Author: Loïc Bresler

We believe in measuring everything that can be measured in sales

How many times have you heard the phrase in a meeting: “What can’t be measured can’t be controlled”? This maxim, which has become a mantra in business, drives sales and marketing teams to multiply indicators. Endless Excel dashboards, 50 different metrics, 20-page weekly reports… Measurement has become an obsession.

B2B companies fall into this trap more easily than others. The long sales cycle, the multiple stakeholders in the purchasing process, the complexity of the products or services sold: everything seems to justify an exhaustive approach to measurement. Managers want to control, anticipate and optimize everything.

This race for metrics has intensified with the digitization of business processes. Modern CRM systems track every click, every email open, every website visit. Marketing automation tools generate detailed reports on prospect behavior. Email marketing platforms, such as Ediware, provide precise statistics, right down to the geolocation of openings.

Faced with this profusion of data, it’s tempting to want to measure everything. Number of leads generated, email open rate, number of followers on LinkedIn, time spent on the website, engagement score, bounce rate… The list goes on and on.

This approach is well-intentioned: making decisions based on facts rather than intuition. But it poses a fundamental problem that few companies anticipate.

The real problem: Too many metrics drown out the essential and paralyze action

Sales infobesity kills performance. When a team has to analyze 30 different indicators every week, it loses sight of the main objective: to sell more and better. Sales people spend more time filling in charts than prospecting. Managers get bogged down analyzing metrics that have no direct impact on sales.

This information overload generates several major dysfunctions. First, it dilutes attention. When everything seems important, nothing really is. Teams lose sight of the levers that have a direct impact on results. Secondly, it slows down decision-making. Faced with dozens of contradictory indicators, managers hesitate, procrastinate and ask for further analysis.

Above all, the multiplication of metrics encourages false optimizations. Teams focus on the indicators that are easiest to improve, not necessarily those with the greatest impact. Typically, in B2B email marketing, many companies obsess over open rates. They test dozens of email objects, fine-tune their sending schedules, segment their contact bases… All to gain a few points in open rate.

The problem? An excellent open rate doesn’t guarantee any return on investment. Better an email opened by 15% of recipients but generating 5 qualified appointments, than an email opened by 25% of contacts but producing no serious leads.

This drift particularly affects so-called “vanity” metrics. Number of followers on social networks, advertising impressions, website traffic… These indicators flatter the ego, but often have no connection with real business performance.

Take the example of an IT services company that recently contacted us. Their marketing manager was proud to present impressive statistics: 50,000 unique visitors per month to their website, 5,000 subscribers to their newsletter, 2,000 LinkedIn followers. Yet they were generating less than 10 qualified leads per month. Their problem? They were measuring everything but what mattered: the quality of their leads and their ability to convert them.

Vanity metrics create an illusion of performance. They give the impression that things are moving forward, that marketing efforts are bearing fruit. In reality, they often mask deeper problems: an inappropriate message, a poorly defined target, a faulty qualification process.

This confusion between activity and results paralyzes sales action. Teams work hard but make little progress. They optimize the wrong levers and neglect the real issues.

Actions: How to identify and track the KPIs that really count

Focus on a maximum of 5-7 KPIs per funnel stage

The golden rule of sales management? Less is more. A successful B2B company is satisfied with 5 to 7 key indicators, no more. These metrics must cover the entire sales funnel, from lead generation to customer loyalty.

Three fundamental indicators dominate all others: customer acquisition cost (CAC), customer lifetime value (LTV) and sales cycle time. These three metrics sum up the efficiency of your sales machine.

CAC measures how much each new customer costs you. It includes all marketing and sales investments: team salaries, tool costs, advertising budgets, prospecting costs. A CAC of 2,000 euros means that you need to invest this amount to acquire one customer.

LTV quantifies the total value a customer brings to your company over the entire duration of the business relationship. It takes into account average order value, purchase frequency and customer lifetime. A LTV of 15,000 euros means that a typical customer will bring you this amount before leaving for a competitor.

The LTV/CAC ratio is the key B2B indicator. It measures the profitability of your commercial investments. A minimum ratio of 3:1 is recommended, with 5:1 being the target. If your LTV is 15,000 euros and your CAC is 2,000 euros, you get a ratio of 7.5:1, a sign of excellent performance.

Sales cycle time completes this triptych. It measures the average time between the first contact with a prospect and the signing of a contract. In B2B, this metric varies enormously depending on the sector: from a few weeks for simple services to several months for complex solutions.

These three indicators are almost self-explanatory. They give a complete picture of the company’s commercial health. A rising CAC indicates a problem with targeting or sales efficiency. A declining LTV reveals loyalty-building difficulties or increased competitive pressure. A lengthening sales cycle often indicates an inappropriate message or a faulty qualification process.

To complete these three fundamental metrics, add a few indicators specific to your sales funnel. The lead-to-opportunity conversion rate measures the effectiveness of your qualification. The opportunity-to-customer conversion rate assesses the performance of your sales force. Average basket and purchase frequency refine LTV analysis.

Distinguish between activity metrics and results metrics

Confusion between activity and results plagues sales management. Activity metrics measure what teams do: number of calls made, emails sent, appointments made. Results metrics quantify the impact of these actions: revenues generated, customers acquired, contracts signed.

This distinction seems obvious, yet many companies ignore it. They set activity targets for their sales people: 50 calls a week, 200 emails a month, 10 appointments a quarter. This approach poses two major problems.

Firstly, it favors quantity over quality. A sales rep who calls 50 prospects a week without preparation will get mediocre results. Better 20 well-targeted and prepared calls than 50 “blind” calls.

Secondly, it takes the responsibility for results away from the teams. If the objective is to send 200 emails a month, it doesn’t matter whether they generate zero or ten appointments. The objective is reached as soon as the emails are sent.

Activity metrics are still useful for operational management. They can be used to identify bottlenecks and adjust resources. If a sales rep is only making 20 calls a week, while his colleagues are making 40, we need to understand why: lack of training, organizational problems, inadequate quality of the prospect file.

In B2B email marketing, this distinction takes on its full meaning. Activity metrics include number of emails sent, deliverability rate, open rate, click rate. Results metrics measure appointments generated, quotes requested, contracts signed thanks to campaigns.

An opening rate of 25% on an email campaign is a satisfactory metric of activity. But if this campaign generates zero sales appointments, the result is nil. Conversely, a 15% open rate that generates 10 qualified appointments is an excellent result.

At Ediware, we regularly observe this discrepancy. Customers contact us, concerned that their opening rates are “too low” compared to industry benchmarks. Digging deeper, we often discover that their campaigns are generating excellent ROI despite average activity metrics.

Why? They target their prospects better, personalize their messages more, and propose a more relevant offer. Their small but qualified audience reacts better than a large but poorly targeted base.

This logic applies to all prospecting channels. A salesperson who achieves a 50% telephone pick-up rate but doesn’t generate any appointments has a pitch or targeting problem. Another who picks up one call in ten but gets an appointment in every conversation has found the right approach.

Adapt indicators according to company maturity

Relevant KPIs evolve with a company’s maturity. A start-up in its seed phase does not follow the same metrics as an established SME or a large group. This adaptation reflects changing business priorities and challenges.

For a start-up looking for product-market fit, the main challenge is to validate the match between product and market. Priority metrics focus on the validation of needs and the receptiveness of prospects. Interest rates during demonstrations, product feedback, willingness to pay: these indicators take precedence over volumes or profitability.

At this stage, a high customer acquisition cost is not necessarily a problem. The main objective is to prove that customers are willing to pay for the product or service on offer. Lead volumes and conversion rates are secondary.

Scale-ups, in a phase of accelerated growth, are changing gear. They have validated their market and are now looking to industrialize their sales approach. Metrics focus on the efficiency and predictability of the sales funnel.

CAC becomes a central indicator, as the company needs to optimize its investments to accelerate growth. Sales cycle time is also gaining in importance: shortening lead times accelerates revenue generation and improves cash flow.

The measurement of sales productivity is becoming more refined. Revenues per sales rep, number of customers acquired per month, evolution of the average basket: these metrics can be used to calibrate teams and anticipate recruitment.

In email marketing, scale-ups pay more attention to automation and segmentation. They measure the effectiveness of their nurturing campaigns, lead scoring and conversion rates by segment. The challenge is to maximize the return on every euro invested in marketing.

Established companies focus on customer retention and development metrics. They have generally solved their acquisition problems and seek to optimize the value of their existing customer base.

LTV becomes the key indicator, accompanied by metrics such as churn rate, upsell rate and customer satisfaction. The aim is to maximize the profitability of each customer over the long term, rather than acquiring new accounts at all costs.

These companies are also developing more sophisticated approaches to measurement: multi-touch attribution, cohort analysis, churn prediction. They have the data volumes and resources required for these advanced analyses.

Automate collection to avoid bureaucracy

Measurement bureaucracy kills sales efficiency. When teams spend more time feeding dashboards than selling, the system malfunctions. Automating data collection solves this problem, while improving the reliability of information.

Modern CRM offers extensive automation possibilities. Integration with email marketing tools, synchronization with calendars, connection to prospecting platforms: these integrations eliminate double entry and reduce errors.

At Ediware, our API enables real-time synchronization with most CRMs on the market. Open, click and reaction statistics are automatically transferred to prospect files. Sales reps have instant access to their contacts’ behavior, with no manual handling required.

This automation transforms the daily life of sales teams. No more weekly Excel exports, no more manual status updates. Sales staff can concentrate on their core business: customer relations and sales.

The integration with Zapier, which we offer at Ediware, is a perfect illustration of this approach. Over 1,500 applications can connect to our platform, including CRM, productivity tools, billing solutions and e-commerce platforms. These connections create a unified ecosystem where information flows without human intervention.

Real-time dashboards are the ideal replacement for weekly reports. Managers can instantly visualize the evolution of key indicators, identify trends and detect problems before they escalate.

This real-time approach also transforms sales management. Instead of correcting deviations discovered at the end of the month after the fact, managers intervene immediately to correct any discrepancies. A salesperson in difficulty receives support before his or her results collapse.

Automation is not limited to data collection. It can also trigger corrective actions: automatic follow-up of inactive prospects, alerts in the event of a drop in performance, notification of urgent opportunities.

This logic of intelligent automation frees up time for high value-added activities: strategic analysis, sales coaching, development of new approaches. Teams spend less time on administrative tasks and more on optimizing performance.

The initial investment in automation is quickly recouped through productivity gains and improved data quality. Reliable, up-to-date information enables better business decisions.

Ultimately, measuring intelligently rather than exhaustively transforms sales performance. Companies that master this approach are one step ahead of their competitors. They act faster, adjust more precisely, invest more effectively.

The rule remains simple: a few well-chosen, automated indicators are better than dozens of metrics tracked manually. In B2B, the complexity of sales management demands simplicity of measurement.

The world of digital marketing is constantly evolving, and landing pages play a key role in the quest for conversions.

For B2B companies, creating high-converting landing pages is crucial. It’s what generates leads, nurtures prospects and ultimately, generates sales. 📈

What is a landing page?

📌 A landing page is a standalone web page designed to collect info from a visitor in exchange for a specific offer (such as a white paper, e-book, webinar registration, or product demo).

The aim? Convert visitors into leads and initiate a relationship with potential customers. 💼

Key elements for optimal conversion

To create landing pages that attract and convert, here’s what counts:

1. Captivating title and subtitle

• The title is your first chance to impress.
• A clear title communicates the value of your offer.
• The subtitle explains the expected benefits. 📢

2. Engaging content

• The text must be persuasive and concise.
• Highlight your audience’s advantages and pain points.
• Use bullets, bold text and subheadings to highlight the essentials. 📄

3. Captivating visuals

• Images, videos, infographics: these visuals reinforce the appeal.
• Use relevant visuals to reinforce your message and win trust.
• An explanatory video or customer testimonials reinforce credibility. 📸

4. Clear call to action (CTA)

• The CTA must be clearly visible and indicate precisely what action is expected.
• Use motivational language and create a sense of urgency.
• “Download now”, “Get your free trial”, “Sign up today”. Experiment with colors and button sizes to increase conversions. 📣

5. Conversion form

• Simplify the form fields to ask only for the essentials.
• Long forms reduce conversions.
• Find the balance between collecting valuable info and reducing wastage in terms of registrations. 📝

Tips for optimizing B2B landing pages

🔬 For B2B pages, optimization is key:

1. A/B test

• Test various elements, such as titles, CTAs, forms and layout.
• Gather data for informed decisions.
• A/B testing is king for improving conversion rates. 📊

2. Mobile optimization

• Your page must be mobile-friendly.
• A significant proportion of users consult their e-mail on cell phones, including B2B customers.
• A smooth mobile experience is crucial for conversions. 📱

3. Loading speed

• Display speed is of the utmost importance.
• Users want instant access to information.
• Image compression, HTML/Javascript code minification and caching: tips to improve loading times. Aim for speed! 🏎️

Best practices for B2B landing pages

1. Minimalist design

• Clean designs attract attention.
• Use white space for elegance and professionalism. 🖌️

2. Social proof

• Incorporate testimonials, case studies or customer logos to build trust.
• The successes are convincing. 🤝

3. Customization

• Tailor content to specific segments.
• Show that you understand your target’s needs. 🤓

4. Exit pop-ups

• Use them when visitors are about to leave.
• Offer a last-minute incentive.
• Encourage them to stay. 🚪

Conclusion

Creating high-converting B2B landing pages requires a strategic approach.

By following these best practices, you’ll optimize your pages for maximum conversions. A well-designed landing page is your trump card for capturing leads and boosting your B2B marketing. 🚀💼💰

In today’s hyper-connected and competitive world, trust has become an invaluable asset. Particularly in B2B marketing, where building strong, lasting relationships is essential, trust is a currency that can make the difference between a campaign’s success and failure. In this world, the concept of the Trust Triangle – Authenticity, Transparency and Consistency – is emerging as a key framework for forging and maintaining trust in your email marketing campaigns.

But what is the Triangle of Trust and how can it improve your B-to-B email marketing efforts? This article is here to guide you through every aspect of this concept and show you how to apply it to your strategy. We’ll discuss each pillar of the Triangle, exploring their implications and sharing concrete examples of how they can be put into practice. Finally, we’ll illustrate these concepts with case studies of companies who have effectively used the Triangle of Trust to strengthen their email marketing campaigns.

On the road to building solid, lasting trust with your prospects and customers thanks to the Triangle of Trust in B-to-B email marketing! 🚀

Definition of the Triangle of Trust in B-to-B Email Marketing 📚

The Triangle of Trust in B2B email marketing rests on three pillars: Authenticity, Transparency and Consistency. These three elements, acting in symbiosis, are crucial to building and maintaining lasting trust with your B-to-B audience. Let’s take a closer look at what each of these pillars means.

Authenticity 🎯: Authenticity refers to the authenticity of your brand and your message. Being authentic means that you’re true to your brand identity, your values and that you’re sincere in your communications. This translates into emails that clearly reflect your corporate identity, and a tone of communication that’s uniquely yours. Authenticity creates an emotional connection with your audience, which fosters trust.

Transparency 🌐: Transparency concerns the clarity of your intentions and actions. In B-to-B email marketing, transparency is essential when it comes to the collection and use of your contacts’ data. It’s imperative to be transparent in your privacy policies, as well as in your intentions for using the information you collect. This openness builds trust, as it shows your audience that you respect their privacy and are trustworthy.

Consistency 💡: Consistency refers to the idea of being consistent in your actions and communications. In email marketing, this manifests itself in sending regular emails, consistency in the design and tone of your emails, and consistency between your promises and your actions. A brand that is consistent in its communications reinforces its credibility, which in turn builds trust.

Together, these three pillars form the Triangle of Trust in B2B email marketing. By relying on authenticity, transparency and consistency, your company can build lasting trust with your audience, which is essential to the success of your B2B email marketing strategy.

Authenticity in B-to-B Email Marketing ✅

The first pillar of the Triangle of Trust, authenticity, is a fundamental quality that every B-to-B brand should seek to incorporate into its email communications. Here’s how you can bring authenticity to your B-to-B email marketing campaigns:

Know and respect your brand identity 🏷️

Authenticity starts with a clear understanding of what your brand is and what it stands for. What is your mission statement? What are your values? What sets you apart from your competitors? All these questions must be answered if you are to build an authentic message.

Align your content with your brand identity 📝

Authenticity also means aligning your content with your brand identity. This means that every email you send should reflect who you are as a brand. For example, if you’re an innovative technology company, your emails should convey an image of modernity and innovation.

Be sincere and honest 💬

Authenticity also means being sincere and honest in your communications. If you promise something in your e-mails, make sure you deliver. What’s more, don’t be afraid to admit your mistakes. This will only reinforce the perception of your authenticity.

Humanize your brand 👥

People tend to trust other people rather than anonymous entities. That’s why it’s important to humanize your brand. For example, you can sign your emails with your first name, use a friendly, personal tone of voice, or even share stories from your company’s employees.

Authenticity in B2B email marketing isn’t an option, it’s a necessity. By being authentic, you’ll build a relationship of trust with your audience, making your email communications more effective.

Transparency in B-to-B email marketing 🌐

Transparency, the second pillar of the Triangle of Trust, is essential to building trust in your B-to-B email marketing strategy. Here’s how to implement a policy of transparency in your email marketing campaigns:

Clarity in data collection 📊

Make sure you clearly explain why and how you collect your customers’ data. When a customer signs up for your newsletter or fills in a form on your website, make it clear exactly what data is being collected and for what purposes.

Confidentiality 🛡️

Respect the confidentiality of your contacts and keep your data protection promises. Make sure you comply with all applicable laws and regulations, such as RGPD in Europe.

Transparency in data use 🔍

If you use the data collected to personalize your emails, let your contacts know. Personalization can be a great way to improve engagement, but it must be used ethically and transparently.

Open-mindedness about intentions of use 💡

Be open about how you intend to use the data you collect. For example, if you plan to use your contacts’ email addresses for retargeting campaigns on other platforms, let your contacts know.

Transparency in B2B email marketing is not just a question of ethics, it’s also a question of respect for your contacts. By being transparent, you show your contacts that you respect their data and their privacy, which reinforces their trust in your brand.

Consistency in B-to-B Email Marketing 💡

The third pillar of the Triangle of Trust is consistency. An effective B-to-B email marketing strategy requires consistent and constant communication with your audience. Here are a few ways to incorporate consistency into your email marketing campaigns:

Consistency of style and tone 🎨

Every email you send is a representation of your brand. So it’s crucial that you maintain consistency in the style and tone of your emails. This includes everything from the colors and fonts you use, to the tone of your speech.

Regularity of communication ⏰

It’s important to define a regular sending frequency for your emails, be it daily, weekly, bi-weekly or monthly. This helps build a relationship with your audience, who know when to expect to hear from you.

Message consistency 📝

Your messages should be consistent from one email to the next, but they should also be in line with your other communication channels. If your brand is committed to sustainability on social networks, for example, this commitment should be reflected in your emails.

Promise follow-up 🤝

If you make a promise in an email, make sure you keep it. For example, if you promise a special discount for subscribers to your newsletter, make sure that the discount is actually applied.

Consistency in B2B email marketing builds your audience’s trust in your brand, while establishing your credibility and improving brand recognition. When your communications are coherent and consistent, your audience knows what to expect from you, which reinforces the feeling of trust.

Case Study: How these Companies used the triangle of trust to strengthen their B-to-B email marketing 🏆

OVHcloud : Authenticity in Communication 🏅

OVHcloud, one of Europe’s largest cloud service providers based in France, has been very authentic in its email communication. The company has always strived to remain true to its values and mission, particularly when it comes to data protection. For example, in their newsletters, they often share blog posts explaining their security and privacy policies, demonstrating their commitment to authenticity.

Le Slip Français: Process Transparency 🎖️

Le Slip Français, a fashion company well known for its innovative marketing approach, uses transparency in its B-to-B emails. For example, in its communication with retailers, the company shares details about the production process of its products, including the origin of materials and the working conditions of its employees. This creates a transparent and credible image of the brand with its partners.

Doctolib: Consistency in Communication 💪

Doctolib, one of France’s leading online medical appointment booking platforms, demonstrates consistency in its email communications. Whether in its newsletter for healthcare professionals or its updates for patients, Doctolib maintains a consistent tone and style. What’s more, the company regularly communicates updates on its services and initiatives, ensuring constant communication with its users.

These three French companies are perfect examples of how the triangle of trust (authenticity, transparency and consistency) can be used to reinforce aB-to-B email marketing strategy. By integrating these three elements into your own email marketing campaigns, you can strengthen your customers’ trust and improve your results.

To conclude

In short, the Trust Triangle – made up of authenticity, transparency and consistency – is a fundamental concept to integrate into your B2B email marketing strategy.

Authenticity helps you stay true to your brand and create a deeper connection with your audience. Transparency helps you build trust with your customers, showing them that you have nothing to hide. Finally, consistency strengthens your credibility and brand recognition, ensuring that your audience knows what to expect from your communications.

Looking at the case studies of OVHcloud, Le Slip Français and Doctolib, we see how these French companies have successfully applied the Triangle of Trust in their B-to-B email marketing strategies. By following their examples and putting these three principles into practice, you too can strengthen your customers’ trust and improve the effectiveness of your email marketing campaigns.

Never forget that the ultimate goal of any business communication is to create and maintain trust. By building your email marketing strategy around the triangle of trust, you’re well on your way to achieving that goal. 🎉

In the B2B world, email marketing is an essential strategy for reaching, engaging and converting your prospects. Properly executed, it can deliver excellent ROI, reinforce brand loyalty, and help you achieve your sales objectives. However, like any marketing strategy, B-to-B email marketing requires a thoughtful approach and precise execution to succeed.

That’s where our guide comes in. By bringing together the knowledge and expertise of professionals from different fields, we’ve created this comprehensive guide to help you master the art of B-to-B email marketing. We’ll cover everything from creating an email marketing strategy to understanding your audience, writing persuasive content, the importance of SEO/SEM, complying with data protection regulations, and analyzing your campaign’s performance.

Whatever your level of email marketing experience, our guide is designed to provide you with the tools, tips and best practices you need to launch and optimize your own B-to-B email marketing campaigns. So get ready to dive into the fascinating world of B-to-B email marketing and discover how it can transform your business. 🚀

Develop an effective B-to-B email marketing strategy 💡

In the world of B2B marketing, a well-defined email marketing strategy can be the key to effectively reaching your target audience. Email remains a powerful communication tool with a remarkable return on investment, if used correctly. Let’s take a look at how to create a successful B-to-B email marketing strategy.

Define your goals 🎯

First and foremost, it’s essential to clearly define your objectives. What are you trying to achieve with your email marketing campaign? This can range from raising brand awareness, to generating leads, to strengthening customer relationships. Having clear objectives will help you focus your efforts and measure your success.

Know your target audience 👥

To connect with your prospects and customers, you first need to understand who they are. What are their needs, their challenges, their expectations? The more relevant information you have about your target audience, the more you can tailor your emails to be relevant and engaging.

Create a unique value proposition 🏆

What makes your product or service unique? Why should your prospects choose your company over another? Answering these questions will help you create a unique value proposition that you can communicate in your emails.

Plan your campaigns 🗓️

The frequency with which you send emails can have a major impact on your results. Too little and you risk being forgotten, too much and you can annoy your subscribers. Find a balance and make sure that each email brings value to your recipients.

Measure and adjust 📊

To know whether your strategy is effective, you need to track the right metrics. Open rates, click-through rates and conversion rates are all important indicators of email performance. Analyze this data to continuously adjust and improve your strategy.

Every element of your email marketing strategy needs to be tailored to your audience and your objectives. There’s no magic formula that works for every business. The email marketing expert at your emailing platform can guide you through this process to create a strategy that will be truly effective for your business.

Understanding and targeting your audience 🎯

Understanding and effectively targeting your audience is the key to turning prospects into customers. By knowing your audience well, you can personalize your content so that it really resonates with your recipients, increasing the effectiveness of your emails. Here’s how.

Define your buyer persona 👤

The buyer persona is a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer based on real data and some educated guesses. It includes information on demographics, behavior, motivations and goals. Having a well-defined buyer persona will help you personalize your communication and make your emails more relevant.

Segment your email list 📋

Not all your prospects have the same needs or the same challenges. That’s why it’s important to segment your email list. This enables you to group together prospects with similar characteristics or behaviors and send them personalized emails. Segmentation criteria can include industry, company size, prospect’s role in the company, buying behavior, etc.

Personalize your emails 💌

With a good understanding of your audience and a segmented email list, you can now personalize your emails. This can range from using the recipient’s name in the subject line to sending specific content based on the prospect’s interests or behavior. Email personalization can greatly improve the open rate and click-through rate of your emails.

Use appropriate language 🗣️

In B2B, the tone and language you use in your emails are very important. You need to be professional yet engaging. Avoid technical jargon unless it’s relevant to your audience. Remember, even if you’re communicating with a company, it’s a person reading your email.

Test and optimize 🔄

Test different aspects of your emails (subject line, send time, content, CTA) to see what works best with your audience. Use this information to optimize your future campaigns.

Understanding and targeting your audience is an essential part of your B2B email marketing strategy. Our B2B sales specialist can help you better understand your target audience and develop strategies to reach them effectively.

Persuasive Email Content ✍️

Writing content for B-to-B email marketing is a real art. You need to be able to capture the recipient’s attention, communicate your message effectively and persuade the reader to take action. Here are a few tips to help you write persuasive emails.

Writing eye-catching objects 🎣

The subject line of your e-mail is often the first thing your recipient sees. If it’s not eye-catching, your email can easily be ignored. Try incorporating a sense of urgency, curiosity or a clear value proposition into your subject line to encourage opens. Test different formulas to see what works best with your audience.

Keep the message clear and concise 📝

In B2B, people are often very busy. Make sure your message is clear and concise. Get straight to the point and avoid unnecessary jargon. Use headings, bullets and short paragraphs to make it easier to read.

Customize content 🎁

As we mentioned earlier, personalization can greatly improve the effectiveness of your emails. This can range from using the recipient’s name to sending specific content based on the prospect’s interests or behavior.

Include a clear call to action 🖱️

Every email you send should have a specific purpose. What do you want your recipients to do after reading your email? Make sure your call to action is clear and easy to follow.

Adding Value to Your Content 📚💡

In the B2B world, where purchasing decisions are often considered and involve large sums of money, providing value-added content in your emails is essential to build trust, reinforce your credibility and keep your prospects engaged.

The idea here is to give your readers something valuable that goes beyond simply promoting your products or services. Value-added content helps solve problems, informs about the latest industry trends, gives practical advice or offers unique information based on your specific expertise. This type of content helps position your company as a valuable resource for your audience, which can enhance your reputation and strengthen brand loyalty.

Here are a few examples of value-added content for B-to-B:

1. How-to guides and tutorials: This content can explain how to use a product, implement a new strategy, or solve a common problem in your industry. For example, a CRM software company might send out a how-to guide on “How to improve customer relationship management with data mining”.

2. Case studies and testimonials: Sharing success stories of customers who have benefited from your product or service can help demonstrate its value in a tangible way. For example, a professional training company might share a case study on how one of its training courses helped a company increase productivity by 20%.

3. Webinars and virtual events: Inviting your prospects to webinars or virtual events where you share valuable knowledge can help strengthen relationships and demonstrate your expertise. For example, a digital marketing company could host a webinar on the latest SEO trends.

4. Industry reports and analysis: Sharing relevant, up-to-date information about your industry can help your prospects stay informed and make better decisions. For example, a strategy consulting firm might share a quarterly report on market trends in a specific sector.

By regularly delivering value-added content to your audience, you can stand out in your prospects’ inboxes, build trust and ultimately improve your chances of conversion.
Writing persuasive emails is a day’s work. You have to test, learn and adapt constantly. But with a good content writer on your team, you can create emails that capture your recipients’ attention and inspire them to take action.

SEO/SEM for Email Marketing 🔎

Although email marketing itself doesn’t directly affect SEO, it can play an indirect role in improving your SEO by increasing traffic to your website and boosting user engagement. In addition, SEM (Search Engine Marketing), which encompasses both SEO and paid advertising, can be used to promote your email campaigns to a wider audience. Here’s how these two elements can work together.

Increase traffic with email marketing 📈

When you include links to your website in your marketing emails, you encourage recipients to visit your site. If your emails are relevant and offer value, this can increase traffic to your website, which is a positive signal for search engines.

Using email marketing to boost user engagement 👥

If you succeed in attracting email recipients to your website, this can also increase user engagement, such as time spent on the site, number of pages visited, etc. It can also benefit your site’s SEO.

Promote your newsletter or email campaigns with SEM 📣

You can use SEM to promote your newsletter or email marketing campaigns. For example, you could create a paid ad targeting keywords related to your field of activity to encourage more people to sign up for your newsletter.

Reuse email content for SEO ✍️

If you create quality content for your emails, consider reusing it on your website or social networks. This can not only help you grow your content, but also improve your SEO if the content is optimized for relevant keywords.

Although email marketing doesn’t directly improve SEO, it can play an indirect role by increasing traffic to your website and boosting user engagement. In addition, SEM can be used to promote your email marketing efforts to a wider audience.

Compliance with Data Protection Regulations 🛡️

In today’s digital world, data protection is of paramount importance. This is particularly true in B-to-B email marketing, where you handle the personal data of your prospects and customers. Ensuring compliance with data protection laws isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s also a legal obligation. Here’s how to make sure your email marketing practices are compliant.

Understanding applicable regulations ⚖️

Depending on your location and that of your recipients, different data protection laws may apply. For example, if you are based in Europe or communicate with individuals based in Europe, you must comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Other jurisdictions may have their own laws, such as the CAN-SPAM Act in the United States.

Provide an unsubscribe option 🚫

All your marketing emails should include an option for recipients to unsubscribe. This option must be clear and easy to find. What’s more, you need to honor unsubscribe requests promptly.

Protecting customer data 🛡️

You need to take steps to protect your customers’ data. This includes securing your systems and networks, and limiting access to data.

Accountability and transparency 🌐

You need to be able to demonstrate that you comply with all data protection regulations. This includes keeping appropriate records, carrying out audits and being transparent with your customers about how you use their data.

Compliance with data protection regulations is a crucial aspect of B-to-B email marketing.

Analyze the performance of your email marketing campaign 📈

Once you’ve launched your B2B email marketing campaign, it’s essential to analyze performance to understand what’s working, what’s not, and how to improve your future efforts. Here are some key metrics to monitor and how to use them to optimize your campaigns.

Opening rate 👀

The open rate is the percentage of recipients who opened your email. A low open rate may indicate a problem with your subject line, the time of sending, or an uncommitted mailing list.

Click-through rate 🖱️

The click-through rate is the percentage of recipients who clicked on a link in your e-mail. If your click-through rate is low, you may need to improve your call to action, the relevance of your content, or the design of your email.

Conversion rate 🛒

The conversion rate is the percentage of recipients who perform the desired action after clicking on a link in your email. This could be purchasing a product, registering for a webinar, downloading a guide, etc. A low conversion rate may indicate a problem with your landing page or an unclear value proposition.

Churn rate 🚫

The unsubscribe rate is the percentage of recipients who unsubscribe from your mailing list after receiving your email. A high unsubscribe rate may be a sign of irrelevant content, too high a sending frequency, or deliverability problems.

Return on investment (ROI) 💰

Return on investment is a measure of the effectiveness of your campaign in financial terms. It is calculated by dividing the profit generated by your campaign by its total cost. ROI helps you determine whether your email marketing campaign is profitable.

Analyzing the performance of your email marketing campaign allows you to understand what’s working, identify areas for improvement, and optimize your efforts to achieve better results. Your Ediware customer consultant can help you track these metrics and interpret the data to guide your email marketing strategy.

To conclude 🎯

In this guide, we’ve explored the B-to-B email marketing landscape, detailed its essential components and highlighted its potential as a powerful prospecting tool. With a well thought-out email marketing strategy, a precise understanding of your audience, captivating content, a respectful approach to data protection regulations, and careful performance analysis, you’re now ready to propel your business to new heights.

Far from being obsolete, email marketing remains a direct and effective communication channel for building lasting relationships with your prospects and customers. As we’ve shown throughout this guide, its success lies in careful implementation and continuous attention to improvement and optimization.

Remember, B2B email marketing isn’t a one-off effort, but a long-term commitment to your audience. Every email you send is an opportunity to deliver value, build trust and bring your prospects closer to conversion. By following the tips and best practices in this guide, you’re well on your way to making the most of B-to-B email marketing.

So don’t hesitate, embark on this rewarding adventure. We’re convinced you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the results. Good luck, and don’t hesitate to come back to us if you have any questions or need further advice. 🚀🎯💼