Questions

What is the best marketing strategy for a web-based b2b and b2c platform? we have two options (described below)

Our main target group are researchers in life science & biomedical research. Right now we have been live (as a beta) for couple of months and relied purely on organic growth (google search traffic) and didn't invest a dime into marketing, because we wanted to make sure that platform is stable. Now, we want to turn into more aggressive marketing and not sure what strategy to embrace. We have two options (though, maybe not mutally exclusive). Option 1: Posting information about our platform (maybe in a form of QA session) on reddit Pros: get more visibility; speak to influencers in the field; get costractive criticism and opinions, get twitter re-twits (many reddit users are super active on twitter too); maybe get potetial customers contacts Cons: competitors may find out about us and copy some of our know-how/features before penetrate market enough; it may not add any sales, because buyers (less techsavvy people who are our potetial customers) are not on reddit and likely are not on twitter (so we would waste time and efforts on not directly selling) Option 2. Directly contact potential customers, do demo for them, get feedback and ask them for people they know who might find our platform useful. Pros: direct interaction with potential customers; get customer requirements; higher chances of sales; competitors don't know about us before we are strong on the market Cons: slow growth; slow market penetration; little awareness of our service What do you think guys? Anna

4answers

I would go for the direct client contact-approach for several reasons:

- It sounds like you are still searching for exact client requirements. You will get those from talking to the clients directly.

- You are not sure, whether your clients are enough tech-savvy that redd-it makes sense. This puts a significant downside to approach no 1, where you would let your competitors understand your product but risk having no clients.

So unless you need to create cashflow quickly, and therefore need to scale fast, I would go for the safer solution and interact with clients directly. No problem assessing their tech-savviness, so you can move to an electronic platform, where growth will be faster after you have made sure, that your clients will be there as well.

Let me note here, that the direct approach probably works best for b2b. b2c is hard work directly, so probably the webbased marketing would work there. But still the clients must be there, so you could start of with a b2c-test directly to gain knowledge.

Good luck with approaching your target group. If you would like more dialogue on this, I will be happy to talk more.

Best regards
Kenneth Wolstrup


Answered 8 years ago

Anna,

Love ❤️❤️❤️ that you've thought about the pros and cons of each option. I'd love to chat with you on this.

My question to you is why can't it be both? I don't see finance or money invested the issue listed. Both options time is the variable.

I noted that there's an assumption that Reddit option will just take off. Hopefully it does, but maybe it won't. In the event it does not go as plan (lack of engagement), I'd recommend doing both.

If for any reason, both is out of the question and either/or is our final opportunity. I'd go direct and be patient with organic growth. It will allow you to properly care for each and every one to one opportunity and address concerns on an individual basis.

I'd also recommend with this strategy that when you receive a big win (testimonial) I would video record the customer OR get a picture of them with a statement you can use and repurpose that win on a blog, social media, Slideshare etc. I would put those on as many FREE platforms that bandwidth can handle.

Feel free to call me or connect on my LinkedIn if you'd like more help.


Answered 8 years ago

Frankly: You're looking at this backwards.

Both of your approaches are based on interrupting a prospective customer rather than delivering value upfront and letting them knock on your door.

Not knowing your product, platform, or purpose, I assume that you offer some sort of solution to a problem facing customers?

Go out and answer every question on Quora, Clarity, MosaicHub, LinkedIn, Twitter and every forum where people are asking about the problem you solve. Answer their question and watch your traffic grow exponentially.

It is not about finding customer for your product, it is about offering the solution to their problem.


Answered 8 years ago

In fact, in 2018, B2B eCommerce sales surpassed $1 trillion. The fact is that B2B eCommerce marketing strategies have changed in recent years. Given the blurring of lines between industries, many sellers could do with an upgrade to their B2B eCommerce marketing strategies, particularly during this crucial period. If sellers want to take advantage of the digital opportunities that currently abound, increase sales, and outperform their competition, it is critical to elevate marketing efforts to new heights as others hunker down. No matter if one is discussing writing product descriptions that sell or driving revenue with content, excellent copy is what earns a retailer visibility, motivates clicks, educates visitors, and inspires consumers to convert. When it comes to B2B organizations, content is possibly even more critical than in the B2C sector as B2B buyers consume an average of 13 pieces of content before deciding on a vendor. Given that shoppers cannot hold, touch, feel or smell a product when browsing options online, they are largely dependent on what a business claims and what its customers have to say, with the latter being weighted more heavily. This is the exact reason why so many merchants leverage product reviews to increase eCommerce sales. As far as B2B eCommerce marketing strategies are concerned, product reviews and testimonials are crucial as buyers are more discerning due to the average order size being more substantial than with B2C transactions. Conversion rate optimization is a critical B2B eCommerce marketing strategy for increased sales. The fact of the matter is that if sellers do not know how customers are interacting with their sites, then boosting sales in a sustainable way is extremely difficult. To increase sales in a long-term way, merchants should consider deploying some eCommerce marketing tools that will help max out revenue, such as CrazyEgg or Hotjar. B2C companies often target more consumers across a wide variety of demographic, psychological, and socioeconomic classes, groups, and factors. B2B strategies tend to address much more narrow, focused, carefully calculated markets. Though B2B buyers are also consumers, they are targeted based on work-related variables and with different approaches than B2C. The intent of B2B marketing is to meticulously move contacts into prospects and eventually to buyers and loyal users. There has been a notable rise in an education and informational component to B2B marketing strategies in the last decade, where brands are seeking to prove their value by helping instead of selling. But content marketing is also gaining popularity in B2C, too. Elemis recognizes that education is an essential component to their customer experience. B2C marketers must sell their brand by creating catchy but lasting messaging that ensures the brand remains top-of-mind when consumers decide they need or want to buy. The brand has transformed its shopping experience, giving the consumer everything he or she needs at their fingertips. Success in B2C marketing means forging emotional connections with consumers. And today, online commerce is exploding. For a high-performing B2C marketing strategy to work, you must be familiar with the psychology of customer decision making. Once you understand how consumers think when they are in the market to buy, the next step is to attract and convert.
Besides if you do have any questions give me a call: https://clarity.fm/joy-brotonath


Answered 3 years ago

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