The Ultimate Guide to B2B Email Marketing

Could email help you promote your business more effectively?

Business-to-business (B2B) email marketing is a powerful tool to nurture leads and make sales for your business. However, you can’t get the results you want by simply sending mass emails and hoping for the best. To succeed, you’ll need to be strategic.

Effective B2B email marketing focuses on personalization, segmentation, and providing value to your target audience. If you concentrate on these three elements, you can collect and nurture leads, increase sales, and build strong relationships between your customers and your brand.

But the real power of email lies in the ability to track key metrics such as open rates and click-through rates. This data can help you refine and optimize your email campaigns, to get the maximum impact and ROI from your email efforts.

In a world where every marketing dollar counts, B2B email marketing is a game-changer that should not be overlooked.

B2B Email Marketing: How Does it Work?

First and foremost, B2B email marketing relies on well-crafted email campaigns. You want to create emails that will capture the attention of your potential leads and guide them through the sales funnel. The key is to create compelling content that resonates with your target audience and provides value.

One of the advantages of B2B email marketing is its ability to generate and nurture leads. When you focus on specific industries or job titles, you can reach the people who are most likely to be interested in what you offer. Once you’ve built a targeted email list, you can follow up to build relationships with potential customers over time, gradually turning them into loyal supporters of your brand.

So, by using B2B email marketing strategically, you can significantly enhance your chances of success.

The Power of B2B Email Marketing in Driving Business Success

How effective is email marketing for B2B? Here are a few eye-opening statistics that demonstrate the power of email.

Email Marketing Revenue Is Rising

Since 2020, revenue from email marketing has been climbing steadily, and experts predict that by 2025, it will hit a whopping $13.69 billion. Mind-blowing, right? Just to give you some context, in 2020, it was a mere $7.5 billion. That's some serious growth!

Email Engagement: The Most Valuable Metric

Most B2B companies (75%) make it a point to measure how their content is doing, and a whopping 64% believe that measuring email engagement has given them the most valuable insights in the past year.

81% of B2B Marketers Depend on Email

Email newsletters were cited as one of the top three forms of B2B content marketing in a recent study by Content Marketing Institute, with an overwhelming 81% of B2B marketers saying they use email newsletters to reach their target audience.

Email Newsletters: The Tool for Nurturing Leads

That same study found that email newsletters are the highest-performing method for B2B marketers to nurture leads. Email newsletters were named almost three times more often than any other type of content as the top performer in this realm.

Purchasing Decisions Made Via Email

A study by MarketingCharts revealed that B2B buyers tend to read around 13 content pieces before making up their minds, and 41% cited vendor emails as the source they relied on to make buying decisions.

Meeting Goals with Email

In a 2021 study by HubSpot, the majority of B2B marketers (64%) say their email marketing strategy was effective for meeting business goals. (HubSpot Blog Research, 2021)

As you can see from these numbers, email is a powerful force in the world of B2B marketing and a top performer among companies that use it.

Segmentation and Personalization: How to Target the Right Audience with Tailored Messages

Reaching the right audience with tailored messages has become crucial for effective marketing. This is where segmentation and personalization techniques come into play. By segmenting your email lists based on various criteria such as demographics, referral source, purchase history, or customer preferences, you can create personalized emails that resonate with your target audience.

Segmentation allows you to divide your audience into smaller groups, enabling you to craft relevant content that addresses their specific needs and interests. By understanding your customers' preferences and behaviors, you can deliver messages that are more likely to capture their attention and drive engagement.

Personalized emails go beyond simply addressing recipients by their first name. They involve using data-driven insights to create highly targeted content that speaks directly to individuals.

Whether it's recommending products based on past purchases or sending exclusive offers tailored to specific segments, personalization helps build a stronger connection with your audience.

When you leverage segmentation and personalization in your email marketing strategy, you can ensure that each message resonates with the right people at the right time. This not only increases the chances of conversion but also enhances customer satisfaction and loyalty. So, take advantage of these techniques to deliver relevant and impactful content that leaves a lasting impression on your target audience.

Creating Compelling Email Content: Tips for Engaging B2B Audiences

When it comes to creating compelling email content for B2B audiences, there are a few key tips to keep in mind.

First and foremost, crafting attention-grabbing subject lines is crucial. B2B professionals receive numerous emails daily, so your subject line needs to stand out and pique their curiosity.

In addition to captivating subject lines, incorporating a strong call-to-action (CTA) is essential. Make it clear what action you want the reader to take and why it's beneficial for them.

Whether it's downloading a whitepaper, scheduling a demo, or signing up for a webinar, the CTA should be compelling and relevant. It’s a good practice to position your CTA early in your email, so it shows on screen without scrolling (or without scrolling much), then repeat it again at the end.

Storytelling can also play a powerful role in engaging B2B audiences. By weaving narratives into your email content, you can create an emotional connection with readers and make your message more memorable. Sharing success stories or case studies that demonstrate the value of your product or service can be particularly effective.

When you’re doing direct selling, be sure to address your reader directly, as “you,” and focus on helping them imagine the benefits they might experience from your product or service, rather than simply listing your features.

For example, instead of saying “Our app can automate your communication so you get fewer phone calls and messages,” try “You’ll be able to work in peace, without interruption, while our app handles routine messages and phone calls for you.”

Always highlight the unique value proposition that sets your offering apart from competitors. B2B buyers are looking for solutions that solve their specific pain points and deliver tangible results. Clearly communicate how your product or service addresses these needs and delivers value.

By incorporating these tips into your email content strategy, you can effectively engage B2B audiences and increase the likelihood of conversions and business opportunities.

Email Automation: Streamlining your B2B Email Marketing Efforts for Efficiency and Scalability

Email automation tools allow you to streamline your B2B email marketing efforts, making them more efficient and scalable. With features like drip campaigns, autoresponders, and lead nurturing sequences, you can set up automated workflows that deliver targeted messages to your prospects at the right time.

Drip campaigns enable you to send a series of pre-scheduled emails to your leads over a specific period. This ensures consistent communication and keeps your brand top-of-mind. Autoresponders automatically send personalized responses to incoming emails or trigger actions based on specific events or triggers.

Lead nurturing sequences are designed to guide your leads through the buyer's journey by delivering relevant content based on their interests and behaviors. By automating this process, you can provide a personalized experience for each prospect without manual intervention.

For example, you could send announcements about your newest product to customers who’ve bought something similar in the past. Or you might send a follow-up email to a new customer inviting their feedback.

You could even send a discount offer to subscribers who’ve abandoned items in their shopping carts, or send a special sale-closing email to people who’ve been opening your emails for months but haven’t become customers yet. Automation lets you do all this and more.

By utilizing email automation tools effectively, you can save time, increase productivity, and improve the overall effectiveness of your B2B email marketing efforts. So why not take advantage of these powerful tools to streamline your processes and achieve greater efficiency and scalability?

Why Trust Us? Lauren Haas has been marketing businesses for 30 years, and currently helps small businesses and nonprofits through her own boutique content marketing firm, Main Street Marketing Mix. 

Email Marketing For B2B: Key Statistics

Measuring the effectiveness of your B2B email campaigns is crucial for understanding their impact and optimizing future efforts. By utilizing the right email marketing metrics, such as open rates, click-through rates (CTR), and conversion tracking, you can gain valuable insights into the performance of your campaigns.

Here are some important metrics to keep in mind:

• Engagement Rates: This metric measures how actively recipients interact with your emails. It includes actions like opening the email, clicking on links, or replying. A high engagement rate indicates that your content resonates well with the audience.

• Open Rates: The open rate represents the percentage of recipients who open your email. It's a crucial metric as it reflects how effective your subject line and preheader are in grabbing attention. A higher open rate suggests that your audience finds your emails compelling enough to open and read them.

• Click-through Rates (CTR): CTR measures the percentage of recipients who click on links within your emails. This metric helps you assess the effectiveness of your call-to-action (CTA) and content relevance. A higher CTR indicates that your audience is actively engaging with your email content.

• Conversion Rates: The conversion rate shows the percentage of recipients who take a desired action after clicking through from an email, such as making a purchase or filling out a form. Tracking this metric helps determine whether your emails are driving meaningful results.

Remember that these statistics may vary depending on factors like industry, target audience, and the quality of your email list.

To improve these metrics, consider implementing best practices such as personalization, segmentation based on buyer personas or behavior, compelling subject lines and CTAs, mobile optimization, and A/B testing to refine your campaigns further.

Keep monitoring these key statistics regularly to gauge the effectiveness of your B2B email marketing efforts over time and make data-driven decisions for continuous improvement.

Beyond the Inbox: Integrating B2B Email Marketing with Other Channels for Maximum Impact

To truly maximize your email marketing B2B efforts, it's crucial to integrate your email campaigns with other channels using an omnichannel marketing strategy.

One effective way to do this is by integrating your B2B email marketing with social media platforms. By leveraging the power of social media, you can expand your reach and engage with a wider audience. Sharing your email content on platforms like LinkedIn or Twitter can help drive traffic back to your website and increase brand visibility.

Creating dedicated landing pages for specific campaigns allows you to provide a seamless user experience and capture valuable leads. By directing recipients from your emails to targeted landing pages, you can enhance conversion rates and tailor messaging based on their interests or needs.

Remarketing campaigns also play a vital role in reinforcing your message across multiple channels. By utilizing tools like Google Ads or Facebook Pixel, you can retarget users who have engaged with your emails but haven't taken any further action. This strategic approach keeps your brand top-of-mind and encourages prospects to revisit your website or take the desired conversion action.

Here’s a particularly powerful mix that takes advantage of the top channels for each phase of the marketing funnel, according to Content Marketing Institute’s research:

1. Build brand awareness through blog posts, social media, and in-person events.

2. Secure leads at in-person events, webinars & online events, or by offering ebooks and guides.

3. Nurture leads with an email newsletter, blog posts, and case studies.

4. Convert your leads at in-person events, webinars & online events, or by sharing case studies.

Want an example of how you can build a strategy based on this research? Suppose your business is marketing bookkeeping software for nonprofits. Your marketing funnel might look like this:

1. Create brand awareness with a series of blog posts and social media posts answering common questions a nonprofit manager might ask.

2. Gather leads at an in-person or online event aimed at helping nonprofits understand finance and taxes.

3. Nurture those leads with a regular newsletter, offering useful information that helps them raise funds and manage their books while they learn to trust your company.

4. To convert those leads, periodically share an email with a case study of a nonprofit that has benefitted from your software. Include a strong CTA that points to a well-designed landing page to close the sale.

Here’s a real-life example: Jasper Pollack publishes a B2B newsletter on the beehiiv platform. Pollack has been using Twitter to send leads to a landing page where they sign up for the newsletter. In one month, Pollack says, 45% of his email subscribers came from Twitter.

By implementing an omnichannel approach that integrates social media, landing pages, and remarketing campaigns, you can amplify the impact of each channel and achieve maximum results for your business.

Best Practices: B2B Email Marketing tips

When it comes to B2B email marketing, there are some research-based practices that can help you achieve better results. By following these tips and learning from real-life case studies, you can create impactful email campaigns that resonate with your target audience.

• Keep your subject line between 28 to 39 characters. According to Buffer, 28-50 characters is the sweet spot for making a strong showing in your audience’s inboxes. 28-39 characters is even better since this length shows up well on mobile devices.

• Write a 40-100 character preheader. According to Campaign Monitor, this is the ideal length to entice readers to open your messages.

• Use 1-3 images. Constant Contact has analyzed over 2 million emails and discovered that click-through is dramatically improved by adding at least one image, but more than three images reduce CTR significantly.

• Your email copy should be short and sweet. A brief copy (between 50 and 125 words) gives the highest possible response rate. You may not want to keep your newsletters that short, but when you’re looking to close the deal, a brief copy performs better.

• Send 1-5 messages per month. According to CoSchedule’s research, B2B customers respond best when they hear from you on a weekly to monthly basis.

Does that mean every email you send should be under 125 words and have just one image? Not necessarily. For example, if you’re sending a newsletter packed with informative, personalized content for your readers, it might be quite a bit longer and include multiple images.

However, when you’re asking for a sale or action on the part of your reader, you should send short, simple messages that focus on a single topic.

Email Marketing B2B Lead Generation: Getting Started

Getting started with B2B lead generation through email marketing requires careful planning and strategizing. One of the first steps is to build a solid email list consisting of your target audience. This can be done through various methods such as website sign-ups, lead magnets, or networking events.

Once you have your email list in place, create a schedule to send weekly or monthly emails to your readers. It’s also a good practice to create a customized template that will make it easy for you to create consistent, highly readable content for each email.

Next, focus on writing compelling subject lines that grab the attention of your recipients. A catchy subject line increases the chances of your emails being opened and read. Additionally, personalizing the content of your emails based on the recipient's industry or pain points can greatly improve engagement and response rates.

Building relationships and trust is key in B2B lead generation. Provide valuable content that addresses your audience's needs and challenges. Offering industry insights or exclusive resources can help establish credibility and position yourself as an expert in your field.

Do not forget to track and analyze the performance of your email campaigns. Pay attention to open rates, click-through rates, and conversions to identify what strategies are working effectively for generating leads. Adjusting your approach based on data-driven insights will help you optimize future campaigns for maximum results in B2B lead generation through email marketing.

Elevate Your B2B Marketing Strategy with Effective Email Campaigns

Incorporating effective email campaigns into your B2B marketing strategy can significantly boost your overall marketing efforts. Email campaigns provide a direct and personalized way to engage with your target audience, build relationships, and drive conversions.

By implementing strategies such as segmenting your email list, crafting compelling and relevant content, optimizing for mobile devices, and leveraging automation tools, you can maximize the impact of your email campaigns. These strategies will help you deliver the right message to the right people at the right time.

Remember that successful B2B email campaigns require careful planning, testing, and analysis. Continuously monitor key metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates to gauge the effectiveness of your campaigns. Make data-driven adjustments to continuously optimize your approach.

beehiiv offers built-in tools to help you with every step of the process, from scaling your audience to A/B testing your subject lines. Your beehiiv dashboard lets you write, personalize, automate, and send powerful, persuasive emails and track the metrics you need to keep honing your approach. Give beehiiv a try today and elevate your B2B email marketing.