13 Feb B2B email marketing: Brutally honest answers to our clients’ most common questions
Email marketing can feel like a game of 20 questions – especially in the B2B space.
With content expectations so much higher, sales cycles so much longer, and decision makers harder to reach, it’s no wonder so many B2B businesses get it so… wrong!
Lucky for you, I’ve gathered the most common questions we get about email marketing for B2B businesses – and answered them in the only way I know how: with brutal honesty.
Let’s go!
1. How often should we be emailing our database?
Okay, let’s start with the big one: FREQUENCY!
Email too often, and your audience might get fed up. Email too little, and they’ll forget who you are.
For our B2B clients, we find 1-2 emails a month is a good rule of thumb.
That said, frequency is meaningless if your emails are junk. If your eDMs are consistently valuable and relevant, on the other hand, your audience will welcome them – no matter how often you send them.
But of course, every audience is different. So experiment and watch your results. If open rates dip, it’s time to either scale back or evaluate the quality and relevance of what you’re sending.
Importantly though, here I am referring to ‘broadcast’ emails: that is, newsletter-style emails sent regularly to your entire (ideally, segmented) database. (At Refresh Marketing, we have The Rough Draft, which we send bi-monthly. And at Communication Skills Academy, our monthly newsletter is called T-Time.)
In addition to broadcast emails, you may also have ‘nurture’ emails in place. These take individual prospects on an automated email journey after they have signed up to one of your lists. The cadence here varies. For example, it may be an email once a week for four weeks – or one every second day for 10 days.
Finally, you may supplement your emails with ‘campaign’ emails. Campaign emails are promotional – and should therefore be less frequent. You may align these with key annual events, such as EOFY.
2. What kind of content should we send?
Think ‘value first’. Always.
Like it or not, your audience isn’t waiting for your sales pitch. They want content that makes them smarter, solves a problem, or helps them do their job better. For example:
- Top 5 trends in [industry] with juicy stats
- Success stories showing how you helped clients achieve tangible results
- Links to free tools or guides that simplify their workload
If your email doesn’t pass the ‘So what?’ test, hit delete.
No one needs another generic ‘Happy Holidays!’ email unless you’re giving them something worth opening.
3. How do we come up with eDM content ideas?
Your email strategy shouldn’t exist in isolation. It should be woven into a broader content strategy that keeps your messaging consistent across publishing channels – while staying diverse and engaging.
So, if you’re already publishing articles, case studies and guides on your website, you’ve already done the hard part. Email is simply the channel where you then share and promote that content directly with your audience.
The easiest content source? Digging out your high-performing evergreen articles from the archives and promoting those with a fresh twist.
Not already publishing dynamic content on your website? Start brainstorming topics by asking:
- What are the most common questions your sales team gets asked? Answer them.
- What’s keeping your clients awake at night? Address that.
- What are your competitors NOT writing about? Fill that gap!
From there, map out a 6-month eDM calendar… and get writing!
4. How do we avoid the dreaded spam folder?
Spam filters are ruthless – but you can outsmart them. Here are some non-negotiables to get you started:
- Use a professional domain. No @gmail.com – this isn’t amateur hour. A branded email address (yourname@yourcompany.com) is more credible and builds trust with your subscribers and email providers.
- Avoid spammy language like ‘FREE’ and ‘ACT NOW!’. Instead, make your subject lines natural and engaging. Focus on providing real value or posing intriguing questions.
- Clean your list regularly by removing inactive subscribers. Outdated or non-engaged addresses can increase the chances of your emails being flagged as spam.
- Maintain a balanced text-to-image ratio. Emails that are image-heavy or lack meaningful text appear suspicious to spam filters.
- Encourage engagement with clear calls to action. Spam filters tend to favour emails with high user interaction. So encourage your subscribers to reply, click or share your emails.
- Ensure your emails are mobile-friendly. More than half of all emails are opened on mobile devices. A poor mobile experience means high bounce rates and unsubscribes – which signals to spam filters that your emails aren’t wanted.
5. How do we make our emails look good?
Good design = good engagement.
So, first and foremost, invest in custom-designed email templates that match your brand’s colours, fonts and visual style. This will build recognition and trust – and align your emails with your overall marketing efforts.
Here are some other key considerations to elevate your email design:
- Use simple layouts that are easy to scan. People skim emails, so ensure your content is structured with clear sections. Stick to a clean, organised format with plenty of white space to make your emails easy to read.
- Choose readable fonts. Choose standard web-safe fonts like Arial, Helvetica or Georgia – and use a font size of at least 14px for body text.
- Leverage visual hierarchy. The key here is to guide your reader’s eye. Make your most important information the most prominent so that readers can follow your message with ease – and know exactly where to click.
6. What’s the secret to getting emails opened?
Your subject line is your golden ticket. It’s the first thing your readers see – and determines whether your email gets opened or ignored.
So ask a question or make a statement that piques interest without being too vague. A stellar subject line engages readers at a glance – and promotes the golden nuggets that await.
And remember, it’s all about value. So focus on what value the reader will get from opening your email. Highlight benefits like ‘Your weekly productivity tips begin here’ or ‘How this factory saved $113K in maintenance costs’.
When people understand what’s in it for them, they’re much more likely to click.
Some final tips for an effective subject line:
- Keep it short and sweet: Aim for 40-50 characters (or 6-10 words). Too long and you risk it getting cut off in mobile previews.
- Personalise when possible: Including the recipient’s name or other personal elements in the subject line will make the email feel more tailored and relevant.
- Avoid spammy words and phrases: As noted, certain phrases – such as ‘Free offer’ – trigger spam filters and read like a sales pitch. Instead, aim for conversational, value-based language that builds interest without sounding pushy.
7. Is there any point in email marketing if we don’t have a big database?
If your database isn’t large yet, don’t panic – sometimes a smaller list is actually better if the audience is engaged and relevant. A focused group of people who truly care about your content can drive much better results than a large, disengaged list.
That said, if you’re looking to grow your list, here are some strategies to help:
- Create compelling lead magnets. Offer valuable resources like eBooks, white papers, webinars or free trials in exchange for email sign-ups. (We have a series of eGuides and downloadable PDFs on the RM website that help us build our list… slowly but surely).
- Leverage social media. Promote your email list on your social channels by providing teasers of the exclusive content readers get by signing up.
- Optimise your website for sign-ups. Add opt-in forms in multiple places on your website – not just in the footer or contact page.
8. How do we measure the effectiveness of our eDMs?
Measuring the effectiveness of your email campaigns is crucial to understanding what’s working and where there’s room for improvement.
Here are the key metrics you should keep an eye on:
- Click-through rate (CTR): Measures how many recipients clicked on a link. For B2B, aim for 2%–5%. A low CTR suggests your content or CTAs need work. Make them clearer and more enticing.
- Open rate: Shows how many recipients opened your email. A healthy rate for B2B is 15%–25%. If you’re under 15%? Test subject lines, preview text and send times.
- Bounce rate: Indicates the percentage of undelivered emails. Keep it under 2% by regularly cleaning your list of invalid addresses.
- Unsubscribe rate: Tracks how many people opt out. Aim for 0.2%–0.5% – and investigate spikes over 1%. This could signal irrelevant content or excessive frequency.
9. Who should manage email marketing in my business?
Email marketing isn’t a one-and-done task. It demands ongoing focus and commitment. And to do it well, you need a mix of skills:
- Quality copywriting that engages and converts
- Professional design that conveys credibility
- Technical know-how to ensure your emails land in inboxes (not spam folders)
Add in the need to analyse data and tweak campaigns for continuous improvement – and it’s clear this is no simple job.
For larger businesses with the resources to manage email marketing in-house, it’s critical to have a dedicated team. This might include a copywriter, designer and data analyst. You may also invest in training and technology to ensure the team stays on top of trends, compliance and new tools.
For smaller teams, outsourcing to an agency can be the smartest move. In addition to the diversity of skills available to you, agencies bring the benefit of experience – so you’re not learning the hard way through trial and error.
Looking for a team of digital copywriters to elevate your email marketing efforts? The copywriters at Refresh Marketing write eDMs week in, week out. Plus, we also partner with talented digital designers to help you deliver cohesive campaigns that delight readers – and drive results. Let’s chat!
