In this guide we’ll show you what a tailored B2B email lead generation looks like, start to finish.
If you arrived here from our guide to 32 B2B lead generation strategies you can implement immediately, this guide will build on a couple of those tactics.
If you arrived here from a search engine, here’s what you can expect -
It’ll be short and sweet, so let’s get to it.
Lead generation through email may sound a bit off. Surely email is nurturing existing leads, rather than generating new ones?
But think of it this way -
Just because someone’s given you their email, doesn’t mean they’re a lead. They’re a contact, and they need to be turned into a lead by tailored marketing communication.
B2B email marketing is a great way to do this. It allows for large-scale communication with contacts, while also allowing for bespoke email content and tailored journeys toward becoming a lead and, hopefully, making a purchase.
While we’re here, take note -
B2B marketing emails’ GDPR requirements are fairly strict. You’ll want to make sure your data collection and storage policies are compliant with GDPR. The risks of not complying are too big to be worth taking.
In terms of architecture, B2B lead-gen email campaigns are quite simple. Often you’ll send a short chain of emails each serving a slightly different purpose.
Here’s a breakdown of the architecture of a B2B lead generation email campaign we find to be useful. This process is usually called a ‘workflow’ -
Until Step 7 in the process above, the prospect isn’t a lead. They’re receiving marketing communication, but they’ve not yet expressed a clear interest in moving toward a commercial outcome.
This is why email marketing is a lead generation tactic, as well as a lead nurturing tactic.
Most email management platforms - whether you use HubSpot, Mailchimp, or something else - have automation tools built-in.
These tools let you build complex email campaigns with specific triggers and trajectories. For example, swapping your name and email for a downloadable resource would be the trigger for the campaign we detailed above.
When automating an email campaign, you get to choose a few things -
Best practice for workflows is to send 3-5 emails maximum unless a recipient expresses interest in receiving further communication.
Campaigns are most often built with templates - pre-built emails that can be reused and tweaked again and again.
Setting up lead generation email templates saves time writing every email from scratch.
By curating the time between each email being sent, you give recipients a chance to breathe and engage with every part of the workflow. This is much more appealing than a bombardment of 5 emails in an afternoon.
And by sending emails during office hours only, you reduce the chance of them being buried or missed.
Conditional logic lets you sculpt the journey of individual targets based on their actions.
In the example we gave earlier, someone becomes a lead when they engage with a commercial-based CTA. They’re then removed from the introductory workflow, and placed into another workflow that guides them from their trial toward purchase.
Email management platforms have conditional logic features built-in. It’s usually a case of selecting the criteria that need to be met for a target to receive different future emails based on their actions.
The best lead generation emails treat prospects as individuals, rather than part of some homogeneous marketing blob.
Take this example email subject -
“Hi Pete 👋 We think you’ll love our guide to B2B lead generation success”
And compare it to an example B2B cold email subject line -
“Download our B2B lead generation guide today”
(And obviously, pretend it says your name if your name isn’t Pete.)
Seeing your name in your inbox invites engagement. Seeing content tailored to your needs and concerns, as opposed to generic marketing copy, encourages engagement, too.
By asking prospects for specific pieces of information - their budget, their job title, the challenges they’re facing - you can tailor copy in the body of emails they receive, as well as just putting their name in the subject line.
This goes an incredibly long way in delivering value, improving their perception of your company, and guiding them along their user journey.
They’ll move from disinterested strangers to engaged leads, and your B2B lead generation email campaign will be successful as a result.
Want to find out how we can help your email lead-generation campaigns? Click here to speak to one of our marketing experts.