Successful Strategies for B2B Email Marketing

Blue Sky Factory
Driving Email Marketing Performance

Successful Strategies for B2B Email Marketing

Presenters: Amy Garland & Joanna Lawson-Matthew

August 20, 2010 at 2:00 PM (ET)

Twitter: #bsfwebinar

Baltimore, Maryland

Copyright Blue Sky Factory 2010

Getting Acquainted

Feel free to submit questions via the GoToWebinar dashboard
or #bsfwebinar on Twitter.

Amy Garland Joanna Lawson-Matthew
Marketing Manager Senior Client Services Manager

@amygarland @joannalm


About Blue Sky Factory

Blue Sky Factory is both a full & self service ESP.

Design, execute, and track your email marketing
communications with Publicaster.

www.blueskyfactory.com


Agenda

1. Best practices for growing and maintaining your list

2. Best practices in email design

3. Deliverability must-do’s for B2B marketers

4. Learn how to leverage social networks

5. We answer your questions!


Why Email Marketing?

• Highest ROI of any other marketing channel
• $43.62 for every dollar spent (2009)
• $42.08 for every dollar spent (projected for 2010)
– Direct Marketing Association

• >90% of Internet users between 18-72 send and receive
email, making it the top online activity. - Pew Internet & American Life Project,
2009

• 58% of people start their online day by reading emails (20%
search engines, 11% Facebook). – ExactTarget’s Email X-Factor Study, 2010


B2B Email Marketing

• B2B online marketers focus on lead generation (38%), retention
(34%), and awareness (28%). – eMarketer, March 2010

• 87% of B2B marketers use email marketing for targeting
customers and prospecting. – B2B Marketing Insight Report, 2009

• Top online marketing areas that will see spending increases are:
• Website development (71%)
• Email marketing (69%)
• Search marketing (62%)
• Social media (60%) – BtoB Online, 2009


Why a B2B-specific webinar?

 Because many of our clients asked for it!

 As B2B marketers ourselves, we find the resources
specific to us are lacking.

 It’s important to realize there are major differences
between B2C versus B2B marketing, and the
approaches you take with each should be different.

Let’s talk about some of those differences …


B2C vs. B2B Marketing

B2C Marketing
• Product Driven
• Maximize the value of the transaction
• Large target market
• Single step buying process, shorter sales
cycle
• Brand identity created through repetition
and imagery
• Merchandising and point of purchase
activities
• i.e., coupons, displays, store fronts
• Emotional buying decision based on status,
desire or price

Source: http://vista-consulting.com/marketing-b2b-vs-b2c/


B2C vs. B2B Marketing

B2B Marketing
• Relationship driven
• Maximize the value of the relationship
• Small, focused target market
• Multi-step buying process, longer sales
cycle
• Brand identity created on personal
relationship
• Educational and awareness building
activities
• i.e., webinars, whitepapers, demos
• Rational buying decision based on business
value

Source: http://vista-consulting.com/marketing-b2b-vs-b2c/


Best Practices for Growing and
Maintaining your B2B Email List


Permission-Based Email Marketing

The key to email marketing:

Send relevant, timely, targeted, and valuable
emails to subscribers who have asked to
receive them.


“How do I build my list?”

• Set Expectations
• Privacy
• Frequency

• Keep your promises!

Flickr Photo Credit: wallyg


6 Ways to Grow Your Email Database

• Web/website
• Social Media
• Offline
• Mobile/SMS
• Email Campaigns
• Email Strategy


Web: Opt-in Form

• Easy to find opt-in form on every page of your website
• Short, sweet & easy to fill out

• No pre-checked boxes

• W.I.I.F.M. – What’s in it for me?

• Set expectations for content and frequency
• Show a sample email
• Confirm subscription immediately with a Thank You page


Web: Welcome Email

• Immediate (within 15 minutes)

• Email should be consistent with future email campaigns branding

• Thank them for subscribing (with a gift?)

• Explain the benefits of subscription again

• Reiterate the content and frequency they can expect

• Prompt them to whitelist your From name/email

• Link back to your website and/or email archive

• Provide a link to opt-out and update preferences


Web: Opt-in & Welcome Email Example


How to Build Your List: Web

1. Include testimonials on your subscription page

2. Promote sign-ups via contests

3. Consider your domain name



4. Ask during webinar or online event signup



5. Entrance or exit pop-ups


How to Build Your List: Social Media

1. Share with Your Network (SWYN)



2. Facebook fan page
(email sign-up form, updates & wall posts)



3. Twitter: Let followers know about your
campaigns and include a link to past newsletters.



4. Encourage employees to be active on social
networks



5. Company blog
(include sign-up form & republish content)


How to Build Your List: Offline

1. Ask while on the phone (Sales, Client Services &
Customer Support)

2. Include a link on your business cards

3. Promote your email campaigns
with direct mail


How to Build Your List: Offline

4. Talk about your subscription center while
networking or speaking at events

5. Ask while exhibiting at tradeshows


How to Build Your List: Mobile

1. Use a mobile application to collect email addresses
2. Facebook Connect
(http://blog.blueskyfactory.com/email-
marketing/build-your-subscriber-base-with-
publicaster-and-facebook-connect/)


How to Build Your List: Email Campaigns

1. Make it easy to share & ASK people to
share



2. Promote in employees’ email signatures

3. Be smart with the unsubscribe

• Give subscribers the option to opt-down

• Ask for feedback



4. Send re-engagement email with incentives



5. Advertise in other email campaigns


How to Build Your List: Email Strategy

1. Targeted, timely & valuable

2. Prioritize retention (attracting new customers vs.
retaining the ones you have)

3. Search optimize your newsletter page

4. Honor your privacy and trust commitments

5. Identify, contact & engage your brand advocates


50 Ways to Build Your Email List

Download your free copy here:
http://www.blueskyfactory.com/b2bwebinar


Keep Your Subscribers Happy

1. Subscriber preferences

2. Follow through with expectations

3. Two-way communication

4. Again, make the unsubscribe easy

Flickr Photo Credit: libraryman


Best Practices in B2B Email Design


Email Design: The Basics

Your recipients should be able to
understand and act on the call-to-
action of your email within 5 seconds.

You have a pain point at work.
Let me show you how I can solve it.



Email design best practices
• Design for the email inbox & plan for blocked images
• Ensure consistent branding and design across all campaigns
• Keep your email width under 650 pixels (300px for mobile)
• Make sure your main key elements are “above the fold”
• Keep your email content brief, use teaser blurbs
• Remember to include an opt-out mechanism and physical mailing
address (per CAN-SPAM)

Read more in our Email Design Guidelines:
http://www.blueskyfactory.com/resources/BSFEmailDesignGuidelines.pdf



Subject line best practices
• Keep it 35 characters or less
• Consider including your brand/company name
• Avoid “spammy” words and phrases
• Don’t use ALL CAPS
• Minimize or don’t use symbols (?!?)
• Per the CAN-SPAM Act, avoid deceptive subject lines
• Make it actionable by providing a sense of urgency and call-to-
action (think verbs!)

Most importantly, make sure it reflects the email content and
entices the reader to open your email!



B2B Subject Lines that Work
• Look like a Star to your Boss with [product/service]
• Complimentary Webinar: [webinar name]
• Should your Company Outsource [product/service]?
• Breakfast & Secrets for how to [insert problem you solve]
• Again, you have a pain point at work.
Success Tip: 5 Ways to a Better [xxx]
• Register Today: [event name and date]
Let me show you how I can solve it.
• Entry deadline is fast approaching
• New White Paper: Best Practices for [problem/solution]
• Your Weekly Alert: [topic]
• 5 Ways to Maximize Holiday Sales
• Marketing on a Tight Budget, Part 1
• Get a $30 Gift Card for 30 Minutes of your Time
• Frustrated with Graphics in Microsoft Outlook?

Source: http://www.theemailguide.com/email-marketing/verticalresponse-offers-29-great-b2b-email-marketing-subject-lines-that-work/



From line best practices
• Should be easily recognizable to your subscriber
• Use your company name versus a person’s name
• Avoid using donotreply@domain.com – that’s not very friendly or
trustworthy!
• Be consistent with the From name and From address
• Monitor potential replies to your From and Reply addresses
• Set up role accounts for your domain (e.g. admin@, postmaster@,
abuse@ and info@domain.com)


Challenge #1: Image-to-Text Ratio

Both B2C and B2B emails depend on the
marriage between images and copy to get the
message across. However, there are some
differences in the balance…



B2C Emails:
• Design weighted more
heavily towards images
• Images are used to paint a
pretty picture for the
reader and to grab their
attention
• Powerful images are often
necessary to strengthen the
message



B2B Emails:
• Design weighted more heavily
towards copy
• Images are used to add
richness to the design, and for
branding purposes
• Images are simpler and
secondary to the email’s copy
• Message is not dependant on
images


Challenge #2: Email Rendering

Use a tool like Inbox Preview to ensure your email renders
properly across all email clients with images on and off.


Challenge #2: Email Rendering

Image credit: http://fingerprintapp.com/email-client-stats


Challenge #3: Mobile Devices

64% of key decision makers are viewing
your carefully crafted email on their
Blackberry and other mobile devices.

MarketingSherpa/SurveySampling (2007)



Email Dominates Mobile Web Time



Keep your HTML design simple, and allow your
message to get across without having to download
images or click through

Create a simplified mobile version that recipients can
click through to from the HTML version
• Build this as a glorified plain text version, with simple
HTML branding elements
• Keep this version at 300 pixels wide to fit in the mobile
window


Challenge #4: Corporate Spam Filters

Use a spam check tool to ensure your email does not contain
anything that may trigger spam filters.


Design Idea #1: Consistency

Using a consistent template will
help with branding, and will
allow your subscribers to easily
find the call-to-action


Design Idea #2: Be Dynamic

Dynamic content allows these static templates to be
personalized to the individual subscriber
• Customize email content based on location, past behavior,
areas of interest … any data you have on the subscriber!
• Be careful with “Dear [first name]” personalization


Design Idea #2: Be Dynamic


Deliverability Must-Do’s
for B2B Marketers


Permission-based Email

Six Core Elements of a Trust-
Based Approach:

1. Permission
2. Privacy
3. Reputation
4. Preferences
5. Expectations
6. Compliance



The key to email marketing:
Send relevant, timely, targeted and valuable
emails to subscribers who have asked to
receive them (i.e. permission).



• Permission is defined as explicit, affirmative consent
from a potential recipient
• Affirmative consent comes from requiring action on the
part of the potential recipient (i.e. asking them to check
an opt-in box)
• Building your list without explicit, affirmative consent
opens your company and domain up to spam complaints
and potential blacklisting

Warning! It can take months to overcome from a
tarnished IP or domain-based reputation.


Deliverability

Use a tool like Return Path’s Sender Score to monitor
your IP reputation (http://www.senderscore.org)


Deliverability

Work with your tech team and/or ESP to continually
monitor your email placement to corporate gateway
firewalls (Postini, MessageLabs, Barracuda)


Deliverability

• Ensure you are subscribed to all available Feedback
Loops (your ESP should do this for you)

• Set up authentication records (Sender ID, SPF,
DKIM/Domain Keys) to help with deliverability

• Learn more about authentication on our blog:
http://blog.blueskyfactory.com/deliverability/authe
ntication-a-key-to-getting-your-emails-delivered/


Deliverability

Ask your subscribers
to whitelist your
From address to
ensure delivery to
the Inbox


Compliance with the Law

4% of retailers are not in compliance
with the CAN-SPAM Act. That's on par
with 2008 levels.

Smith-Harmon "Retail Email Unsubscribe Benchmark Study" (2010)



The CAN-SPAM Act, enacted in January 2003, imposes a
series of requirements on commercial email, including:

1. Bans false or misleading header information
2. Prohibits deceptive subject lines
3. Requires that your email gives recipients an opt-out
method, and that opt-out requests must be honored within
ten days
4. Requires that commercial email be identified as an
advertisement and include the sender’s valid physical
postal address (P.O. boxes are ok)



Want more information on CAN-SPAM
and compliance with the law?

Read more on the Blue Sky Factory blog or
subscribe to our 52 Email Marketing Tips.


Learn How to Leverage
Social Networks


Social Media Explosion

Over 400 million users

752% growth in 2008

30.1 million users & growing

100 million videos viewed daily

3 billion images uploaded


B2B Email Marketing

• 86% of B2B firms are using social, compared to 82% of B2C.
- BizReport May 2010

• Top applications for the use of social media for B2B
marketers are:
• Thought leadership (59.8%)
• Lead generation (48.9%)
• Customer feedback (45.7%)
• Advertising on sites (34.7%)
- BtoB Online November, 2009


Is Email Dead?

No way!


Email + Social Media

Email is the
digital glue of
social media.


Email + Social: Working Together


Future of Social/Email Integration


B2B Email Marketing

• Asked to rate the effectiveness of specific social media
sites in their marketing efforts, 51% said that Facebook was
“extremely” or “somewhat” effective, LinkedIn (45%),
Twitter (35%). - eMarketer, March 2010 (Based on Outsell study)

• In contrast, when Hubspot surveyed B2B companies in
North America about lead generation through social
channels, 45% rated LinkedIn effective, compared with just
33% who said the same of Facebook. -eMarketer February 2010


Email >> Social

Use your email list to build your social community


Email >> Social


Social Sharing

SocialTwist Social Media Sharing Trends 2009
(Tell-A-Friend)

Image credit: http://tellafriend.socialtwist.com/sharing-trends-2009


Social Sharing


Social Sharing

Don’t be afraid to ask!


Social Sharing

Give subscribers incentive to share!


SWYN Stats


SocialSync

How do I know which social sites my
company should be on?


SocialSync


Social >> Email

Use social media to build your email subscriber base


Social >> Email


Social >> Email

Get instructions on how to add an email
sign-up form to your Facebook page here:
http://blog.blueskyfactory.com/strategy/youve-
got-something-in-your-widget/


Social >> Email

Twitter




Social >> Email

Facebook


Social >> Email

Don’t forget the original social tool: Forward to a Friend


Real World Email Marketer Advice: Visit Baltimore

• Where are your customers communicating? Be aware of
conversations that are relevant to customers.
• Linkedin Groups, Facebook Groups, Twitter and Hashtags,
other industry networks
• Develop tools they can use and create value:
• Conversation tracking for meeting planners
• Mobile applications for meeting attendee
• Become an authority.
• Developing a meetings industry blog for Tom Noonan, Visit
Baltimore’s President and CEO
• Be a friend and a resource; don’t always try to sell


Jones & Bartlett Case Study

Launched social media presence with new brand &
website in early 2010

• Primary goal: Increase number of Facebook fans

• Secondary goal: Awareness for company Twitter account & blog



• Initially added “Follow Us” buttons to homepage,
but wanted to get the word out to their existing,
loyal customer base.

• Turned to Blue Sky Factory for guidance in how to
best communicate this message to their database.



•Email sent to over 178,000 customers on May 25, 2010

•Within one week, their Facebook fan count grew 65%


Email + Social Media

• Ask your customers to follow you on social networks via email links, landing
pages, your website and all customer interactions

• Include links to your social media pages in all email communications (even
transactional emails!)

• Include a SWYN tool in all email, and encourage sharing with valuable, share-
worthy content

• Mention your social presence in all marketing channels

• Include an email opt-in link whenever you share content on social sites

• Remember to be consistent to your brand across all channels

• Identify your objective for each social channel, and tailor your message on that
channel to your audience there


Thanks for Attending

50 Ways To Build Your Email Marketing List
Download your free copy here:
http://www.blueskyfactory.com/b2bwebinar


Please Contact Us

Please submit your questions now via the GoToWebinar dashboard

Amy Garland Joanna Lawson-Matthew
Marketing Manager Senior Client Services Manager
agarland@blueskyfactory.com joanna@blueskyfactory.com

www.blueskyfactory.com
Contact Blue Sky Factory: blog.blueskyfactory.com
Twitter: @blueskyfactory


Successful Strategies for B2B Email Marketing

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