B2C marketing is often treated as an afterthought. Unlike B2B, B2C requires a fair amount of strategy in order to invoke emotional responses that trigger purchase and intent to purchase. Through content and carefully planned strategies, B2C has the power to not only bring in new customers, but also retain current customers, increase average spend and drive loyalty.
In order to get the best results from B2C marketing, it is always important to plan, plan, and then plan some more. In this mini guide, we take a look at some of the biggest lessons that will help you get your plans underway.
Essential B2C Marketing Guidelines
Some of the most important things to remember when it comes to B2C marketing include the following:
- Social media is an essential tool. Never underestimate the power of social media marketing. Whether used to grow your reputation, reach new customers, encourage customer loyalty and retention, keep customers updated, promote competitions and specials or expand your audience, an integrated strategy that incorporates Facebook, YouTube and Twitter is the best way to leverage the potential of social media.
- Responsive design is everything. In today’s mobile-first era, you can no longer afford to ignore responsive design. Many customers search for products and stores online with the help of a smartphone. If your website and SEO strategy are not geared towards mobile, you may find that customers end up going to your competitor who has taken a mobile-first approach.
- SEO needs to be highly targeted. On the topic of Search Engine Optimisation, B2C keyword strategies differ from B2B strategies. Unless you are able to compete with major brands, who consistently rank for top keywords, it is worth focusing on longer tail keywords that are geared towards intent to purchase.
- Marketing should be automated. If you are not already using marketing automation and tools such as CRM systems, now is the time to do so. Automation helps you deliver an integrated, highly targeted service to customers in a way that focuses on both acquisition and retention.
- Customers need to be nurtured. On that note, lead generation is also worth considering. But that doesn’t mean your sales funnels should be hard-sell. Instead, you will need to nurture your customers at every step, helping to educate, inspire and motivate in a way that drives sales and builds loyalty.
When you keep these rules in mind, it will become a lot easier to create unique, rewarding B2C marketing campaigns that truly add value to consumers.