How can TO B operations reach new heights without anyone to lead or learn from?

In the Internet space, the word " operation " is no longer unfamiliar. It has even become a synonym for the Internet and a hot content output.

However, there is a group of operators who are facing companies hovering at the threshold of the Internet, lacking highly feasible cases to learn from, and lost in the vast sea of ​​trivial matters with no end in sight. They may be a group of TO B operators, and of course I am one of them.

As a TO B operation, you may be just a screw in the company, being ignored, helpless and overwhelmed. You may even be often assigned inexplicable tasks because your leader has a vague definition of operations.

So the question is, is TO B operation not an operation? How can TO B operations grow? How to gain a foothold in the company, be entrusted with important tasks, and stand out?

Today I would like to share with you the joys and sorrows I have faced over the years as a person involved in TO B operations.

First of all, whether it is the B-end or the C-end, the purpose of the operation is to sell products directly or indirectly and create value. It’s just that the operational means are different in the process to achieve different goals. You can feel the difference between TO B and TO C operations through the two pictures below.

From the above two figures, we can see that as a C-end operation, no matter how complicated the user decision-making process is, the basic participants in the decision-making are the users themselves. However, the entire decision-making process on the B side and the roles involved in decision-making are complex and diverse, and each company is different. It is difficult for operations personnel to influence the entire process and roles.

Therefore, as a TO B operator, you first need to adjust your mindset. Don’t think that you can get customers to place orders by yourself, but you can definitely make sales by yourself.

After seeing the huge differences between B-end and C-end operations, I was stunned for a moment. How to do B-end operations? Is there no experience to draw on?

Of course not. Here I will still explain from the four traditional operational directions .

User Operation

Many of the B-side users are user connections accumulated and maintained by early marketing and sales personnel, and online operations can also be considered a rising star. When operations personnel come in to contact customers, it is difficult to establish a trusting relationship like the initial one between marketing staff and customers.

But it doesn’t matter. We are not focusing on one user, but a group of users, more unknown new users.

1. Providing good service is the key

QQ group/ WeChat group : solve software problems that customers encounter on a daily basis. When users encounter problems with the software, you need to provide them with a simple and easy-to-understand tutorial in a timely manner; when users encounter software failures, you need to provide them with solutions in a timely manner or even provide remote assistance; when users encounter improper use of the software and raise requirements, you need to communicate with them from the product design concept to the operation method and even with gentle words...

In this process, what needs to be done is recording and classification .

Record the failures encountered by users and classify them. Talk to R&D if necessary and to product managers if necessary. Of course, the cycle of chatting with R&D personnel depends on the regulations of each company.

2. Seed user construction

Seed users should be higher than QQ group troubleshooting communications. If users only communicate and troubleshoot, the community will lose a large part of its value, and operations may not become particularly important.

Users do not come spontaneously, but actively seek out you.

Identify your user system. Who are the brand spokespersons, who are the content creators, who are the content sharers/disseminators, and who are the content consumers? Find the appropriate types of users and let them perform their respective duties and play their respective roles.

Of course, a standardized user incentive system should be established in the process;

At the same time, we often send thoughtful little gifts to seed users, give seed users priority experience when products are launched, pay attention to their evaluation reports and follow up continuously. These are all small methods. You only need to spend a little time to capture the hearts of a large number of people. Why not do it?

Content Operations

1. Determine the tone of the content

As a TO B content operator, you may be involved in the operation of these contents:

Writing of press releases, brochure copywriting, DM copywriting, product descriptions, industry trends, product promotion PPT copywriting and speech manuscripts, WeChat public accounts and various channel content...

Before writing these contents, first understand the core of the product, position your content or the content of different channels, determine the tone, and label it. After that, all your content creation should be based on this core, forming a unique style and logo for the product copy and establishing user awareness.

2. Long-term planning

I remember the first time my boss asked me to write an annual online plan, I was confused. Then when he asked me to write the annual weekly plan, I was dumbfounded... But now I understand my boss's foresight.

When I filled each week's tasks into an Excel spreadsheet, I found that there were so many spaces! In order to fill these spaces, I had to rack my brains...

1. Analyze user portraits and set content for different types of users

2. Mining content sources : writing by yourself, inviting users to create, and other

3. Content format : text/video/comics

4. Teamwork division , who will write, who will supervise the progress... to ensure long-term and continuous supply of content

Of course, these plans should also be adjusted according to our actual operating conditions rather than being fixed.

I will not go into details about the creation of specific content. Friends who are interested can take a look at the content creation notes I wrote earlier for "Copywriting Awakening". I believe that the content operation is already very detailed.

Event Operations

Organizing activities is a good way to make content more effective, quickly attract users, and effectively spread the brand.

1. Don’t do activities just for the sake of doing activities.

Small periodic online activities can maintain user enthusiasm; some large-scale and high-quality offline activities can be planned, such as seed user salons and industry conferences related to product content, to enhance user stickiness, which is also the key to the experience of intended users .

2. Build a real user product

After you have written the event plan and determined the process, find a colleague or think of yourself as a user, put yourself in a real user scenario, and run it through. You will find out whether the preparations are complete.

For me, the most headache-inducing thing when organizing an event is the prizes and gifts! The prizes should be thoughtful, innovative, and relevant to the product, so I have developed a habit of collecting creative gifts as soon as I see them, in case I need them.

Data Operations

I dare not make any rash judgment on data operation. I am well aware of its importance, but I am also unable to do it. I get scared when I see a whole sheet of numbers.

Currently, we can only insist on looking at the data analysis corresponding to each output, comparing different data of the same type, and comparing different types at the same time... Although these are only the most basic and simple data, they are the most direct feedback on your labor results and must be read!

Understand products, business, and user operations.

If you don’t understand the product, you can’t even provide basic customer service. Only if you understand the product, can you organically combine it with operations and optimization;

Only if you understand the business, can you know which link the operation is placed in and what it does specifically? What are the links you need to intersperse? What can you do now? What direction can we take in the future?

Only if you understand users can you understand the market value of your product. How to increase user stickiness? How to create content that users like.

1. Focus on the present and do everything well. Your personal brand is built by every little thing you do.

2. Learn to transfer and integrate knowledge.

You worked as a school newspaper reporter in college, you like writing in your spare time, and your major is XXXX. These are all your advantages as an operator. By transferring knowledge from different fields to your operations, you will have much more advantages than those who only know operations methodology .

3. Focus on one field and make continuous efforts in it over a long period of time.

Everyone has different energy and abilities. Some people can control the entire operation and handle every link well, becoming the full-stack operators that we envy; some people can only focus on one link or field. In my opinion, in reality the former are a minority after all, while the latter is a true reflection of most of us.

We may not handle every link well, but I understand every link in the operation and how it works. Then, if I focus on one area, delve into it, practice it, and become an expert in this field, then you will be awesome!

4. Industry exchanges and dialogues with experts.

5. Read industry-related consultations and books, and write reading notes

I have a bad memory, but I still remember all the books for which I have written reading notes.

6. Learn to share and exchange value.

The above are my current feelings about TO B operations. There are many helpless and helpless aspects in the process, and I even wanted to go on strike at every minute, and then... then... there was nothing else.

Whether it is the B-end or C-end operation, we hope that our operations can grow happily and welcome operations and non-operations to have pleasant exchanges...