The Future of Email Marketing in B2B.

Email marketing is over 20 years old already, but it still plays a major role in modern business. As a matter of fact, this communication channel is getting increasingly important as reports reveal that for every $1 spent on email marketing $44 is made in return, which makes it a highly profitable marketing tool. According to the DMA, 73% of customers prefer to use email when communicating with companies.

However, email marketing is constantly developing and you can’t expect to acquire new subscribers using old and obsolete content creation tactics. On the contrary, you need to learn how to combine traditional and digital techniques in order to grab the attention of the target audience.

Marketers may claim email marketing is dead, but more people continue to use email over social media. In fact, only ~74% of internet users use social media, whereas 89.6% of internet users send an email at least once per month.

Some astonishing B2B Email Marketing Statistics –
1. Email is the third most influential source of information for B2B audiences, behind only colleague recommendations and industry-specific thought leaders.
2. 86% of business professionals prefer to use email when communicating for business purposes.
3. CTRs are 47% higher for B2B email campaigns than B2C email campaigns.
59% of B2B marketers say email is their most effective channel in terms of revenue generation.
4. 56 percent of brands using emoji in their email subject lines had a higher open rate, according to a report by Experian.
5. Tuesday is the best day of the week to send an email (according to 10 email marketing studies).
6. The number of email users worldwide is forecasted to rise to 2.9 billion by 2019.

Key Benefits of Email Marketing –

Many Marketers believe that email marketing is almost dead now. Is it? Just in case you still believe this channel is a thing of the past, check out the key benefits of email usage for business purposes:

Cost efficiency: We mentioned already that email marketing is delivering an incredible ROI and other channels of promotion can hardly ever compete with it.

Accessibility: Email is recognized as the legitimate means of professional communication, which is why almost 4 billion people use it globally.

Simplicity: Another reason why email is so popular is its simplicity. The technology is easy to use and therefore widespread all over the world.

Brand awareness: You can use this marketing platform to raise brand awareness and build a solid base of loyal followers.

Analytics: It is very easy to measure the results of email marketing efforts, so you can quickly upgrade the strategy to come up with more effective solutions.
Three ways to make email marketing set for the future:
1. Set Goals –
Setting the correct goal for an email campaign is essential. These have to align with the aims of the organization as a whole, improve upon what has gone before and constantly be measured against so they stay on track.

In a data-driven sector, it can be tempting to set goals based on achieving numbers – open rates or click-throughs, for example. However, setting goals based on the desired customer outcome – more self-service online, improved first-time delivery rates – can be more useful and impactful.

2. Respect the consumers’ trust and preferences –
There is no getting away from the fact that email is also seen as one of the prime suspects when it comes to spam and misuse of customer data. Marketers recognize that to maintain the precious relationship and trust built up with consumers, their use of email has to be unimpeachable. Salesforce’s ebook states that this involves gaining explicit permission, sending quality content but also knowing when to let the disengaged go.

3. Design it simple –
Don’t overload your layout with flashy graphics, huge fonts, and other in-your-face items. Keep your layout clean and simple. Your layout should look professional and easy to navigate. An overly busy layout will turn your recipients off and send your email campaign or newsletter right into the trash file.

Conclusion

Email is the undisputed king of B2B marketing and will continue to be in the future as well provided it’s not overused. Email may be one of the oldest forms of digital marketing, but it’s definitely not obsolete. On the contrary, it still has the power to make or break your business, so you better prepare for the coming trends and embrace the state of the art tactics in this field.

When it comes to B2B email marketing, it’s all about the quality of the content you deliver to your audience. This is easier said than done, as the perceived value of your content will differ between prospects. Even an ultra-targeted email list will contain industry-related contacts sitting at different stages of the sales cycle.

Remember…

“Make it simple. Make it Memorable. Make it inviting to look at. Make it fun to read.”

Thank you.