How to Get B2B Clients (8 Effective Strategies)

If you work for or own a business and wonder, “How can I get B2B clients?”. You’ve landed on the right blog!

Whether your startup was launched yesterday or is an established business, this blog will help you attract the right B2B leads.

In this post, we’ll help you with 8 time-tested strategies that have helped multiple businesses get B2B clients relevant to their industry or niche.

You’ll get a detailed walkthrough of each strategy, complete with expert advice and actionable tips to implement them effectively.

So dive in!

How to Get B2B Clients: Table Of Contents

• 8 Effective Strategies To Get  B2B Clients For Your Business
  • Reach Out To Potential Prospects Using Cold Outreach
  • Using Your Website to Generate B2B Leads
  • Utilizing Social Media for Social Selling and Foster Relationships
  • Network at Offline Events to Create Direct Connections
  • Request Referrals from Satisfied Clients
  • Host Podcasts and Webinars to Showcase Your Knowledge
  • Participate in Online Groups and Forums (Reddit, Quora, etc.)
  • Form Influencer Marketing Partnerships to Expand Your Reach
• Start Landing Quality B2B Clients For Your Business
• FAQs

8 Effective Strategies To Get  B2B Clients For Your Business

You might ask, “Why just 8? Why not 15 or 20 strategies? The more strategies I use, the more B2B clients I get, right?”

Yes, it will, but it will also spread your resources and efforts too thin.

Instead, you can concentrate on a handful of proven techniques. This is guaranteed to yield better results.

Our list includes a mix of inbound and sales outreach strategies to ensure a balanced approach to client acquisition.

Here are our 8 B2B client acquisition strategies:

1. Reach Out To Potential Prospects Using Cold Outreach
2. Using Your Website to Generate B2B Leads
3. Utilizing Social Media for Social Selling and Foster Relationships
4. Network at Offline Events to Create Direct Connections
5. Request Referrals from Satisfied Clients
6. Host Podcasts and Webinars to Showcase Your Knowledge
7. Participate in Online Groups and Forums (Reddit, Quora, etc.)
8. Form Influencer Marketing Partnerships to Expand Your Reach

Let’s take a detailed look at each!

1. Reach Out To Potential Prospects Using Cold Outreach

Cold outreach is a sales approach in which you contact potential clients with whom you or your business have not had any official interaction.

You can do cold outreach through either email or phone calls.

Apart from the difference in channel, cold email and cold calling have much in common. Both require you to:

• Find relevant prospects who would benefit from your products or services. Reaching out to random people would waste your resources.
• Research and understand their business needs, pain points, and how your solution can help them.
• Tailoring your messages to make them personal and relevant to the prospects.

Now, let’s look at both types of cold outreach in detail.

Cold Emailing

Cold emailing is a great way to introduce yourself and your business to potential prospects.

The goal is to build a relationship with them and eventually convert them into paying customers.

You can easily reach a large number of prospects using cold emailing. It is also highly cost-effective compared to other listed strategies.

Here’s how you can get started with cold emailing for your business.

1. Define Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) and Buyer Personas
2. Identify and Research Prospects
3. Craft Personalized Emails
4. Send and Track Emails
5. Follow-Up
6. Analyze and Optimize

1. Define Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) and Buyer Personas

Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) and buyer persona will help make your B2B client acquisition strategies more effective and efficient.

Ideal Customer Profile (ICP):

Your ICP includes characteristics of the company that would benefit the most from your product or service.

It has details like industry, company size, revenue range, target location, etc.

Buyer Persona:

These are detailed profiles of the individuals within your target companies who will have the power to make a purchase decision or can influence it.

The buyer personas should include job titles and roles, demographic details, goals, and pain points of decision markers.

Information from your ICP and buyer personas can help you tailor your messages to resonate with your audience and increase the likelihood of conversion.

Expert Advice: The more details you include in your ICP and Buyer Persona, the more your strategy will be targeted. This will ensure you get quality, relevant B2B leads in your sales pipeline.

2. Identify and Research Prospects

Once your ICP and buyer personas are ready, it’s time to find your prospects.

There are 2 ways to find prospects relevant to your business:

1. You can use a sales prospecting tool to find relevant prospects yourself.
2. You can outsource your prospecting and directly buy an email list from a B2B data vendor.

After you have your list of prospects ready, you should start getting to know them by visiting their social media accounts, company websites, and so on.

This will help you find information that you can use to personalize your cold emails.

Pro Tip: Always clean your email list by verifying the contact information and other data. This can help you keep your emails’ bounce rates down.

3. Craft Personalized Emails

After you have created or bought your lead list, you can start writing your cold email copies.

This is where you will use all the information you have gathered about your prospects’ to make personalized cold email copies for them.

To craft the ideal cold email, you should have the following:

1. An eye-catching subject line. We found that 33% of prospects opened an email with a unique subject line that stood out from the rest.
2. A personalized opener that hooks the prospect and creates the initial connection.
3. A tailored value proposition that addresses their pain points and positions your product or service as a solution. You can use a cold email framework to make your cold copies more structured. 
4. An action-oriented Call to Action (CTA) to guide your prospects to the next step they should take, whether booking a meeting or simply replying to your email.
5. Finally, there is your email signature. Here, you can use the email sign-off to compel the prospect to respond positively.

4. Follow-Up

Cold emailing is not a one-time thing.

You can send one email and expect an email response from your prospect.

Why?

Your email may get buried between other emails, or your prospects may have had a busy day and not checked their emails.

So, to improve your chances of getting noticed and getting a positive response, you must send follow-up emails.

Read More: Psychological Tips for Writing Cold Email Follow-Ups in 2024

Our study has shown that sending at least 3 follow-up emails has increased the response rate by 28%.

To help you create follow-up emails, we have created follow-up email templates that can get you faster replies.

Expert Advice: Be persistent but not an annoyance. Space your emails properly, always reference your previous emails, and show different angles on how you can bring value to your prospects.

5. Send and Track Emails

Now that you have all your cold emails—initial and follow-up emails—ready, it’s time to start sending them to your prospects.

Here, you can take 2 approaches:

1. Send emails manually.
2. Use cold email software to help you automate the sending process.

If you choose to send emails manually, be prepared to:

• Invest a significant amount of your time to send your emails.
• Make human errors and send the wrong email to the wrong prospect.
• Give up on tracking your emails.
• Miss following up at the right time or entirely.
• Face issues scaling your outreach efforts.

On the other hand, if you choose to use cold email software like Saleshandy, you can concentrate on converting the generated leads to paying customers.

Expert Advice: Use cold email software. It’s worth the spend.

6. Analyze and Optimize

Now that you have started sending cold emails and the first B2B leads have started to come through, the next step you should take is analyzing your campaigns.

Doing so will help you find opportunities for improvement.

You can then A/B test your cold emails to improve your results and generate more B2B clients for your business.

By following these steps, you can easily implement an effective cold emailing strategy that helps you reach potential clients, establish connections, and generate leads for your business.

Remember, consistency and continuous improvement are key to mastering cold emailing.

Up next cold calling!

Cold Calling

In cold calling, you would directly ring up your prospects to pitch your product or service and book a meeting.

An advantage of cold calling is that you can immediately confirm your prospects’ interest in what you have to offer.

But simultaneously, as you would be calling them without any prior notice, you would be taking them by surprise.

It’s quite easy to get started with cold calling. You must get a list of prospects and start calling them to pitch your offer.

You can quickly introduce yourself and politely ask them for their time. If they consent, you can pitch your offer. This is important.

Don’t just suddenly start pitching your offer, as you would come off as rude and unprofessional.

When done right, you’ll be able to secure meetings and generate a large number of B2B leads for your business in real-time.

Next, we’ll look at how you can use your website to get B2B clients.

2. Using Your Website to Generate B2B Leads

Your website is one of your most powerful tools for attracting and converting relevant B2B leads.

By optimizing your site with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and implementing a strong content marketing strategy, you can drive more traffic, engage visitors, and generate leads.

Here’s how you can maximize the use of your website:

• Optimize Your Website with SEO
• Content Marketing: Blogs and YouTube Videos

Optimize Your Website with SEO

SEO is all about helping search engines understand your website and its content. This will help you gain more visibility in front of the right audience.

Let’s look at how you can use SEO to optimize your website:

Keyword Research

• You first find all the keywords relevant to your business and those that your target audiences are using to search for similar offerings. You can use Ahrefs or Semrush to help you with this.

On-Page SEO

• Check all the web pages to make sure they all have unique titles and meta descriptions. Use relevant keywords where possible.
• You should include relevant keywords in the web pages and also structure your content using appropriate headings (H1, H2,…)
• Interlink your web pages to increase crawlability and navigability.

Technical SEO

• Optimize your website to make sure it loads faster, a slow website can have a negative effect on ranking and user experience.
• Also, optimize your website to support mobile views.
• To make your website secure use HTTPS protocol.

Content Optimization – Where SEO meets Content Marketing.

• Create content that shows your expertise, is easy to read and understand, and is easily shareable.
• In your content, make sure to use only keywords relevant to the topic you’re writing about.
• If you use images, use the .webp format, and remember to provide descriptive alt text.

Content Marketing: Blogs and YouTube Videos

Similar to SEO, content marketing can help you attract, engage, and retain a targeted audience.

This can be achieved by creating and sharing highly informational and educational blogs and videos.

Here’s how you can get started with content marketing.

• You should find and understand your ideal readers. What will they be searching for? What their goals and needs are, etc. 
• Next, find relevant keywords that they will use in search engines to find what they are looking for.
• Once you have your keywords list, brainstorm and develop topics.
• You should go in-depth and try to answer every query related to that keyword. Say one of your keywords is cold emailing. You should come up with topics like The Cold Emailing Blueprint for Generating Leads, Ultimate Cold Email Checklist to Book More Meetings in 2024, etc.
• To boost your engagement and value addition, you can create videos around the same blog titles. This will help you bolster your efforts.
• It’s not required, but having good equipment can improve the quality of your videos.
• You should include CTAS appropriately in your blogs and videos to promote your services or products. Just make sure you don’t sound pushy.
• Make sure your content is SEO-optimized. For videos published on YouTube, you should implement YouTube SEO strategies.
• After you have created and published your blogs and videos, share them on social media channels that your target audience frequently uses.
• Importantly, engage with your audiences when they comment and share your content. This will show them you appreciate their efforts.
• Finally, take the help of tools like Google Search Console, Google Analytics, and YouTube Analytics to track and measure the success of your efforts.

Though you will not see immediate results as you would with cold emailing, content marketing, and SEO can potentially bring exponential growth in the long run.

3. Utilizing Social Media for Social Selling and Foster Relationships

Social media can be a great channel for connecting with future B2B clients, sharing your expertise, and building lasting relationships.

The best social media platforms that have delivered results in the B2B space are:

• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Youtube
• Instagram
• Twitter (X)

You can achieve significant business growth by investing time and effort in building your personal and company presence on these platforms.

Here’s how to effectively use social media to share expertise and build relationships:

• First, choose the right platforms to engage your target audience.
• Then, create and share valuable educational content like blog articles, whitepapers, and case studies.
• You can also create and share infographics, videos, and images to improve engagement and sharability.
• Respond to comments and messages promptly. To improve your visibility, you should also comment and share your opinions respectfully on other people’s posts.
• You can also try social selling, which is like cold outreach on social media. For example, on LinkedIn, you can find relevant people and direct message them to pitch your product or service as an ideal solution to their challenges.
• You should maintain consistency in publishing your posts to keep your audience engaged.
• Finally, track and monitor the performance of your posts and traffic to your website from social media platforms and adjust your strategy.

4. Network at Offline Events to Create Direct Connections

“The more hands you shake, the more money you make.”

Whoever said this definitely has a knack for doing business!

Offline events allow you to meet and directly connect with potential clients and partners on the spot.

Attending them is a great way to build strong and lasting relationships.

Here’s why it’s so effective:

• You can meet people in person and build rapport with them much faster than digital interactions.
• You can get instant reactions and feedback on your product and services.
• You will be able to boost your brand visibility significantly.
• You can improve your network by meeting with professionals who are not relevant to your offering, but they can help refer others in their circle.

To get started, you should:

• Find and choose an event relevant to your industry that potential customers will be attending.
• Get to know who will be visiting the event. This will help you plan and set up a meeting in advance.
• Make yourself approachable, speak, and connect with everyone while actively listening and engaging in meaningful conversation.
• Make sure to collect the contact information of the people you meet. You can later contact them after the event to continue the conversation.

If you want to boost your business’s growth and success, take advantage of offline events and conferences as much as possible.

5. Request Referrals from Satisfied Clients

Another way to easily get relevant B2B clients is through referrals.

Your existing clients may refer your products or services to their circle if they find you useful and are highly satisfied with your support and service.

The other way referrals happen is as part of a referral marketing campaign, where you incentivize existing clients to refer someone relevant from their circle.

Here’s how you can get more clients through referrals.

1. First, identify existing key clients who influence your niche or industry.
2. Invest in building a positive relationship with them, satisfying them whenever possible.
3. Then, politely ask them if they would be open to refer anyone.
4. You can also reward them with discounts to further compel them to help you get clients.

Next, you’ll learn how to use podcasts and webinars to attract potential clients.

6. Host Podcasts and Webinars to Showcase Your Knowledge

If you want to reach a broader audience and showcase your expertise to potential clients, you can consider starting your own podcasts and webinars.

These two are the modern digital equivalent of conventional radio and television platforms.

Here is how you can get started:

• Identify your target audience and understand what topics they are interested in.
• Plan your content to address your audience’s pain points and interests. 
• Promote your podcast or webinar using email campaigns, social media, and your website. To increase your reach, plan and collaborate with industry influencers.
• You should interact with your audience from time to time through Q&A sessions, polls, and live chats. This will keep your audience engaged.
• After the show, send a thank-you email to attendees and provide a session recording. You can also share additional resources or offers to continue the conversation.

You can easily use podcasts and webinars to build credibility and effectively communicate your value to generate quality leads for your business.

7. Participate in Online Groups and Forums (Reddit, Quora, etc.)

Online groups and communities have always been popular places for people to ask questions and share their insights.

But now, with Google’s new update that includes Discussions and Forums in search engine results pages, engaging in platforms like Reddit and Quora has become even more valuable.

Here’s how you can engage with potential clients on Reddit:

• First, you should find relevant subreddits where your target audience spends most of their time. For example, for Saleshandy – a cold email platform, the ideal audience would be available in subreddits r/coldemail, r/sales, etc.
• After joining the relevant subreddits, start engaging with posts by answering questions, sharing your expertise, and so on.
• You can also start your own discussions by sharing how you can solve your ICP’s pain points, etc.
• Subtly promote your service or product, but read the rules on promoting the subreddit you have joined.
• You can then connect with users who require a solution through chat, start a conversation, and slowly build a relationship.

On Quora:

• You should follow topics related to your industry to stay updated on the latest questions and discussions.
• You can then answer questions by providing detailed, well-thought-out answers to showcase your expertise.
• Also, wherever appropriate, link back to your blogs and relevant web pages to redirect them to your website while offering them value.

The next strategy you’ll learn is about connecting with influencers and forming strategic partnerships to amplify your reach and credibility.

8. Form Influencer Marketing Partnerships to Expand Your Reach

B2B influencers are worth the weight in diamonds.

Here is why.

Recent research by Ogilvy found that 75% of B2B marketers actively use B2B influencer marketing somehow.

40% have experienced increased lead generation and sales outcomes due to influencer marketing.

Moreover, 93% of respondents reported expanding their commitment to B2B influencer campaigns.

To get started with influencer marketing:

• First, you should identify the right influencers who are active in your industry and have a following that matches your target audience.
• See if their content matches your brand tone and values.
• Once convinced, contact them and explain why you want to work with them.
• You should try to build long-term relationships rather than short one-off promotions.
• Clearly define what incentives and compensation they would get for promoting your product or service.
• After this, define what you want to achieve through this collaboration.
• Plan the content you will create with them. Make sure it resonates with their audience and aligns with your goals.
• Promote the content on social media like LinkedIn, Twitter (X), YouTube, and other relevant channels.
• Finally, track metrics like reach, engagement, signups, conversions, etc., to measure the success of your partnership.

You can easily tap into a trusted network, expand your reach, and drive meaningful engagement with potential clients.

This strategy enhances your brand’s credibility and contributes to sustained business growth.

Start Landing Quality B2B Clients For Your Business

Now you know all the strategies you can use to get quality B2B clients for your business.

All the strategies mentioned in this blog are guaranteed to bring you results. Still, depending on the nature of your business and target audience, one strategy may work better.

However, if you asked us to recommend the best strategies for acquiring B2B clients, we suggest cold emailing, social media, groups and forums, and using your website to start acquiring B2B leads.

Why? Cause they are

• Cost-effective
• Easy to implement
• Highly scalable
• And allow you to target a specific group of people.

FAQs

1. What is the easiest way to get B2B clients for my new business?

You can use targeted cold emailing to reach potential clients directly and leverage LinkedIn for networking.

2. How can I get B2B clients for my business if I am on a tight budget?

If you are in a penny-pinching situation, you can generate leads by social selling. You can also use social media platforms, online groups, and forums to answer your target audience to build credibility and trust.

3. How can I make sure I am getting quality leads?

Defining your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) and using targeted keywords and SEO strategies to attract the right audience can ensure quality leads.