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Newsletters are now key asset in the marketing armoury - 73% of marketers use an email newsletter as part of their content marketing strategy. And B2B newsletters deliver good engagement, boasting a slightly higher click-through rate of 3.2%, compared to B2C at 2.1%, according to the Data & Marketing Association.
B2B newsletters offer many advantages, including building customer loyalty, nurturing relationships with existing and prospective customers and growing and retaining CRM contacts. But we think one of the best advantages is lead generation. And the good news is that 77% of B2B buyers say they prefer to be contacted by email than any other channel.
However, too many B2B marketers are put off managing a newsletter program because of the perceived content commitment. Typically regarding newsletters as a large collection of the latest information about their business, products and customers, marketers often feel under pressure to beg or wrestle stakeholders to provide material.
At Luxid, when we discuss setting up newsletter subscription forms with customers, all too often they say: “We don’t send newsletters because we simply don’t have enough content.” Yet, a glance at their website reveals a wealth of interesting, current and well-written content. This content might not be ‘breaking news’ but it still valuable, especially for new audiences.
A new approach to B2B newsletters
Managing a newsletter that drives lead generation requires a fresh mindset and a different approach to traditional methods of content marketing. Lead nurturing involves sending emails about your company’s products and services to individuals that have previously shown interest. For best performance, this email content is customized based on the recipient's interests and industry. This is where marketing automation comes in. And it’s now an important tool in managing newsletters - 82% of marketers make use of email automation, which results in eight times greater email opens.
In the early stages of the lead journey, we might only know the prospect’s email address and what brought them to the company’s site. Even with limited information, we can send something that maintains their interest and keeps the company top-of-mind. This could include generalized information about customer cases, technologies, whitepapers, webinars, and blog articles. This is great newsletter content and it’s easier to compile than you may think.
To take the pain out of newsletter management for our clients, Luxid has created an important concept and process - the ‘Lead Nurturing Newsletter’. From the recipient's perspective, it appears to be a traditional newsletter, but from a content and lead journey standpoint, it is a strategic marketing tool and marketing automation at its best.
Planning the Lead Nurturing Newsletter
The newsletter planning process begins with a thorough review of available content, including news, cases, product documentation, whitepapers, and recorded webinars. For each piece of content, we consider the following:
1. When was this content published?
2. Is the content still valid and of interest to new leads?
3. If not, can it be easily refreshed and updated?
4. If not, should it still be on the website?
Often, valuable content is only used once in a newsletter and then left on the website for new leads to discover on their own, which is not an efficient use of resources. After reviewing and categorizing the content, it can be redistributed through email newsletters and social channels.
Content can be spread across up to 12 emails, with up to three pieces per email. Keep in mind that not every recipient will read every email or remember all the content they encounter. Therefore, valuable content can be repeated a few times throughout the cycle, further reducing the need for a large amount of content. New content published after the program starts can be added to the emails, replacing older or less engaging material. Once the program has run its course, the new content will have refreshed the cycle, and the lead can start from email #1 after a pause and evaluation.
Automating the Lead Nurturing Newsletter
Once the emails have been organized, they can be uploaded to an automated program that delivers the emails to the recipients at predetermined intervals. When a new lead meets the criteria, they enter the program and receive the first email. They move through the program at their own pace, receiving up to one email per month until all emails have been sent. After the program has sent all emails, the lead is evaluated and either retired, moved to another program, or returned to email #1.
In a more advanced program set-up, the lead can be evaluated before each email is sent and moved to a more personalized program. For example, if we see that the lead has shown interest in a particular product line or given other signs of specific interest, they can be moved to another flow. Or if the lead has moved along the lead journey to become sales qualified or converted into a customer, they can move to a program with tailored content to that phase.
With experience, good data, and a well-categorized content process and library, you can make the automated newsletters as intelligent and tailored as needed. And over time with analytics, you can optimize the content for the best possible conversion.
Benefits of the Lead Nurturing Newsletter
There are significant advantages of using the Lead Nurturing Newsletter approach and combining with an automated system. New leads receive valuable content, even if it’s older.
Repetition ensures the most valuable content gets more attention. The need to constantly produce new articles is reduced and the content library stays up-to-date. A steady flow of content educates and keeps your business top-of-mind. Importantly, automation reduces manual work and built-in analytics help identify the most effective content.
For businesses that have struggled with newsletters, adopting the Lead Nurturing Newsletter approach can have a transformative impact - reducing your workload and driving your prospect pipeline. If you want to find out how this critical approach combined with an automation can boost your lead generation then talk to an expert at Luxid.
