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If you write commercial insurance, you have a broad market. Every business needs some kind of insurance coverage. However, generating commercial insurance business can be more difficult than you’d expect—as each industry’s needs are different. It’s essential to understand the industry you’re marketing to, show them you can meet their needs, and prove that you’re a better choice than your competitors.

Marketing to businesses is different than marketing to consumers. Business owners often have a more complex job than consumers do in buying insurance, and the pre-purchase research and analysis process is often more in-depth. In addition, in many businesses, the decision to purchase an insurance policy may involve more than one person with different interests—and you’ll need to persuade all of those. The old marketing adage says that business buyers are less likely to make impulsive, emotion-based purchase decisions than consumers, and with good reason.

So how do you write more commercial insurance business? Here are a few tips for connecting with this market.

Know your audience. Not everyone your prospect talks to will be a specialist in their business. Be sure to know who you’re marketing to. Who makes the purchasing decision in the types of companies you specialize in? What are their most important coverage needs, and in what areas are they routinely underserved by competitors? What types of insurance problems keep them up at night? If you know the answers to these questions, you’ll already have an edge over competitors who don’t understand the business like you do.

Craft your message to the right people. Unlike with selling to consumers, it’s essential to know all the people likely to be involved in a purchase decision—and their different, sometimes competing priorities. You need to know how to talk to the Human Resources manager, the financial manager, the CEO, and any other stakeholders likely to be involved in the decision-making process.

Know where to find your prospects. Building relationships in the commercial insurance space is key to building your book of business. Know the industry organizations, events, and online spaces where your prospects congregate, and meet them where they are. This can include both in-person events and associations, and online forums and social media platforms such as LinkedIn.

Build your credibility. Business insurance prospects often choose to work with insurance agents because of the relationship—and the specialized expertise the agent displays. Demonstrate your specialized expertise in their industry through blog posts, guest articles in publications that reach your key audience, a targeted email marketing campaign, and highlights of third-party industry awards, publications, press releases, and testimonials from customers in their industry on your website.

Selling to business customers often requires specialized knowledge and a more complex marketing cycle. Build your credibility, develop a marketing plan that targets multiple parties involved in the buying process, and build relationships where your prospects are, and you should be able to get a strong start on building your book of commercial business.