With businesses rapidly coming online and using the internet more frequently, it is essential for them to understand who their target audiences are, where, and how to engage with them. B2C content marketing is all about the consumer. Its main focus is bringing content directly to the consumer, allowing them to view your product or service, research and understand it, and then finally make a purchasing decision. 82% of marketers are actively investing in content marketing as research states that it generates 3 times more leads and boosts conversion rates. It is now more important than ever to invest in a B2C content marketing strategy. The web is saturated with a vast number of brands which makes it even more difficult to get a product or service in front of consumers.
What is B2C Content Marketing?
B2C content marketing (business to consumer) refers to a range of the methods and practices businesses use, to promote their product or service to their intended target audience. These audiences are usually the average customer, who would use the product or service in their daily lives. B2C content marketing is based on the idea that consumers tend to make quick purchases, without considering prices too much. This influences businesses decisions by seeking to create emotional responses or triggers which lead to the desired outcome. The content generally involves the use of images, vidoes, blog articles or all of the above. The medium used to promote this content is just as important as how you choose to use it.
Why is it Important?
Good B2C content marketing can be pivotal to a successful brand and its online presence. Brands who understand what it is are more likely to rise above their competition. There are a few Important things to note concerning the product or service the brand is promoting. Why is it being promoted? Consumers tend to have problems or issues, and are more inclined to look for ways to ease these difficulties. If you know the pain points of your audience, then you can solve the problem of why they need the product/service. Knowing where to engage with your audience matters just as much as why. If you are selling a product or service that is online based, it won’t help using mediums that aren’t normally seen in the online space. So it would be best to engage with target audiences on social media, websites and so on. And vice versa if your product or service is more often used in the offline space, then the platforms and mediums switch. When you tend to advertise the product can definitely have a big impact. An example would be advertising winter clothing in summer, of course your target audience would be less likely to buy it, as the clothing wasn’t made for the season that is currently ongoing. It’s important to make sure you engage with audiences at the right time to take full advantage of b2c content marketing.
B2C Vs B2B
It is good to have a general understanding of what B2C content marketing is, however, there is another type of content marketing. The other type is B2B (business to business) content marketing and is quite similar to B2C. Looking at B2C, its main focal points range from the consumer being able to identify your brand, and having an emotional impact and response from them, to enhancing the value of consumer purchases and lives. Getting your product or service in front of the correct audience in the most effective and engaging way possible, can make a difference when they compare brands to their competition, as it can alter their choices depending on which brand presents itself best, and solves the consumer’s problem quickly and easily.
B2B on the other hand is actually a bit more complicated. Both B2C and B2B have similar core goals, but with B2B, you are mainly targeting other businesses and organizations instead of individuals. Put simply, it is professionals marketing to others in a specific industry or field. Strategies for B2B consist of you presenting yourself as a professional or expert in your field/industry. Your target audience is already known, the content just needs to be more specific, so you can further implore businesses to purchase from you. Main focal points for B2B range from building brand identity to establish yourself as an expert or leader, and establishing value through resources such as white papers, articles or in-depth blog posts, to developing trust by showing your understanding, knowledge and expertise in your industry/field.
Building A B2C Content Marketing Strategy
With B2C’s main focus being the consumer, it is important to tailor your strategy so that you can target, engage and interact with your target audience quickly and effectively. The user and the buyer in this case are essentially the same, you are targeting individuals who may need your product or service. It’s a much simpler and straight forward process as well allowing you to be more concise and efficient.
Specify Your Target Audience
Knowing your target audience is the first and most important step of a strategy. This includes demographics, preferences and any related information. Defining your buyer persona leads to the creation of more catered and tailored content, which your audience is more likely to interact and engage with. It’s all about messaging, What exactly does your brand stand for? Who are you trying to attract? Content that audiences can relate and resonate with gives them a feeling of trust and credibility, as they feel like your brand understands them.
Build A Timeline
After establishing a buyer persona, creating a timeline for when and how you want to roll out this new content is the next step. It’s also ideal to post on a regular basis, which keeps your audiences engaged with your brand. Don’t take these timelines for granted, stay on schedule, and make sure content is being published on time.
Determine The Type of Content You Intend on Creating
Timeline scheduling requires brainstorming ideas and finding out exactly the type of content you want to make. Video, visual and blog content should ideally be part of this strategy to some extent. Make sure the content matches the target audience’s demographics and so on. You may want to create different types of content, and test them on different ranges of audiences and platforms.
Bring in Content Creators
Hiring content writers and creators who understand your target audience, is definitely one of the best ways to go. If you’re on a budget, hiring a freelance writer to help create your content can help bridge this gap, as they would be able to create content based on any ideas that you already have. It is however, better to hire an entire team dedicated to this part as they can play a major role in the success you may have, and the quality of the content being produced.
Research Topics
Keyword research enables you to identify topics which will garner the interest of your audience, leading them to your websites, blogs and social media channels. Keeping the searchers intent in mind can help with this part. Does the content you are producing target audiences, and the answers they are seeking? If your content addresses your audience’s search intent, it makes it easier for them to find your brand’s website,services and products.
Execute A Plan for Content Creation
A content marketing plan is important, and should be taken seriously. Make sure deadlines are met, monitor writers and content creators to make sure they all are meeting them as well. An excellent content plan is useless unless it is adequately executed. If you find yourself struggling, hire an agency or outside party to help with this step. There are many agencies out there, including Percepto, which offer services your brand may take advantage of
Publish and Promote Your Content
Social media, email marketing campaigns and online forms are one of the best and most effective places to publish and promote it. The more relatable the content, the higher the chance of your audience sharing it. It is important to note that not all social media platforms work for every business. Make sure you alter the content based on the platform, so there is a variety to it ,and ensure the tone matches the platform.
Examples of Successful B2C content marketing Campaigns
- The General
In 2021, The General, an insurance company, launched a rebrand to help restore their public image. The CEO had stated that the brand has national awareness. Unfortunately they were not seen as a reputable company due to their advertising. This led to the brand revamping its advertising strategy, by removing their animation whilst keeping Shaq as its celebrity influencer. They had also addressed their previous ads in their newer ones. - Spotify
Each year people get a peek into their friends music tastes with spotify’s annual #Wrapped campaign. For the last few years Spotify has released end-of-year stats on top artists,songs,genres and podcasts. They also do this on an individual level by sharing users’ listening behaviors, which consists of minutes listened, favorite genres, artists, and songs. The campaign naturally generated a lot of buzz for the brand, as users were excited to share their music preferences with followers on social media. Spotify successfully leverages this usage data by promoting it with its audience, encouraging them to share it as a way of building a community. - The Lip Bar
When the brand reached its 10th anniversary, the founder decided to make it a big one. In addition to the milestone, they released a new product alongside it. This led to an omnichannel marketing campaign, which celebrated the anniversary while also promoting this new product. The brand may have been able to launch two separate campaigns for each, but the joint campaign had the potential for a much bigger, more effective impact. - Fenty Beauty
Youtube is a major platform for beauty brands, with videos allowing them to showcase their products in action, without being constrained by time. Fenty Beauty leverages Youtube as a mini-masterclass, bringing in skilled, award-winning makeup artists to demonstrate the application of the makeup and to give consumer tips and tricks on using the makeup itself - Hekaya
Consumers want brands to be as transparent and authentic as possible. Fashion brand Hekaya did exactly this when they released their newest line. The brand likely has more traditional promotional videos for their clothing, the strategy used is more intimate. The audience gets to hear directly from the founder, as she describes what makes the collection unique and special.
With Content marketing expected to have major growth between 2021 – 2025, having a B2C content marketing strategy will help brands stand out from the crowd. Brands are rushing to put their products and services online, and with the web as saturated as it is, it’s important to have a solid plan created and executed properly. People are suffering from digital fatigue which drive them to look for more specific content they can engage, interact, and relate with to counter it. Content that sparks interest and catches our eye as quickly as possible is the best way to go about creating content for your b2c content marketing strategy.
