Every business can benefit from investing in email marketing. It is a low-risk way to increase brand awareness, brand loyalty, and conversions. It is very common for email marketing companies to target e-commerce companies and other straight-to-consumer-type businesses. Email marketing is effective for all types of industries and business models—not just e-commerce. If you run a business that sells to other companies, email marketing can make a significant impact. Learn why your B2B company needs email marketing.
To Establish New Relationships
As a business-to-business (B2B) company, there are countless ways you can come across new contacts. Here are a few examples of places you may meet new consumers:
- Conventions
- Trade shows
- Visitors to your website
- Visitors to your physical location
- Targeted ads
Since there is such a wide variety of settings where you can meet new contacts, having one primary way of keeping in touch with them is essential. Once you make the initial contact, there is pressure to maintain that relationship and keep the momentum of the meet going. Email marketing is a low-risk way for businesses to engage that potential relationship.
Start your email communications off with an initial set of emails or a lead gen series. This is also called a welcome series. Send a few emails in a row, spaced out appropriately for your business model, to help new contacts get to know your company.
These emails are basically to say hello and welcome; come get to know us and our services and values a little better.
To Inform of Your Services
Once you’ve sent out your welcome series, which initiates the contact into the email subscriber’s list, you can start sending emails that help broaden their understanding of your offerings. Suppose an ink supply company met a business owner at a trade show that showed interest in their ink products. That owner knows the company offers ink supplies, but they might not know about the line of paper offered, or the ongoing printer maintenance services the same company provides. Email is the perfect way to say, “Hey, we also offer these services.”
Email is the perfect place to inform a new relationship about what your entire range of services or products looks like and tell them about your company.
For example, consider an IT company. The business may offer 18 unique services, but a client only hires the brand for one immediate need. Informing them of the other 17 services can help cross-sell them in different categories they had not previously considered beneficial to their business.
The main goal of email marketing for B2B companies is to educate the new contacts during the lead gen series. Tell them who you are, what you do, and why you do it.
To Keep in Touch
After sending out the lead gen series to welcome a new contact to your emailing subscriber list, you can start with regular manual send communications. These keep your business in the back of your contacts’ minds. While business-to-consumer (B2C) companies may send out as many as one to two emails a day, for a B2B company, one to two emails per month is typically sufficient. It is best practice to tailor your sends to your unique buyer cycle, but in general, we recommend starting with one send per month.
A newsletter-style email is a safe option to send industry information that ties into the product or services you offer. You can keep your list informed while reminding them that your business exists.
Sending out monthly newsletter emails accomplishes a few things:
- It helps to establish your business as an expert.
- It informs customers about updates in your industry that could affect theirs.
- It shares your new products or service offerings with potential buyers.
- It brings your brand back into the minds of your loyal customers.
Especially with businesses that offer a more automated service or product that auto delivers or is automatically scheduled, reminders to check out other offerings can result in upsells with ease.
To Automate With Ease
Another benefit email marketing brings to B2B companies is the offer of automation. Automation is prevalent because it helps maintain the relationship and makes the customer feel secure with your brand without tracking everything manually.
The way automation works for B2C companies is distinct from B2B brands. In B2B, it is uncommon for you to run an e-commerce site that allows for checkout without a conversation first. While automated emails trigger B2C e-commerce companies when a customer abandons their cart, this feature does not entirely apply to B2B companies.
Instead, set up an email that sends automatically when a new contact requests more information or requests a quote. Even when a customer schedules an appointment with a sales representative from your business, it can be beneficial to send an email.
This type of automated email can aid in the sales process. It confirms that your company noted their interest and that they are valuable to your business. Immediate acknowledgment helps customers feel engaged and gives them a chance to see exclusive content, furthering their curiosity.
Here are a few things to consider in your automated emails:
- If the user scheduled an appointment, send them a confirmation with a list of what they should prepare and expect from your business.
- If the user requested a quote, send them an email thanking them and providing a little more information on setting up a call or visit.
- If the user requested more information, send them a thank-you email containing more information on what they want to know about and ask them to pick the best time for a call.
Emails are a way to draw people into your sales process while developing trust and appreciation.
There are many reasons why your B2B company needs email marketing. Getting started with email marketing may feel intimidating, but it’s not as difficult as you may think. The first step is to gain email permissions from your customers. Then, it’s as simple as starting to send emails.
If you’re looking for a partner in your email marketing venture, contact Logical Position today. We take the time to customize your email marketing program based on your business’s sales cycle to bring you the best results. Reach out for a free consultation on our targeted email marketing services.
