How I Learned To Maximize My Reach: My Top 8 Strategies for Connecting with Corporate Buyers and Leaders Online
As a small business owner, one of my biggest challenges is developing new clients, especially when I'm already busy servicing existing ones. They say the best time to get a customer is when you already have one and are busy, but finding ways to grow my business in the professional services industry can be tough. That's why I've spent a lot of time researching and testing different strategies for reaching corporate buyers and leaders. Writers, like Dale Carnegie, have written traditional books (“How to Win Friends and Influence People") on how to mainstream and win relationships.
My content is presented as a list of tips that have helped me the most as a smaller agency in building relationships and growing my business. Each tip is accompanied by a brief explanation of how it can help a small business owner reach corporate buyers and leaders online.
Identify your target audience: Clearly understand the types of corporate buyers and leaders you want to reach out to, including specific industries, company sizes, and geographic locations.
Develop a compelling value proposition: Clearly communicate the benefits of working with your company and how you can help corporate buyers and leaders achieve their goals.
Create a professional website: A well-designed website is a crucial tool for reaching corporate buyers and leaders online. Optimize it for search engines (SEO) and include information about your company, its services, and any relevant case studies or portfolio items. To save time, use platforms like SquareSpace and Shopify, which have built in SEO and automation capabilities. If you are super broke or starting up, try Google Sites, which is 100% free, all you need is a Gmail. If a static website isn’t your jam, you can always focus all of your efforts on creating videos and posting to your YouTube channel, and that can serve as a primary point of entry to your content.
Utilize social media platforms: Create and share relevant content, such as blog posts or industry news, on platforms like YouTube Shorts, TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook to showcase your expertise and build a following.
Build a network of industry connections: Focus on LinkedIn! Don’t just look, scroll, read and like. Write, write and write some more. Make an effort to comment on your network’s posts, reshare their content on your channels, with your own personal commentary. And have you considered launching a podcast for your business? Interview members of your network on your podcast, attend podcast industry events in person or virtual. Also, join interest-based online groups that are relevant to your industry, and participate in online forums to connect with potential clients.
Use email marketing: Create a targeted email list and send targeted emails that showcase your services and explain how you can help meet the needs of corporate buyers and leaders. Make sure 75% of the emails you send include educational or special offer content. Email after email of sales gets stale and feels spammy.
Utilize paid advertising: Use platforms like Google Ads or social media ads to reach corporate buyers and leaders. Test different messaging and targeting strategies through A/B testing to identify the most effective approach. My experience is that I’ve only used paid advertising when I am able to afford to spend a minimum $500/month on each platform.
Offer free educational information: Provide whitepapers, case studies, webinars and workshops, to attract a diverse audience of corporate buyers and leaders and demonstrate your expertise. Track and analyze the results of your marketing efforts to continually improve and refine your strategy.
Being a business owner is really, super hard. Don’t stop having fun. No matter what. Find the fun parts, even if for a moment. And capture it to remind yourself you are still alive. (Shot on iPhone by Trace Birkenbeuel)
“My work still continues to bring me joy, and I get the most joy when light bulbs go off on my client’s faces and they learn or grow from my service to them.”
— JinJa Birkenbeuel
I really hope these eight strategies have provided some helpful ideas for reaching corporate buyers and leaders online. I’ve struggled my entire career to grow and scale my business, and it’s still a work in progress! I’m not giving up and neither should you. I am consistent and persistent, and I always focus on providing value to my potential clients. Sometimes too much to be honest, and I don’t take profits for all of my creative efforts. My work still continues to bring me joy, and I get the most joy when light bulbs go off on my client’s faces and they learn or grow from my service to them. Try out some of my ideas, and perhaps you'll also be well on your way to building strong relationships and growing your business in the professional services industry like I am. Text me with questions, ideas, suggestions or sunshine anytime at 312-834-7339.