Effective email marketing can seem like a never-ending challenge—especially for B2B marketers. How do you balance promoting your product, telling a compelling story, and connecting with your audience? In a recent episode of Email Never Sleeps, we sat down with Kate Arney-Cimino, a content marketer with a sales background, to discuss the nuances of B2B email marketing. Here are some key takeaways.
Know Your Audience
One of the most critical pieces of advice from Kate is understanding your audience. As someone with a background in sales, Kate has a unique perspective on what makes a prospect tick. “I think that’s what made it very successful—knowing exactly who we were talking to,” Kate explains. Whether you’re targeting a tech director at a school district in West Virginia or an IT director at a private school in California, knowing the specifics of your audience allows you to tailor your messaging and tone effectively.
The Power of Storytelling
As Kate mentions, telling a story through your email campaigns can significantly boost engagement. Rather than simply barfing product features at your audience, tell them a story. Start by identifying their pain points, and then slowly build up to how your product can solve those issues.
“I try to sell a story with an email campaign—maybe it’s five to seven emails, and the first one is about their major pain point,” Kate says. A well-crafted email series can guide prospects through their journey, from identifying problems to eventually seeing your product as the solution.
Short vs. Long-Form Content
The length of your emails can make or break engagement. According to Kate, shorter is usually better. “I’m a huge fan of the shorter the email, the better,” she explains. Emails should be concise and to the point, especially when your target audience likely has a million other things competing for their attention.
Highlight key points using bold text, bullet points, and extra spacing to ensure your message is skimmable and effective. If you have to break the rule of brevity, save it for a longer “breakup email” that might be your last-ditch effort to re-engage the prospect.
Focus on Human Connection
B2B email marketing often suffers from over-formalization, where brands focus too much on selling and not enough on building relationships. “People want to make that connection,” says Kate. Instead of diving straight into product pitches, take the time to build trust with your audience through authentic, relatable content. This human connection is essential, especially in industries like education or insurance, where decision-makers often juggle numerous responsibilities.
The Role of AI in Email Marketing
The rise of AI tools like GPT has sparked debates about the future of content creation. While AI can be helpful for generating ideas or filling gaps in blog posts, Kate believes it cannot write effective, human-centered B2B emails. “AI doesn’t know the pain,” she says. It doesn’t know that initial connection.”
Also see – AI Email Tactics: Best Use Cases For Email Marketing.
Final Thoughts
Kate’s advice for B2B marketers looking to up their email game is clear: know your audience, tell a compelling story, keep it short, and build authentic connections. By focusing on these fundamentals, you’ll set your email campaigns up for success.
For more insights on email marketing, check out our blog post on Black Friday Subject Lines, or dive into the latest trends in email design with our article on ALL CAPS in Email: Effective Emphasis or Digital Yelling?
