Building a B2B Business Through Relationships Instead of Social Media with Camille Rapacz
When Your Marketing Strategy Doesn’t Fit Your Business
Camille Rapacz is a business consultant and leadership coach with expertise in strategic planning, leadership development, and team dynamics. She helps executive leadership teams develop the tools and skills they need to increase profits and become the employer of choice in their industry.
But Camille's marketing journey started like so many B2B consultants – following advice that was never meant for her business model.
- Following the wrong path: Camille initially tried to follow typical online marketing advice – posting on social media, writing blog posts, starting Facebook groups, hosting webinars, and building an email list.
- Square peg, round hole: As a B2B consultant working with corporate clients, none of these tactics resonated with her audience. Her ideal clients weren't looking for her on Instagram or reading her blog posts. They simply didn't have time for any of that.
- Fighting her introversion: Camille believed she needed to overcome her introversion to become good at marketing, forcing herself into a broadcasting model that felt completely unnatural.
- Wasted time and energy: This approach left her feeling frustrated and drained, with little to show for her efforts. She was spending precious time on marketing activities that weren't generating clients.
“I didn't understand that I needed to market differently than what I was seeing in the online business world,” Camille explains. Like many experts, she felt compelled to follow the “rules” set by online marketing gurus, even though these approaches weren't yielding results.
“I went down a whole path that was completely not right for my business, and it was very frustrating, and I wasted a lot of time doing a lot of stuff that wasn't really helpful.“
Enter The Expert Up Club: Discovering Marketing That Actually Works
The shift in Camille's marketing approach didn't happen overnight. It began when she got busier with client work and simply didn't have time for all the marketing activities she thought she “should” be doing.
As a result, she made a critical decision: she stopped doing the marketing that drained her.
- Ditching social media: She first quit social media posting, which she'd always disliked. While she initially worried this might make her a “bad business owner,” she soon realized that abandoning these tactics wasn't hurting her business at all.
- Focusing on relationships: Camille recognized that her entire client base came from relationships she'd developed in the past and continued to nurture. For B2B consultants who only need a handful of good clients annually, relationship-based marketing is infinitely more effective than volume-based approaches.
- Letting go of the email list: With support from The Expert Up Club, Camille finally gave herself permission to abandon email marketing. “My clients don't want any more email,” she realized. “They do not want email from me unless it's about work I'm actually doing for them.”
- Finding her marketing superpower: Camille discovered that what she had considered a weakness—her introversion—was actually her strength. “My ability to spend time, my patience with spending time to really get to know somebody and understand them, understand their business, understand their problems… that's my superpower.”
Making marketing fun: By launching a podcast with her brother, Camille created content in a way that felt natural and enjoyable, giving potential clients a way to get to know her thinking and approach.
“When I made that shift into ‘it's about relationships,' that was the big mindset shift for me with marketing,” Camille says. “Focus on building relationships. And any of these tools, whether I'm sending an email, whatever I'm doing, it's about strengthening those relationships that I have.“
Marketing That Finally Feels Natural, Effective, and (Gasp!) Fun
By rejecting one-size-fits-all marketing approaches and embracing what works specifically for her business and personality, Camille transformed her relationship with marketing.
- Marketing that doesn't suck: “It doesn't suck anymore,” Camille says about her current approach to marketing. “Now it just feels energizing, and I'm excited.”
- Natural and intuitive: Instead of forcing herself to follow someone else's marketing formula, Camille now follows her instincts. “It just feels easier. It feels natural. It's more common sense.”
- Leveraging existing relationships: Camille strategically builds connections within the organizations where she already works. “Who are the clients I have and how can they help me build a relationship with somebody adjacent?” This approach has proven far more effective than cold outreach.
- Record-breaking results: This relationship-based approach is working. “I just came off of my absolute best month ever,” Camille reports.
- Using her CRM strategically: Rather than tracking content plans, Camille now uses her CRM to manage relationships and ensure timely follow-ups with contacts.
Playing to her strengths: Instead of trying to overcome her introversion, Camille now sees it as an asset that helps her build the deep, trusting relationships that lead to client work.
Book a Private Tour of the Club
Most importantly, Camille has discovered that when you market in a way that aligns with your audience's preferences, business model, and personal strengths, marketing can actually be enjoyable.
“Marketing not only doesn't have to suck,” Camille concludes, “it can actually be fun. I can't believe I just said that. But it's true. I meant it.“
Ready to ditch online marketing BS and create a marketing approach that actually works for your business? Join the Expert Up Club and get the support you need to market like the expert you are.