Wednesday, April 14, 2010

What BtoB Marketers Can Learn from BtoC Email Tactics

An interesting article ran this week from eMarketer about a recent Silverpop survey (a solid Atlanta based marketing technology company). We are glad to see the discussion is moving away from "what is the best day to send emails" to questions that truly drive BtoB prospects through the sales funnel.

The idea of "gathering recipient information" is key for most BtoB marketers. While some like David Meerman Scott have challenged those ideas, and with reasonable arguments, it remains to be seen which school of thought is correct in the BtoB marketing world -- maybe both!

Regardless, good info...take a read and let us know what you think.


B2B and B2C E-Mail Tactics

APRIL 14, 2010

Business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) e-mail marketers have different targets, but the goals they share mean they agree on the effectiveness of several tactics.

According to a Silverpop poll, both groups consider identifying the best time to send messages the most effective e-mail marketing tactic. They also agree on the importance of including marketing promotions in transactional messages and using surveys to gather information about their recipients.




Several other tactics—including links to social networking sites, triggered offers and behavioral targeting—were less likely to be considered effective by B2B marketers despite their appeal in the B2C segment.

Some differences stem from the specific marketing goals B2B and B2C companies have. While both told Silverpop they were about equally interested in upselling and cross-selling, increasing contact databases and strengthening their analytics, there were also significant differences. B2B marketers were highly focused on moving prospects through the sales pipeline, while B2C respondents wanted to increase customer loyalty.



Many of the tactics B2C marketers found effective, such as incorporating social network links, relate to their customer loyalty goal, shared by relatively few B2B respondents.

“Whether you’re selling cupcakes or copiers, buyers are all individuals who seek out others like themselves for insights and recommendations,” the report said. “Adding the human element through social networking benefits both B2C and B2B marketing programs.”

posted by Mike Neumeier, APR @ 9:20 AM
Arketi Group website
Arketi Group News
Arketi Group Case Studies
Arketi Group Podcasts
Arketi Group Surveys
Arketi Group Whitepapers