While there’s certainly a lot that B2B marketers can learn from B2C marketers, when it comes to email marketing, there are some important nuances to keep in mind. In short, B2B marketers need to make certain changes that reflect the reality of selling products and services to key business decision-makers rather than consumers.
#1: Check the “FROM” header
First and most importantly, B2B buyers expect to receive emails from “people” not from “businesses.” Check the “FROM” header in the email – is your email being sent out from a generic corporate account, or is it being sent from a person, like the VP of Sales?
Using an email marketing software provider like Pure 360, it’s possible to take advantage of some powerful email automation tools to send out exactly the right message from the right decision-maker. That solves the embarrassing problem of having a potential buyer not knowing whom to contact for a potential sale.
#2: Personalize for each step of the B2B sales journey
B2B buyers also expect a different level of personalization than what you would typically find in a B2C email. While a B2C email will be targeted and personalized by product type and demographic group, a B2B email will be targeted and personalized according to where the buyer is on the sales journey. This sales journey is much longer and complex than the one required for selling relatively low-dollar consumer items, and it’s important to be able to move the buyer along this path in an organic manner.
For example, there are different types of content that you can include in the email. For someone at the beginning of the sales journey, news items related to the product or industry might be helpful. For someone in the middle of the sales journey, more educational information about how to use the product and the potential ROI of the product could be more useful. And for someone near the end of sales journey – a final case study or two from a relevant industry might be all that’s needed to solidify the sale.
#3: Optimize when you send the message
There are certain times of the day and week when B2B email marketing messages are most likely to find their way to a key decision-maker. Two of the best times of the day to send out messages are mid-day and just before 5:00 pm. Messages that appear too early in the morning are likely to be overlooked (or deleted), while messages after 5:00om are likely to be pushed off until later.
That’s in sharp contrast to B2C email messages, which appear at all times of the day and night – and especially on weekends, when consumers are more likely to be in a shopping mindset. That’s why it makes sense to experiment with email marketing packages, such as those offered by e-mail intelligence company Tower Data, which can give you a much finer-grain look at when emails are being opened, by whom, and which messages tend to be more successful.
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The bottom line: If you’re looking to optimize the results of your B2B email marketing campaigns, it’s worth keeping in mind the nuances between B2B and B2C email marketing. By doing so, you’ll be able to optimize your email open and click-through rates.
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Dane
Dane Cobain is a published author, freelance writer, book blogger, poet and (occasional) musician from High Wycombe, UK. Before going freelance, he worked as a social media marker, now specialising in writing about publishing, technology and marketing.