Marketing Mix — Email That Gets Read: A Missed Sales Opportunity

Does email marketing still work? Yes, if it is the right type of emails. Of the copious messages you receive daily, which ones do you read? According to a study by MarketingSherpa, the email communications your customers actually value are directly tied to their transactions, i.e. the confirmation you receive when you place an order.

Transactional communications are one of the most common types of emails companies send.

Most B2B technology companies are not communicating enough. Do you routinely:

• Confirm receipt of an RFQ and promise a follow-up time?
• Confirm an order?
• Update customers on the status of their blanket PO or inventory?
• Send delivery confirmation?
• Email invoices or statements?

Each of these is an opportunity to increase awareness and grow a customer account.

A few rules:

• Be relevant—Provide information about natural value-adds. If your customer ordered lenses, include a note: “Did you know we also provide white room assembly?” If you can reference their particular industry or need, do so. 
• Be specific—If there’s a similar product that may be of interest, provide a product link. 
• Be respectful—Emails are not ads. When including relevant CTAs, use “real estate” that customers already find useful, such as your email signature, or add a link right on the invoice.

The days of the big corporate pitch at the start of an engagement are over, but we often still assume our customer knows all that we do—not true. Simple add-on messages in your existing communications are an effective way to increase sales.

Other factors besides the type or content of emails can affect whether they are read. MarketingSherpa found that the No. 1 tactic to improve email deliverability rates is to provide an easy way to unsubscribe. The second and third best strategies, respectively, are to measure and remove hard bounces and to clean your email lists regularly. 

Our guide can help you clean up your database and make sure your emails are reaching people who will read them.