B2B companies, how to operate private domain traffic

This article starts from how B2B uses hot spots to create and consolidate market operation methods, and analyzes the methods of B2B private domain traffic operation from the aspects of value consensus, KOL, KOC, word-of-mouth marketing, etc. Recommended reading for those who want to understand B2B operations.

Everyone is clear about the definition of "private domain traffic", so I will not repeat it here.

Keywords: accessible at any time, cost-effective (low cost), monetizable/usable/serviceable.

At some time in 2019, this word and some other Internet terms suddenly became popular and dominated the screen. I have been continuously instilling in my team "how to use hot spots to create and consolidate market operation methods", for fear that my colleagues would be intimidated by these words; they thought that these were only applicable to B2C, new media and other industries, but in fact, after understanding the true meaning, they found that it was a reinterpretation and secondary segmentation of past experience, and these seemingly vague concepts also apply to B2B.

1. Community Carriers of Value Consensus

First of all, there must be a traffic pool - this is not difficult to understand.

For B2B, all of these are in their own CRM, APP and other programs and systems; in addition, search engines, Weibo, WeChat, platforms, etc. are all channels that can continuously acquire new users, obtain traffic, and establish and expand traffic pools.

1. WeChat Official Account

Nowadays, the opening rate of WeChat public accounts is getting lower and lower, but WeChat has become a way of life for us; as long as people are still using WeChat, public accounts have value, and there is currently no other media that can replace them.

Domestic Weibo, Douyin, Kuaishou, etc. do not seem to be suitable for B2B, and overseas FB, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc. also have their own positioning.

Personally, I prefer to position the company's WeChat official account as "service", especially for B2B companies. You don't have to talk about acquiring customers or increasing sales, but just develop some service-oriented interactive functions (you can find a third party to develop it when necessary).

For example: logistics and warehousing inquiries, after-sales assistance, technology and knowledge sharing (online learning, live video), etc. modules, mostly think from the pain points of existing customers and extend from the perspective of providing value-added services.

2. WeChat Group and QQ Group

It seems that many people don’t use QQ anymore. Will QQ groups decline?

My answer is: No.

In general: WeChat is relatively passive, QQ is relatively active; WeChat group functions are relatively limited, while the content of QQ groups is more colorful.

To take a promotion example, QQ groups can use group emails for secondary promotion, while WeChat groups can only add friends one by one for promotion (with a lower success rate). Other specific differences such as business cards, files, announcements, management, etc. can be found on the Internet.

In a word: use QQ groups.

3. Establish a content output system

Overall, we focus on content quality and control the rhythm (regularly share high-quality content and courses, supplemented by topic discussions).

For example:

The operation staff will regularly throw out open-ended topics for everyone to discuss. These topics mainly focus on "interests and hot topics". This will motivate group members and increase their participation.

Be careful: Do not touch on politically sensitive topics.

Operations personnel must make good content reserves, and remember to make reserves. With food in hand, there is no need to panic.

The sharing of practical information and courses is carried out on a monthly basis. In the early stage of group building, it can be done at a high frequency to mobilize the initiative and enthusiasm of group members. The rhythm can be controlled later. The output of high-quality content is not frequent and will easily lead to aesthetic fatigue.

After sharing, the operators should conduct discussions, screen and form articles, encourage everyone to share through various channels, and then enter another fission cycle, and then segment according to different tags, attributes, needs, etc., and repeat the cycle.

4. Combining online and offline

Offline activities can be carried out in cities. As the saying goes, hearing about someone is not as good as meeting them in person. Meeting someone in person can enhance the emotional warmth and intimacy among group members, and it is very necessary. No matter how many friends you have on social media, it is not as good as face-to-face communication.

2. KOL Downward & KOC Upward

“1 powerful person who loves you > 100 people who love you > 10,000 people who like you > 1,000,000 people who know you”

The so-called classics are those that never go out of style.

The creation and operation of high-quality KOLs is something that B2B must do. I believe that B2B KOLs need to have the following three characteristics:

1. Strong personal aura and endorsement ability (can actively build a "personality")
2. The company has strong brand leadership and industry influence
3. Active members of the community, full of positive energy and high emotional intelligence

There is a prerequisite: the KOL must be in a vertical downstream field that is closely related to you to have a say; otherwise, he or she will have no persuasiveness at all and will get half the result with twice the effort.

Of course, some people will mention another indicator - the ability to bring goods, which seems to be more suitable for the 2C industry and is not yet feasible in the B2B industry. If there are relevant successful cases, please let me know.

Several sources, screening and cooperation methods of high-quality KOLs:

Channel source:

• Own customer base (the simplest, most direct and effective way, after mutual understanding and recognition, direct cooperation can be carried out, with high efficiency)
• Social platforms (WeChat groups, QQ groups, online forums, etc., which require some time to observe, screen and contact)
• Academic leaders (people from industry, academia and research, who can get involved through project cooperation)
• Professional title (for example: academician, the most difficult coefficient, not explained here)

Let’s use examples to illustrate the cooperation methods, such as:

When holding large offline industry forums/press conferences, invite these KOLs to give speeches. Generally speaking, such large-scale events must have a certain level and value, which can not only help them build their own circles and resources, but also add points to their personal image and the brand of their company. At the same time, in the cooperative projects of enterprises, such as joint project application, patent signing, project development protection, etc., certain tangible benefits are given to achieve a win-win situation or even a win-win situation.

In addition, the quantity and quality of KOLs in different industries can vary greatly.

For example, enterprise service SaaS, although it is a typical B2B field, the users are individuals in the enterprise, and there are a considerable number of potential KOLs; at this time, a set of operating systems is needed from the beginning of the project, and detailed planning is required from rule formulation, data/material preparation, screening weights, profit distribution, activity cycle, ROL, etc.

3. KOC: Sinking into the “C” end market and driving demand upward

The literal definition of KOC is "opinion leading consumer". For B2B, it can be defined as the "C" in "B2B2C" - after understanding it clearly, I found that it is not a new concept.

An international giant has long made this "sinking" concept a classic, and it has become an indispensable configuration in our daily work and life, that is Intel Inside:

In the not-so-distant 1990s, Intel achieved huge success by using this unique marketing method to skip downstream PC manufacturers and directly launch an offensive against C-end consumers.

Due to the increasingly refined division of labor in society, the positioning and roles of B2B companies in their respective industrial chains have become increasingly clear. Most B2B company products cannot be delivered directly to consumers; whether it is raw materials, semi-finished products or simple finished products, they still need to go through manufacturers before they can reach the circulation link. They do not understand the needs of "real users", have no bargaining power, no differentiation, and passively execute order instructions.

How to skip downstream customers and find this "C" directly? Although these "Cs" are relatively small in number and their influence is not that great, they may be more numerous, more vertical, and more driving. They can influence other consumers through their own personal experience, and they can also influence purchasing decisions from the perspective of B2B enterprise end customers, thereby turning passivity into initiative.

4. Customer referrals (actually word-of-mouth marketing)

If the KOL and KOC mentioned above are vertical extensions, then "customer referrals" are horizontal expansions.

There is a figure circulating on the Internet: the cost of developing a new customer is 6 times that of maintaining an old customer - although there is no objective basis for this, the logic is correct and applies to all industries.

McKinsey once had a statistic: Among all purchasing decisions, the primary factor behind 20% to 50% of the decisions is word of mouth - and I think this percentage will be higher in B2B.

I have always been reserved about B2B companies or platforms using so-called "subsidies, red envelopes, and cash gifts" to attract new customers and boost activity, because it is a bottomless pit (ignoring wealthy companies here).

If you don’t have sufficiently outstanding products or content to support you, then you will either remain at the PPT company stage and become a backup for your competitors, or you will become a big company relying on “subsidies”. The data may look good, but the actual number of users will be small, the quality will be poor, and the loyalty will be low, so you will fall faster when a crisis comes.

In addition to the KOLs (individuals) mentioned above, more and more B2Bs have their own key customer groups. These key customers are benchmarks and role models. They use the influence created by their own industry status to radiate from point to surface, driving peers, competitors, followers, etc. to actively (or even passively) recognize and accept the product.

To give your clients a reason to spread the word, the most basic prerequisite is to “get the clients’ approval first” – if the clients themselves are not successful, how can they expect them to introduce clients to us?

Secondly, you need to understand the psychological motivations behind clients’ willingness to refer others: Why are they willing to do so? Is it the spiritual sense of accomplishment that comes from persuading others, the actual economic income brought by the inducement of benefits, or the pure emotion created by growing together along the way?

Finally, we must cherish these fan customers who are willing to help us, continue to maintain satisfaction with our products and services, and believe in the rewards they bring even if they occasionally sacrifice some of their own interests.

A few details of the referral:

• We have been emphasizing the difference between "customers" and "users" on the B-side. To put it simply: users are direct users, while customers are not necessarily direct users. However, the potential objects of "referral" do not necessarily have to be the decision-makers of the company (or the boss's relatives). They can be direct users, such as financial personnel, purchasing personnel, R&D technicians, or even just on-site operators. Different partners must adopt corresponding communication and cooperation methods. For example, SaaS is a typical product purchased by enterprises and used by their employees. The employees of the enterprise are the real users. Their experience during use will affect the purchase and renewal of the entire product, and even directly affect the survival of the SaaS product.
• BD and marketing personnel should make good preparations in advance, including potential customer/user pool, communication skills, applying for corporate resources and policy support, etc., establish dynamic funnels, continuously screen and update, and concentrate limited resources on effective customers.
• "If customers don't follow up, all will be in vain." Keep track of progress continuously, make statements for what has been achieved, and make improvements for what has not been achieved.

5. Final Thoughts

It can be predicted that in the next few years, the downward pressure on the economy will increase dramatically, and black swan events will occasionally disrupt the situation. The incremental market will become increasingly difficult. How to revitalize the existing market is an important issue for B2B!

If you can make private domain traffic into something good and create its value, you can revitalize yourself and live well!

Author: Wei Huang

Source: Wei Huang