Email is an invaluable tool for B2B communication to connect with potential clients, maintain existing relationships, and announce product updates. Here are some effective ways to make your email campaign stand out and make an impact.
Segmentation and Personalization to Craft a Perfect Message
Segmentation involves dividing your email list into specific categories, or segments, and focusing your email campaigns around each category. A few examples of segmentation include:
- Behavior. Grouping your email list based on how they interact with your company. This could be based on the services they browse, the kind of things they buy, or if they are part of a membership. If someone purchased your flagship product, you can craft an email campaign that focuses on tips to get the most value from it, upsells, and complementary services.
- Industries. Grouping based on the industry they are in. For example, if you are in Industrial cleaning products, you could divide your emails by “Hospitals,” “Non-Profits,” “Janitorial,” and “Foodservice.” Then you can craft email campaigns with information and product recommendations that are most relevant to each group.
- Company Size and Revenue. A Fortune 500 client has different needs and budgets from a small private family shop. Segmenting these groups can allow you to create emails that perfectly target both.
- Geographic Location. If you sold safety equipment, your clients in the desert midwest would have less interest in freeze protection and hand warmers than your clients in the snowy north. Segmenting your email list by location allows you to focus on emails related to their climate, culture, and region-specific news.
Personalization takes segmentation a step further. According to a study by Mailpro, emails with personalized subject lines have a 20.9% higher open rate. This could be anything from acknowledging a recent purchase or behavior, congratulating them for a milestone or anniversary, or focusing the topic on something happening in their industry.
A/B Testing to Refine Your Approach
Every audience is unique, and A/B testing helps narrow down what resonates with yours. In A/B testing you compare two versions of an email and see what parts of each email work best. For example, let’s say we send two versions of the same email to two sample groups.
- E-mail A might have a high open-rate due to a stronger subject line. However, people quickly click off the email and do not interact with it much.
- Email B might have a low open rate, but more people interact with the email by clicking links and purchasing products.
- After testing, you combine Email A’s subject line with Email B’s content before sending it to your main list. This results in a stronger and more effective email that creates better results than both emails individually.
Based on your findings from the A/B test, other future emails end up stronger as you avoid what didn’t work and leverage what people responded to.
ONE Clear Call to Action (CTA)
A clear Call-to-Action (CTA) is pivotal to your success. This helps to guide your readers to interact with your brand in some way as they read. It could be to click a landing page link, to contact customer service, or to view a recommended product.
Leaving out a CTA is like telling your readers about a great restaurant, but never inviting them to go there. Left to their own devices, they will quickly forget to do anything with the information you gave them.
You also want to avoid the trap of too many CTA’s. If you point your readers in too many directions, this can lead to confusion and choice paralysis. They are less likely to make a choice when they have more choices. You will get better results from one strong message with one related CTA than if you try to get your reader to do five things at once.
Let laneMKTG Drive Results in Your Next Email Marketing Campaign
When you choose to work with laneMKTG, we become an extension of your team. Whether you need advice on how to segment your email list or a seasoned copywriter to drive results, we are here to help! Contact us today for a customized strategy to fit your needs.
