Business to business selling is quickly changing as companies realize that the end consumer has more power than they previously thought. Marketing to the direct target audience is a piece of cake, as architects, designers and installers can more easily decipher why your product is the best. But as a building project manufacturer, your direct client or specifier isn’t always the product end-user. Not taking into consideration your customer’s customer could cause your company to miss out on landing projects.
This concept is known as Business to Business to Customer marketing (B2B2C) which blends B2B and B2C marketing. It focuses on creating a better customer experience and buying journey for the end consumer by connecting with them and increasing brand promotion – which will also increase your bottom line by boosting sales of your direct clients.
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READ MOREB2B2C Helps Paint the Whole Picture
So how will marketing to the end consumer be beneficial to your company? By thinking of your customer’s customer, you are articulating how your company fits into the many stages of a building project. Ultimately, architects and designers are often not the final decision makers – their clients are, so you should be selling your product’s benefit to everyone involved and not just the professionals who directly specify your product.
B2B2C Helps You Understand What All Stakeholders Want
Property owners and managers are willing to invest more in better quality materials and products for their building project, but does your product messaging reflect that? By including the end customer in your marketing approach, your company can better target their pain points, creating a better connection to the specifier and architects.
Update marketing materials and develop social media campaigns that are relatable to the end user’s pain points and highlight the benefits that show why your products are superior. The more you know what specific problems need to be solved, the harder it will be for your direct clients to value-engineer your products out of a project.
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If your business produces windows, architects may be looking for uniqueness, installers might be looking for products that are simple to install, while end-users would prefer something that is energy efficient. Basically, take some time also to understand what the end-users, direct customers, and any stakeholders are looking for. Not only could it help your building product be used in more projects, but it can contribute to an overall better offering.
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DISCOVERB2B2C Contributes to Successful Projects
Project end users play a vital role in architects and interior designers’ decision-making process.
Tailoring your building product marketing approach to the end customer, allows your project to be more successful. By supplying marketing materials without highly specialized technical terms and product specifications, architects, designers, and general contractors are able to clearly convey the benefits to the project stakeholders and end-users, which supports their decision making process.
For example, if a property owner is looking for glass window panels that save on energy, look nice, and ultimately uplift their overall mood within the space, mention those points in your marketing materials. The end-user will not be interested in the overall dimensions, mountable hardware, and Revit files (although those materials are important to provide to professionals who are involved in specifying and building the project).
Highlighting benefits that are focused on the end-user will help the decision-makers determine if your product is a good fit to contribute to overall project success. Providing resources for your customers to be successful conveys to their clients that they are professional and knowledgeable and will most likely use your products in the future.
B2B2C Builds Trust with the End Customer
End customers may be invisible at times because they aren’t your direct customers and your messaging towards them shouldn’t be treated as such. The end-user is ultimately the one interacting with your materials and products after the project is complete. If you don’t keep them in mind, the architect may fear that your goods do not consider long-term use.
By reaching out to understand everyone’s wants and needs, you’re letting them know you are listening and actually care about the end project. This opens up a two way line of communication and is the basis of a strong relationship – which leads to trust. When an architect trusts your company and products they are more willing to choose you over a competitor for future specifications.
Your business is more than just the products you sell; these individuals want to see that. Showcase volunteer efforts, causes you stand for, or your company’s purpose. These concepts display human elements that are much more trustworthy than any technical approach. Building trust with customers can be a little challenging at first, but with time, patience, and open communication the outcome will be rewarding!
In a Nutshell
B2B2C marketing is slowly becoming the way of the future for B2B companies as it creates a win, win, win for everyone involved in the buying process. Now is a great time to implement a B2B2C marketing strategy, but it isn’t for the faint hearted and must be executed with a true understanding of the end user’s needs.
Whether you’re a novice or marketing extraordinaire, getting an outside opinion in an area like this can be beneficial. Sign up for our newsletter and request a media kit below to learn more about how Bizop can help your company grow!