Want to hold your B-to-B e-newsletter readers’ attention? Make sure you’re providing content that speaks directly to their interests, and not to the interests of their managers. Chief Marketer recently talked with Craig Fitzgerald, editorial director of Waltham, MA-based e-newsletter firm IMN, to get his thoughts on what types of content work best in B-to-B newsletters, best practices, and what to avoid if you want to keep your audience opted-in and reading.
CHIEF MARKETER: What trends do you see in the use of email newsletters by B-to-B marketers?
FITZGERALD: In general, we see an investment in more meaningful content. It’s taken a while, but companies are finally figuring out what they really want to accomplish with e-newsletters. Good content can give you a markedly better ROI. And today, many companies are willing to try the format because it isn’t that expensive compared to advertising or taking a booth at a trade show.
The best thing a B-to-B company can do right now is consider itself a media company. You can’t wait for a trade publication to tell your story and get it out there. Take the responsibility yourself. Be that media provider. Cherry pick the best media folks you can—appoint someone to be your “publisher,” the person who is responsible for content. If it comes from many people within the organization, the message gets muddied.
CHIEF MARKETER: What types of content work best in B-to-B e-newsletters?
FITZGERALD: Look at who is actually getting the particular newsletter. For example, say you run a dental equipment supply company and your audience is dental offices. Now, if you know the office administrator is reading your newsletter, you need to try to reach that person, rather than appeal to the dentist. Maybe consider content on vacations or new cars—take the reader into consideration. Since it’s B-to-B, it might not make sense on the surface, but it works. If you’re targeting car dealerships, provide content that’s not only on topic but also highlights fun things to do that are within a day’s drive of the dealership.
Those articles are read more frequently than the ones about the dealership, and create the opportunity to connect with the reader. Don’t get too frivolous, but remember that B-to-B marketers are people too. This type of newsletter will have a much lower opt-out rate. If your newsletter is only offers like, “Hey, here’s what we’ve got to sell this week!” no one is going to opt in to that. It’s the cover. Good content earns you the right to advertise.
Don’t bother with things like a welcome letter from the president. Use content that can actually help people with what they do. If you’re providing something mechanical, consider links to videos of product demonstrations.
CHIEF MARKETER: What mistakes do B-to-B marketers typically make when crafting their e-newsletters?
FITZGERALD: You can’t just use the medium as a secondary press kit, or force what materials you already have to fit [into a newsletter format]. You need to customize your content for the medium, make it fresh and interesting, and optimize it for the newsletter.
The same applies for social media. You can’t just be repetitive and
provide the same content in a newsletter that you give them on your Facebook page. The best practice is to make sure your content is sharable on all social media platforms. That is key. Of course, then you can lose your ability to track who is reading it. But at the same time, if it’s meaningful content that is getting shared, that’s a win-win all day long.
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