How to operate the B side of the platform well?

B-side "content" plays an indispensable role in a successful platform. But how can we operate the B-side well? Based on his own work experience, the author of this article discusses how to operate the B-side of the platform from four perspectives. I hope it will be helpful to you.

From Douyin, Kuaishou to Taobao, from short videos to live e-commerce, every successful platform is inseparable from the provision of "content" on the B-side. Whether it is high-quality short video creators, live broadcast hosts, voice chat listeners, or online store merchants, they all play a key role in building the platform's ecology.

For newcomers who want to operate the B-side of the platform, this is more complicated than the C-side operation, and they seem to have no idea where to start and what to do?

Mr. Teng has many years of experience in B-side operations of platforms. He has served as the head of B-side operations of multiple platforms and has led the development of B-side operations of multiple projects from 0 to 1. This article will start from practical cases and basic frameworks to help newcomers who want to engage in B-side operations get a glimpse of the overall picture and quickly find the focus of operations.

The full text will be analyzed based on my operation as a "Listener" in the Weiba Chat Room as an example. The "Listener" is the B-side service provider of the Weiba Chat Room 1V1 voice connection. He needs to speak standard Mandarin, be able to voice chat with users, listen to their joys and sorrows, and relieve their worries and loneliness.

1. What is B-side operation?

B-side operation refers to the people who operate the platform to serve businesses (businesses, enterprises), and businesses come to the platform to "make profits." From online merchants on Taobao and JD.com, offline rider stores on Meituan Dianping, to short video creators on Douyin and listeners on Weiba chats, all of these belong to the B-side of the platform.

There are two main differences between the B-end and the C-end when they come to the platform:

1. The B-side is the content service provider, and the C-side is the content consumer and service recipient;
2. The B-end comes for good "profits", and the C-end comes for high-quality "content".

The "listeners" are the B-side of the Weiba chat service. We provide a better stage for the "listeners" so that they can better serve the users.

2. Choose the right listener

After knowing what B-side operation is, we need to combine the business needs of our own platform to determine the portrait of B-side users we need to find.

The world is so big and all-encompassing. After some research, you will find that there are many "listeners" on the market that meet your requirements for you to choose from, but can you accept them all at once? Unless the boss has a mine at home, the operating expenses of the "listeners" will drag the platform down before it even gets off the ground.

We need to select the appropriate level of "listeners" according to the platform development stage. There are four types of people who meet our needs for "listeners":

Based on the analysis of the service capabilities, free time, and income levels of these "listeners": psychological counselors have the best service capabilities, college students are the cheapest, and mothers have more free time.

However, since the platform's chat service has just started, the C-end users are relatively low-end and mainly middle-aged men, so it would be very inappropriate for us to frantically introduce psychological counselors.

First, psychological counselors themselves have a good source of income. Although their services are very professional, the prices are also high and their free time is limited. This is very unfavorable for the cold start of the "listener". The service price is high, the platform expenditure will also be high, and users will have little motivation to place orders. Therefore, introducing a large number of psychological counselors is not suitable for Weiba Chat at this stage of development.

When we were recruiting "Listeners", a large number of male users wanted to join and become Listeners, but these male users eventually gave up after our small-scale trial. Because our C-end users are mainly uncles, are there gay relationships among men? Not only do male "listeners" themselves not benefit much, but it also harms C-end users.

Here we apply a four-quadrant analysis rule. When choosing the B-side, we must choose a platform with large returns, preferably the first and fourth quadrants.

3. What does listener operation need to do?

After conducting a market survey and four-quadrant analysis of the "Listener" market, we have identified the specific needs and are ready to establish a complete operating system for the "Listener". The focus of the entire operating system is on four aspects:

1. Easy to settle in

In the process of recruiting "listeners", we need to establish a smooth and easy-to-operate entry channel to facilitate listeners to complete the entry in a short time.

Since we have certain service capability requirements for "listeners", we need to conduct internship tests on new "listeners", and only those who pass the internship can become official "listeners".

We used the community to simplify the entire "listener" entry channel: spread recruitment through various means → register in the recruitment group → answer questions and take tests in the internship group → officially take orders and make money.

From the initial manual telephone testing to the later simplification of the community questionnaire format, robots were added to the recruitment and internship groups to replace manual release of standardized operating procedures, which greatly improved operational efficiency.

2. Make the rules clear

There is no order without rules, and the same applies to operating as a "listener".

Faced with the rapidly growing number of "listeners", it is impossible to provide one-on-one responses every day with limited operational manpower.

We need to formulate complete listener service rules, guide users to abide by the rules and strictly enforce them, and use the rules to restrain listeners.

1) Service Quality

• Clarify the definition of valid and invalid orders;
• Specify the types of orders that will not be settled;
• Clearly define the penalties for orders with negative reviews.

2) Prohibited Conduct

• It is strictly forbidden to involve the party or politics;
• Vulgarity and pornography are strictly prohibited;
• Providing third-party contact information is strictly prohibited.

3) Cheating Detection

• It is strictly prohibited to make false orders;
• It is strictly forbidden to brush the duration;
• Crack down on illegal activities and fake accounts.

For a platform, the most important thing is to have a group of compliant B-end users who can continuously provide high-quality services or content to C-end users.

3. Thoughtful service

As operators of the overall "listener" business on the platform, we need to act as good "waiters" and serve the listeners well.

Let’s go back to the purpose of the “listeners” coming to the platform - their demand is “profit”, and both the daily order volume and service revenue are what they care about most.

Therefore, after we formulated the policy in the first month, we did not make frequent changes and increased the settlement period to monthly, allowing them to reap the benefits in the shortest period. This is the first step to initially build trust.

Next, we launched a data center online, allowing listeners to see their own data status every day, so that they can summarize themselves and improve their service capabilities.

For the voice connection function, we have simplified the steps for listener connection settings.

In the operation of the listener community, we respond to and answer listeners' questions in a timely manner, guide everyone to share service experiences with each other, and encourage each other!

At the same time, we continue to increase the traffic diversion positions of the chat function, give high-quality listeners exposure positions, and provide listeners with more customers who can be reached and converted.

4. Quick Monetization

Due to the lack of mature and convincing cases and sufficiently optimistic profit prospects, the cold start period is the most difficult when building the B-side operation of the platform's new business from 0 to 1. Moreover, the new platform has not yet established sufficient recognition and trust in the market, and many people will take a wait-and-see attitude when it comes to recruiting listeners.

Therefore, we use various means and activities to provide high subsidies to listeners who join first, use the mentoring program to carry out secondary fission, give them confidence, build trust and achieve retention.

After the difficult cold start period, we need to work with high-quality listeners to develop a rapid monetization model with sustainable growth, and then promote and reuse it with more listeners.

Many platform operators always treat the B-side as leeks and the platform as their breadwinners, and the B-side also thinks so.

In such a vicious cycle, C-end users will not receive good service and experience, and will vote with their feet and leave in large numbers.

In fact, the core of the B-side operation of the platform is: it is necessary to let the B-side listeners understand that the C-side users are their bread and butter, and the platform is just a stage for them to show themselves.

We help listeners increase their income, and also increase the platform's own income.

Just as Taobao has achieved high growth by relying on the prosperity of its stores, Apple has achieved AppStore by relying on the prosperity of its developers.

4. How to build a listener ecosystem

From understanding the listener's demands, to selecting the right listener, and then to establishing a listener operation system.

Everything seems perfect and the data is growing rapidly. Do you think you can just sit back and wait for a promotion and a raise?

Don't take it lightly at this time, this is just your subjective perception of perfection!

It's not over yet, there's still a lot to do...

The onboarding process for listeners has been simplified, but there are still many people who don’t read the requirements and even need hands-on instruction?

Even though the rules and policies have been made clear, there are still listeners who do not remember them or find loopholes. What should we do if cheating happens every day?

After the online payment function was enabled, the listeners did not cooperate with the guidance, but instead taught users how to take advantage of the platform?

Have you ever encountered the above problems when operating the B side of the platform? Do these questions drive you crazy?

These problems are all caused by inadequate execution when operating the B-side. Although there are system rules, they are not strictly enforced.

I always feel that this little problem is not worth mentioning. Little by little, it adds up to a lot over time. As the saying goes, a thousand-mile dike is destroyed by an ant hole!

And how do we build a listener ecosystem?

After long-term iterations of listener operations, we have formed a listener ecosystem construction strategy of [reward + punishment + learning].

1. Reward and support

Here we have to reiterate the demands of B-side listeners - they come for profit, whether it is more exposure, conversion or revenue.

The reason why many B-ends cannot be pushed forward is because they do not see the benefits, or the benefits are far less than the cost.

When people see that the platform brings in revenue and is truly profitable, they will continue to join in droves.

Therefore, supporting benchmarks and creating and packaging cases are top priorities for listener operations.

Especially during the cold start period, giving a task reward will make the listeners smile and they will have more and more trust in the platform.

Only on the basis of trust can our listening ecosystem be better constructed.

At the same time, rewards and support cannot be limited to the top listeners. The middle and long tail also need some universal support and rewards that can be linked to the quality of service.

In this way, a small ecosystem of listeners covering everyone and every profession has taken shape.

2. Punishment and repression

Everything is moving in a better direction, but in the process of building the listener ecosystem, there will always be some discordant voices.

For those listeners who do not abide by the platform rules, take advantage of the platform and refuse to change despite repeated warnings, we strictly enforce punishments in accordance with the violation regulations and make them public to everyone in the listener circle.

On the one hand, it serves as a warning to others, so that everyone knows which red lines cannot be crossed, thus establishing the authority of the platform; on the other hand, it guides listeners to supervise each other, ensuring that no listener takes shortcuts and harms the interests of other listeners, thereby losing fairness;

Even if there are voices of resistance, we don't need to worry too much. This is an inevitable result and is not harmful to the ecology.

WeChat's ban on pornographic and low-quality public accounts and Taobao's closure of all kinds of Taobao stores selling counterfeit goods are actions with wide coverage, great force and profound impact.

All of this is for C-end users, so that they can get better services and experiences. After all, they are the breadwinners of the platform and listeners.

Only when C-end users get more enjoyable and higher-quality services and experiences can daily active users and retention be steadily increased, and only then can more B-end users be encouraged to settle in and provide better services.

Everything is for our "parents who provide us with food and clothing"...

3. Learning and training

From how to join the platform, to how to use each function, to how to pass the internship period, to how to get benefits, and finally to how to improve growth...

Through all-round nanny-style learning and training, we cover course skills at all stages and effectively improve the service quality and service capabilities of listeners. Teach listeners to abide by the platform rules and use scientific methods and techniques to obtain high returns, thereby achieving growth on the platform.

At this point, a virtuous cycle of listeners has formed a complete small closed loop, and then repeatedly instills optimized details, expands coverage, and refines layered operations...

Building a B-side ecosystem is very important for the platform and requires a lot of effort to enable more than 80% of the B-side to grow within the established operating system and provide high-quality services.

Otherwise, once an oligopoly or unbalanced development situation occurs, it will lead to the loss of user fathers, which will be very detrimental to the long-term development of the platform, and the income of the B-side cannot be guaranteed.

Through the analysis of the above Weiba Chat “Listener” operation example, you will find that the operation of the B side of the platform is not as difficult as you imagined.

The key point is whether you have a clear understanding of the B-side needs? Are the rules clear?

Can the details be grasped? Is the implementation in place, etc.

Operation is a meticulous job that requires steady progress. Thinking clearly and then strictly executing is the key to successful B-side operation of the platform.

Finally, don’t forget to summarize and review your operations regularly!

Author: Your classmate Teng

Source: Your classmate Teng

Related reading:

Review of B-side operational activities: Find the purpose and users

6 indicators for good B-side operations!

For B-side operations, how to generate private domain traffic?

How to establish quantitative operational indicators for B-side operations?

Practical Methodology for B-side Operations to Acquire 50,000+ Customers