B2B Email Marketing: A Guide to Lead Generation

Written by Daisie Team

Published on 10 July 2023 7 min read

There's no doubt that B2B email marketing is a powerful way to generate leads. It allows your business to reach out directly to your target market, providing tailored offers and content that can convert potential leads into loyal customers. This guide will walk you through the ins and outs of email marketing B2B lead generation, breaking down the process into digestible steps and offering practical advice along the way.

1. Get Familiar with Your Audience

To kick off your email marketing B2B lead generation campaign, you need to know your audience like the back of your hand. Understanding your target market is akin to knowing the recipe to your grandma's secret sauce — it's the key to success.

Define Your Target Market

First things first, you need to determine who your target market is. Consider factors like industry sector, company size, job role, and geographical location. You wouldn't cater a vegan meal to a group of meat-lovers, would you? Similarly, your B2B email marketing should be catered to your specific audience. For example, if you're targeting small tech startups in Austin, Texas, your email content won't be the same as that for a multinational corporation in New York.

Understand Their Needs

Once you've defined your target market, you need to understand what makes them tick. What are their pain points? What solutions are they looking for? Let's say you're targeting marketing managers at mid-sized companies. They might be struggling with maximizing their ROI, tracking their marketing metrics, or managing their team efficiently. Understanding their needs allows you to tailor your email marketing B2B lead generation strategies to offer solutions to their problems.

Research Their Online Behavior

The final step in getting familiar with your audience is to study their online behavior. Where do they hang out online? What kind of content do they interact with? For instance, if your target audience is active on LinkedIn and often engages with posts about the latest digital marketing trends, then crafting emails with a similar focus could help you grab their attention. Remember, the more you understand your audience, the better you can tailor your email marketing B2B lead generation strategies to resonate with them.

2. Craft Captivating Subject Lines

Now that you know your audience, it's time to get their attention. And nothing does that better than a well-crafted subject line. It's like the headline of a newspaper — it needs to be compelling enough to make someone want to read the rest. Here are some tips for creating killer subject lines for your email marketing B2B lead generation.

Use Action Verbs

Start your subject lines with action verbs to create a sense of urgency and excitement. Remember, you're not just sharing information; you're prompting your audience to take action. Instead of saying, "New Product Available," try something more engaging like, "Discover our Latest Product."

Keep it Short and Sweet

With the average person receiving a multitude of emails each day, your subject line needs to stand out in a crowded inbox. Keep it short, sweet, and to the point. For example, instead of "We've Launched a New Software that Can Help Improve Your Business Productivity," you might try "Boost Productivity with Our New Software."

Include a Call to Action

What do you want your reader to do after reading your email? Answering this question can help you craft an effective call to action (CTA) in your subject line. For instance, "Join Our Webinar" or "Download Our Free eBook" clearly communicates the action you want the reader to take, contributing to successful email marketing B2B lead generation.

3. Design Engaging Email Content

Great, you've got their attention. Now what? The next step in successful email marketing B2B lead generation is to design content that keeps your audience engaged. Here's how to create content that not only looks good but also resonates with your audience.

Use Visuals

Did you know that our brains process visuals 60,000 times faster than text? To capture your audience's attention, incorporate relevant images, infographics, or even short videos into your emails. Just remember to keep them relevant. For example, if you're promoting a new software, include screenshots or a tutorial video that showcases its features.

Keep Your Message Clear

Clarity is king. Make sure your emails are easy to read and understand. Break up text with subheadings or bullet points, use simple language, and stay on topic. Consider this: instead of "Our state-of-the-art productivity software utilizes advanced algorithms to streamline your workflow," try "Our new software can help you get more work done in less time."

Incorporate a Call to Action

Again, it's all about action. What do you want your reader to do after reading your email? Make sure to include a clear, compelling call to action. Whether it's "Schedule a Demo," "Sign Up for Our Newsletter," or "Buy Now," a strong CTA is a cornerstone of successful email marketing B2B lead generation.

4. Implement Email Automation Tools

Automation is a key player in the field of email marketing B2B lead generation. By setting up automated emails, you can maintain constant communication with your audience, and the best part is, it doesn't require constant manual effort. Here are some pointers on how to effectively use email automation tools.

Choose the Right Tool

There's no shortage of email automation tools out there. But not all tools are created equal. Your choice should align with your business needs and budget. HubSpot, Mailchimp, and Marketo are a few notable options. As you select a tool, consider its ease of use, flexibility, integration capabilities, and customer support.

Set Up Triggered Emails

Triggered emails are sent out automatically based on specific actions or behaviors of your audience. Think "Welcome" emails when someone signs up for your newsletter, or a "We Miss You" email when a customer hasn't interacted with your business for a while. These can be powerful tools in your email marketing B2B lead generation arsenal. They show your audience that you're paying attention and care about their interactions with your brand.

Track and Analyze Results

You can't improve what you don't measure. Pay close attention to the analytics provided by your email automation tool. Look at open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates. Are your emails getting the response you want? If not, it's time to tweak your strategy. Remember, it's not about shooting in the dark; it's about making informed decisions based on data.

5. Optimize for Mobile Devices

These days, people are more likely to check their emails on their phones than on a desktop. This makes mobile optimization a must for effective email marketing B2B lead generation. Let's explore how to ensure your emails look great on any device.

Responsive Email Design

Having a responsive email design means your email content adjusts nicely to fit any screen size. Whether your audience is using a smartphone, tablet, or desktop, they'll have a seamless reading experience. No one likes to zoom in and out to read an email. Responsive design ensures your email content is easy to read, interact with, and—most importantly—respond to.

Test on Different Devices

Before hitting send, make sure to test your email on different devices. You've probably heard this saying before—"Don't assume, check!" It's a good practice to see how your email looks on different screen sizes and adjust accordingly. Your emails are a reflection of your brand; you want them to look their best.

Keep Subject Lines Short

Long subject lines can get cut off on mobile devices. To avoid this, keep your subject lines short and sweet. Try to convey your message in about 30-40 characters. Also, make sure the most important information is at the beginning of the subject line. That way, even if some of it gets cut off, your main point won't be lost.

6. Test and Tweak Your Strategy

Successful email marketing B2B lead generation doesn't happen overnight— it's an ongoing process. You'll need to regularly test your strategy and make adjustments based on your findings. So, let's discuss how to do this effectively.

A/B Testing

A/B testing, also known as split testing, is the practice of comparing two versions of an email to see which performs better. You can test different elements like subject lines, email content, calls to action, and send times. For example, you might send email A with a short subject line to half your list, and email B with a longer subject line to the other half. Then, you can compare the open rates to see which type of subject line your audience prefers.

Review Metrics Regularly

Metrics are your best friend when it comes to email marketing. They tell you what's working and what's not. Regularly review metrics like open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and bounce rates. These insights will show you where there's room for improvement in your email marketing B2B lead generation strategy.

Make Continuous Improvements

Once you have your data, use it! If you notice that your click-through rates are low, for instance, you might try tweaking your call to action. Or if your open rates are low, you might test different subject lines. Remember, even small changes can have a big impact on your results. So, keep testing, keep learning, and keep improving.

If you're looking to further enhance your B2B email marketing skills and generate more leads, we highly recommend checking out Tom Glendinning's workshop, 'Grow Your Career with an Email List'. This workshop will provide you with valuable strategies and insights to help you build a strong email list and ultimately boost your career.