Driving Prospect Engagement: 5 Habits of Successful Email Marketers

It’s a simple email marketing truth that the more a prospect engages with your content, the more likely they’ll become a paying customer. So how do top marketers drive engagement with prospects? A new study by Ascend 2 sheds some insight into best practices shared by successful B2B and B2C marketers:

 

1. They focus on one topic: According to the report, single-topic email campaigns are the most effective tactic for improving engagement for almost half (46%) of the marketing influencers surveyed. By doing this, marketers are able to more effectively capture and hold the attention of those who’ve expressed interest in a particular subject. In addition, single-topic emails were viewed by marketing influencers as taking the least amount of effort to create – only slightly more than automated, new subscriber emails. Other email campaigns noted for their engagement power included new subscriber emails, automated emails and subject-specific newsletters. The least effective email tactic was viewed to be multi-topic email campaigns, which also take the most amount of effort to create. The takeaway: focus your email on a clear, single topic and compelling call-to-action.

 

2. They measure engagement differently at various points in the sales cycle: When it comes to prospect engagement, measurements at different points of the pipeline can provide better, more relevant insight. For example, before the sales pipeline has even started (e.g. using a new customer acquisition data list), marketers might simply measure the number of new subscribers generated from the initial campaigns. For the early sales pipeline, email opens and clicks indicate how compelling your messaging, value proposition and call to action may be to your prospects. In the mid-pipeline, form fills allow you to track and learn to what extent your prospects are willing to trade their contact information for your helpful call to action – they may even desire a follow-up contact or call from you. It is here in the early and mid-pipeline that two-thirds (67%) of marketing influencers primarily focus their campaign measurement. However, the final stage, sales revenue, should also be tracked – here is where the ROI of your efforts will be measured in the eyes of your executive management.

 

3. They understand the importance of quality: Successful marketers know that success today is more about focusing on quality, and less on inflated but less-likely-to-convert larger numbers or bulk email lists. In fact, almost half (45%) of marketers surveyed say improving the quality of their leads is the most challenging barrier to email marketing success. Here, when pursuing new prospects, quality customer acquisition data can help you overcome this hurdle, and accelerate your ability to generate more ideal, qualified leads.

 

4. They view email as their go-to channel: More than three-quarters (79%) of marketing influencers consider their email marketing strategy to be successful at achieving their top priorities such as improving prospect engagement. In fact, more than a third (34%) of marketers feel so confident in their email abilities that they rate their strategies as “best-in-class.” Only 3% rate their email engagement strategies as “very unsuccessful.” The takeaway here: nothing beats email when it comes to generating prospect engagement.

 

5. They are not afraid to outsource some of their email activities: Due to time and resource limitations, half of email marketers surveyed say they use a combination of outsourced and in-house resources to execute various aspects of their email engagement campaigns. A full 30% completely outsourced execution of their email marketing engagement to a specialist, while only 20% managed everything solely in-house. The takeaway? Marketers don’t need to be experts at everything when it comes to email marketing: outsourcing is a common practice, and it can free up business leaders to focus on more pressing priorities.

 

Generating prospect engagement, trust and mindshare has never been more challenging for marketers, but email is proving to be the ideal medium for connecting with target audiences in the new digital age. Follow the tips above for more success with your campaigns.

 

Outward Media’s accurate, targeted email data can help you achieve better email marketing ROI by targeting your best prospects and, ultimately, converting more prospects into customers. Take a look at our case studies to find out more.