As one of the most used marketing channels, emails have been long used by brands and companies for communicating with their customers, whether that’s through updates, discount offers, newsletters, and many more are just some of the messages that are conveyed to clients, but the success of email marketing can go well beyond reaching potential (or existing) customers. It can also be a powerful tool for B2B companies that are trying to reach prospect clients or offer their services to other companies.
However, in 2023, reaching someone’s inbox folder doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ve grabbed their attention. On the contrary, since we’re bombarded everyday with an average of more than 120 emails per day (according to Forbes) we have to make sure we’re implementing the best strategy to stand out from the crowd, or even your competitors.
That’s why coming up with a creative and captivating B2B email marketing strategy is key, and emails can be used not only to target already existing leads but also to create new ones. Here you’ll find some commonly used communication types and other tips on how to get the best out of your b2b email marketing.
Monthly updates emails
For starters, B2B websites should aim to send out at least one communication per month to their whole database. In fact, in your B2B email marketing strategy, a ensures that those, such as SEO for B2B companies or content marketing, are always remembered by their database of clients and prospects. You never know if a company that’s already on your client roster for PPC might be looking for a new B2B SEO consultant or vice-versa, and by doing so you make sure you’re reminding them of all the different skills your team has.
Clean layout and simple communication
Keeping it short and sweet is also an aspect to keep in mind, especially when targeting B2B ecommerce companies: they are probably sending out many communications to their customers, hence making them more experts at email marketing than other types of companies. We all can agree that when receiving offers via emails we appreciate straightforwardness and a clean layout.
Focus on what your audience likes
Thematic emails are always a win, because chances of the receiving audience engaging with the message are way higher than on other occasions. For example, if you or your B2B SEO agency decide to run a social media campaign based on website migrations, then all the email leads that have been generated through that campaign already have something in common – they’re interested in knowing more about that topic and/or service. That’s why it’s important to differentiate your types of b2b marketing, so you can aim more precisely at people or companies that have a bigger possibility of being interested in what you’re saying. If they have already shown interest in said topic, then segmenting them into a specific audience means that if you keep on addressing those themes will eventually lead to converting one of those leads into a request for an audit or a quote.
Smart updates
If you’re a platform, then you must be familiar with product updates email. They can either be sent to the whole list of subscribers or to those who have “hearted” a specific product – either way they’re such a quick and efficient way of getting a couple irons in the fire… and hopefully get that purchase going! In this case, we really think this kind of email can be one of the best B2B marketing tools.
Keep it relevant
Seasonal or holiday-centred emails are another way of getting in touch with your customer base in a more organic and less sales-focused way. Especially when it comes to a B2B international businesses, keeping up with country specific celebrations is a must in order to connect with your audience and remind them of your offerings. These types of emails can be a fun way to raise your brand awareness, so make sure that when evaluating different B2B marketing strategies you keep track of the relevant events calendar!
Position yourself as an industry source
If you’re an agency offering B2B seo services or any other kind of digital marketing services, a type of communication that we’ve found to be successful to close leads via email marketing is with report emails. By that we mean communications that offer your prospect clients a different type of content than your services or products, such as end of year reports, state of the market reports and other insights. With this kind of communication your audience that can actually consume the content, and that can not only be a helpful read but also an interesting one! You’ll pop in their head when their thinking or discussing relevant themes and you’ll position your brand as a leader in the market.
Two (sometimes) is better than one
Last but not least, we have A/B testing. This is a more technical strategy, and it has proven to be extremely effective when trying to close leads because in writing and sending two different styles of communication you can get a better understanding of what resonates best with your audience. After sending the first test, in fact, you can analyse the initial report of open rates, CTR and other key metrics that you’re looking at. You can then target those who haven’t engaged or interacted with your email with a message that follows the guidelines of the more successful send.
Now that we’ve had a quick look at some email marketing types and strategies, we can definitely agree that this is one of the best marketing channels for your company. Its efficiency has been proven over time and as a “side-effect” it’s also a tool that allows you to showcase your b2b branding and overall business tone of voice, which somehow humanises your communications and therefore can be another key factor in closing leads.
Don’t forget that you can make sending emails even more successful if you pay attention to what the best tools and software you need are. Your email strategy will work even better if paired with a complete and strategically inclusive SEO and content strategy. At POLARIS we love to have an integrated approach and believe that when all aspects of digital marketing work together the growth and results you’ll see in your business are unmatched. Get in touch if you need guidance in growing your business or send us an email at info@polarisagency.com.
Ludovica has worked in communications for over 5 years, specializing in social media and PR. She has planned and executed influencer and PR campaigns, found innovative partnerships, increased awareness and driven a brand’s digital presence. She loves applying a creative and strategic approach to all the projects and has been able to do so thanks to a mix of experience working with agencies and in-house for forward-thinking brands.
