B2B Email Marketing: Crafting Compelling Subject Lines and Content

Writing for business professionals differs significantly from writing for consumers, but stellar content and an attention-grabbing hook are still fundamental parts of a business-to-business (B2B) email marketing strategy. If you’re planning a business email campaign, follow these tips — and our other best practices for B2B email — to draw your readers in and build better connections.

Elements of a strong B2B email

While consumer emails might focus on visual appeal or impulse buys, business professionals have different needs. They’re usually busy, so brevity and easy-to-read emails will go a long way. B2B buyers typically have longer, more involved purchasing processes, so they often prefer technical details and direct benefits.

Still, business buyers are people, too, so you’ll also need to know your audience and use enticing language without delving into clickbait territory.

Make sure your B2B emails have these seven elements.

1. Audience analysis

Identify the specific needs of your B2B audience. Consider their pain points, goals, and elements of your product or service that they value the most — and address these items right away. If your audience is too broad, try segmenting it into smaller groups based on aspects like their industry, role, and age.

2. Personalization

Your data on prospects also helps you personalize content for them. Include their name — bonus points for using it in the subject line — and think about ways to tailor emails to the reader, especially if sending your email from a team member rather than a business account.

Draw on details like trends in their industry, their purchase history, or activity on your website.

3. Clarity

Business professionals need clear, understandable information that doesn’t eat into their schedules. Avoid ambiguous terms or misleading information, and immediately share the benefit and relevance of your service or product.

4. Mobile optimization

Mobile now accounts for nearly 60% of internet traffic, so ignoring those users’ experiences could dramatically impact your results. Break up your email’s content for easy reading on mobile, and ensure images appear properly.

5. Spam-free content

Spam filters will flag your emails if they detect spammy language or formatting. For example, excessive exclamation marks or capital letters might block your email, along with certain words such as “free” and “extra cash.” Spammy practices often erode your readers’ trust, even if you don’t trigger a filter.

6. Continuous testing

As with other email campaigns, optimizing your emails with A/B testing helps you figure out what resonates with your unique audience. Play with elements like tone, length, and images, and assess more than just your open rate. Conversion rates and click-through rates help you confirm that those open rates translate to tangible results.

7. Flexibility

Stay flexible with your B2B email strategy, as you may need to pivot to incorporate the results of your testing or new industry trends. Watch out for current events that might require more sensitivity around certain phrases or even postpone a sales pitch.

Attract B2B customers with a powerful subject line

The subject line isn’t just a preview — it’s a space to sell the value of the email in a few words. Hooking your audience is crucial, but that process will look different for B2B email subject lines. You’ll need to nail your subject line to get your message across.

Some ways to attract B2B audiences over email subject lines include:

• Being clear and direct: Your subject line is not the place for vague phrases. Quickly tell your audience why the email is relevant to them.
• Thinking creatively: Corporate inboxes get crowded, and you need to stand out in a sea of other emails. Getting creative with your subject line may help, but don’t sacrifice your brand’s voice or a clear message for a little humor. Ultimately, readers must understand what you have to offer.
• Piquing interest and curiosity: Try using your subject line to create questions in the reader’s mind that your email will answer. Appealing to natural curiosity is a great way to boost open rates.
• Using novelty: The human brain loves novelty and unique ideas. If you have one, consider using it in your subject line to stand out from the crowd.
• Adding urgency: Subtle cues about quickly taking action help spur conversions by making readers feel like they’re missing out. Try adding time-sensitive language like “soon” and “act now,” but be cautious and tread lightly. Too many of these phrases might make a B2B email campaign sound less credible or spammy.

Use these same principles when writing preview text for your emails. Share the benefits upfront, and use clear language.

Drive results with B2B email content that converts

Once you’ve drawn prospects in with a great subject line, target your audience with tailored content to reach your goals. Whether you’re working toward awareness, sales, sign-ups, or another marketing goal, try these content strategies for B2B emails:

• Prioritize readability: Email content should minimize the cognitive load for the reader, so easy readability is crucial. Break up large blocks of text, use bullet points where appropriate, and consider a conversational yet professional tone.

• Offer valuable content: Give your reader something useful before making the ask. Providing a newsletter of useful resources or a great discount helps build a connection to your organization.
• Use a direct call to action: Tell your readers exactly what you want them to do. A direct link to your website or contact page limits decisions for the reader, like what to do next or how to contact you.

Build effective B2B email campaigns at every stage

From product announcements and recurring newsletters to bottom-of-the-funnel sales pitches, effective B2B subject lines and emails help you turn prospects into customers. Try the strategies we’ve discussed, nailing every part of your email, and make a great impression.

At WebUp, we help B2B customers achieve results. Explore our resources on B2B email marketing to learn more and start your strategy off right, or check out our email marketing services to work with the pros!

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