For 2016, Leverage B2B E-mail's Full Potential

E-mail marketing tops other channels in terms of ROI, per the DMA's 2015 Response Rate Report, and the majority of business-to-business marketers rank e-mail as their top digital lead-gen tool. So if you're a B2B marketer, make exploiting e-mail's potential a 2016 resolution and check out this recent smartinsights.com post for nine great ways to accomplish that goal. Tactic No. 1 is to offer valuable curated e-mail content to gain contact details, targeting by industry and area of expertise. Second, use e-mail to re-activate existing contacts, such as automated e-mail sends after a period of inactivity, with incentives for log-in. The No. 3 e-mail tactic--and one of the most cost-effective ways to boost traffic and engagement--is e-mailed announcements about new products, site updates or business milestones such as awards. The fourth idea on the list is to showcase value or gain contact data by creating a white paper and e-mailing a free download link. E-mail tactic No. 5 is a no-brainer in today's multichannel world: Include e-mail in a campaign to help drive traffic, engagement/relationship-building or action (from inquiries to purchases). E-mail is an ideal tool for event traffic-building, too, including trade shows, seminars, webinars and social chat. So suggestion No. 6 is to invite event participation with a catchy subject line and enticing information. Since e-mail and webinars are a natural combination, idea No. 7 is to e-mail a webinar invite with a simple registration form and a clear, time-sensitive call to action. Sharing success stories is another proven way to inspire action from existing and potential clients, so Idea No. 8 is to promote links to a relevant case study, based on industry and job title/responsibility targeting. Last but not least, an e-mai offer of a free trial or demo is a great way to gain leads. To pump response, try an automated e-mail follow-up to non-responders with a limited-time offer. For real-life examples of each type of e-mail, go to http://www.smartinsights.com/b2b-digital-marketing/b2b-email-marketing/9-b2b-email-marketing-examples/

Are You Maximizing E-mail's Lead Gen Potential?

With e-mail marketing generally rated as the most effective online tool for lead generation, a well-crafted e-mail strategy is a digital marketing priority. According to the latest business survey by Ascend2, 48% of respondents ranked e-mail as the most effective lead generator, outdistancing paid search or online advertising (23%), social media (26%) or search engine optimization (37%). So what can marketers do to optimize e-mail's great lead potential? Here are some ideas from a recent post for the HuffPost Business blog by business consultant Larry Alton. He cites the following five top tactics in the e-mail lead-gen arsenal: Collecting e-mail addresses via a high-value e-newsletter; triggered e-mails to automate lead nurturing and follow-up; segmentation by subscriber behavior to better tailor e-mail messaging for new signups, failed conversions or nonresponders; "gated" content to gather contact data in exchange for free but valued material; and sharability, including requests to forward, social sharing buttons and embedded pre-formatted tweets. For more details and examples, read http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larry-alton/email-marketing-best-prac_b_8054350.html