Email marketing is a key tool for the B2B industry, regardless of what sector you operate in, therefore it’s worthwhile spending the time getting it right.
It’s important to note here that what works for one business and customer segment, won’t necessarily work for you, so don’t be tempted to replicate or copy-and-paste email content from another business or use a generic template from the internet.
Your business is unique (at least in one way or another), now is the time to use it to your advantage!
Personality pays
Many assume that if you work in the B2B industry then your marketing should be professional, corporate and well, boring, if we’re to be honest. Don’t take risks and definitely don’t add any personality.
This is a real shame, because at the end of the day, your B2B customers are still people, and people engage with what they either find valuable, relatable or entertaining.
Add a bit of personality! Write an email with the reader in mind. Yes, stick to brand and tone of voice guidelines, I’m not suggesting you go completely rogue, but if you want your email marketing to engage or convert, you need the customer to actually want to read it.
This leads me on to my next tip…
Clever copywriting
You can tell when email marketing has become a box-ticking exercise.
The email is often clunky, following no logical storyline. Calls-to-action are thrust in every available space, drastically reducing the readability. Finally, the language is generic and dull, offering the reader nothing in the way of useful information or enjoyment.
The result is that the reader will skim over it within 3 seconds and either close, delete or unsubscribe from it.
Copywriting is a skill in itself, so if you don’t have someone who’s good at it, here are a few starting pointers.
Have a clear objective of what you want your email to achieve. Is it a client nurture or sales email? Once you have that decided you can map out the rest of the email, ensuring it follows a logical structure.
For example, a sales email will likely start with the problem your customer has, followed by how your business solves that problem and ends with a clear and valuable CTA, such as a discount or free consultation.
Now write as if you’re talking to a friend. Add some personality, relatability and fun into the copy. Write in a way where you would enjoy reading it (remember what we said about your B2B customers being people too?). Revise and tone it down where necessary, to be in line with your brand guidelines. I’ve always found it easier to scale back an email then to try and dress a dull one up.
Finally use short sentences and paragraphs, marketing emails aren’t novels, and your customers definitely don’t allocate any length of time to reading them, so get to the point!
Build an email list organically
This should probably be the first point because if you don’t have a good list, it doesn’t matter how well written your emails are, the right people aren’t seeing it, so it’s kind of pointless, no?
As a business you should have a database of your customers emails at the very least, but what you need to ensure legally is that they’ve opted in for marketing emails. Software and tools like Mailchimp allow you to do this and segment customers based on their opt-in preferences. If you try to do this manually, depending on the size of your list, it can quickly become an admin nightmare.
Another way of building a good list is creating ‘lead magnets’ where customers or potential customers provide their email address in exchange for an asset you’ve created. Often in the B2B landscape these will be guides, reports or white papers, that provide relevant insight on the industry you operate in – a valuable bit of content marketing too!
Do not be tempted to buy or acquire lists that have not opted in to receive your emails. It can damage your business reputation and get you blacklisted from many email servers, not to mention fined if you’re found to be breaking GDPR laws.
Email marketing is a powerful tool in the B2B world, but success depends on doing it right. If you keep in mind that your audience is still human, then you’re halfway there! Oh, and stay on the right side of the law too.
If you want help with your email marketing or copywriting, drop us a line, we’d love to chat through how we can support your B2B marketing strategy.
