5 Tried and Tested Ways to Reach Your Prospects

Do you know who your buyer personas are but struggle to get them on the hook? Find out how to grab your prospects’ attention with our top 5 tips for reaching your B2B audience

You heard it here first: fancy inbound marketing techniques are dead. If you want to reach your prospects and coax them to conversion, you need to think outside the box, and here are our five favourite ways to do just that:
 

Go leafleting in your local area
 

Door-to-door marketing is simple and affordable, and let’s face it, we all love getting post. Receiving generic, unsolicited communications through your door is actually not all that different to receiving a postcard from your holidaying aunt – in fact, many people prefer it – so boost your business’ brand awareness by spending time on the streets, posting leaflets one by one through the letterboxes of people who could possibly have something in common with your buyer persona – or at least know someone whose cousin’s neighbour’s boss might be looking for your services. I mean, what’s the worst that could happen?

Top leaflet design tip: Make it bright. Do not be afraid to err on the side of gaudy. Stay front of mind by including the cheesiest, most pun-filled tagline you can think of, and finish with some clip art. That way it’s memorable!
 

Charter a plane to fly your banner
 

If it hasn’t quite worked for a group of Manchester United fans, it could still work for you. It’s a great way to get your company name out there, unless your company name is medium to lengthy because that will cost you extra. No need to proofread – social media goes wild for spelling errors. In fact, we suggest you try and get one in there just for maximum exposure. Now just make sure the plane flies by when your typical prospect is out and about – perhaps do some quick research beforehand to find out what time of day they are most likely to be looking upwards.

Top plane banner tip: “We have to ensure we keep the message clean – there’s no swear words in there.” – Chris Mustow, Chief Pilot, Air Ads. You heard the man.
 

Send sexy emails
 

Sex sells, FACT. So whatever your product or service is, all you need to do to market it effectively is make it sexy (it worked for the British Museum). Again, think about your target personas, but forget their business pains – this is all about their business pleasures. Go on Shutterstock and type in ‘sexy’ to find some suggestive imagery and redesign your email marketing template.

Top sexy marketing tip: Once you’ve analysed the click-throughs and know what works, set up lead nurturing campaigns based around what your prospects responded to. Just be careful of what you put in the subject line.
 

Commit vandalism
 

Like chartering a plane, graffiti is a great way to get your brand name out there, but this time you won’t give you prospects neck ache. Don’t bother with spray cans though – that’s not permanent enough. Your marketing should be timeless, transcending fads and fancy and resistant to the local council’s clean-up efforts, so why not follow the lead of ancient civilisations and scratch your marketing messages into well-located walls? Forego Facebook, turn your back on Twitter – this is the original way to social network.

Top timeless graffiti tip: Choose somewhere near a volcano so your message will remain preserved for future generations. As for your tool, try a pair of compasses – sharp, yet innocuous. If anyone catches you, you can pretend you’re a mathematician out for a stroll.
 

Stalk your prospects
 

Why wasn’t this number one, I hear you cry? Being ready to stalk your prospects takes time, and more importantly, petrol money – something you only have once you’ve done all of the above and you’ve got a bucketful of hot leads and your marketing ROI has gone through the roof. The actual stalking is quite simple – all you need to do is turn up at your prospects’ offices when they least expect it and whack out your slide deck. And once you’ve got their attention, the rest is up to you.

Top prospect stalking tip: If your sales presentation doesn’t quite hit the mark, why not follow the key stakeholders home and pop one of your leaflets through the letterbox – can’t hurt can it?