Not so long ago B2B marketing meant cold calling and sending out direct mail to build awareness and get in front of potential leads. Then, with the creation of the internet, companies and marketers were able send out simple messaging to a broad-spectrum of people. While these general email blasts may have satisfied the emerging habits in the early ages of digital, marketers now have more tools at their disposal to make their emails more effective, and in order for companies to launch a successful email campaign (and comply with CAN-SPAM laws), they need to keep these fundamentals in mind.
Microtargeting and Personalization
By harnessing the power of data collection and data mining, companies can shift their single audience, single message email marketing strategy to a strategy focused on microtargeting and email personalization. Your prospects simply do not want to read a general email that has no significance to them or where they are in the buying process. To get the most out of your email campaigns, the focus must be on sending the right message to the right person at the right time.
Microtargeting allows companies to explain complicated products or services to a small, hard-to-reach group of prospects. The concept is to take larger lists and break them down as small as possible based on demographic or behavioral data. This allows marketers to customize and personalize email campaigns, focusing on what matters most to that small group of decision-makers.
Additionally, personalization also needs to go beyond a simple insertion of the first name (i.e. “Dear {First Name}”). Using demographic and behavioral data collected during the buying process, marketing automation can be utilized to put a truly personal touch on email campaigns. For instance, sending links to relevant content based off which other content a user has already read or sending “you may also like” links based off a user’s buying history.
Tell Before You Sell
Our next tip comes from the saying “give, give, give, then ask.” One of the best ways to do that is through consistently providing educational and thought leadership content that provides value to decision makers during their buying journey. These types of pieces help position the company and its executives as industry experts by showcasing their knowledge, and influences prospects into looking at the company’s product/service as they move from the inquiry/analysis stage to the consideration and purchase stage of the buyer journey.
Set up Marketing Automation
As marketing has emerged into an integral part of a business’s success and strategy, it has developed into more than general content creation and messaging. Through data capture and interpretation, organizations can now send personalized messaging to leads via email automation and cadence creation. Establishing an email cadence allows marketers to set-up a series of interconnected emails to recipients based on their prior interaction, as well as nurture through constant communication without having to send one-off email blasts.
Keep It Simple and Straightforward
Our last tip for email success is to keep it simple and straightforward. While adding graphics and unique fonts can be fun, it can become overwhelming or worse, not render properly for the recipient. [bctt tweet=”In 2018, almost half of prospects opened their emails on mobile devices, and up to 75% of smartphone owners are likely to delete an email that does not render well.” username=”ROOT3marketing”] Less is truly more. We recommend using a simplified, single column format that streamlines the message and focuses on the call-to-action.
The power and influence of email marketing has grown with the emergence of new technologies. The ability to reach a potential clients’ inbox is as compelling as ever and will become even more powerful as technology and business habits continue to evolve. While the times have changes and the old, wild west mentality doesn’t work in today’s world, one thing still holds true about email marketing: it is not going anywhere anytime soon.
Interested in learning how ROOT3 can help your company with effective email marketing? Contact us today.
