81% of B2B brands are using email marketing as a go-to method of advertising, just slightly behind the use of social media content and blog posts/short articles. And it was THE number one way for B2B brands to effectively nurture leads. (2) Of course, the right structure and content of these emails matter in order to get results.

Why Email Marketing?

1. Strong ROI
   “51% of marketers at major US and UK brands said that their email marketing spending increased, and just 16% of respondents reported a decrease. In fact, the only channels which saw higher response rates were chat features (56%) and mobile app functionality (55%).” (1)
2. Builds Brand Awareness and Loyalty
   Email Marketing allows you to showcase your brand and tell your story – possibly through news, tips, customer success stories. Make a strong first impression and continue to keep your brand at the top of your customers’ mind.
3. Timely
   It’s great for seasonal offers, sending them something for their birthday, promoting a sale you’re having before or right when it starts, etc.
4. Affordable
   Services like Mail Chimp allow your company to send out 12,000 emails a month for free.

Email Marketing Best Practices

1. Impactful Subject Lines
   Keep it short – between 28 and 50 characters – and make sure they’re catchy, tempting or descriptive. Emojis are clever and typically promise higher click-through-rates.
2. Personalize Emails and Keep It Conversational
   Addressing recipients by name can help build loyalty and make them feel understood and valued. For content, stay away from anything too rigid and serious – keep things casual while still professional and try connecting with people on a personal level. Incorporating 1-3 images is suggested.
3. Stay Consistent
   This will help build and keep relationships strong as business starts to go back to normal in the coming months. According to Sleeknote (2), sending out between 1 and 5 email campaigns a month is ideal for B2B marketing.
4. Have the Right Call to Action
   Make your CTAs clear and concise, helping the reader to understand what you want them to do next. Some of the best CTAs use action verbs, open-ended questions or tend to be emotion driven.

Email Marketing is an important way to reach customers and it should be utilized frequently to keep people interested, in touch with your brand and informed in real time. Need help putting an eNewsletter plan in place? Let’s talk!

Sources:
1. eMarketer: Email marketing in 2021: The importance of measurement, ROI, and budgeting (November 23, 2020 article by Jeremy Goldman)
2. Sleeknote: 7 B2B Email Marketing Best Practices (With Real-Life Examples) (December 4, 2020 Blog by Emil Kristensen) https://sleeknote.com/blog/b2b-email-marketing-best-practices  
3. Databox: How to Write a Call to Action: Increase Your Conversions with 16 Proven Tips for Crafting CTAs (December 4, 2020 Blog by Archita Sharma) https://databox.com/how-to-write-call-to-action 
4. Social Media Week: How to Effectively Engage Your Audience Through Email Marketing (December 22, 2020 Blog by Kevin George) https://socialmediaweek.org/blog/2020/12/how-to-effectively-engage-your-audience-through-email-marketing/