Does email marketing work for B2B?

When we talk about email marketing, that is, using email communication to help make sales, it's mostly B2C examples that naturally come to mind.

For example, we think of retail stores that ask us for our email address to then send us their sales and promotions. We can also imagine a concert hall sending emails to announce its upcoming events.

But in the case of a company operating in B2B, it's a little less obvious. You might be thinking, "I'm not going to send out a 2-for-1 promotion for a computer consulting service!" And you're right, it probably wouldn't work very well.

But yet, email marketing is widespread in B2B, more so than you might think. Recent US studies confirm that email is the most widely used marketing channel and the one that offers the best return on investment (ROI) for B2B companies.

That's all well and good, but how can you make email marketing work for YOUR business, and how can it help YOUR sales? Read on...

Nobody buys an airplane on a whim!

In B2C, the aim of email marketing is often to elicit an impulse purchase. The product isn't too expensive, we play a little on the emotional side and convince people that they deserve to spoil themselves a little.

But in B2B, it's just the opposite. The sales cycle is much longer, and decisions are often made by committee. So your objective in sending out your e-mails is not to make a quick sale. Rather, it's to position your company as an expert in its field and your solution as the benchmark. And you can't do that with a single e-mail. Instead, it's built with a series of emails spread over weeks, months and even years.

Your emails should serve to maintain and even strengthen the relationship between your company and your prospects. You need to educate them and move them through the sales cycle. And don't forget that you probably need to convince more than one person. So you need to share content that speaks to the CEO, CFO, CMO, etc.

Buy now, Try it now, Learn more

The analysis of several B2B email campaigns shows that calls to action such as "Learn more" or "More info" get more clicks than calls to action such as "Buy now" or "Try it" 90% of the time.

This illustrates that in B2B, content sells better than a special offer. People want to discover, understand and learn, not be "sold" something.

This illustrates that in B2B, content sells better than a special offer.

At each stage of the sales cycle, here's the type of content you should be sharing with your prospects in your emails.

Know which prospects you should be calling

In B2B, most sales are made by meeting customers face-to-face, or at least talking to them one-on-one. Short of making the sale, email marketing will let you know which prospects are ready to be contacted.

Imagine that the marketing department has set up a lead generation campaign (a series of automated emails sent at a predetermined rate). This campaign educates prospects on relevant topics and builds trust over time. These emails also contain a call-to-action encouraging people to learn more about the different solutions your company offers. When a prospect clicks on this link, they are automatically added to a segment called "Qualified Prospects". These are the people salespeople should be calling as soon as possible.

Get sales meetings on autopilot

Prospects who receive your emails may be ready to talk to sales or even be ready to buy at any time. A budget may suddenly become available, a big contract may create a sense of urgency, you just don't know when things will change.

That's why I recommend including a call to action at the end of your emails, prompting prospects to schedule a meeting or call with their sales rep. Something like "Book a 30-minute call with me to discuss your needs" or "Book a free consultation with me". You can use a service like Calendly or You Can Book Me to also automate the appointment booking process.

Imagine how happy a salesperson is when they come to work and have meetings with qualified prospects already on their calendar!

Hopefully, these few arguments and tips will convince you to use email to maximize your B2B sales. How with something simple and you may be surprised at the results.

Good luck!

About the author

Antoine Bonicalzi has been involved in digital marketing since 2009. Holding key roles in several agencies, he has helped hundreds of small businesses achieve digital marketing success. Today, as Marketing Director at Cyberimpact, a Quebec-based email marketing platform, Antoine is responsible for developing its user base across the country. His role is to communicate the secrets of email marketing and marketing automation to Canadian businesses and organizations through articles, training workshops and seminars.