Newsletters are in these days. Just about every B2C is sending them out. According to Kinsta, 79% of B2C marketers rely on emails to spread their new articles and blog posts. But what about B2B companies? Just because your target audience is a business instead of an individual, there is success to be had! So, in today’s blog, I’m going to share four reasons why your B2B company should incorporate a newsletter into its marketing strategy and what exactly that newsletter should include.
First, there are some similarities between B2C and B2B newsletters. Both require content to be engaging, thoughtful, and convincing — the ultimate goal is to convert your subscribers into customers. But, despite the similarities, the function of a B2B newsletter is slightly different from a B2C email newsletter. B2C marketers primarily promote products and services, whereas B2B marketers focus more on developing and maintaining positive relationships with current and future clients. A B2B marketer isn’t trying to get someone to buy a new product, but instead, is aiming to establish their company’s authority and reputation within the industry.
4 Reasons to Include a Newsletter in Your Marketing Strategy:
1. Email is popular.
Email marketing is definitely not a new channel but it has seen a big resurgence in the last several years and is expected to climb. According to Statista, there are 3.9 billion daily email users. This number is expected to increase to 4.3 billion by 2023. And according to the Content Marketing Institute, 31% of B2B marketers say email newsletters are the best way to nurture leads.
Email marketing, and specifically newsletters, allow you to build up relationships with not just leads but current and past customers as well. Emails allow you to speak directly to your audience in their inbox, but at a time that is most convenient for them. Coupled with the right messaging and a strong call-to-action, email can be a very impactful marketing channel.
2. Newsletters can drive sales.
Someone who is on the fence about buying your product or service is actually very likely to submit their email in a form to stay connected with your company because they are interested and potentially engaged. The prospects are in the consideration stage and are putting together options that would meet their wants and/or needs. A highly curated newsletter can help guide them to the decision stage and turn them into a lead with a few of these tactics:
- Adding a call-to-action that directs subscribers to product landing pages or content downloads
- Offering special coupons or discounts only available to newsletter subscribers
- Providing in-depth product information and descriptions
- Highlighting positive customer testimonials
- Offering targeted and/or special coupons or discounts to subscribers
A coupon can go a long way with potential leads. More and more customers actually expect coupons or discounts, along with product and promotional messaging. Businesses that don’t offer some kind of digital incentive risk being overlooked or losing out to the competition. And according to BigCommerce, emails that include coupons can increase revenue by 48%.
3. Newsletter technology has improved.
As email marketing continues to grow in popularity, the technology improves and new tools have been released to help marketers not only level up their company updates but make the creation process even more manageable.
For instance, templates and design tools have become incredibly user-friendly over the last several years. Many major CRMs/Marketing Automation platforms (HubSpot for example) have pre-made templates that help companies start creating a professional-looking newsletter — no matter what industry or niche audience you’re targeting.
Many platforms also offer helpful formatting and text-editing tools but, if you’re looking for even more easy design capabilities platforms such as Adobe, Canva, and even Fiverr are great options. It’s also much easier to engage your audience with dynamic, interactive additions including rollover images, embedding videos, carousels, and anchor links.
But a critical aspect of email marketing technology is automation and workflows. Given the sheer number of emails being sent, it’s easy to fall behind on a campaign if a marketer doesn’t feel like they have time to follow up with every new subscriber or potential lead. This is where marketing automation comes in and saves the day. The majority of popular CRMs, including HubSpot, allow marketers to set up automated email workflows, and they can be as simple or elaborate as you’d like. Whether it’s one follow-up email thanking a new subscriber or an ongoing email drip that continues to send relevant content — automation is key.
Today’s technology has made it much easier for marketers to completely customize their email marketing campaigns to fit their industry, company, and ultimately present their content to their target audience and nurture their leads.
4. Newsletters can be much more personal.
A good newsletter isn’t general. You won’t find blanket statements or vague information. Good newsletters are thoughtful pieces of content that can create a dialogue between you and your readers. The most effective newsletters focus on personalization because customers, even in the B2B sphere, are looking to be treated like people and not just another contact in a list.
Segmenting your subscribers into different lists can help you get precise about your newsletter content and messaging. Personalization is easier once you’ve defined who exactly you’re sending your newsletter to and what you’d like them to get out of it. Lists can be organized by several different factors, including buyer persona/journey, location, open rate/engagement, personal demographics, and more. This level of personalization helps create trust between you and your audience — your subscribers don’t feel bombarded with information they don’t care about. It is incredibly important that trust is there, because as trust is built up, open and click-through rates will follow suit.
Think of it this way – newsletters are much like regular check-ins with an old friend. They establish a consistent conversation with your audience and allow you to give them all the updates they need to know.
What should my newsletter include?
- The solutions to your subscribers’ pain points. Get to know your audience before you start developing a newsletter. Understanding who will read your newsletter and what their pain points are is key to delivering the content your audience will want to see. By providing the solutions to your subscribers’ pain points, you are more likely to see subscribers continue to open and read your newsletter.
- Informative and engaging content. The best B2B newsletters prioritize education over conversions. This means including blog posts, tips, infographics, informative videos, interviews, and more. This type of content draws in your audience, answers their questions, and gets them invested in your product or service.
- An exclusive experience. This is a great way to generate more opt-ins. By offering exclusive content or offers to newsletter subscribers, you’re making your subscribers feel special and nurturing a trusted relationship between your company and your audience. But be careful, you don’t want to spam subscribers with offers/discounts that aren’t relevant to them. Providing exclusive, high-quality content or offers ensures your subscribers will frequently check and read your newsletter because they trust your expertise.
- Strong call-to-actions. Your newsletter should aim to nurture your audience to take specific actions when prompted. Your call-to-action (CTA) should direct subscribers to your products, services, or website — leading them to the next stage in their buying journey. You can also use CTAs as a way to get your subscribers to spread the word, which can be imperative if industry leaders and experts are subscribed. The sharing feature allows you to leverage their networks and potentially grow your audience.
The Takeaway
So, as your business weighs which channels are part of the marketing strategy in 2022, consider including email marketing, and specifically newsletters. Newsletters are not something to do half-heartedly but they are quite simple. Newsletters have evolved into a crucial tactic of a successful marketing strategy. When executed well, newsletters can help build contact lists, grow your digital audience, boost your reputation and authority within the industry, and turn prospects into leads. At their core, they are a relationship-building tactic and if you prioritize education and support, you will make a return on investment.
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