B2B email marketing works. If the right message catches the right decision-maker at the right time, you can give your sales team an easy win.
The problem? Quality prospect email data is very, very expensive. We’ve helped clients make substantial sales from prospect emails – but it’s natural to question the price.
This article is for anyone who’s thought twice about spending big on prospect data. There are three things you should always do before you bite the bullet and purchase.
1. Be realistic
B2B email marketing is highly effective, but it’s not magic. B2B services are always a considered purchase. So, don’t expect a single cold email to take someone from “who are these guys?” to “where do I sign?”
What’s email for then? Rather than a standalone act, think of it as part of a process. Send emails to promote a service and gauge interest. Have your sales team follow up. Publish related social content to reinforce the message. It’s about providing multiple touchpoints that collectively move people along the sales funnel. So, email’s a collaboration with your sales team. Done right, it will make their jobs much, much easier. You just can’t expect it to do their jobs for them. Which brings me to…
2. Fix your processes
This is why you need coordination between marketing and sales. You need to track who opened the email and who clicked links – these actions suggest they’re interested or at least open to chat. Pass these to the sales team, and make sure they follow up on the phone.
When they do, they’ll be speaking to someone who’s now aware of your business, and has shown themselves to be receptive. In other words, email is what turns cold calls into warm calls. That’s incredibly valuable and effective, but only if your sales team follows up.
3. Farm your base
Before you buy email data, remember this. You already have a database of contacts. And they’re not cold leads. They’re warm leads for cross-selling, who know and trust you. Who am I talking about? I’m talking about your customers.
Export a customer list and segment them by what services they do and don’t have. This is a goldmine for email, because you’ve already proven yourself to them. You’ve got to be careful not to spam them (that said, you shouldn’t be spamming anyone!) But this is a low-cost, practical way to refine your process before splashing the cash on prospects.
Final thoughts
I’m not saying this is all you need to do. You still need good content and design, well-chosen links, a focused campaign plan and good timing. But even all that won’t be enough without a proper process.
If you’re going to spend money on data and time on running a campaign, you need to maximise your chances of getting a decent ROI. By following these three steps, you put yourself in a much better position to do that.
Want some free, no-obligation advice on email marketing? Just get in touch and we’d be happy to assist.