1. Build trust with a double opt-in
Especially at the beginning of communication – for example with a new newsletter subscriber or interested party who downloads content on your website – legally compliant handling of their personal data is essential. Use one for this Double opt-in: After the interested party has entered their email address in a data form (opt-in), send them an email with a link that they must click to verify their email address (double Opt-in). With the confirmation email you ensure that the address entered is correct and that the interested party has actually entered it himself.
At the same time, you can thus ensure legally compliant consent to the processing of the data and the receipt of promotional e-mails. With the registration process, you demonstrate how your company handles data from prospective customers. In the data form, only request data that you really need – keyword: Data economy. Also explain why the data collected are relevant to you and what happens to them (data protection notice). In this way, you prove yourself to be trustworthy, so that the first contact already contributes positively to your branding.
2. Greet (potential) customers with a welcome email
For the first impression there is no second chance. This not only applies to personal contact, but also to email marketing. According to the 2021 email marketing benchmarks, only just under a quarter of companies send a welcome email. B2B companies are wasting valuable potential with regard to aspects such as image building, branding and customer loyalty. It is easy to find reasons for sending a welcome e-mail: for example, after registering for a newsletter, after downloading useful content or to greet new customers or new employees.
In essence, it is about giving a first positive impulse in a concise way with a welcome email. You can welcome a new newsletter subscriber, for example, by thanking them for the subscription, giving a small preview and referring to downloadable content in order to shorten the time until the next newsletter. Do not miss the chance to make a positive first impression and inspire you with a welcome email.
3. Email Marketing: Qualify Your Leads with a Nurture Campaign
If you want to turn prospects into customers, then nurturing campaigns are the means of your choice. Such e-mail campaigns are usually multi-stage, have a start (for example, the request for download content) and work towards a specific goal. This can consist of ordering a product or contacting sales, for example. It is important that you always personalize the content of nurturing campaigns and adapt it to the respective development progress of the recipient.
In the further development of leads, this means that the lead receives useful information for his personal phase in the decision-making process via e-mail and is guided to a purchase based on his needs. If you ask for further information for every new useful content – for example the position in the company, the budget or the planned project start – you will get to know your leads even better and can therefore accompany you with even more suitable content.
4. Raise customer potential with transactional emails and after-sales campaigns
If a customer has purchased one of your products, they will receive an order or shipping notification and an invoice. You should definitely take advantage of these transactional emails to sound out cross- and up-selling potential as a first step. For example, you can include a reference to other products that could be of interest to the buyer. Or send an email a few weeks later asking for a rating and / or feedback. In this way, you collect valuable information in order to increase customer potential with an after-sales campaign.
Important: In order to integrate any advertising content into your e-mails, it is advisable to obtain the recipient’s consent for such mailings in advance. In addition to suitable offers, it is always a good idea to provide the buyer with useful content, such as instructions or a video tutorial, so that he can familiarize himself with the product, use it even more effectively or maintain it optimally. This creates trust and enthusiasm with customers and helps you to bind them to your company in the long term and thereby increase customer lifetime value.
5. Make use of (seasonal) occasions
Every year certain events are just around the corner: the beginning of spring, summer holidays or Christmas. There are also other relevant dates, for example when it is a customer or partner’s birthday or you are celebrating an anniversary yourself. Spread over the year, there are a number of seasonal or individual occasions to surprise your recipients with e-mails and e-mail campaigns and to generate additional enthusiasm. For example, you can design a kind of advent calendar in which you can link a Christmas fun fact with your products or services.
During the summer slump, when there is less news, it is advisable, for example, to focus a campaign on a specific technical or industry topic. At the turn of the year, on the other hand, you should inform your recipients about the topic and industry-specific top trends for the coming year.
6. Deepen the (customer) relationship with the help of mailings and email marketing
According to the 2021 email marketing benchmarks, 91 percent of companies use newsletters. Newsletters are predestined not only to send information and offers regularly, but also to display them in a personalized way. You should still make sure that your newsletters remain consistent in terms of their content, scope, visual design and frequency.
Keep reminding yourself that your subscribers have voluntarily registered for your newsletter and have thus also expressed an active interest. They should take this opportunity to deepen the relationship. In order to respond even better to the respective needs of the recipients, we recommend target group-specific newsletters, such as customer, prospect, partner or sponsor newsletters. Or you can segment your recipient base according to products, professional position or region, for example.
E-book gives tips for successful email marketing
Only those B2B companies that know and exploit the full potential of the respective e-mail use cases will be able to stand out from their competitors and inspire their customers in the long term. You can find more exciting information on professionalizing your e-mail marketing in the e-book “Successful e-mail marketing in B2B”. In addition to numerous tips and tricks, the infographic “All e-mail scenarios in the world” gives you a comprehensive overview. The e-book is here available for free.
About the author: Martin Philipp is the managing director of SC-Networks GmbH, the provider of the marketing automation platform Evalanche.
Also read: Marketing Strategy: From Investment to New Customer Acquisition
