2 minute read
Published 16 August
When you first create the content hub on your website you will need to tell people about it.
The very fact that you have so much changing material on your website will automatically enhance your SEO presence (read more about our B2B SEO agency here) but it does take time to rise up the rankings. In the meantime, you need to ensure your content is seen – and, if you’ve done a good job, it will be shared online ensuring it goes beyond your initial contacts. Depending on which figures you believe (and there are plenty) almost half of B2B emails are opened on mobile devices. So if your content isn’t mobile friendly… need I say more?
Make sure you have a suitable system to start collating and storing your contacts. You will need a database, which enables you to store names, addresses and emails and append additional information. This will give you the flexibility to pull audience segments based on your target profiles such as sector, size of company and whether they are a prospect or a customer.
Email marketing
Email works best for retention marketing activity – in other words your existing customers or people who know your company and have an interest. The open and click-through rates for acquisition emails are notoriously poor – with the right subject line and some extremely enticing content metrics improve dramatically.
If you are sending out an acquisition email and want to capture details for future marketing, make sure you ask prospects for their information in exchange for your content.
Capture the analytics
Use an email broadcast system that enables you to build templates for different types of email, and captures engagement analytics. This will help you to identify the content or approach that’s working best for you.
Catchy subject line
There is so much email traffic landing in your recipients inbox. To get noticed the subject line needs to say something relevant and intriguing. At all costs avoid words likely to get blocked by spam filters such as ‘free’ or ‘bargain’.
Call to action
Make sure your email has a purpose. What do you want the recipient to do? In the cases of a marketing campaign this will most likely be ‘Download our fantastic report right now’ with a link to your website. If you are sending out an acquisition email and want to capture details for future marketing, make sure you ask prospects for their information in exchange for your content.
Third party lists
As well as purchasing opted-in acquisition contact data from a reputable data provider, consider sending out emails using a third party database such as a publisher or a relevant association. Many will allow you to email their contacts for a fee.
Don’t forget the ‘opt-out’
You must give the recipient the ability to opt-out of receiving all future emails from you, which is why it’s important to send out content that’s interesting and relevant to try to avoid a rapid death by email.
Direct mail
Direct mail is making a come-back. Yes it’s expensive and timeconsuming but with most companies resorting solely to email because it’s cheap and quick, it may be worth sending a direct mail campaign to a highly targeted audience and measuring the response. You may well find it turns out to be more cost-effective! Or better still do both, but integrate communication from the two channels so each works to strengthen the other.