B2B lead generation can be a real challenge without knowing the top secrets. When you settle a correct approach, though, it can be a powerful instrument for growing a company’s revenue. Email marketing is perfect when it comes to lead generation for B2B companies, since it is one of the most efficient ways of online brand promotion.
Cold emails are an irreplaceable tool. At first glance, they may seem outdated. But the truth is that well-tuned email marketing has helped many Silicon Valley startups succeed in attracting customers and building effective communications. At the same time, top-notch B2B lead generation at Belkins has helped over 400 customers increase revenue significantly. This critical task for any business should be achievable. That’s why in this article, we’ll take a closer look at cold emails as one of the most powerful options for generating B2B leads.
In this article, you will learn:
- Specific features of cold emails.
- Tips to help you generate online business leads.
- The best strategies for capturing your customers’ attention.
Best Lead Generation Practices for B2B Email Marketing
Many people wonder whether cold emails equal spam. Before we start, let’s clarify this issue. These are two completely different concepts. Spam is never personalized and includes aggressive calls to action that irritate recipients. Cold emails are aimed at starting a conversation and are totally focused on clients and their needs. Thus, your messages must be prepared separately for each client type. This is what makes B2B lead generation marketing at Belkins so effective. The company’s experts use a personalized approach to each client and adapt an email template to unique requirements of each industry they work with.
Let’s look at the main nuances that you need to pay attention to in order to create effective cold emails.
Engaging Subject Line
When users open their mail app, they immediately see the subject line. Whether they want to open the email depends on how well the subject is composed. It should be bright and short. Many experts advise making subjects up to 50 characters. This is because such an amount of text will look good on mobile devices and allow clients to read the entire topic. According to Emailmonday’s research, 77% of messages are viewed through mobile devices. Thus, a short subject line has a high chance of grabbing a client’s attention.
Polished Content
Experts at Woodpecker published research showing that personalizing emails can increase response rate by 100%. Here’s how it can be managed:
Personalize Text to Attract Business Leads
Standard greetings make emails truly boring. Users receive a lot of messages beginning with “Dear customer” every day. And if you send such an email, it is unlikely that anyone will be interested in them. The best way is to refer to the addressee by name. Take the time to find their name on social media or LinkedIn.
Take into Account the Client’s Interests
Many email systems display the beginning of an email even before a user opens it. Will they be interested in reading it? Yes, if the text is personalized and matches their interests.
Keep It Short
No one will be interested in reading a long text. Effective lead generation for B2B companies with cold emails is based on a short message. The best option is a text of 50-100 words. Make 2-3 paragraphs using short and simple sentences. This way, you will save the client’s time by showing your respect. This is greatly appreciated.
Cold Emails with a Warm Tone to Engage Business Leads
Emphasize individuality and establish sympathy in your emails. Use emoji or GIF images. But avoid overcomplicating your message as you should prepare a short text. It is also a good idea to use images at the template’s bottom but please mind their size.
Generate B2B Leads with a P.S.
This is what can help to double or even triple your click-through rates. Experts from Belkins B2B digital marketing agency believe that P.S. is a powerful tool if done right. When users open a message, they skim it quickly to identify the most valuable information, which leads them quickly to the end of the text. Using postscript, you can indicate your best offer and highlight it in bold.
Provide Contact Info
Your email must contain contact information so that the client can reach you. Put it in your signature. Also, use your real name. This is another difference between cold emails and spam since the last one is associated with fakes.
Let’s summarize this information and draw the main conclusions:
- Successful emails contain a short subject line and body.
- Active personalization will bring the best results.
- Be more open to the client.
- Adapt the template for the mobile version.
Best Cold Email Types to Win Your Client’s Attention
Now let’s look at specific techniques that will help you engage customers. The template for each email should be unique. It’s a bad idea to just copy examples from the Internet. You should be familiar with the basic principles to understand how the system works as a whole. If you want to build a top-notch marketing company, you better turn to professional B2B lead generation services.
Type 1: Use the AIDA Formula
AIDA is a consumer behavior model popular in marketing that describes the sequence of events leading to a purchase decision. It was created back in 1898 by Elias St. Elmo Lewis, an American advertising advocate. A is for Attention, grab the attention of a potential buyer. I is for Interest, focus on what interests them. D is for Desire, show how they can benefit from your proposal. A is for Actions, help them make a purchase or order services.
Additions from the B2B Digital Marketing Agency
Over time, this formula has changed, and another essential condition has been added to it. S is for Satisfaction, since all procedures must be performed in such a way to make the client feel OK with the product or service. The benefit is that such a customer can tell their friends about the deal recommending you as an excellent supplier.
Type 2: The BAB Formula
Before-After-Bridge is what this formula means. Its essence is to show the client a world in which there was a problem that they faced in their daily work (Before). And then show them a world where there is no such a problem and advertise how wonderful it is (After). Connect these two worlds with your product (Bridge). This formula is based on gaining pleasure while avoiding pain.
Type 3: The PAS Formula
This model encourages users to solve a problem. It stands for Problem-Agitate-Solution. In this case, the problem stands out clearly. You should briefly describe why it can be detrimental. Next, you need to excite the client, they should not remain indifferent. Finally, propose a solution to eliminate the pain caused by this problem. This formula is perfectly geared towards increasing sales.
Type 4: The SAS Formula
This model is based on storytelling. It uses the following parameters. Star — introduce the star of your story to the client, it can be any subject, object, phenomenon, or person. The next component is the Arch, which demonstrates the path that the star follows when facing a problem. It is identical to your client’s problem. Finally, Success describes how the star successfully overcomes challenges and problems with the help of your product. This model works well for personal experiences, case studies, or success stories.
Type 5: B2B Leads with an “Introductory” Email
The goal of such a campaign is to grab the customer’s attention. In this message, you are not offering them your products or services, but rather focus on telling who you and your company are, highlighting your strengths. This is the first step in establishing a business contact. It also suggests that after a while, you should send another email to develop and strengthen your professional relationship.
Type 6: Propose a Valuable Resource
As the title suggests, the purpose of this email is to offer helpful resources to the client. Here you do not advertise any goods and services, but you motivate clients to follow the link in the text. This aims to gain the lead’s trust before you start selling. Adding a valuable resource is a good option to remind the client about yourself unobtrusively.
Type 7: Mention Your Competitor
Before sending this kind of email, you will need to do some research and find out precisely what kind of products business leads are using. First, inform the client that you’ve noticed that they have been working with a certain product, and then offer your services as an alternative. You need to highlight the USP of your product and show its competitive advantages. The goal is to focus on how the customer can benefit from partnering with you.
Type 8: Make Hard Sales
Unlike the previous emails, here you are not trying to build a relationship. Your main goal is to motivate customers to make a purchase as soon as possible. It would be an advantage if you manage to establish business contacts in advance. You can get two types of results from these sales tactics:
- You managed to contact clients at the right time and under the right circumstances, and you were able to intrigue them to meet and discuss all the details of the deal.
- Such assertiveness is something they don’t like, so they will be unlikely to do business with you in the future.
Well, cold emails are clearly not the best strategy, but they can still generate new leads. In many ways, it depends on the type of the target audience. Try using it if you are sure that this style will appeal to your potential clients.
Type 9: Make Soft Sales
A great alternative to the previous option is a softer approach to the client. Using this method, you start by talking about who you are and what services you provide. You focus on the strengths of the product and smoothly lead the customer to make a purchase.
Type 10: Name Someone Your Client Already Knows
Many studies show that people trust more those who have common contacts with them. The purpose of this email is to show the client that you have a similar environment, thereby creating trust. In this case, potential customers are more likely to provide an answer. But remember that when referring to a mutual friend or acquaintance, you must indicate a real person.
Type 11: Link to Social Media
It’s hard to find a person who would not use social networks. That is why they can be successfully engaged with your email companies. This type of message should contain the information on your profiles in order to stay connected with the client on their favorite platform. When sending requests on social networks, you can duplicate the message in your cold email, thereby reminding the client about your services.
Lead Generation Email Strategies for B2B Companies: Summary
With the right approach, running a cold marketing campaign is a powerful and reliable tool to attract more customers and increase business profitability. But it’s worth remembering that it is essential to customize emails for each client. The more personalization you provide, the more effective your campaign will be.
In general, don’t dwell too much upon whether there is the right or wrong type of email. You should make your choice based on your target audience instead. Also, do not forget to analyze your mailings every time a client replies or fails to reply to your message. This is necessary in order to assess which actions were correct and which ones were wrong. If you need high-quality and relatively fast lead generation, contact a professional marketing agency for help.
