Email marketing is often viewed as an effective way for a business to get its marketing message across to the consumer, (B2C). And it is. However, while it is often overlooked as a marketing channel, email marketing can also work well in business to business (B2B) settings. Because of the CAN-SPAM act, email campaigns should ALWAYS be permission-based. Luckily, if you’re in the B2B field, it should be pretty easy to get your business customers to opt-in to your email list.

Whether your company is focused on B2C sales or B2B sales, both efforts are attempting to get a response from the customer. Email campaigns can also help with customer retention as well as keeping clients up to speed on news related to your product(s) or service(s). While this description might sound like it excludes B2B activity, it doesn’t. Let me explain.

If you’re marketing business to business, the other business IS your customer. A well executed email marketing campaign can help you sell more to them. Let’s say you need to make room for new inventory. Timing may be critical. Marketing a discount to your existing customer base may help you move aging inventory, making room for the latest models. Your customers will thank you for the deal, and you’ll have some extra cash in the coffers.

Email marketing also allows you to focus on the key decision makers in your B2B sales funnels. By targeting them directly, you’re bypassing potential barriers to purchase decisions. To do that, you have to earn their trust and their business. That means you have to be careful about the timing and frequency of your email offers. Too much, too often, may feel like SPAM; even if it isn’t.

Put yourself in the recipient’s shoes. Write emails you’d want to receive. Structure your campaign in such a way that you wouldn’t get annoyed with the amount or frequency of content. Doing that will help you retain the B2B customers you have, while prompting them to “convert” or buy into whatever you’re offering.

With a trusting list of decision makers, you’ll also be able to cross-sell complimentary products and services. By marketing more than one thing to your list, you greatly improve your chances of selling more. Your email marketing campaigns can take advantage of this by turning updates and product messaging into a campaign that builds on itself. This will lead to better customer retention and as a bonus, less time will need to be spent on selling.

If you’re looking for ways to boost your B2B sales, consider email marketing. If you’re not familiar with today’s best practices, you may want to find a marketing consultant to help you either create a campaign, or identify suitable permission-based email marketing platforms.