An Essential Guide to B2B Email Marketing

If you’re looking at B2B email marketing, that means you’re a business yourself. So first of all, think about what kind of email you’d open, what it would require to grab your attention, how it could entice you to follow a call to action, and any factors that would put you off, such as irrelevant content and low quality images. Next, think about any newsletters you’re signed up to that you actually look forward to receiving, then figure out what it is that makes them connect with you on an individual level.

Sorted? Keep all of this in mind whilst reading through these tips on creating engaging and effective B2B email marketing campaigns.

Admin and info are no good

Unless it’s a very small business, such as a sole trader, you probably won’t get anywhere by sending emails to generic admin accounts. Though someone will receive the email and may even read it, it won’t be passed on to a C-level executive or anyone with purchasing power. Though it could take a while, try a range of approaches such as attending more networking events and swapping cards, connecting with key staff on LinkedIn, and adding an opt-in form to your website.

Stay on target

Every organisation has different types of customers. Even if you sell a niche product, like modular aluminium systems, you’ll still have different buying personas, such as the retail, education and dining sectors. Rather than sending the same email to everyone, invest time into writing and designing separate campaigns that offer ultra-suitable information whilst sharing the same in-house style of layout, navigation and communication. This will immediately deliver positive results, with each recipient having more reason to read, digest and click content.

Be a storyteller

Once you’ve created target lists and decided which messages to focus on, you will need to deliver them in a way that will awe rather than bore. This is surely the easiest part of any form of marketing, as you know more than anyone why your brand is exciting and valuable. To get this across in a style that captivates, tell your story with passion, brevity, honesty, equal parts pride and modesty, and open it up to first-hand experience and conversation. If words aren’t your strong point, you can hire one of our multi-disciplined copywriters.

Give away some freebies

Whilst it’s a great idea to point subscribers to interesting content on your website, social media channels and YouTube feed, you sometimes need to offer something more exclusive and actionable. A free resource works wonders, such as our 5-Step Guide to Website Planning, as it can be quickly downloaded and will provide long-term insight and tangible benefits to your customers.

Metrics matter

There’s no point in sending out email after email, no matter how perfectly constructed, if you’re not tracking the impact and legacy of each one. Metrics and analytics give you the power to check everything from open and click-through rates, to the time of day when people interacted with the content. If you use a service such as MailChimp, you can even see how your stats compare to the industry average. You can also use metrics to ascertain the best time for sending your campaigns and the most popular form of content, such as images, blog posts and videos. Once you have your perfect system, stick to it, but always be open to tweaking because usability trends can change quickly and often.

Master the lingo

Don’t know your deliverability from your list pruning? Check out our infographic and use it to take your email marketing to the next level.