For businesses intending to reach and engage potential customers effectively, B2B email marketing is a cornerstone in today’s ever-evolving digital landscape. When used correctly, it can drive leads, nurture relationships and ultimately boost revenue. If you have ever wondered how to begin B2B email marketing, look no further than this step-by step guide.
1. Define your goals and target audience
Before you dive in and start drafting your first emails, it’s crucial to have clear objectives established. As a business, what is your goal? Is it to generate leads? Drive sales? Increase brand awareness? Whatever your goals are as a B2B supplier, they will shape your entire email marketing strategy. Once your goals are clear, you must identify your ideal customers. By understanding their pain points, needs and preferences, you will be able to shape email marketing content that resonates with them and establishes trust.
2. Build a strong B2B email list
The next step on your B2B email marketing journey is to build a strong and compelling list of contacts to whom you intend to distribute content. Additionally, you can divide your list into segments based on relevant criteria such as their industry, company size, or job title. This allows is for personalised content which can result in higher rates of engagement.
Additionally, ensure that you have explicit consent from your intended recipients to receive your email. This not only complies with GDPR regulations but also helps to guarantee a more engaged audience.
3. Craft compelling B2B email content
It goes without saying, but content is king for your B2B email marketing strategy. You can break down the content of your email marketing into the following areas:
- Subject line: Your subject line is your first impression to your recipients. Ensure that it is concise, intriguing and relevant, to entice as many people as possible into opening your email.
- Personalisation: Addressing your recipient by name and using segmented data to tailor your content can lead to a significant increase in open and click-through rates.
- Valuable content: Make sure you offer content that provides real value. It could be an educational resource, exclusive offers or industry insights.
4. Choose the right B2B email marketing platform
There are numerous platforms available for efficient management of your B2B email marketing. When researching which platform to utilise, look for features such as easy list management, automation capabilities, analytics tools and integration with your existing applications.
5. Design engaging B2B emails
Another significant aspect of your B2B email marketing strategy is to make your emails engaging. Given that a significant portion of B2B professionals will check and access their emails via mobile devices, making sure your emails are mobile-friendly will help keep recipients interested. Additionally, help guide your readers on what to do next with a clear call-to-action (CTA). Whether it’s downloading a whitepaper, scheduling a demo call or making a purchase, ensure your CTA is clear and compelling.
6. Analyse and optimise
Once an email is distributed to your contact list, the story is not over. An essential component of any successful B2B email marketing strategy is to analyse available data to optimise your performance with a view to yielding greater results. Metrics such as open, click-through or conversion rates can all provide valuable insights, to help you refine your content and build better performance.
By following these steps, you’ll be well on your way to launching a successful B2B email marketing campaign. Remember – consistency, relevancy and value need to sit at the heart of your strategy. Happy emailing!
If you want to take the first step towards B2B email marketing, get in touch today.