the customer experience.

B2B V/s B2C 

The lines between B2B (business-to-business) and B2C (business-to-consumer) are somewhat blurred, but there are vital differences between B2B and B2C marketing techniques. For example, while businesses conduct in-depth research before investing in new office space, software, or a significant acquisition with another company, B2C transactions are known to be more instant and impulsive.

The factors separating the two are detailed below.

i. Markets

The target markets addressed by B2B and B2C marketing strategies are different. B2C companies target more consumers across various psychological, demographic, and socioeconomic classes and groups. Simply put, B2C marketing targets everyday consumers shopping for goods and services for their personal use. For instance, parents looking for clothes for their kids, families shopping for household items, etc.

On the other hand, B2B marketing addresses much more focused, narrow, and carefully calculated markets. Even though B2B buyers are also considered consumers, they’re based on work-related variables. For instance, the target market of B2B brands is according to company hierarchy, job title, and responsibilities at work.

ii. Drivers of purchase

Drivers of purchase for B2C and B2B brands differ as the former is based on the product, convenience, and price, and the latter is based on performance, productivity, and relationships.

iii. Buying decision process

B2B purchases involve a more complex and drawn-out process where multiple proposals are required for various vendors. It also involves cross-functional collaboration, multiple parties, and agreement/consensus among essential stakeholders.

B2C buying decisions are not that complicated. Decisions are much less involved and often short-term, impulsive, and singular events. For instance, shopping at Amazon or other eCommerce websites. Customers end up buying impulsively when there’s a sale going on or attractive discount offers.

iv. Cost of selling

The cost of selling to businesses is higher than selling to direct customers. In a B2B sale, there are a lot of decision-makers and considerations.

Objectives of B2C Marketing

The primary objective behind B2C marketing campaigns is to convince customers to buy a product or use a service. It doesn’t matter how many variables come into play before the final transaction takes place. The goal remains the same, irrespective of the industry. B2C marketing starts by introducing customers to a business and encouraging them to interact with the brand. The prospective consumers are taken through the sales funnel toward a purchase.

Ways to effectively grow B2C brands by listening to customers

i. Craft the aptest listening plan

Start by identifying your target audience and the social media platforms they prefer. Also, find out what exactly you should listen for. Next, brainstorm with your team and craft a list of industry keywords or buzzwords, the names of your competitors, relevant hashtags, and the like. Finally, assign a team to continuously follow selected keywords so that you can be proactive in addressing consumer problems and catering to their needs.

ii. Maximize interactions with customers

To get the most out of social media mentions and other digital conversations with your consumers, ensure to respond to them as soon as possible. Also, make your responses visible online. The interactions can be across social media platforms, forums, review sites, emails, and so on. Such interactions showcase a positive brand image and portray that your business takes consumers seriously. It can considerably enhance B2C brand loyalty among customers and lead to increased growth and revenue.

iii. Focus on omnichannel approach and think beyond social media

B2C marketing campaigns are not considered a success until an actual purchase is made. Today, 85% of the customers begin purchasing one device and complete it on another. What does this mean for your B2C brand? It is time to adopt an omnichannel approach where offline and online channels are combined to optimize the user experience for every part of the customer journey. So, instead of your B2C brand only showing up on Google, it will show up on multiple avenues where customers can reach you easily.

Along with an omnichannel marketing approach, B2C brands also need to think about social media. Do not stop listening for mentions on traditional social media networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram because you’ll meet 4.48 billion active users. However, also consider blogs, forums, and review websites. As it would result in dealing with a massive volume of data, implementing the right monitoring tool can help you track mentions across the Internet.

iv. Recognize your target audience and personalize the shopping experience

B2B marketing sells solutions to businesses and detaches itself from individual buyers. B2C marketing thrives on long-term consumer relationships. When you are targeting individual customers, you would want to ensure each individual feels seen and heard. Therefore, your customer interactions must feel personalized to some extent.

Personalization might be as simple as greeting your customer by name or as complex as gathering their data and offering them customized product selection when they visit your eCommerce app as a returning customer. Also, you can personalize video ads, landing pages, and email campaigns according to a specific segment of your target audience. By using email management software tools, you can ensure that each email feels tailored to the recipient, making them more likely to engage with your content and continue building that essential long-term relationship. This will result in your customers recognizing that you know their interests and won’t bother them with irrelevant content. As a result, brand loyalty will increase and drive revenue growth.

Design B2C marketing for consumers to boost UX

When designing a B2C website/app or building a marketing strategy, keeping in mind B2C UX guidelines is vital. Your audience must always be on top of every decision relating to marketing, product offerings, services, and the like. The ultimate aim of B2C brands is to drive prospects to buy. So, designing your marketing campaigns for consumers will boost user experience and encourage customers to keep coming back. Furthermore, you’ll see a significant improvement in your bottom line and customer retention rate. Of course, to sustain this, you need to offer excellent customer service and keep coming up with new products to entice your target audience. The decisions relating to these can be improved by actively listening to your customers.

Final Thoughts

Prioritizing a customer-centric, engaging search experience is key to winning over customers across the Internet. Listening to customers can offer B2C brands insights into the customers’ needs, wants, and pain points. Also, brands can even find out where they’re lacking, the gaps in their marketing or product offerings, and possible solutions to enhance customer experience. As customers are core to any B2C brand, it is high time you start listening to what your customers are saying about you.