Every day, brands reach out to consumers to forge connections. An athleisure brand might email its subscribers with a 25% off promotion code. A cosmetics company could post a TikTok video demonstrating a dramatic makeup transformation to promote its latest matte eyeshadow collection. An affordable furniture retailer might post an article with tips for small-space living, highlighting how its multifunctional pieces offer clever storage solutions.
These are all examples of how consumer marketing aims to speak directly to buyers and nudge them toward a sale. Learn about the benefits of consumer marketing and explore examples from brands that have put these strategies to good use.
What is consumer marketing?
Consumer marketing is how businesses communicate with and sell to customers. It's a broad category that involves all the methods brands use to reach buyers, get their attention, and persuade them to choose their products or services.
Consumer marketing aims to understand what customers want and need, and then create messages and experiences that speak to those desires to motivate purchases.
Consumer marketing vs. B2B marketing
Consumer marketing and business-to-business (B2B) marketing are both strategies to appeal to consumers. The main difference is the audience.
Consumer marketing
Consumer marketing, also known as business-to-consumer (B2C) marketing, targets individual buyers who are making personal purchase decisions. For instance, Mejuri, a fine jewelry brand, uses influencer marketing partnerships on social media and sleek Instagram content to appeal to accessories enthusiasts seeking affordable luxury.
B2B marketing
On the other hand, B2B marketing focuses on selling products to other businesses. Brooklinen, while primarily known for its direct-to-consumer bedding, also uses B2B marketing to target hotels in the hospitality space.
B2B and consumer marketing also employ different strategies. The B2B buying process involves several steps, like presentations with department heads and lengthy, months-long negotiations; longer sales cycles that lead to larger sales. With consumer marketing, instead of pitching many stakeholders over time, you must persuade one person: the end user.
3 benefits of consumer marketing
With consumer marketing, brands seek to connect with their target audience. This direct line of communication—whether that’s an email or a Facebook retargeting ad—has several advantages:
1. Boosts brand loyalty
To communicate with customers, brands must first understand their audience's needs and desires so they can craft the right messaging. They might achieve this through formal market research or more informal methods like social media listening and direct customer feedback.
By learning about their customers, brands not only have a better chance at creating marketing content that resonates, but they can also forge stronger connections and build lasting brand loyalty, increasing the likelihood of repeat purchases.
2. Facilitates swift purchase decisions
You might need to implement multiple consumer marketing strategies before a consumer decides to buy your product or service. But once they do, they can usually make a purchase swiftly, often directly on the social media channel on which they see an ad or by clicking on a link in a newsletter. Solid consumer marketing strategies facilitate swift purchases so target consumers can move from being aware to purchasing as easily as possible.
3. Uses data to accurately target consumers
Consumer marketing uses advanced tools to gather and analyze customer data, offering valuable insights into consumer behavior. Social media analytics tools can reveal the impact of your Facebook campaigns, while email software provides detailed insights on open rates, click-throughs, and conversions. A glance at your Google Analytics dashboard shows how visitors find your website, highlighting which keywords and articles are performing well and which need attention.
All of this data can guide your decision-making, allowing for quick adjustments to your strategy and more efficient allocation of your marketing budget.
Consumer marketing strategies
Consumer brands now have endless ways to connect with customers—both online and offline. Ashwinn Krishnaswamy is an entrepreneur and TikTok personality who founded Oklahoma Smokes, a nicotine- and tobacco-free cigarette company, and the branding agency Forge. He emphasizes that creating effective marketing strategies for consumers requires a balance of paid and organic channels.
“Everyone looks at Facebook paid search and says, ‘Okay, this is going to be a staple of our business. If we can acquire customers for 30, 40, 50, or 60 bucks, but we’re selling a product that has enough margin at a high enough average order value, great,’” he tells Shopify Masters. “But a lot of brands are getting smarter on, ‘How can we use TikTok organic to acquire customers? How can we use influencer gifting or mico-creator gifting to build awareness for our product?’”
Here are a few effective consumer marketing strategies and real-world examples of companies that have successfully implemented them:
Influencer marketing
Customers trust online creators and influencers to guide their purchase decisions. A 2023 study of 1,000 US-based consumers found that 69% of respondents are “likely to trust a friend, family member, or influencer recommendation over information coming directly from a brand.” By tapping into an influencer’s existing audience, you can speak directly to potential customers in a more authentic way.
Supergoop, a skincare brand specializing in SPF products, collaborated with influencer April Buckles on TikTok, where she has 1.2 million followers. In a “get ready with me” video tagged #SupergoopPartner, April naturally incorporated Supergoop products into her content while discussing her upcoming wedding in Cabo, garnering over 10,000 likes and 124,000 views.
Email and SMS marketing
A direct path to a customer’s inbox or text messages can be powerful. It means you can reach them at the right time with the right message. For email, focus on personalized subject lines and segmented lists to boost open rates. With SMS marketing, keep messages brief and include clear calls to action for best results.
Linjer, a jewelry brand, used email to create urgency around its end-of-summer sale, offering a 20% discount on its products. The email combines emotive imagery, a clear value proposition, and curated product recommendations to drive immediate action from customers.
SEO and content
Search engine optimization (SEO) is about reaching people where they are. With search-optimized content and landing pages, you can answer their questions and show up on Google (and other search engines) when they’re looking for solutions. For instance, a kitchenware brand might create a blog post on “best pots for induction cooking” to attract relevant searchers.
You can capitalize on SEO by researching keywords, optimizing your website, and creating high-quality, relevant content. Content marketing goes hand-in-hand with SEO, helping to establish your brand as an authority and drive organic traffic.
Polysleep, a Montreal-based mattress company, successfully captured market share in Quebec by using SEO tactics like creating location-specific content and valuable articles. Polysleep co-founder and CEO Jeremiah Curvers compared its SEO strategy to long-term investing. “It’s a bit like investing for your retirement plan,” Jeremiah tells Shopify Masters. “Don’t expect short-term returns, but over a couple of years, you’re gonna end up drastically improving your odds of being able to gather first-party and zero-party data if you start investing from the get-go in a great content strategy.”
Targeted ads
Search ads can capture high-intent customers, while social ads excel at building brand awareness and engagement. Ads are valuable because they allow precise targeting, measurable results, and scalability.
While they require an investment, targeted ads can provide a strong return. The key to effective ads is making them feel organic and native to the platform. For example, explore Spark Ads on TikTok, which amplify user-generated content, potentially boosting authenticity and engagement.
Poppy Barley, a Canadian footwear brand, uses Instagram’s video feature to display its range of en pointe–style ballet flats in black, silver, and red. The ad zooms in on the shoes while featuring a trendy shoe-related sound. A prominent "Shop now" call-to-action button encourages immediate purchase, demonstrating an effective direct-to-consumer marketing strategy.
Events and pop-ups
While digital marketing is a significant part of consumer marketing, in-person experiences still create memorable, tangible connections with customers. This approach can be especially effective for products that benefit from hands-on interaction, like beauty items, or for building community around lifestyle brands.
When planning events or pop-up shops, focus on creating a shareable customer experience that aligns with your brand values. These real-world touchpoints can deepen customer relationships and generate valuable word-of-mouth marketing.
In February 2024, Glow Recipe, a popular skincare brand, opened a “Dewy World” pop-up store in Times Square to connect with its “Glow Gang” community in person. The pop-up coincided with the launch of its Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Hue Drops, a great example of using physical retail experiences to build community and promote new product releases.
Consumer marketing FAQ
What is consumer-based marketing?
Consumer-based marketing is a strategy that targets individual buyers directly, speaking to their specific needs and wants.
How can consumer marketing help me grow my business?
Consumer marketing can help grow your business by building brand awareness and fostering customer loyalty.
What’s an example of successful consumer marketing?
A successful example of consumer marketing is Glossier embracing collaborations with online influencers to create eye-catching content across social media. The campaigns helped the brand connect with makeup and skincare enthusiasts.
