Two sides of the same coin – B2B and B2C outreach
B2C outreach over the Internet
Enough has been said about B2C outreach over the Internet. However, one aspect bears repeating – the added caution that comes along with online outreach efforts. Social media empowers, but it also weakens and threatens. In an age of fast-rising (and fast-disappearing) trends, businesses might be tempted to overstate and exaggerate their marketing claims, or even dismiss customers’ concerns. At the same time, the very accessibility that enables B2C outreach also enables dissatisfied customers to make their complaints highly visible with ease. This makes it imperative for companies to respond effectively and promptly to any complaints. If not, you risk having this spiral out of control and while every marketer would like his or her campaign to become an ‘Internet meme’, you don’t want this happening for the wrong reasons.
B2B outreach over the Internet – Blurring the lines
Unfortunately, businesses usually focus solely on B2C marketing when it comes to online outreach, and persist in looking at the B2B consumer through an old, outdated viewpoint. This isn’t the wisest course of action for these reasons:
- Younger employees in decision-making posts are tech-savvy and often turn to the Internet as their first stop for information
- The Internet allows for even small businesses to put up a highly-professional web and social media presence
- The Internet levels the playing field – startups can go up against established players with ease
- And perhaps the most important aspect: The lines between B2C and B2B blur in the online world.
A consistent message
It is the blurring of lines between B2C and B2B marketing/outreach efforts that has to be taken into account when devising any online strategy: As stated earlier in the article, B2C outreach brings along its own dangers, and with business decision makers also being avid users of social media, you need to combine the two to ensure consistency.
A holistic outreach program, which uses web, social media, and telephony as the tools of marketing your business, is what’s required in an age when the business decision-maker is also an online consumer. At Knowlarity, we understood this when starting our journey. Not only are our own outreach efforts closely interlinked with the aim of providing a consistent branding and customer experience, but our products – like Smart IVR, which allows businesses to combine their B2B and B2C telephony, web, and SMS outreach – are designed with this as a prime objective.
The synergy that ensues from a combined B2C and B2B outreach program cannot be matched in any way and organizations that realize this will be the ones who gain the most visibility even in the face of stiff competition.
About the author:
Pallav Pandey is a serial entrepreneur and a hustler. Pallav helped found the company by selling Cloud Telephony to politicians in the maiden business deal of Knowlarity. He champions customer voice in Knowlarity.
Before Knowlarity, He founded India’s first and very successful Political Consulting Company that has received wide media acclaim. Pallav graduated from Indian Institute of Technology with a degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering in 2000. Reach him at [email protected].
