What is B2B?
“B2B” stands for “Business to Business”. The term refers to all those businesses and companies that offer goods and services that aid other businesses. These are businesses that offer the “parts” to other businesses which help the “sum” to be greater than the parts.
One example of a product of quintessential B2B market is in automobile manufacturing. While everybody is informed of automobile brands, in every model of car or SUV or truck they produce are several parts/components which are produced by other companies. When you buy a car of a particular make, you are also buying parts and devices which are manufactured by innumerable other companies.
B2B can be differentiated from B2C (Business to Consumer) types in which businesses aim at an individual consumer and C2B (Consumer to Business) enterprises where a user offers products/services to a company. While a B2B company offers raw materials, finished parts, services and consultation which help another company grow, progress and profit.
Thus, the target audience of a B2B company is usually a collective; a group who are decision-makers and influencers and who have a say in the prospects of a business deal. This being the case, B2B marketing campaigns require careful planning and extensive research. Unlike in a B2C transaction where a consumer makes a purchase within moments, a B2B business deal happens over a longer period and with considerable deliberation. It is necessary that a B2B company spends enough time and efforts in studying the clients’ needs and demands, builds a rapport and relationship with the client before going in for the sales pitch. The challenge that a B2B marketing team faces is convincing the client that their products and services will yield a substantial ROI.
Email Marketing
One of the vital cogs in the wheel for B2B marketing is Email marketing campaigns.
According to Statista, in 2018, there were 3.8 billion registered email users worldwide. This number is predicted to jump to 4.4 billion users in 2023.
Some of the facts and figures overwhelmingly in favor of using email marketing to promote your B2B business:
- 93% of B2B marketers use e-mail.
- 72% of customers prefer email as their main channel for business communication.
- 83% of B2B companies use email newsletters as part of their content marketing program
- 40% of B2B marketers say these newsletters are most critical to their content marketing success.
- According to a study, 50% of the respondents revealed that email is their most preferred way to receive updates from brands they follow.
- Of all the digital marketing strategies, Emails have shown the highest average ROI (Return on Investment). According to an estimate, ROI through email marketing is $42 for every $1 spent i.e. a ROI of 4200%.
Email Marketing Strategies for Increased Engagement
Initial step in email marketing is to finalize your B2B marketing list or B2B email list. Once you have that in place, there are various methods in which you may undertake your email marketing campaign.
Arresting Subject Line
Whether it is on a laptop or a tab or a mobile, the first thing that gets noticed when you send out an email is the subject line. Make your headline enticing and eye-catching. Make it irresistible for the subscribers to scroll away without clicking to open your email. Even as you make the headline absorbing, keep it relevant and useful for the customers.
Be Concise
Like any average Joe, members of your targeted email list too have their own commitments and life to lead. You can’t let your email content look bulky and unwieldy. People today have very short attention spans. You need to keep your messages short-and-sweet and still convey what you want to. Brevity is of great utility when you want to keep the subscribers engrossed. They are sure to return asking for more.
Attractive Content
When the mails to your B2B mailing list contain images, animated gifs, graphics or videos, they are bound to pique the curiosity of your customers. Even your text messages could make do with appealing phrases and catchy lines. It is your responsibility to offer quality material to subscribers who have chosen to open and read your mails. Always make your email something to look forward to, for your customers.
Personalize Your Email
Your B2B marketing list would contain subscribers who are your loyal customers and prospects. Most of the members of the mailing list would be familiar with your products and services and you in turn would be informed of their likes and tastes. Therefore, it would be incumbent upon you to formulate your emails with a personal touch. Your customers are bound to feel you are talking to them on a one-to-one basis even through a group mail. This results in greater chances of your B2B email list members getting emails that they like and thus building a stronger bond with your business.
Segmentation of Email Lists
You can segment your targeted email list on the basis of demographic details like age, gender, profession, location et al. Once you have your B2B email list thus classified, it is much simpler to send emails which are customized as per the demands and preferences of customers in each list. This is another variation of personalization of emails.
Email Automation
This is a fantastic means of reaching out to your targeted email list.
Email automation is the procedure of sending a business or commercial message en masse. Through this step, you can reach out to the entire group of subscribers (existing and prospective clients) on your entire mailing list in one go.
( For more info on the topic, please refer the article in this link: Strategy for success in b2b marketing )
You can create user profiles, utilize A/B test results with subject lines, measure email conversions, monitor open and click rates and increase your overall ROI through email automation.
Call-to-Action that is Effective
While your emails to targeted email list are aimed towards engaging your subscribers, you also need certain emails which interact with them. You need to include a clear and prominent call-to-action which prods and provokes your customers to click through and visit your website.
As a follow-up, you need to probe whether your customers can spot your call-to-action and does your email copy prod a click from them.
Made for Mobiles
According to a study, people check their emails at a much higher frequency with their mobiles than they used to earlier. You need to design your emails keeping in mind their mobile optimization aspect. This increases the efficacy of your messages and makes for better engagement with your B2B email list of subscribers.
Variety
If your emails to targeted email list of customers have a monotonous feel to them, it may veer them off opening your mails. Get innovative and experiment with the content of your emails to keep your customers intrigued and interested. As it is said, variety is the spice of life.
Coda
Emails are one of the most convenient forms of one-to-one communication. B2B marketers understand the power of email communication when it comes to interacting with their customers. Emails offer flexibility and a plethora of methods with which to engage your customers. B2B marketing and emails are a great example for a perfectly matched combination.
