Here’s a marketing truth: email is still one of the most effective ways to boost your B2B lead generation efforts.
The only catch? With so many emails flooding people’s inboxes, it’s often very easy for your value proposition to get lost in the noise. Why? Because the very matter of crafting effective emails hinges on a delicate balance of key features: the right subject line, the perfect message, the call-to-action that can’t be ignored. It can be tough to get it right. And if you don’t, it’s the dreaded ‘opt-out’ request or straight to the spam folder for that edition.
Easier said than done, indeed, because all of that essentially means that to get the valuable leads, your emails must be consistently creative, personal and compelling.
But digital marketing that works, is always based on structurally sound strategy. So, here are the 5 proven strategies that will help put you and your business on the front foot to getting your B2B email lead generation on point, with campaigns that tick all the conversion boxes.
Let’s strategise.
1: Build a High-quality Email List
For leads to be worthwhile, your intended inbox list must be comprised of recipients that will be likely seeking your message and business intent. Here’s what you do:
Leverage LinkedIn
When it comes to generating leads for your B2B business, LinkedIn is an absolute goldmine. Not only is it a great way to connect with potential customers, but it’s also the perfect platform for building relationships and networking with other professionals in your industry. And the best part? You can easily add your new connections to your email list and start nurturing those leads right away.
There’s a Tool For Everything – Even Email List Building
Before you hit send on your next email blast, make sure your list is squeaky clean with the help of email verification tools. These nifty applications can help you check the validity of each email address on your list, so you can avoid the dreaded bounce-backs and keep your sender reputation in good standing. Plus, they can also help you identify inactive or invalid email addresses and remove them from your list, so you’re only targeting people who are actually interested in hearing from you.
Segmentation is Success
Once you’ve got a solid email list in place, it’s time to get strategic with your messaging. That’s where list segmentation comes in. By dividing your list into smaller, targeted groups based on factors like job title, company size, or industry, you can craft more personalised and relevant emails that speak directly to your audience’s pain points and interests. And as we all know, the more relevant your emails are, the more likely your prospects are to engage with them.
More on segmentation later in the article.
2: Craft a Compelling Email Copy
Your email copy is your bread and butter here. But this isn’t door-to-door selling – you can’t shake hands with your prospective, or casually discuss the weather. Your copy must be gripping off the bat, and then effectively do the selling for you. Higher open rates and more conversions depend on it.
But while crafting the most effective copy is by no means a simple matter, there are some steps that – if consistently applied – can help you ensure enhanced engagement in your campaigns.
Personalise
Personalisation is a little bit of a magic bullet. It’s extremely simple to employ, but also highly effective in the value it adds to your email, from the reader’s perspective.
First of all, use your recipient’s name in the greeting. It’s a very simple touch that can go a long way in making your email feel more personal and less like part of a generic, mass send. You can also reference their company or industry in your email to show that you’ve done your homework and understand their business needs.
Be Concise
Another tip for crafting engaging emails is to keep them concise. People are busy and don’t have time to read through long, rambling emails. So, focus on the most important information and keep your language simple and straightforward. Avoid using too much industry jargon or technical language that your recipient might not understand.
The Final Touch – An Actionable CTA
Your call-to-action (CTA) should be specific, actionable, and tell your recipient what you want them to do next. Whether it’s scheduling a demo, downloading a free resource, signing up for a trial, or just clicking to find out more about you, make sure your CTA is clear and prominent.
3: Use Email Automation Tools
Automation is the way of now, and the future, so it must be baked-in to every campaign strategy.
Drip Campaigns
Firstly, set up drip campaigns, which are a series of automated emails that are sent over a specific period. These campaigns can move leads through the sales funnel and provide them with relevant information.
Autoresponders
Secondly, use autoresponders, which are automated emails that are sent in response to specific actions, such as filling out a contact form or downloading a white paper. These emails can help you stay in touch with potential leads and provide them with valuable information.
A/B Testing
Lastly, make sure to use A/B testing. A/B testing allows you to send two variations of an email to a small group of people to see which one performs better. Once you determine which email performs better, you can send that version to the rest of your email list. This can help you improve your open and click-through rates, which are essential for the success of your B2B email lead generation process.
A quick caveat – the ‘automation’ factor adds a tricky dynamic. It’s primarily a necessity that saves time and money and streamlines your business processes, with valuable data as a by-product that provides crucial insight into how to make your campaigns better. But it’s also potentially a depersonalising factor that many savvy recipients may not appreciate. However, in your strategy, it’s simply a matter of never becoming the ‘bot.’ Keep all email communications personal and direct, and use automation as a tool, not a crutch.
4: Optimise Your Email Sending Frequency
When it comes to email marketing, finding the right balance of frequency can be a challenge. You don’t want to overwhelm your potential leads with too many emails, but you also don’t want to slip from their collective mindset either.
There’s a science to email sending frequency:
Segmenting, Again
Simply put, sending the right messages to the right people.
To get started with segmentation, you’ll need to analyse your email engagement data to identify your most and least engaged subscribers. You can use metrics like open and click-through rates to determine engagement levels. Once you have this data, you can create segments based on engagement levels and adjust your email sending frequency accordingly.
For example, let’s say you have a group of leads who have consistently engaged with your emails over the past few months. These are your most engaged subscribers, and they may be receptive to receiving more frequent emails from you. On the other hand, you may have a group of leads who haven’t opened any of your emails in the past 30 days. These leads are less engaged, and you may want to send them fewer emails – unwanted noisiness does much to damage a recipient’s perception of you.
Segmentation is a powerful tool, but it’s important to remember that it’s not a one-time task. You should continually monitor your engagement data and adjust your segments and sending frequency as needed. By doing so, you can stay in tune with your audience’s changing needs and preferences and keep your B2B email lead generation process on track.
Testing, Again
Testing different frequencies can help you determine the optimal sending frequency for your email list. It’s important to keep in mind that there is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to email frequency. What works for one business may not work for another. That’s why testing is so important.
When testing different frequencies, it’s also important to pay attention to the content of your emails. For example, if you’re sending a lot of promotional emails, your subscribers may start to tune them out. On the other hand, if you’re providing valuable content, your subscribers may be more receptive to more frequent emails.
It’s also important to keep in mind the preferences of your subscribers. Some people may prefer to receive emails every day, while others may only want to hear from you once a month. By testing different frequencies and monitoring your open and click-through rates, you can gain a better understanding of what works best for your audience.
Overall, email sending frequency, like any good experiment, will be determined by the data. And that’s the perfect segue into our final, most crucial strategy: interpreting and using data to better your campaigns.
5: Analyse Your Email Metrics
Analysing your email metrics is crucial for identifying areas where you can improve your B2B email lead generation process. By tracking your open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates, you can see how your emails are performing and adjust your strategy accordingly. These are the metrics that combine to paint you a clearer picture of your overall campaign success, or lack thereof:
Open Rates
The first metric to track is open rate – the indicator of how many people are opening your emails. If your open rates are low, it’s a sign that your subject line or sender name may need to be improved. Your subject line is the first thing your recipient sees, so it’s important to make it catchy and compelling enough to entice them to open the email. Your sender name should also be recognisable and trustworthy to increase the likelihood of your email being opened.
Click-through Rates
The second metric to track is click-through rates – how many people are clicking on the links in your emails. If your click-through rates are low, it may be a sign that your email copy or call-to-action needs to be improved. To increase your click-through rates, make sure your email copy is concise, easy to read, and highlights the value of your offer. Your call-to-action should be clear and prominently displayed, making it easy for your recipient to take action.
Conversion Rates
The third metric to track is conversion rates – how many people are taking the desired action after clicking on a link in your email. If your conversion rates are low, it may be a sign that your landing page or offer needs to be improved. Your landing page should be relevant to the email content and provide a clear value proposition. Your offer should also be compelling enough to encourage your recipient to take action, whether it’s filling out a form, making a purchase, or scheduling a call.
Bringing it back to the crux of the matter – you have B2B email campaigns in place, interest is there, but it’s lukewarm at best, and certainly not consistent. These are the features to a more focused B2B email strategy – work them into your campaign builds, and the reliable leads will come.
And as always Superhuman Sales is standing by to help you streamline and improve your targeted email lead generation.