To B & To C: Are the operations of To B products really different?

Common concepts of To B operations and To C operations

Let's first discuss a few common concepts:

1. The target of To B operation is enterprises, while the target of To C operation is ordinary users

In a narrow sense, the above statement is correct. Because every product is always designed to solve a specific problem, it will not be oriented to multiple roles at the beginning. For example, Alibaba’s DingTalk is used to solve work efficiency problems within an enterprise, and the operation object we understand is the enterprise. However, upon careful analysis, the target users of the DingTalk product are ordinary users in different roles within the enterprise, and the value of the DingTalk product can only be reflected if ordinary users use it more frequently and more deeply. When more ordinary users in more roles within an enterprise use DingTalk, the product’s original purpose of improving communication efficiency within the enterprise will become more prominent. This actually confirms my previous "double funnel" model.

Let’s take another example, such as food delivery software. From the perspective of product problem solving and ordinary users, this is a product that requires To C operation. It requires a lot of user operations , including event subsidies, spokespersons, soft and hard advertising, etc., to continuously attract new users, promote activation, and retain users , so it is still necessary to solve the operational problems of ordinary users first. I believe you have also thought about it. On the other hand, from the perspective of a food delivery software company, as a platform product, it also needs to solve the supply problem. At this time, it needs to operate towards merchants, physical enterprises, etc. At this time, it is actually more of a To B operation strategy, including stalls, rankings, transactions, financial services, etc.

To summarize, I believe that most products require both To B and To C operations, but the emphasis and angles of approach are different.

2. Are good products the result of operations?

Good products are typical examples of products that are the result of operations: NetEase Cloud Music ( product operation ), Didi Chuxing (user operation), etc. These products are benchmarks that are achieved through operations, but not all products can succeed through operations? Actually there is a premise and a scene. I think it mainly includes several aspects:

• The stage the industry is in, first see whether the industry your product is in is a red ocean or a blue ocean. If it is a blue ocean, then operations may play a small role and not much operations are needed;
• Have the technology and implementation of similar products reached a critical point? Are competing products highly homogenized?
• Is the product development model suitable for rapid iteration and agile release? Some products require more stability than change.
• The potential user base of the product has been explored to its limit and more operations are needed to maintain it;

Therefore, I think that before talking about operations, I need to check whether the above aspects are met, and then my product needs to be operated well.

How to play To B operation and To C operation

Back to our topic, are the ways of operating To B and To C really different?

Let’s analyze the “double funnel” we shared last time:

What if it is purely a To C operation?

Then we only need to focus on the "funnel" on the right. The logical relationship is very clear, and it ultimately points to retaining more users.

What if it is a To B operation?

When we talk about To B operations, everyone generally thinks that we should be more inclined to the To B "funnel" on the left, or I only cut in from the left side, thinking that as long as I can get the decision makers of the company on board, my To B operations will be done. In the short term, it seems so, as long as companies pay for it, the sales target will be achieved. But in the long run, if the products or services you sell are actually not used by the various types of users you set up or have very bad reviews of your products, I would like to ask how sales-driven products can bring in sustainable income? Can that still be considered a success?

Therefore, we not only need to pay attention to the "funnel" on the left, but also need to pay more attention to the To C "funnel" on the right, and we still need to start from the To C operation on the right, create value for the enterprise by improving the quality of user application of the product, and ultimately lead to the enterprise's continued payment or renewal.

To sum up, does that mean that all To C operations are not applicable to To B operations? The answer is no, because To B operations still need to have C-end operations. But you need to understand that it is not enough to just do a good job in To C operations. You must also continue to guide users to use products to create corporate value, not just to satisfy users. Companies need to gain efficiency.

For example, user verification of To B products

Below, we will analyze the operation methods and strategies in detail based on the user verification activities of one of our To B products.

I won’t go into detail about the background of the specific product here; it is enough for you to know that it is a product that solves enterprise problems. The following is an operations-driven user verification activity that we designed for the R&D stage. Of course, this also includes the user stories introduced by the requirements team, the rapid iteration and continuous value delivery of the R&D team, the quality system of the testing team, etc. Overall, operations drive the changes in the modes of each link, and it has been detailed to the arrangement and verification of each iterative task.

Here we will focus on operation-related content, which actually also includes event operation, content operation , community operation , user research, etc. In practice, we have also borrowed some routines from To C product operations, such as the points growth system, user portraits, topic sharing, user self-management, content guidance, etc., and have achieved certain results. Finally, the collected user feedback will be input into the demand and R&D teams according to dimensions such as BUGs, new needs, interactions, and ease of use. After analysis, we will give responses to users and solve some problems in the next iteration to form a closed loop.

Therefore, from the perspective of product operation, both To B products and To C products ultimately need to be directed to the users of the products. It is possible that users of To B products are more concerned about efficiency and functionality, but it still needs to be taken seriously. However, it should be noted that To B products also need to be verified and used by users to truly generate value and improve the efficiency of the enterprise. This is a "double funnel" operation. Of course, To B products may still need the support of a supporting service system, but when it comes to users, I think there is not much difference from To C product operations.

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The author of this article @samrun compiled and published by (Qinggua Media). Please indicate the author information and source when reprinting!