7 Tips for B2C Marketing in the Digital World

B2C marketing is among the most widely known of the various sales models. B2C marketing simply means that a business is marketing a product – either directly or through a network of distributors – to the consumer, sometimes referred to as the end user. 

Widespread availability of broadband internet service and the introduction of Apple’s iPhone in 2007 made it possible for innovators in e-commerce to sell directly to consumers, who could shop and make secure payments via their mobile devices. More recently, social commerce, where consumers shop directly from social media channels, has become a digital marketing trend. What hasn’t changed is the marketer’s need to demonstrate key product features and benefits and cultivate a relationship with the consumer.

B2C marketing differs from B2B, or business-to-business marketing, in that the B2B model involves a business selling to another business. Businesses buy materials, capital equipment, specialized software and professional services from manufacturers or distributors in a process that tends to be more complex than in the consumer marketing model. In B2C marketing, the consumer could be an individual with their credit card and promotional code ready to make the purchase and receive next-day delivery. In B2B marketing, however, budget restrictions, committees and organizational hierarchies can complicate and extend the sales cycle.

B2C and B2B marketers also use different marketing tactics to reach and influence their target audiences. Rather than using consumer-targeted media, a B2B marketer is more likely to sell via direct sales, conferences and trade shows and online or in-person webinars to reach the right decision-making executives within carefully targeted companies.

The marketing channels brands use to sell products to consumers have changed quite a lot over the years. Traditional advertising – television, radio, newspaper and magazines, direct mail and other media – is still around, but digital technology has enabled marketers to reach consumers on devices like smart TVs, laptops, tablets and smart phones.  

Consumers expect to have access to all the products and information they need without having to make a phone call or visit a retail store, and have even begun to purchase cars online, without a test drive. Here are a few commonly used B2C marketing strategies:

According to the American Marketing Association, digital marketing refers to any marketing methods conducted through electronic devices utilizing some form of computer, including efforts conducted on the internet. The AMA notes that unlike traditional advertising, which is a static, one-way communication between seller and consumer, digital marketing and its various branches, including digital advertising, is an ever-changing and dynamic process of two-way communication between a business and its actual or prospective customers. The AMA further notes that for many consumers, screen time is at an all-time high.

Digital advertising is a catch-all term that describes any strategy to promote a product or service online. Different types of digital advertising identified by Indeed include the following:

B2C and B2B marketers continue to use email marketing as part of a multi-faceted strategy by leveraging something people interact with every day – their inbox – to distribute their brand’s storytelling and engagement efforts. According to HubSpot, 37% of B2C marketers send daily marketing emails to their subscribers.

Email campaigns, which are sometimes called electronic newsletters, help marketers engage with their audiences on a meaningful level by delivering information along with promotions. Headlines, images and articles in email campaigns contain links to product-specific web pages, blog articles, the brand’s podcast or other information related to the marketer’s brand story. Effectiveness is measured by the number of subscribers who opened the campaign and what they clicked on.  

Attributes of an effective email campaign include readability, storytelling value, a focus on the reader, clear calls to action and an attractive, user-friendly design.

The Digital Marketing Institute (DMI) reports that there are 4.6 billion active social media users and they spend an average of 2.27 hours every day on 7.5 platforms per month. For this reason, DMI suggests that social media marketing is no longer an option, but a necessity for B2C marketers to drive brand awareness and consumer engagement. 

As also noted by DMI, having a clear social media marketing strategy gives B2C marketers benefits that include improved brand awareness, increased website traffic, better quality leads and data that can be analyzed and measured. They also stress the importance of identifying and keeping up with rapidly evolving trends in social media and influencer marketing.

To promote their websites, a B2C marketer’s goal, quite simply, is to build more website traffic. Tactics used in website marketing include reviewing the site’s design, optimizing it for SEO (more about that in our next section), creating a content marketing plan and promoting the site via paid advertising and social media networks. Another important aspect of website marketing is keeping the website up to date by freshening content regularly, keeping the site secure and updating software.

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a practice used by B2C marketers to optimize search results, so their websites rank higher, or appear early and often, on search engine results pages (SERPs). By using tactics that make their websites more recognizable and easier for search engine algorithms to analyze, they make it easier for prospective customers to find them before they find competitors. 

SEO marketing is an organic marketing practice, as opposed to paid search advertising, in which marketers pay for advertising placed on SERPs.

Shopify offers these SEO marketing tactics to help B2C marketers improve search results:

Influencer marketing is coming on strong. That’s according to Influencer Marketing Hub, who report this B2C marketing channel grew to $16.4 billion in 2022 and that businesses are making an ROI of $5.20 for every dollar they spend. 

Some high-profile influencers have become celebrities, but many non-celebrity influencers or micro influencers have developed reputations as subject matter authorities in their fields. They are valued by marketers for their ability to create engaging social media posts, share quality pictures and make entertaining videos on sites like TikTok and Instagram, a platform that Influencer Marketing Hub says 67% of brands use for their influencer marketing.

Effective B2C marketing begins with understanding and engaging with your consumer while keeping the two-way communication of digital marketing in mind. Here are 7 digital marketing strategies to enhance your B2C marketing campaign:

Facebook, TikTok, avatar integration, augmented reality… keeping track of the trends in social media can be perplexing. For many B2C marketers, a smart social media strategy simply consists of maintaining a presence on consumer-facing social media platforms in a way that works for their brand. Here are some of the different ways you could leverage social media, segmented by network type:

Retargeting advertising helps people who’ve had limited experience with your company understand how your product could fit into their life and helps make your brand message more personal. 

According to HubSpot, retargeting campaigns are an effective way to generate brand awareness, drive conversions, increase customer lifetime value and reach other strategic goals. 

HubSpot defines the 2 main types of retargeting:

Underscoring the importance of search engine optimization in your B2C marketing efforts, the Content Marketing Institute (CMI) states that SEO success in 2023 will hinge upon your ability to provide relevant, original content that answers searchers’ questions and addresses their concerns. Marketers will also have to make frequent changes in your program to keep pace with Google’s shifting SERP priorities. 

For optimal organic search results, follow the SEO practices described in our previous section and maintain a steady drumbeat of content creation around topics related to your products or services. A few of CMI’s tips for SEO success include:

Making influencer marketing a component in your digital marketing strategy can be an effective way to reap social media marketing success, helping you to increase brand awareness, generate leads, boost sales or reach other objectives specific to your goals. Because influencers typically have loyal followers, working with these content creators could allow you to gain traction on new platforms. Therefore, finding the right influencer for your brand and making the most of the collaboration is absolutely essential.  

Customer loyalty is difficult to earn and easy to lose. That’s why the concept of offering special rewards to regular customers is so widely used. Brands use customer loyalty programs to entice customers buying everything from a three-dollar cup of coffee to an expensive vacation to stick with them rather than shopping the competition. 

Customer loyalty programs can help marketers increase numbers of happy customers, build stronger relationships over time, defend against competitors’ efforts to gain market share and make their brands stand out among the competition. 

Examples of customer loyalty programs include:

The customer journey is the series of touchpoints a customer has with your business over the course of hours, days, weeks or even months, from first encounter to final purchase and delivery. Touchpoints may include customer experiences like website visits, emails, text messages or social media posts. By understanding and mapping the customer journey, you can take steps to make the overall customer experience more memorable and satisfying while working to increase operational efficiencies and boosting revenue. 

Your customer’s journey will typically include the following 5 phases:

One of the major benefits of mobile commerce, or m-commerce, is the convenience it gives the consumer, allowing them to shop and purchase on their mobile phones anytime and from anywhere. In January 2023 Retail Dive reported that 37% of adults in the United States had made purchases via mobile sites during the previous 3 months.   

If you want to reach today’s mobile consumer you will need to adopt strategies that will help you make the most of mobile’s convenience, speed, security and, well, mobility. What to include in a strong mobile marketing strategy? Consider these 5 important factors: