B2C marketing is all about driving sales through direct communication with consumers. But what does that mean, exactly? And how can you use B2C marketing tactics to grow your B2B business?

Before we dive in, let’s cover some of the basics.

“B2C” stands for “Business-to-Consumer” marketing, while “B2B” stands for “Business-to-Business” marketing. Most corporate law firms engage in B2B marketing tactics to connect with companies and in-house counsel, while Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) practices such as personal injury, lemon law, and estate planning rely heavily on B2C marketing for brand awareness and creating connections with consumers or prospective clients. There are many different types of B2C marketing, but some of the most common tactics include social media marketing, influencer marketing, email marketing, content marketing, and paid campaigns. 

When done well, B2C marketing can be a powerful tool for driving sales and growing a business, and B2B firms can take advantage of implementing the following marketing tactics to hack their strategic marketing plan, increasing brand awareness and connecting on a more human level with clients and prospects.

1: Collabs, Takeovers, and Guest Posting

Collaborative marketing, also known as a “collab,” is when two or more brands team up to create content that promotes each other. Collabs can be useful because they help brands reach new audiences, create content more efficiently, and build relationships with other businesses. 

For example, let’s say you’re a small firm or corporate counsel boutique that wants to reach a wider audience on Instagram. You could team up with co-counsel or a client that has a similar target audience, and together you can create content that promotes both of your services simultaneously. This content would be more effective than if you created it on your own, reaching a larger audience and is more likely to result in lead conversions, as followers who know and trust your collaborator are more likely to give business to you. Plus, the relationship you build with the other brand could lead to future collaborations.

Another tactic you can employ is a guest post on your blogs, in your email marketing campaigns, or on your social media platforms. Have a client or a co-opetitor* create content with you that can be posted and repurposed on BOTH of your platforms. By co-creating content with other firms or clients, you can tap into new audiences, generate fresh ideas, and build relationships with industry leaders. The pros of co-opetition** far outweigh any cons.

Additionally, a social media account takeover is one of the hottest trends in 2022. This means having an employee, influencer, or client take over your company social media account(s) for a predetermined amount of time (an hour, a day, a week, etc.). Our very own Seymour Links will occasionally take over the LISI Instagram account. It’s a great way to display a different stack of content, show new faces, and boost engagement on your organic posts.

By pooling your resources with those of another brand, you can create a truly unique and engaging experience for your readers. And who knows – you might even make some new friends and referral sources along the way.

*Co-opetitor = Collaborative competitor. 

**Co-opetition = Competition with whom you can collaborate.

Don’t compete, cooperate! There’s plenty of business out there for everyone.

2: Reviews and Testimonials

In today’s digital world, reviews and testimonials are more important than ever. Consumers are increasingly turning to online reviews to get an idea of what a business is like before they make a purchase or before they commit to an engagement with a service provider. 

A recent study found that roughly 89% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations and will make an effort to read both positive and negative reviews before making their buying decision. This means that if you’re not paying attention to your online reputation, you could be losing out on a lot of business. You can even repurpose reviews and testimonials as content for your website, proposals stack, and social media posts (#TestimonialTuesday).

Of course, you can’t please everyone all the time, and you’re bound to get the occasional negative review. But as long as you’re paying attention to your review profile and responding to feedback, you can turn even negative reviews into positive opportunities. After all, potential clients will be looking at how you handle criticism as well as the number of positive reviews when they’re making their decision. So make sure you’re actively managing your review profile – it could be the key to winning new business.

For B2B firms, this is where a client feedback program is crucial in informing your strategic marketing plan. If you’re not receiving candid feedback from the clients you trust the most, then how do you know if the relationship will continue to succeed in the future? Feedback is imperative for client retention and relationship management.

3: Paid Marketing Campaigns

Paid marketing campaigns are essential for growing a company, and many DTC firms would not succeed if it weren’t for paid media. But with so many options out there, it can be difficult to know where to start. Should you invest in paid social media ads? Or maybe pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns are more your style? The good news is, there’s no wrong answer; it depends on what your priorities are for your firm. 

Paid marketing is all about experimentation and finding what works best for your business or your practice. So if you’re feeling lost, just take a deep breath and jump in. Start with a small, limited-run paid Meta campaign for your Facebook and Instagram pages to reach consumers, or paid LinkedIn ads and sponsored LinkedIn posts from your company page to increase your reach to potential business connections. Once you feel comfortable with small campaigns, then consider implementing PPC campaigns on Google to highlight a specific practice area or attorney at the firm.

It’s important, however, to continue your organic posts alongside your paid campaigns so your current audience continues to be engaged and your organic reach doesn’t fall off from lack of content.

4: Remarketing and Retargeting

Most firms have a hard time getting people to come back and convert after they’ve visited a firm’s website. Web visitors might browse around, click on some links, and then leave without filling out your contact form. Or, they might sign up for your mailing list but never actually open or click through your emails. This is where remarketing comes in.

Remarketing, also known as retargeting, is a way to reengage people who have already shown an interest in your services. By remarketing to these people, you can increase the chances of conversion and boost your bottom line.

There are a few different ways to remarket to your audience. One popular method is email list segmentation, and most firms already have an email marketing platform at the ready in their arsenal to help with this. List segmentation involves dividing your email list into smaller groups based on similar interests or characteristics. For example, you might segment your list by people who have clicked on a specific blog post or resource on your website, clients who have once utilized your services but haven’t engaged in a while, or people who have signed up for your newsletter but haven’t clicked through any of your emails. By segmenting your list, you can send more targeted and relevant messages that are more likely to get opened and clicked through.

Another way to remarket is through Google AdWords, which is also a paid marketing campaign tactic. AdWords allows you to show ads to people who have visited your site but didn’t convert. You can create different ads for different pages on your site so that people see an ad that’s relevant to the page they were on when they left. For example, if someone downloaded a whitepaper from your website, you could show them an ad for the associated practice area or an associated attorney bio page and invite them to connect for an initial discovery call with your firm.

Remarketing is a powerful tool that can help you boost your conversion rate and grow your business. So if you’re not already using remarketing in your marketing strategy, now is the time to start!

5: Creating Compelling and Engaging Content

Content is king when it comes to B2C or B2B marketing. By creating high-quality blog posts, infographics, videos, or other types of content, you can position yourself as a leader in your industry and attract more clients to your firm. 

One of the biggest hurdles that we see in content creation for B2B firms is that blog posts, and written content tends to include more legalese than necessary or, quite frankly, wanted. Lawyers are excellent writers, there’s no doubt about that, but the majority of Americans cannot digest legalese and technical terms like someone who completed a J.D. program. Even if your audience is well-educated, we recommend scaling back on technical terms and crafting content that caters to the average American consumer.

If you’re struggling to keep your audience engaged, here are a few tips to help you up your game.

First, think about ways to repurpose your existing written content or future content. Instead of posting the same links and captions over and over again, try coming up with fresh takes on familiar topics or turn those evergreen listicle articles into eye-catching graphics for a carousel post on social media.

Secondly, add value to your audience when creating blog posts or social media content. I see many B2B firms post only about their awards and accolades and not enough content solving a problem for their potential client base.

Finally, don’t be afraid to have a little fun with your content. After all, social media is all about engaging with your followers. So go ahead and crack a few jokes, post some cute cat photos, or whatever else you think will get people talking. Just remember to keep it professional (ish).

If you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’re likely to keep getting the same results. If you’re looking to grow, try one or two different strategies and track the results. We hope you’ll be pleasantly surprised.