The Ultimate Guide To B2C Email Marketing

What is B2C email marketing?

B2C email marketing, or business-to-consumer email marketing, is about promoting a company’s product or service to individual clients through email. It is highly dependent on lifecycle emails. In other words, it requires you to understand the customer journey and send customers relevant emails at its every stage. 

For example, imagine that a customer put something in the cart and did not check out. Sending the customer in question a reminder email about the abandoned cart is an example of B2C marketing.

B2C vs. B2B — What is the difference?

While both B2C and B2B marketing revolve around sending out emails to customers, there is a significant difference between the two. 

B2C, or business-to-consumer marketing, is all about driving engagement and sales by targeting individual consumers. For instance, it could be sending a customer an email with a special birthday discount.

On the other hand, B2B, or business-to-business email marketing, is focused on connecting with and selling products and services to other businesses. To give an example, it could be a sales representative pitching an enterprise-grade payment solution to a CTO of a big corporation.

The importance of B2C marketing

A B2C marketing campaign can help you grow in a number of ways. It could boost customer loyalty, increase sales, and increase website traffic, among other things. More on that below!

Boost customer loyalty

With B2C email marketing campaigns, you can start building stronger relationships with customers. You just need to start sending out emails on a regular basis and personalize each message. Doing so shows consumers that you care, making it easier to connect with the products and services you are selling on a more personal level.

Increase sales

By creating compelling content and offering incentives such as discounts, free shipping, free samples, or exclusive access to new products, you can encourage customers to purchase more products or services.

Increase website traffic

Finally, B2C email marketing can help you boost website traffic. By sending out an email with a link to a specific product page and the latest blog post, you can encourage customers to visit the company website. It will definitely help you drive more sales and increase brand awareness.

The most effective types of emails used for B2C marketing

If you want to build a reliable B2C email marketing funnel and stick to best practices, relying on one type of email simply will not do. Instead, you will need to start sending out different types of B2C emails. Here are a few examples of the most effective types of emails used for B2C marketing:

Welcome emails

Welcome emails are a great way to greet new subscribers and drive engagement. Be sure to send out a welcome email as soon as someone signs up for your newsletter. 

Make the most out of such an email. Start by introducing the services or products you are offering, and don’t forget to include a call-to-action. Adding in a few social media links is also great. It can help make it easier for readers to get to know your company better.

Here is a welcome email from Ritual, a company which specializes in manufacturing and selling dietary supplements. On top of greeting you, the company informs you that you can take advantage of a discount if you purchase a bundle of two or more products.

A bright shade of yellow makes the email stand out, but it is not overbearing. Instead, it draws the reader’s attention toward the call to action.

Special offers

In case you are planning on launching a B2C email marketing campaign, make sure that you use special offers. You could offer customers something like a discount on the next purchase or free shipping.

The main focus of the special offer above is Father’s day. In addition to a discount, the reader is provided with two wine-related dad jokes. It is a very creative approach to Father’s day. What is more, it showcases the unique voice of the brand. As a result, the recipient of the message should find it much easier to connect with it on a more personal level.

Newsletters

Newsletters are mainly used to keep customers up-to-date with the latest news. Use a newsletter to share information about the company, new products, and discounts. Such emails are also perfect for sharing fun stories that could help you connect with customers on a more personal level, such as success stories or company milestones.

You could also use a newsletter to share interesting resources. It could be about the content you created, such as the latest blog posts and podcast episodes. It will make the customers perceive you as an industry expert and build authority.

Since Semrush is a suite of search engine optimization tools, the company builds authority by creating and sharing content related to search engine optimization.

Aside from that, their message includes a short questionnaire. Right at the bottom, you can click on one of the buttons to tell Semrush whether you liked the message. It is a short and easy way to make the customer feel heard, as well as to make improvements to any newsletter. After all, you want it to appeal to its recipients. Why not do so by asking the said recipients for feedback?

Reminder emails

You can use such emails to remind customers about the services or products that are available at a discounted price for a limited time. 

Reminder emails will also come in handy if you are looking for a way to promote an upcoming event or remind customers about abandoned carts.

In case you want to make a reminder email more interesting, include a real-time GIF countdown! It could be counting down to the end of a sale, the start of a webinar, or the launch of a product. 

In the case of the message above, Zapier is counting down to the end of an enticing deal. If you buy the paid Zapier plan and pick annual billing, you will get a huge discount.

To make the offer more interesting, Zapier included a short list of the key benefits that come with the paid plan. Each one is preceded by a pictogram, which makes the list easier to skim and understand.

Thank-you emails

With a thank-you email, you can show appreciation for customers’ loyalty and support. Such emails are best sent out when the company reaches a certain milestone or when a holiday like Christmas or Thanksgiving is right around the corner.

In 2018, Sakara Life sent out this great Thanksgiving message. First, it is worded in a very sincere and engaging way. Second, it contains a GIF, which makes it much more attention-grabbing.

Third, it is meant to thank not only customers but also the members of the Sakara team and the chefs working with the company. After all, Sakara Life specializes in organic ready-to-eat meals. What would it do without skilled chefs? 

While it might not drive sales, such a message makes it easier for the recipient to connect to a brand.

Re-engagement emails

Re-engagement emails are perfect for encouraging people who have not made a purchase yet or have not bought anything in a while to come back. Ideally, such an email should include a special offer or remind its recipients about what they are missing out on.

The message above dates back to 2018. Blue Apron encourages the recipient to come back and does so by focusing on how beneficial the Blue Apron services are. You get to both save time and eat delicious food. Better yet, you can do it at a discounted price. It is bound to encourage at least a few customers who have long forgotten about Blue Apron to make a purchase.

How to create a B2C email marketing campaign

Now that you know why B2C email marketing is important and the types of emails you can send out, it is time to learn how to launch a successful B2C email marketing campaign.

Identify goals

The first step is to come up with a few goals that you would like to achieve. Try to make each goal as specific and measurable as possible. For instance, instead of aiming to increase website traffic, aim to increase website traffic by 25% in a year. Creating such goals will give you a clear sense of direction and help you stay organized.

Build and segment a mailing list

Next, you will need to build a mailing list. If you already have one, great! If not, start collecting emails from customers and prospects by using signup forms. In case you are new to the topic, read our guide on how to build a mailing list. 

Having built an email list, you can start segmenting it in order to ensure that each message is relevant to the reader. What is segmentation? In short, it is a process of splitting customers into different groups based on behavior and demographic data. Such groups can then be used to send out targeted messages, which makes it easier to drive engagement and sales.

Design an email strategy

So, you have identified the goals and segmented the mailing list. What is next? It is time to come up with a viable email strategy. You could do so in three simple steps.

1. Decide on the type of emails you are going to send out. 
2. Start crafting compelling copy and come up with visually-appealing designs. 
3. Figure out the frequency of sending out emails.

Automate and launch the campaign

While it might be tempting to do everything by hand, it is not sustainable in the long run. The best way to go about any marketing campaign is to invest in a reliable automation tool. It will make it easier for you to welcome new contacts, as well as send out reminders about abandoned carts and offer personal discounts.

Track results and make improvements

You need to track the performance of the campaign. You could do it by keeping an eye on key metrics, such as open rate, clicks, unsubscribes, and conversion rate. Doing so will help you figure out what works and what does not, making it easier for you to optimize each email for maximum engagement. If you come across any issues, make sure that you fix each one as soon as possible.

B2C email marketing practices and tips to pay attention to

To make sure that a B2C email marketing campaign is a success, you need to stick to best practices. Here are a few tips and strategies that should help you achieve results.

Prioritize customer needs

No marketing campaign will be successful unless it is customer-focused. To make sure that you are doing everything right, prioritize customer needs. Think about what the people you are trying to reach are dealing with and how what you are selling can help you address that problem. Doing so will help you create genuinely engaging emails that address each recipient’s pain points.

To give an example, imagine that you are a personal trainer and a customer downloaded a special exercise plan for weight loss that you put together. You could send the customer in question an email that addresses how difficult weight loss can be. 

Send out personalized emails

Try to personalize each message you send out. For instance, you could include the customer’s name or product recommendations based on past purchases. Again, you could also mention a pain point a customer is likely to be struggling with. It will make you sound like you truly understand what the customer is going through, which can really help you stand out from the crowd.

Use responsive templates

According to Google, 70% of people read email in mobile applications. Keep that in mind and make sure to invest in responsive design. Doing so will help you optimize the emails you are sending out for different devices, making it easier for customers to view and interact with each message.

You do not have to do it from scratch. Instead, have an email marketing tool like Selzy take care of it for you! It comes with ready-made email templates and a drag-and-drop email template builder. Both of the features listed here should save you plenty of time and energy.

Pay attention to email deliverability

Did you know that the emails you are sending out might not be reaching people’s inboxes? In order to prevent that from happening, check your email deliverability and invest in a reliable email delivery service.

Keep email etiquette in mind

No matter whether you are sending out a transactional email or a welcome email, make sure to stick to proper email etiquette. Doing things like being mindful of cultural differences and including a signature might seem like a no-brainer, but you would be surprised to see how many people forget about it. In the long run, such small details can have a really positive impact on customer engagement and make it easier for both of you to stay on good terms.

Create a sense of urgency

In case you are looking for a way to boost engagement in a short amount of time, consider creating a sense of urgency. You could do that by including a countdown timer in the body of the message or mentioning a limited-time offer in the subject line. Doing so will make the email feel more relevant and exciting, making it easier to get the customer to take action.

Design an attention-grabbing CTA button

Remember to design an attention-grabbing CTA button. If you want readers to act upon receiving the email, you need to make sure that the CTA stands out from the body of the message. It is relatively easy to do, provided you have access to a solid email builder. It should be concise and direct. Here are a few examples!

Take advantage of A/B testing

Finally, invest in A/B testing to determine which subject lines, images, and CTA buttons generate more clicks. As a result, you will be able to make data-driven decisions that will have a positive impact on customer engagement.

Final thoughts

Launching a successful B2C email marketing campaign is all about understanding customer behavior and sticking to best practices. Just like with any other type of marketing, whether it be DTC marketing or video marketing, you also need to rely on solid marketing strategies. In addition, it is recommended that you plan things out in advance and make decisions based on solid data instead of acting on a hunch.

If you do not know what kind of emails you should be sending out, keep the six types of B2C emails we mentioned in mind! For example, if Thanksgiving is right around the corner, you could send out a thank-you email. If you are launching a new product, sending out a newsletter or a special offer might be a better option.

Last but not least, remember about segmentation, prioritizing customer needs, investing in personalization, and using responsive designs. Aside from that, you should design an attention-grabbing CTA button and take advantage of split testing. If you do all of the things listed here, any B2C email marketing campaign you launch is likely to end up being a huge success!