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/

How B2B Marketers Can Leverage Facebook,Twitter

Business-to-business marketers remain leery of advertising on consumer-oriented social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, assuming their value is limited to targeting small businesses and sole proprietors. So our thanks to a recent Forbes.com post by Mike Templeman, who offers tips on how to turn Facebook and Twitter into more effective B2B lead generation tools. First, he advises, optimize your Twitter and Facebook business pages with branding, messaging and organic posts in an active posting schedule. Next set up remarketing tags on your website using Facebook and Twitter ad platform tools, which will allow your social ads to appear in a website visitor's Facebook newsfeed and Twitter stream. Then create social media ad campaigns that engage and entice traffic to your website--via promotion of interesting content such as blog posts, downloadable white papers and guides, or a webinar. You can extend the reach of these ads by uploading your own customer and prospect e-mail lists into the social media platforms, which will automatically match against existing members. Templeman advises that you can expect a 30% to 60% match rate for business e-mail addresses on Facebook and Twitter. Plus, your custom audience will now be able to view social ads on mobile devices, where 80% of social users view content. You can also use digital tools to build personas of best customers to better target your ad campaigns. But remember, the key to social marketing success, B2B or B2C, remains targeted, quality content. For more, read  http://www.forbes.com/sites/miketempleman/2015/07/23/how-facebook-and-twitter-fit-into-b2b-marketing/