It’s cheap, it’s customers’ favorite communication channel – what better reason is there to send one (even two) email marketing campaigns each day! But when you come to think of it, you are not the only B2B marketer to come up with this brilliant idea. End result: recipients once willing to opt-in to new campaigns are growing frustrated with hundreds of marketing emails crowding their inboxes. No wonder they choose to unsubscribe more often these days or even report spam.
Email Marketing thy Problem, Email Marketing thou Solution
In a recent report, Marketing Sherpa stated that 91% B2B clients prefer to receive marketing content from their business affiliates via email. Customer engagement fails when marketers try to over-utilize this fact to their advantage. Surely, that is not the only reason.
Why email recipients disengage?
– The customer may have lost interest in the type of products/services.
– Switching businesses is also a common incident amongst B2B clients. Consequently, their needs will also change.
– Email campaigns might not meet their expectations. Specific reasons can vary from the quality of content, technical failures to frequency of campaigns, incoherent approach etc.
– They might find your competitor brands more interesting.
Match Your Emails to Your Customers
Go to the root of your client’s dissatisfaction. Understand why the recipient agreed to accept your email marketing campaigns in the first place. Compare the present situation to that, and you will have a satisfaction goal chalked in front of you. Now, how to achieve your engagement targets? Why not use the cause of problems to solve them – emails!
Personalize
Time, place, and person – these three essential criteria need to be check-listed every time you make content for email campaigns. And you have your product as your theme. Understand the most relevant factor that connects your product to your target group. Though, making a customized email for every individual in a thousand recipient list is quite cumbersome. Part the big group into smaller sub-groups with some common characteristics. Make one customized mail for each group. Add the option for addressing individual names in your email automation software.
Be Helpful
With so much data and information floating in the virtual space, expecting a recipient to read a pure promotional mail for the sake of promotion is like begging. Readers are looking for something useful – not only by product/service – but through the email itself. The undertone of your message should convey genuine concern for the reader. Provide helpful information and enriching collaterals with your promotional campaigns.
Mobile-friendly
In the era of smart phones and tablets, a read-only document rarely leaves any impression in readers’ minds. Be ready for the responsiveness challenge. Engage them right from the visual aspect of your emails. Make it a mixture of graphics and text with added links to main landing pages of your websites. Add options for re-directing readers to your other communication channels (social media, blogs etc.). Make your online presence felt.
Proper time to quit
A smart marketer knows when it’s the right time to let go of a customer. The ones who don’t, risk sounding like desperate, pushy salesmen. Your databases have thousands of uninterested prospects who can be converted with a little effort in your email marketing campaigns. Your time is no less valuable than your readers. Optimize its usage for maximum reach.
Opportunities in email marketing are limitless. Experience its full potential with Email Data Group. Contact us!
Amy John is a marketing executive with over 12 years of experience in the execution of marketing and lead generation strategies.