New to Business to Business Marketing

[ConnectionJones]

Hi I'm a Physician Liason at an injury clinic and i just started. I've worked in healthcare for 18 years and run small business and done consulting for a number of years also. This is my first business to business full time employment position. I'm thinking a lot about how to add a personal touch to reaching out to cold contacts. We rely on referrals to keep our business thriving and building relationships takes time and finesse. 

What has worked for you in the past creating connections with other businesses?

[dalghariMike]

One example of b2b connection building that's worked for me is attending industry events and networking. This can help you make face-to-face connections, strike up meaningful convos, and establish yourself as a thought leader in your field. Another strategy is to personalize your outreach by researching the specific biz you're reaching out to and tailoring your message to their needs. You never know. You might just be the solution they were looking for!Check out this post for an example of b2b and for more inspiration.

[rlopez]

Hello @ConnectionJones 🙂

I agree @danmoyle, especially in the giving value part. I think that the base of a solid relationship (B2B or B2C) is delivering value. Find the right stakeholder and offer value to him. Explore and investigate this buyer persona. He/she have problems, difficulties, challenges,... Inspire him 🙂

Regards

[DavidDennison]

I've always started with the advice to hammer out a mission statement. Define the why for your business. About 3 sentences should be what you're looking for. Once you have this set you can really start to get into a groove of nailing down your brand voice to be more personable.

And above all, just remember: businesses are made of people. Plain and simple. Write as if you would in person!

[danmoyle]

Hi @ConnectionJones. Great question! 

I used to have to create connections with real estate agents and Realtors (as a marketing director at a mortgage bank). I found the best way was to first authentically connect with what they were doing, then offer value. For instance I might reach out via phone or email to compliment them on something they've created (an infographic or article or interview in the news) and let them know that I see them in our community. Then I'd reach back out a few days later with a question about their business and ask if they'd like to contribute to a piece I was working on for my own content, creating a connection and offering them a thought leader positioning opportunity. 

But it has to be real and authentic, not the spammy "Hey I loved you [insert tile here] article and think my link would be great in there!"

I also found value in connecting with them at events as a speaker. But that's an entirely different path. 

[ConnectionJones]

This is a good story and definitely is helping me think of some outside the box approaches! Thank you! 

[victoriaharkes]

Remembering that any business is still made up of individuals.  You want to personalize your outreach based not only on their organization and the pain that they might have, but around the person you are reaching out to. LinkedIn is a great way to find personal touches you can add - maybe they follow a sports team, or volunteer at a local organization and you can leverage that information to build a bridge between you.  You might send them a cap from that favorite team, or make a donation on their behalf to that favorite charity - there are lots of ways to personalize outreach beyond the words you use!

[ConnectionJones]

These are great suggestions thanks so much!