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The last time we talked about email marketing, we threw out a pretty big number: 2.5 billion, or the number of people around the world using email.
Here’s another big number: 4300%
That’s the average return on investment businesses see from doing email marketing, according to Experian. It’s one of several reasons you should consider launching a B2B email marketing campaign. In this post, we’ll go over some ways to set up your campaign, and offer up some tips for what to do once it’s underway.
First up, here’s how to get started:
Outline Your Goal
The first step in setting up an email marketing campaign is defining what you want it to accomplish. Do you want your email marketing campaign to educate your customers? Do you want to use it to bring in more leads? To increase sales? Before you launch, be sure you’ve determined your objectives.
Tap Into The Powers Of ESP
We’re not talking about extra-sensory perception. In this case, ESP stands for “email service provider,” an online platform that allows a business to manage an email marketing campaign.
Some of the major players in the ESP world include Hubspot, Pardot, Constant Contact, MailChimp, Exact Target and Campaign Monitor, all of them providing a range of costs and features. A careful evaluation will tell you which service is the best fit for your business.
Appoint Someone To Run The ESP
Once you’ve defined the goal for your email marketing campaign and decided on an ESP, it’s time to choose someone on your team to be your point-person for the email service provider. They should immerse themselves in the tool – or better yet, have experience with it already – so they know all the ways it can help your business succeed.
Now that you’ve done all your set-up, here are a few B2B marketing techniques you can use to build relationships with current and potential clients.
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1. Create and Build Lists
A good B2B email marketing plan needs a solid list of email addresses, one that you develop with care. The list can be made up of new and old clients, and should be specific to your industry and geared toward a specific objective. Be aware: specific laws govern the collection of email addresses. Be sure everyone on your list knows you, has given permission to be emailed, and can reasonably expect an email from you.
2. Get Segmented
From there, get even more specific with the practice of segmentation. To be clear, this is usually an extra service with an ESP, so it may cost more. What it gives you is the chance to engage certain portions of your audience with content that is most suitable to them: special offers, pertinent blog posts and event announcements.
3. Use Automation
The ESP you pick should include an automation tool that lets you communicate with customers and future customers in a timely, relevant fashion. For example: an auto responder can let you reply to users who fill out a form or download content from your site, letting you take your conversation with new leads to the next step.
4. Say Yes To RSS
With an RSS-to-email feed, you can decide how often an email subscriber receives your content, and send your audience emails every time you create new content for your blog. Your RSS-to-email feed should allow readers the opportunity to opt in or out of reading. If what you send them is good, relevant content, they’ll keep checking in.
5. Leads Need To Be Nurtured
While email can be a great tool to reach existing customers, you can also use it to reach potential customers who are undecided about you. By creating a lead nurturing campaign, you can keep in touch with prospective clients, contacting them on a weekly, monthly or quarterly basis.
