About this article

Read time:

4 minutes

Category:

B2B Marketing, B2B PR, Guides and advice, Sector knowledge

How do I start B2B email marketing?

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.

About this article

Read time:

4 minutes

Category:

B2B Marketing, B2B PR, Guides and advice, Sector knowledge

Celebrating EOsmile: How being employee-owned is helping us build a brighter agency

Creativity in B2B marketing: what we learned from episode 1 of Shaking the B2B Tree podcast

Browse more blog posts

EO Day
Posted on
byRebecca Brown

Did you know that Skout is an employee-owned B2B PR and communications agency?   In 2023, our founding shareholders Rob and Claire made the decision to sign the company over to an Employee-Owned Trust (EOT). As Claire mentioned at the time of the transition: “Much of the success Skout has

Shaking the B2B PR tree: Episode 1 banner detailing the episode contents with guest Victoria Jackson, acting global head of marketing, Silverdoor
Posted on
byHonor Williamson

If you haven’t heard about Shaking the B2B Tree yet, it’s a fresh new podcast from Skout launched by our MD, Rob Skinner, aimed at challenging traditional thinking in B2B marketing. The whole idea? To shake up the way we think about B2B marketing – challenge the usual, dig into

An image of healthy and nutritious food options
Posted on
bymarketing@skoutpr.com

When choosing what to eat, most of us think of calories, nutrients and the overall taste. But, did you know that your diet not only affects your physical health but also plays a major role in your mood, mental clarity and overall well-being. More and more studies display that food

A photo of the Skout PR team at the 2025 annual offsite at Alton Towers Resort
Posted on
byTom Embleton

Life in PR can be a bit of a rollercoaster, so what better place for Skout’s annual offsite than Alton Towers? Last month, we swapped our office for the theme park and two jam-packed days of strategy, team bonding and adrenaline-fuelled fun. Day one: Strategy with a side of pastries

Skout Team celebrating for 15 years of Skout
Posted on
byRebecca Brown

This year marks a milestone for Skout – it’s our 15th birthday! What began as a leap of faith from our founder Rob Skinner has grown into a thriving B2B communications agency built on authenticity, relationships and a healthy dose of workplace humour. In celebration, we wanted to take this

An image of the actress Millie Bobby Brown, a centerpiece of a blog about the role of clickbait and the impact on journalism
Posted on
byClaire Lamb

What started as a simple lunchtime read today ended up down a rabbit hole. It all started with Millie Bobby Brown. Like many women, I applaud her for calling out the media on their response to her appearance. I’m not going to go over it as it’s a tale as

Copy of International Women's Day template (1200 x 500 px) (2)
Posted on
byRebecca Brown

Did you know that as an agency we have a strong female presence across all roles within the business? In fact, two-thirds of our senior management team are female – this exceeds the global PR industry average of around 30%! That’s why we never miss the opportunity to celebrate International

A group of three women in a podcast environment with microphones.
Posted on
byHonor Williamson

Launching a podcast involves more than just hitting the record button. From selecting the right equipment to securing guest speakers, the early planning stages shape everything. But before considering the logistics, there’s one crucial question you should ask from day one: How will I engage my audience? Without a clear

A visual image showcases tech trends for B2B marketers. The graphic displays icons signaling tech trends such as AI.
Posted on
byJames Weaver

Things change quickly in the world of B2B marketing. With every ‘eureka!’ moment for new and disruptive technologies that herald to change the game, staying ahead of the curve is vitally important. Although artificial intelligence (AI) has been used by businesses for decades, today the technology is plastered across the

An image of a woman reading a business, financial and fintech newspaper
Posted on
byIsobelle Yoxall

It’s a new year for your FinTech business, and there’s big news on the horizon: a new product launch, exciting partnerships, or innovative features to announce. This makes for the perfect time to share your story with the media. Or perhaps you are just seeking fresh opportunities to make a

Get in touch

Skout
11 Market Place
Macclesfield
Cheshire
SK10 1EB

Send us a message

Name(Required)

Send us a message