For every $1 invested in email marketing, you can anticipate an average return of $40.
And while creating successful email marketing campaigns is hard, this statistic shows how effective they can be!
Cognism has embraced email as one of our primary marketing channels; we’ve used it to drive our predictable revenue from $2.5M to $7M ARR.
In this guide, we’ve put our learnings together so you can explore how to create an effective email marketing campaign that gains engagement and conversions. We’ll also showcase the 12 best B2B email marketing campaigns and explain why they work.
Scroll 👇 to get the guide!
To start, let’s explore the best types of email campaigns. This list includes brands from different industries, and Cognism’s tried and proven campaign emails.
This email campaign targets leads who exited a sales cadence.
Subject line: (first name), who’s buying right now?
Stats: Open rate 49.11%, CTR 26.89%
Why it worked: The message is short, with less than 100 words, so readers don’t get bored. When you’re landing in an inbox, do the recipient a favour. They don’t want to read your essay. They want their information in an easily digestible format.
It should only take a glance for the reader to understand your offer. The image is engaging and immediately grabs attention. The CTA is clear, and readers know exactly what they can expect after clicking the button.
Since this re-engagement campaign target leads who exited a sales cadence, your cadence can be shorter. Why?
Because these people already know what you’re all about. What’s more, they’re warm(ish), and if you don’t use them, they’ll go to waste.
If you’re running an email campaign to fresh prospects from an email lead generation platform, run a longer cadence and provide more value before you make an offer.
Ben Goodey founded How the Fxck, one of the best resources for SEO case studies and innovative strategies.
Why it worked: The first line is in bold, which prompts immediate attention and makes the key information easily digestible. Keep reading, and you’ll encounter the 60% discount, a powerful incentive.
Moreover, the message contains all the features the offer suggests. The vibrant orange CTA button guides recipients toward the desired action.
Subject line: Are you selling SaaS right?
Stats: Open rate 44.86%, CTR 54.52%
Why it worked: The email is highly relevant as the prospect downloaded content. This email is basically saying, ‘We know you’re into this; here’s something similar’. You can’t go wrong with emails like these.
It’s written in a friendly tone without being pushy. When writing email campaigns, always provide value and always be positive. If you can position yourself as a helpful contact, prospects will be happy to engage with you.
BambooHR is an IT company that provides human resources software as a service for small and medium-sized businesses.
Why it worked: The email campaign clearly communicates the value proposition related to onboarding processes. Additionally, it offers the best onboarding content wrapped up in a bundle accessible through CTA.
Regarding design, nice green colours make the email visually appealing.
Subject line: We made this mixtape for (company)
Stats: Open rate 40%, CTR 10%
Why it worked: This B2B email marketing campaign starts with humour, which engages and activates recipients. The ‘safe’ option in marketing is to create wishy-washy content and avoid upsetting anyone. The truth is that if your email annoys some people but makes others laugh, it’s engaging.
And engaging is always better than boring.
Instead of one CTA, there are three, each in a different, bright colour. Offering a few options allows readers to choose one that resonates with them most.
That said, don’t go mad with CTAs. Remember the rule: always provide value.
An extra CTA in your email demonstrates that you want to deliver the right content. Ten extra CTAs demonstrate that you’re a desperate Dan.
LiveWebinar is a cloud-based solution that offers screen sharing, live video streaming, and recording features.
Why it worked: The campaign email is well structured, containing all the information readers need. There are lots of emojis; they add a playful and engaging element to the message.
Two CTAs invite readers to save their seats and attend the webinar. The email clearly states that the ones who can’t attend the live webinar will receive the recording.
This email marketing campaign received a staggering 100% open rate and a CTR of 40%!
Why it worked: The email subject line contains emojis, which lightens the email tone. However, you need to know when to use them.
If you’re prospecting to the C-suite, be careful! Emojis aren’t for everyone and can look unprofessional when sent to the wrong audience. This doesn’t mean never using them in a more professional campaign; just use them sparingly.
This email also worked because it features a customer success story. This solid reference builds trust, making recipients likelier to engage with the offer.
So…how did we achieve a 100% open rate?
We sent our prospects an email we knew they’d open - because it’s relevant to the other emails they’ve interacted with.
That’s data-driven marketing.
Pendo is a product analytics tool that helps software companies develop products that resonate with customers.
Why it worked: Using the term “Early Access” creates a sense of exclusivity and urgency. It prompts recipients to be among the first to access valuable content.
The campaign has clear and compelling messaging, highlighting the benefits and value proposition of the product management course. The call-to-action guides recipients toward the next step to take the course.
Social Media Examiner is a US-based media company that educates marketers on using social media to connect with customers, generate awareness, and increase sales.
Why it worked: The intriguing subject line “Guide Campaign to Marketing Jungle” sparks curiosity and entices recipients to explore the content. The writing tone is friendly and humorous, with an extensive use of emojis.
The message sets expectations and clearly states what the recipient will read in that edition.
Kevin Indig is a growth advisor and the writer of the technical SEO newsletter “Growth Memo.”
Why it worked: The email starts with a big announcement that Growth Memo Premium will launch soon. The message communicates the value proposition and highlights recipients’ benefits upon getting a paid subscription. The content is easily digestible and isn’t sales-y.
Hotjar is a product experience insights platform that helps users gather digital experience insights with heatmaps, session recordings, surveys, and user feedback.
Why it worked: The message is visually appealing and contains nice illustrations that break up the text. It’s well-structured and resonates with the recipient’s pain points.
At the end, a persuasive CTA invites recipients to install the tracking code to learn why people leave their site.
LevelUp is the ultimate productivity conference hosted by ClickUp. It unites business and productivity experts with people looking to level up their lives using ClickUp.
Why it worked: The subject line, “Last Chance to Register for LevelUp 2023,” creates a time-sensitive appeal, encouraging recipients to take immediate action.
There’s also a video invitation from the CEO; this adds a personal touch and fosters a connection between the audience and the brand.
A well-designed layout and a prominent call-to-action facilitate a seamless registration process.
While some might think that email marketing is dead, it remains a powerful way to reach potential customers for B2B and B2C alike. Apart from our success, the worldwide email marketing market is expected to reach 17.9 billion dollars by 2027.
So, let’s take you through eight key elements to create email marketing campaigns that get results 👇
Knowing your ideal customer profile allows you to target people more likely to buy, stay loyal to your product, and refer you to others - a must for successful email campaigns!
How to create your ICP:
Analyse your existing customer base and the shared characteristics of your leads. Understand who gets the most value from your product or services.
For example, set up phone calls or meetings with current users to understand their roles, to-do lists, and what they love most about your product.
Or you can collect feedback passively by launching online surveys. These may also be part of your email marketing campaign.
The effectiveness of your email campaign is only as good as your prospecting list. If you have a list that hasn’t been updated in a while, you’ll get many bouncebacks. This can ruin your domain reputation and negatively impact your campaigns going forward.
You can build a high-quality email list by collecting email addresses via forms on your website, newsletter sign-ups and offline and online events such as webinars. When building an email list, focus on quality rather than quantity. And whatever you do, don’t buy email lists from non-established vendors - there’s no way to ensure compliance, and you may end up breaching can-spam laws.
Data vendors like Cognism, Lusha and ZoomInfo are good options for list building.
Cognism helps you find companies and decision-makers that match your ICP. You can apply advanced filters like sales triggers, revenue size, or specific SIC, ISIC, or NAICS codes to narrow your search and get through to your ideal customer from an extensive, compliant global database.
What’s more, Cognism emails undergo manual verification to ensure top-notch data quality, improving email deliverability and reducing hard bounces.
Case in point:
Tharsus increased their email open rates from a mere 2-6% to a staggering 60%, primarily attributed to the quality of data provided by Cognism.
The marketing team at Tharsus used Cognism’s platform to build specific audience profiles for their campaigns similar to their existing clientele.
They said:
“If there isn’t a verified email address attached to a contact detail, the support team will deliver the information to me within 48 hours. This fast turnaround on data requests is critical because I don’t have to wait weeks to get data, which would seriously impact my ability to execute campaigns and deliver results. It makes a huge difference to me as a marketer.”
Define the goals and the specific timeline of your B2B email marketing campaigns. Shared goals with measurable examples include:
Structure the timeline based on the goal, gradually moving prospects through the email funnel.
Align content with the buyer journey. Start with informative content introducing your solution, then progress to case studies showcasing success. In the final stage, include compelling CTAs to prompt leads to take action.
Moosend’s email marketing calendar can help you organise your campaigns.
When it comes to effective email campaign marketing, investing in an email marketing tool is a must. These tools streamline your efforts and automate tasks such as segmenting leads, sending emails, creating analytics reports, etc.
You can also schedule and automate emails based on user actions or predefined triggers.
Using email automation tools will save you time, ensure consistency in your communications, nurture your leads throughout their customer journey, and get visibility into the performance of your marketing email campaigns.
One marketing tool to consider is Cognism. You can build B2B email lists and sync them with your CRM for automated email marketing. Then, using your CRM, you can access analytics on how your different customer segments and email campaigns perform.
Huboo predominantly uses Cognism to build target lists for email sequences. This has led to:
Here’s the process in action 👇
A/B testing is a powerful strategy that significantly impacts the success of your email marketing campaigns. The best ideas are built on the burial grounds of rubbish ideas — so don’t be afraid of trying something.
Identify what resonates best with your audience and refine your strategy accordingly.
Conduct A/B tests on subject lines, visuals, and CTAs. Analyse data and optimise your email marketing efforts.
The GDPR and CCPA are legal frameworks that protect individuals’ personal data. Use emails that meet GDPR criteria to ensure lawful and transparent data practices and avoid potential legal consequences.
With Cognism, rest assured that data protection is of utmost importance. We’re GDPR and CCPA-compliant. Every email you get through the platform is a business email. We don’t hold any personal emails in our database.
Additionally, we scrub numbers against do-not-call lists and ensure all contacts have opt-out options.
Once your email marketing campaign is live, closely monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) to evaluate its success. Key marketing metrics to track include:
Email marketing is one of the oldest yet most powerful B2B marketing channels. Successful email marketing campaigns deliver leads, increase brand awareness, and are cost-effective.
The numbers speak for themselves 👇
According to Litmus, marketers make from $32 to $45 for every $1 spent on email marketing, depending on the industry.
This makes email marketing a cost-effective strategy with the highest ROI.
With email marketing, you can segment your audience and create customised email campaigns with tailored content.
A simple personalisation includes a contact’s name and a mention of their profession or location for specific offers.
Advanced segmentation groups email subscribers by user behaviour, personal interests, product references, last purchases, the sales funnel stage, email engagement, time, etc.
Having this data allows for hyper-personalised messages that convert.
Email marketing is among the top choices for nurturing leads. Gradually educate leads by sharing valuable content, such as whitepapers, webinars, or how-to guides, addressing pain points and showcasing solutions.
This process builds rapport and guides leads through the decision-making process, ultimately contributing to higher conversion rates and customer loyalty.
Through regular emails, customers will consistently encounter familiar logos, colours, and messaging, ultimately driving brand awareness. Up to 80% of snap product judgments are based on colour alone!
Moreover, sharing brand stories in your emails adds a human touch to the brand and leaves a lasting impression.
Email marketing campaigns allow you to collect customer feedback through surveys or direct communication. You can then use the insights to refine your email marketing strategies.
With email marketing automation, you can save tons of time to focus on more complex tasks. Create personalised, automated campaigns scheduled in advance and trigger specific messages based on customer behaviour and other attributes.
Want to level up your email marketing campaign game?
Use Cognism to build your email lists, boost your deliverability rates and lower bounce rates.
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