There are many ways to add new email contacts to your sales database. However, despite your best B2B email marketing efforts, converting those generated leads into customers can still be tough.
I’ve put together a guide to help you nurture your subscribers using marketing automation software to boost your revenue without having to pour even more resources into lead generation.
B2B email marketing lead generation uses email campaigns to attract prospective customers’ attention and encourage them to engage with your brand. This engagement typically involves capturing the prospect’s contact details through a short form for future outreach.
The idea is to move the contact into the early stages of your sales funnel, where you’ll continue to interact with the prospect to nurture them and motivate a sale.
Seasoned sales and marketing teams will follow a detailed process throughout their email marketing lead generation campaigns based on what has worked in the past. These email campaigns usually include introductory, educational, and personalized relationship-building emails.
Using email marketing for B2B lead generation
Implement these tried-and-tested email marketing strategies to ensure the effectiveness of your B2B lead generation and nurturing efforts.
1. Start with a welcome email
Creating an amazing welcome email can reel in your brand new leads as soon as they hit that subscribe button. Start building a rapport with your email subscribers immediately so they know what to expect from your brand.
Your welcome email will be the very first thing people see in their inbox as soon as they sign up for your email list or request more information, so you really want to wow them.
Use this moment to provide immense value to your subscribers. They’ve done your brand a huge favor by signing up, so it’s time to show your appreciation.
There are several ways to do this.
Tell them thank you
To put it simply, just tell them thank you! You can do this right in the subject line, with an email header graphic, or within your email copy. A basic gesture like this can go a long way with a new lead and doesn’t require much from you.
Let them know what to expect from your emails
Another great way to introduce new leads to your email list is by letting them know what kinds of email content they can expect from your brand in their inboxes.
Send out a discount code
Start offering value right off the bat (as well as a chance to close the deal immediately) by sending out a discount code for a certain percentage off their purchase or service.
Offer a free trial
Another great way to warm up new leads quickly is to offer a free trial or even a personalized demo, of your product or service.
Giving your leads a chance to tour your software, services, products, etc., before making a commitment can make them feel really good about working with your brand.
Include a video
Make your emails more visually engaging. Add a link to a video that your recipients can click on and immediately start viewing. This could be from the CEO, a salesperson, a brand video, or a demo of your SaaS product.
Lead them to more content
Include links to other informative content you house on your website, like blog posts, support pages, ebooks, webinars, podcast episodes, or any other content that puts your product, brand, or expertise in a positive light.
You can also use a tool like Tidio or MobileMonkey to lead them to an easy way to get more information, such as a chatbot.
You can easily set up your welcome email to send out to new subscribers as an automated email response, making your life so much simpler.
Each time a new lead pops into your pipeline, they’ll immediately receive this welcome email packed with value and instantly feel connected to your brand.
2. Create a nurturing campaign with educational content
One great way to significantly impact your audience is to send them valuable, educational content completely for free, and you can do this with your regular email newsletter or email nurturing campaign.
There are many ways to offer value through a nurturing campaign without overwhelming your lead’s inbox. Set each email to go out on a weekly basis so that your brand stays top of mind while informing your recipients a bit more about your industry.
You also don’t want to include too much copy in your emails, or your audience might not read the whole thing. Instead, repurpose content by sharing or linking to blog content, podcasts, landing pages, and more. Provide a brief summary of what readers can expect and a call-to-action button leading them to learn more.
Another great way to provide value in your nurturing campaign emails is by incorporating interactive content like polls, infographics, videos, quizzes, and other engaging strategies.
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Personalize the emails you send to your subscribers to make them feel special. Include the recipient’s first name in the subject line to grab their attention and make them feel special.
When creating your signup forms, always be sure to include a form field for a lead’s first name at least so that you can call your audience by name throughout your email marketing.
As I mentioned, you can then include their name in your emails. Personalize your email content by placing your lead’s first name directly within the subject line, in the introduction, or scattered throughout the content.
You can also use your CRM software data to ensure you’re sending hyper-targeted emails that really resonate with your audience and their specific past behavior and engagement with your business.
Here’s a great example of a personalized email that makes perfect sense for their brand.
4. Segment your list
Create list segmentations based on email marketing metrics, like how often your recipients open and click on your emails. This can help you provide targeted content for your leads and bring them to the next stage of your customer journey or marketing funnel.
You just need to use your CRM to track customer behavior and automatically move your leads to different types of drip campaigns based on how they interact with your business.
You can also segment your lists based on other factors, like which facet of your business leads are most interested in, the type of company your leads work with, their company budget, the size of the business your leads own, and more.
Segmenting your lists also lets you to personalize your email content, like we talked about in the last point, creating a higher chance that they’ll end up working with you and improving business growth.
You want to address each of your leads’ pain points, and the best way to do that is through market segmentation and hyper-targeted email content.
Once you’ve determined the best segments for your list, be sure to include qualifying fields in your forms so that your CRM can automatically place your leads into the appropriate segments. Then, you can create specific drip campaigns for each segment with your automation software.
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You can also use CRM data and automated emails to set trigger-based emails that are sent based on your leads’ behavior.
For example, remind your leads to download the ebook or white paper they signed up to receive, or let them know when a service they’ve previously checked out on the landing page offers a discount or free trial.
You can also send reminder or follow-up emails if a lead hasn’t opened the content you’ve been sending to check in and see if they’re still with you.
Here’s a great example of an automated email sent to a lead who signed up for a free trial, enticing them to take further action.
On the other end of the spectrum, you can also use trigger emails as a retention strategy to reward regularly engaged customers with your content.
If someone often opens or clicks through your emails, send an automated email giving them a discount and thanking them for being such an awesome subscriber.
Utilizing a strategy like this could really be the tipping point for a lead that is right on the edge of purchasing. Showing your audience that you pay attention and care is a great way to build brand loyalty and make a memorable impression.
6. Include social proof
Trust is the pivotal step in building a relationship with potential customers. And the best way to gain your audience’s trust is through social proof. It lets prospects know that you’re a reputable company with satisfied customers.
Social proof comes in several forms, but these are the most common types of social proof marketers include in their emails:
Awards: Including badges representing recent industry-related awards and achievements lets your audience know your business is successful.
Certifications: Mentioning business-related certifications can set you apart from your competition, especially in industries where specific regulations, permits, and renewals are required.
Reviews: Adding a link or screenshot of customer reviews from a trustworthy platform like Google or G2 can help instill trust in your brand.
Testimonials: Incorporating an endorsement or two or a link to your website’s testimonials page gives prospective customers a glimpse at your current clientele and what they think of your products and services.
Case studies: Linking to an in-depth case study showcases your business’s approach to problem-solving and gives them a real-life example of how your products or services benefit businesses. It also demonstrates a strong relationship with the company highlighted in your case study.
7. Optimize with A/B testing
Your email marketing software should include advanced A/B testing features, allowing you to test different email versions with different audience segments. The software should provide the tools to track email open and CTA click-through rates, letting you know which version achieved the best results.
Remember, you should only test one element at a time to pinpoint precisely which changes garnered optimal results. Consider testing email elements such as:
Subject line
Preview text
Images
CTA type
CTA placement
Personalization style
When creating two versions of your B2B lead generation marketing email, test them on a small segment of your audience first—ideally, at least 1,000 contacts. After testing, send the best-performing email version to the rest of your audience to boost results.
Test and optimize your email marketing campaigns regularly to maximize your lead generation efforts.
Generate more leads with built-in CRM email marketing software
Nutshell is an award-winning all-in-one CRM solution that gives you the option to bring your email marketing activities into your CRM platform through Nutshell Campaigns.
This combination can help you take your B2B email marketing lead generation strategy to a whole new level. With Nutshell and Nutshell Campaigns, you can:
You can try Nutshell and Nutshell Campaigns for free—no credit card required—when you sign up for our 14-day trial, giving you access to all Nutshell features.
Want to speak to someone about whether Nutshell Campaigns has the email marketing capabilities you need? Simply reach out to our expert team, which is ready and excited to answer your questions.
— Chloe West is a digital marketer and freelance writer, focusing on topics surrounding social media, content, and digital marketing. She’s based in Charleston, SC, and when she’s not working you’ll find her at brunch or hanging out with her son. Connect with her on Twitter or LinkedIn.
