When it comes to finding clients or customers for your business, it’s important you go the extra mile beyond the competition.

That’s what sets you apart and allows you to build more relationships and increase revenue, whether you are an entrepreneur with a small but elite client base, a B2B marketer or sales professional, or a business owner who is looking to reach a larger audience.

That said, many business professionals don’t know which strategies differentiate them from their competitors. So today I’m sharing 4 strategies that all businesses should use, but not many do. Put these in action to stand out and make more sales.

1. Do Your Research

Many sales and marketing professionals don’t take this first step and fail to reach the right audience or the biggest audience possible. 65% of marketers conduct little to no market research. And yet, the most successful marketers are 242% more likely to conduct regular market research, according to CoSchedule’s State of Marketing Strategy Report.

If market research sounds dry or difficult, think of it as getting to know your customers. The goal of market research is to find out:

1. Who your ideal customers are
2. What their needs are
3. What problems they face
4. How you can solve their problems

You can find that out by conducting a survey, talking to your best existing customers, or looking at industry research if it’s available. If you can answer those 4 questions, you’re well on your way to effectively marketing to your audience.

2. Think Outside the Inbox

Although email marketing remains the king of digital marketing and sales generation with 62% of businesses using email and blogs as their primary tools, there are a lot of new options you would be wise to follow.

For some types of businesses, focusing attention on social media is the smart strategy, but that’s no longer as simple as posting sharable content and hoping for the best. Today’s audiences are looking for a more customized, interactive experience. Assessments, quizzes, and calculators are successful because people enjoy them and they provide useful information. Investing the time and money in creating and advertising interactive content could be well worth your while.

Another strategy that works well is advertising on social media through sponsoring posts from influencers who have a lot of followers on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram. Even small businesses can utilize influencer marketing to reach new customers by finding the right influencers in their niche. In fact, influencers with fewer followers (and thus lower advertising costs), have better average engagement rate. Put thought and research into who your customers are following and how those influencers could benefit from your products or services that solve their problems.

The right strategy for your customers might be podcasts, reports, e-books, or it might be email, but you’ll never know if you don’t do your market research and keep an open mind about what your audience best responds to.

3. Get Personal

Customers across all industries are expecting a personalized experience these days. According to SalesForce research, 72% of business buyers assume vendors will personalize engagement to their needs and almost 67% have switched vendors for a “more consumer-like experience.”

I have no doubt that when you interact with customers in person or over the phone, you respond to their individual needs and wants. But what about your digital marketing efforts? Sending segmented and personalized email campaigns is a smart and effective way to reach the right audiences with the right products and services.

The same goes for social media advertising, which can be micro-tailored to a specific type of buyer and their needs. Even short, personalized videos with low production costs can be a great way to check in with clients or customers and make them feel valued and taken care of.

4. Utilize Events

Events, whether in person or via webinars, are one of the best ways to find and nurture customers. And yet, too many businesses are missing out on this opportunity, with 23% not using events as a strategy at all and 40% reporting that their strategy is shifting away from events toward digital marketing, mistakenly believing that’s the best way to reach leads in our digital age, according to a Salesfusion survey. The better strategy includes in-person lead nurturing.

This is particularly important for B2B sales and marketing professionals who rank live events and webinars as the most effective ways to generate quality leads – more effective even than lead nurturing campaigns – according to Demand Gen.

Consider hosting an event that your customers would want to attend, whether a professional development session, a networking event, or a simple coffee in-person meeting when it’s safe to do so. Remember the other tips above and make whatever event you’re planning personal and engaging. That’s what will set you and your products or services apart from your competition.

Do you need more quality leads? Or perhaps you have plenty of leads, but you’re not closing sales?

At Celeste Giordano Coaching, I work with each client to implement the strategies they’ve been missing that will enable them to break through and “double plus” their incomes without making it more difficult to run a business. Contact me today to take the weight of unrealized revenue off your shoulders.

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Celeste Giordano’s mission is to help business owners develop the skills, knowledge and attitude necessary to “DoublePlus™” their income and become effective and inspirational leaders in their fields. Whether it’s taking your successful business to the next level or starting a new venture, she will teach you the exact skills and strategies you need to enroll more quality prospects, build a rock-solid team, and break through obstacles to achieve real profit and lasting success. Celeste is a professional business growth specialist, a master sales strategist, and dynamic speaker with more than 40 years experience in direct sales and managing high-performing teams.

To learn more about Celeste, click here.

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