Are your marketing emails nurturing your prospects or just taking up space in their already cluttered inbox? Follow these rules to ensure you stay in the “Primary” section of their inbox and at the top of their shortlist.
Whether you’re the zen master of an empty inbox or stand unflinching in the wake of 1,429 unread messages, you’re no stranger to the flood of emails every professional wades through each morning. It’s easy to see why: It’s an accessible, cost-effective way to reach out and connect — person-to-person. In fact, 59% of B2B companies consider email the most reliable channel for lead generation.
Except that’s the problem: Because so many firms find email to be the most reliable channel, you have to find your own ways to stand out from the crowd. That starts by being real. Too often, prospect nurturing emails don’t have a personal touch behind them. Whether they take on too much of a creepy, AI-generated tone or the messaging misses the mark, readers are adept at spotting irrelevance from a mile away, with their finger ever poised over the ‘Unsubscribe’ button.
To consistently reach and resonate with your ideal clients, you need to shift your email outreach strategy. Move away from overt sales language and toward relationship-building value. Much like you, savvy executives can see through automation b.s. What captures attention? Relevance, personalization, and real insights — every time.
SHIFT EMAIL MESSAGING FROM SELLING TO SHARING
Raise your hand if you’ve ever purchased a service from a cold sales email. Bueller? Bueller?
Right. We’re willing to bet the amount of people who buy a service offering through email newsletters or cold email sales pitches is close to zilch. If you’re guilty of sending blanket emails that go right to the sales pitch, and asking questions like, “Can you tell me who is in charge of _______at your company?” or “Pick from the list of topics below you’re most interested in…” we’ll forgive you. But it’s time to reverse course.
The reason such tactics fall flat is because they fail to make real connections — which are essential to creating business conversations and partnerships down the road. Selling a solution to a potential client before getting to know them and what they need stifles any chance of a relationship built on mutual understanding. It sends a message that you’re all about the transaction, not the possible transformation. Not that you have a unique POV on how to solve pressing issues. Not that you want to develop a relationship. And certainly not that you consider their success your success.
Rather than start with sales, shift to a mindset of always providing value: share your firm’s insights on how to approach pressing issues, walk through case studies, and give actionable strategies to overcome challenges your clients are facing. This is what your clients want to sit down and read with a fresh cup of coffee. This is what your clients want to buy.
When your content provides true assistance rather than promotions, it communicates an impactful message: “We have the right expertise and want to help you.”
PRIORITIZE PERSONALIZATION FOR EFFECTIVE EMAIL ENGAGEMENT
When it comes to effective email outreach, generic and one-size-fits-all emails aren’t cutting it. They come off as misguided at best, and amateur at worst. To give your email outreach a fighting chance at connecting with your ideal clients, put personalization first.
Here are a few ways to do this.
LEVERAGE DATA TO SPEAK TO YOUR PROSPECTS’ INTERESTS
Web analytics can tell you a lot about your audience. If one client frequently views your thought leadership articles with an emphasis on problem-solving, and another spends most of their time in your case studies, use that intel to fuel your next email marketing campaign.
Share related articles with the ones who are knee-deep in problem-solving mode. Or give case study connoisseurs a deeper understanding of the value you’ve delivered to past clients. Either way, putting a strategy behind your email content can separate you from the other potential firms.
SEGMENT EMAIL MARKETING LISTS BASED ON BUYER STAGE
Your email list contains prospects from all points in the customer journey. Some may have started researching solutions to a nagging challenge. Others may be looking for a partner to get them through a pressing issue STAT. The messages and thought leadership topics for these researchers and buyers should be different, pointedly addressing the answers they’re looking for.
Segmentation strategies are your best option here; categorize your audiences based on what you know about their place in the decision-making process. Awareness-level pieces are best suited for researchers, whereas case studies and articles highlighting your firm’s specific POV appeal to decision-makers. Delivering the right content that speaks to where they are in their journey starts your relationship on the right foot.
TAILOR CONTENT SPECIFIC TO ROLES
Let’s say you joined a local basketball league. You want to improve your jump shot, get some exercise, and have fun with your buddies. So when you get an email newsletter full of articles on tips for better clock management and recruiting strategies, you’re probably going to ignore it, right? Your audience is the same way. To not get sent to Spam, you have to tailor your content to resonate with your various audiences’ unique challenges and top priorities. Just like a casual basketball player will have different interests and needs from a coach, a marketing director will experience unique challenges from their CMO peers. Knowing your audience and serving them the content they’re looking for keeps you relevant and top of mind.
Trust is currency. The more personalization and value you can serve in your emails, the more faith you’ll compound with each open and click-through. And cultivating trust in an era of overwhelming B2B emails is an asset.
ELEVATE YOUR EMAIL MARKETING GAME WITH THESE STRATEGIES
Building a lean, mean email marketing machine takes time. And sometimes, despite the data, you’ll never know why one email resonated better than another one. One thing is for sure: You can keep improving your strategies with each send. Take these tips into consideration for your next few rounds of newsletters and one-off emails.
1. Don’t be pushy, be patient. If you’ve reached out to someone, perhaps sharing a piece of content you think would be salient, be patient. If you hear crickets after a week or two, we recommend being upfront and saying, “I’ll try reaching out again in two weeks if I don’t hear from you.” If you still don’t hear anything, close the loop with a patient, “It seems like now is not the time for a conversation. Let me know if anything changes.”
2. Ask for feedback. Sometimes the best way to use email is to ask for feedback. Do not sell, do not share your latest thought leadership article, just ask. We like to ask some firms who consistently open, read, and click through our newsletter what they get out of our content, or if there are other topics they would like to see. Engaging your audience is a great way to put the human behind the “From” line.
3. Be consistent and keep things simple. Assume your readers don’t have much time or energy to read your emails. Make things easy for them to consume with concise language, a digestible format, and relevant, working links (and not too many, either!) Remaining consistent with your format not only makes it easier for you to write your emails, but the familiarity will positively impact your readership. People like to know what to expect, even if it’s as simple as a scannable, clean email template from a trusted thought leader.
RELEVANCE AND VALUE BEAT SALES EVERY TIME
We get it: Sending emails can be intimidating. You’re putting your firm out there, sticking your flag in the ground, and sharing your perspective. But it doesn’t have to be daunting. Shift your mindset to one that prioritizes sharing value over cold pitching. Not only will your communications be more meaningful, but your firm will become known as one that embraces personalized engagement over generic outreach tactics.
Do your research, ask good questions, and you’ll show them just how good you are.
