Can’t find the words to get your prospects to open and respond? Follow Cognism’s easy guide to effective emails!
For marketers, email is still one of the biggest B2B lead generation channels in 2020:
- 93% of B2B companies use email as part of their marketing mix.
- More than 120 billion business emails are sent and received every day.
- 35% of B2B marketers send between 3 and 5 emails to their customers every week.
The challenge for B2B marketers is breaking through the noise. The solution? Great copy!
Here are 15 tips that will help you craft better emails, that your prospects won’t be able to resist.
1 – Identify your audience
Before you start your email, you have to know who you’re writing it to. Different audiences will respond to different styles, tones of voice or types of language. Get this right and you’ve won half the battle.
Start by defining your Ideal Customer Profile. Take some time to work out who your perfect customer is, where they work and what their challenges and goals are. Then, you will be able to write B2B marketing emails that are 100% focused on their needs.
2 – Use sales triggers
The best time to email a prospect is when they are thinking about buying a product like the one you’re selling. How do you know when the time is right? The answer is sales triggers!
Look for information that a prospect is could be ready to buy, such as:
- The company has recently raised a new funding round.
- The sales team is growing rapidly.
- The company has just moved to a bigger office.
Then, weave this into your email copy. Show them how your product or service can help them overcome their challenges.
3 – Value-added offer
When writing about your product or service, focus on what’s new about it. Your B2B prospect wants to see what sets it apart from the competition. Give them something that puts them in the know.
4 – Solve a problem
Your prospect has a problem in their business which they need to solve, and your product is the solution. Be sure to spell that out for them. Explain the difference your product will make and the better life that awaits them when they buy.
5 – Tell a story
Everyone loves a good story, and we respond better when we can visualise what’s on offer and how it will benefit us. Tell a story that your prospect can see in their head.
Every good story needs a hero. Make your prospect the hero, not you or your product.
6 – Keep it simple
Emphasise how easy it is to buy from you. Then, once your prospect has made a purchase, show them how simple it is to use it and get value. Use simple, straightforward language. No one is going to grab a dictionary if they can’t understand your marketing email! Instead, they’ll delete it.
7 – Find your tribe
Your prospect will feel reassured about you and your product if they can see a community of happy customers that use it and love it. Use testimonials and social proof to let them know they’ll be in good company.
8 – Keep it relevant
For many people, staying up-to-date with the latest innovations in the industry is a strong motivating factor. If you can, tie your product to recent events in the news. It will keep you top of mind and improve your conversion rates.
9 – Quantitative benefits
Help your customers through the buying process by focusing on the added value you provide. Is your product faster than your competitors’ products? Is the output of better quality? This is essential if you are one of the higher-priced options on the market.
10 – Plan customer objections
Are there two or three objections you always hear from your prospects. Why not try addressing them upfront in your email? Effective objection handling will remove the barriers that are stopping your prospect from responding.
11 – Create a compelling Call to Action
Tell your prospect what they need to do next. Make it as easy as possible for them to act. Your Call to Action should have a simple action and a timeframe. To build confidence, why not promote a no-obligation trial?
12 – Match your copy to the channel
Remember that writing an email is different from a sales letter, a LinkedIn marketing message or anything else. Email copy can be longer than a direct message (but not too long) and should probably be more formal (but not too formal!).
13 – Be engaging and persuasive
Your email is interrupting your prospect’s day when they should be doing something else. So, make it good. Keep them wanting to read on. Make each sentence an advertisement for the next one. Pique their curiosity and build anticipation with the language you use and the way you pitch your offer. Get them excited!
14 – Proofread your copy
Keep your email as concise as possible by removing any words or sentences that don’t add anything to your offer. Take time to check it for errors. Spelling mistakes and grammar errors don’t reflect well on you or your company.
A top tip – send your marketing email to someone else in your organisation for feedback. They’ll often spot something you may have missed!
15 – Read it aloud
Finally, read your copy aloud before you send it. The flow of words is crucial to how your prospect will understand – and respond to – your offer. If you stumble as you read it, go back to the drawing board.
Creating engaging and effective copy takes time, practice and more than a little skill. But, when you get it right, it will improve your email deliverability rates, boost your conversion rates and make a big difference to your bottom line.
Get more insights from Cognism
Are you looking for more B2B marketing guidance? Cognism has recently published an eBook The Ultimate Guide to Hacking B2B Lead Generation.
It’s a complete manual for B2B and SaaS professionals who want to scale their business processes quickly, featuring contributions from top industry thought leaders.
Cognism’s eBook is available now. Click here to get your copy!
