In October 2023, Google and Yahoo announced their new bulk sender rules. 

These rules, which effectively drew a line in the sand when it came to spam complaint rates, were a big change in that this was the first time any big email provider had given specific directives. 

The new rules?

• Mandatory digital email signing (domain authentication)
• 0.3% spam complaint rate threshold
• Easy unsubscribe and prompt unsubscribe processing

The updates began to be rolled out starting on February 1, 2024, and were a surprise to many, presenting new challenges for email marketers – especially outbound email marketers.

We’ll dive into an outline of the Gmail and Yahoo Mail requirements as well the implications and needed updates by email marketers in this article, and how Customers.ai helps brands ensure peak deliverability.

Jump to the sections with the links below or read on:

1. How to Prevent Spam Penalties
2. Average Spam Complaint Ranges
3. April 1st Domain Authentication Requirements
4. June 1st Unsubscribe Requirements

How to Prevent Spam Penalties

First, one of the main reasons emails get marked as spam is because the recipient has never heard of the sender. 

Our inboxes are already so crowded – don’t bother me with something I’ve never even heard of, right?

That’s where Customers.ai comes in. 

We identify people who are already on your site. 

People who are engaging with high-intent pages.

People who haven’t received an email or ad previously.

These are the people you want to target. 

Forget the cold email lists of the past you had to buy. These are the people who are going to open your emails, engage, improve your email deliverability, and drive up revenue!

Second, Customers.ai has a built-in email deliverability test.

After you’ve authenticated your email sender through Customers.ai, get your email deliverability score.

We’ll report back to you how many of your emails are landing in the inbox vs. the Promotions tab vs. the spam filter.

And provide you with recommendations you can use to improve your email deliverability, pointing out if you are missing the newly required digital email signing and domain authentication.

Average Spam Complaint Ranges

As we dug into just how these new rules would impact outbound marketers, we found that a lot of people were going to be in real trouble.

The thing is, since the announcement of the new guidelines, we haven’t seen much chatter about it. 

Until now. 

It seems this is more of a slow rollout than a big change that would have an immediate impact, starting with domain authentication. 

April 1st Domain Authentication Requirements

According to Gmail’s group product manager, Neil Kumaran, all bulk senders* will be required to authenticate their email beginning April 1, 2024. 

What’s key here is the word required.

While email authentication should certainly be the norm by now, the fact Google is requiring it shows how serious they are. 

They are so serious that they are flat-out going to reject emails that don’t meet the requirements!

From Forbes:

“Starting from April 1, Google will reject emails from bulk senders unless they meet new authentication requirements. This strict rule is aimed at reducing the amount of spam that lands in Gmail inboxes and enhancing the security of Gmail users. By implementing these new requirements, Google is aiming to prevent malicious actors from using unauthenticated or compromised domains to deliver their dangerous payloads and reduce unwanted spam.”

As you can see, there are real repercussions here for those who choose not to adhere to the Google guidelines. 

Sounds like it’s time to get your emails in line if they aren’t already.

*Note: Current bulk sender rules refer to 5,000+ email sends to Gmail users

Staying in Line with New Google Guidelines

Authenticating your email account is simple and honestly, the majority of ESPs have this capability built in. 

Here are links to a few of our partner sites:

• How to Authenticate Your Email with Sendgrid
• How to Verify a Domain with Sendlane
• What is DMARC and How Do I Set it Up on Klaviyo?

Along with ensuring your email is authenticated, there are other parts of the spam rules that still need to be adhered to, including unsubscribe links. 

In our original deep drive, we noted that clear unsubscribes were crucial. Make it easy for people to unsubscribe and they are less likely to mark you as spam.

June 1st Unsubscribe Requirements

And come June 1st, not only do bulk senders need to have an unsubscribe, they have to have a one-click unsubscribe option that is processed within 48 hours.

As for the spam complaint rate threshold?

I think we are going to see more about that as these updates continue to roll out. 

In the meantime, make sure you are creating an outbound email marketing program that focuses on warm leads, personalized messaging, and best practices.

Ready to see how we can help?

Sign up for free and start identifying visitors who actually want to hear from you and use state-of-the-art email deliverability testing to ensure your emails reach their intended recipients.

Important Next Steps

• See what targeted outbound marketing is all about. Capture and engage your first 500 website visitor leads with Customers.ai X-Ray website visitor identification for free.
• Talk and learn about sales outreach automation with other growth enthusiasts. Join Customers.ai Island, our Facebook group of 40K marketers and entrepreneurs who are ready to support you.
• Advance your marketing performance with Sales Outreach School, a free tutorial and training area for sales pros and marketers.

The post Gmail Bulk Sender Rules: Preparing for June Updates & Beyond appeared first on Customers.ai.

Achieving that coveted spot in the inbox requires more than just sending messages; it requires navigating spam filters and privacy laws, all while writing copy that drives opens and keeps engagement high. No easy feat.

Email deliverability has long been a challenge and unfortunately, without the help of technology, it’s not going to get any easier. 

That’s where AI comes in. 

AI isn’t just helping to improve email deliverability. It’s turning the concept on its head, offering new strategies to help marketers deal with new changes and reach the inbox. 

Let’s explore the transformation from basic deliverability tactics to cutting-edge, AI-enhanced strategies that are setting new benchmarks in email marketing success.

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Looking Back at Email Deliverability

In the early days of email marketing, deliverability hinged on one thing – avoiding the spam folder. 

There weren’t promotions tabs or super-sophisticated filters. You didn’t have to worry about having too many links in your message or using characters incorrectly and ending up in the spam folder.

The biggest challenges were crafting non-spammy subject lines and managing bounce rates while the strategies were straightforward – focus on list hygiene and mass distribution without much nuance.

Ah, simpler times. 

But as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end.

As email became ubiquitous, the landscape began to grow more complicated. 

The introduction of Sender Policy Framework (SPF), DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM), and Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) marked significant milestones and new challenges for email marketers.

These authentication protocols, designed to verify the sender’s identity and combat phishing, also made deliverability much more difficult. 

At the same time as new protocols were being put in place, ISPs were evolving and adopting more sophisticated algorithms to filter out spam. 

All of this together led to one thing – the need for an email deliverability strategy.

These changes really forced email marketers to rethink how they got messages to the inbox and placed a greater emphasis on sender reputation and engagement metrics. 

What began as a simple battle to reach the inbox has become a complex endeavor to ensure emails are welcomed by recipients and trusted by email providers.

Contemporary Challenges in Email Deliverability

With the glory days of email marketing behind us, today’s email marketers have to navigate a whole new set of challenges to achieve deliverability. 

The sophistication of spam filters has reached unprecedented levels, employing AI and machine learning to scrutinize every aspect of an email, from technology to content to sender behavior. 

These filters aren’t fooled by basic tactics. They demand genuine engagement and relevant content. 

They also demand a clean sender reputation and adherence to privacy guidelines. 

Sender Reputation

Sender reputation is a huge part of deliverability.

ISPs and email services meticulously score senders on various metrics, including open rates, click-through rates, and spam complaints. 

This scrutiny means that maintaining a clean, engaged email list is more crucial than ever. 

A drop in sender reputation can lead to emails being sent to the spam folder, or worse, blocked entirely.

Privacy Regulations

GDPR and CCPA have really reshaped the email marketing landscape by mandating compliance.

These regulations don’t just suggest consent for data collection, they require it. In fact, violations risk hefty fines.

With these new challenges, email marketers must employ more nuanced and sophisticated strategies. 

It’s a balancing act – ensuring compliance with privacy laws, maintaining a positive sender reputation, navigating the intricate algorithms of spam filters, and requiring innovation and adaptability.

The Role of AI in Enhancing Email Deliverability

AI has ushered in a new era for email marketing.

From predictive analytics to personalization, AI is helping email marketers navigate all of the crazy changes taking place.

Predictive Analytics

I think we can all agree that predictive analytics has revolutionized email marketing, particularly when it comes to send time and frequency. 

Instead of having to manually analyze data and test assumptions, AI can take your data and predict the optimal moment for email engagement. The results? Higher open rates and improved deliverability.

Personalization

Personalization is another area where AI is making its mark. 

Through NLP, AI email writers can help craft email content that resonates with readers while steering clear of spam filters. 

They can analyze the effectiveness of subject lines, call-to-actions, and overall content, suggesting improvements that enhance engagement rates. 

Sender Reputation Management

The ability to predict and adapt content for better engagement and compliance is invaluable not just for getting your messages delivered but also for maintaining a healthy sender reputation.

Machine learning models can forecast potential deliverability issues before they even happen. 

By analyzing email interactions, AI can identify patterns that may lead to blacklisting or spam complaints, allowing marketers to adjust strategies proactively.

Way better than being blacklisted right?

AI is already making waves when it comes to email deliverability and it’s only going to get better. 

Marketers leveraging AI-driven platforms report significant improvements in open rates, reduced spam complaints, and enhanced overall campaign performance. 

In fact, during a 2023 survey carried out among email marketers from the United States, the United Kingdom, and other European countries, it was found that ~51% of respondents believed that AI-supported email marketing was more effective than traditional email marketing approaches.

These advancements are not just about overcoming challenges; they’re about setting new benchmarks in email marketing effectiveness.

AI for Improved Email Deliverability 

The evolution of email deliverability, from its simplest forms to the sophisticated, AI-driven landscape of today, shows us that email marketing is in a constant state of flux. 

The challenges that once seemed impossible have given way to innovative solutions and opportunities for growth and engagement.

The role of AI in this evolution cannot be overstated. 

It is now a pivotal tool, giving marketers the ability to navigate the many, many complexities of modern email marketing with unprecedented precision. 

AI-driven insights and technologies are not just enhancing deliverability, they are reshaping the very foundations of email marketing strategies, offering a glimpse into a future where personalization, engagement, and compliance are seamlessly integrated.

For strategic email marketers, the message is clear – embracing AI-driven insights and technologies is no longer an option but a necessity for staying ahead. 

The future of email deliverability lies in the ability to adapt, innovate, and harness the full potential of AI to create meaningful, engaging, and successful email campaigns.

Important Next Steps

• See what targeted outbound marketing is all about. Capture and engage your first 500 website visitor leads with Customers.ai X-Ray website visitor identification for free.
• Talk and learn about sales outreach automation with other growth enthusiasts. Join Customers.ai Island, our Facebook group of 40K marketers and entrepreneurs who are ready to support you.
• Advance your marketing performance with Sales Outreach School, a free tutorial and training area for sales pros and marketers.

The post The Evolution of Email Deliverability: From Basics to AI-Driven Insights appeared first on Customers.ai.

This is pretty troubling for DTC marketers when you consider that the return on investment for email marketing is unmatched.

According to a Data & Marketing Association (DMA) 2019 report, the average ROI for email marketing in the United States was $42 for every dollar spent. Meanwhile, display ads, social media marketing and search advertising return estimates ranging from $2 to $10 returned for every dollar spent.

Mastering the art of ensuring messages land in the inbox is more crucial than ever. The potential for email marketing is hindered when emails languish in spam folders or, worse, go undelivered.

Today I’m going to show you how to improve email deliverability so you can get messages in prospects’ inboxes, run more successful email outreach campaigns, and improve lead generation.

So how can you get emails into the inbox so you can connect with your ideal prospects?

With a strategic approach, an understanding of the email delivery and spam algorithms, and the right email warmup tools, you can run an email outreach process that gets your messages at the top of the inbox and seen by your targeted ideal prospects.

Follow along with this guide to email deliverability:

• What is Email Deliverability?
• Why is Email Deliverability Important to DTC Marketers?
• What is a Good Email Deliverability Rate?
• What Affects Email Deliverability?
• What are Some Emerging Trends in Email Deliverability?
• How do You Ensure Email Deliverability?
• How Can DTC Marketers Increase Email Deliverability Rates?
• How to Increase Email Deliverability Rates with Customers.ai?
• Email Deliverability FAQs

What is Email Deliverability?

Email deliverability measures the rate at which emails get delivered to recipients. Sales and marketing teams use this metric to make sure prospects receive their campaigns successfully.

But deliverability is about more than just if your email arrived or if it bounced back undelivered. It also refers to where your email landed—and whether it went to the inbox or to the spam folder.

Maintaining a high deliverability rate is critical for sales reps who use targeted outbound outreach. With good deliverability, you have a better chance of:

• Building relationships with your target prospects
• Getting prospects to respond to your offer
• Generating and qualifying warm leads
• Closing more deals for your business
• Creating a healthy email account that you can use for future outreach

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Why is Email Deliverability Important to DTC Marketers?

Email deliverability is crucial for Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) marketers for several reasons:

• Customer Engagement: Email is a primary channel for engaging with customers. Ensuring that emails reach the inbox enables DTC marketers to communicate directly with their audience, providing updates, promotions, and valuable content.

• Brand Visibility: Deliverability impacts the visibility of your brand. If emails consistently land in spam folders, your brand may be overlooked, affecting brand recall and customer trust.

• Campaign Effectiveness: Successful outreach campaigns rely on emails being seen by the intended recipients. Improving deliverability increases the chances of your marketing campaigns reaching the target audience and driving desired actions.

• Conversion Rates: Emails that land in the inbox are more likely to be opened and acted upon. Improved deliverability contributes to higher open rates, click-through rates, and ultimately, better conversion rates for DTC marketers.

• Customer Relationship Building: Email is a personal and direct communication channel. By ensuring emails are delivered, DTC marketers can build and nurture relationships with customers, fostering loyalty and repeat business.

• Regulatory Compliance: Compliance with email marketing regulations, such as GDPR or CAN-SPAM, is crucial for DTC marketers. Good deliverability practices contribute to compliance and help avoid legal issues.

• Data Insights: Reliable deliverability allows marketers to gather accurate data on the performance of their email campaigns. This data is valuable for refining strategies, understanding customer behavior, and optimizing future campaigns.

What is a Good Email Deliverability Rate?

For targeted outbound email outreach campaigns, Customers.ai aims for delivery rates of around 90%. That means the vast majority of emails land in the inbox, while just 10% end up hard or soft bounced or blocked altogether.

Although a 90% deliverability rate is good for targeted outbound emailing, it’s just one factor that defines a successful campaign. It’s also helpful to look at:

• Open rate: the percentage of people who read your messages
• Click rate: the percentage of people who visit links in your messages
• Response rate: the percentage of people who respond to your messages
• Bounce rate: the percentage of emails that return undelivered
• Spam report rate: the percentage of people who file spam complaints with their email provider

What Affects Email Deliverability?

It’s easy to assume your deliverability rate is good, especially if you have a great offer and you’re targeting prospects who are a great fit for your product or service. Yet maintaining a good rate is a constant challenge.

Here are some of the key factors that affect the email deliverability metric:

• Email account age: Did you just set up a new email account yesterday and start sending cold outreach right away? Brand new email addresses have no history, which can trigger spam filters. To warm up a new account, use the tutorial below.
• Sending volume: Are you planning to send hundreds of cold emails per day? New email accounts typically have a limit of about 100 emails per day. If you attempt to send more, you could run into deliverability issues.
• Send times: Did you mass email your entire prospect list at once? Sending all your cold outreach for the day at the same time can compromise deliverability, especially for large sales outreach campaigns.
• Email server type: Are you using a POP3 server or web-based email to run outreach campaigns? Without the right type of email server, your emails could run into problems with inconsistent delivery.
• Email authentication: Have your emails been authenticated? If you aren’t using tools like SPF and DKIM to authenticate your emails, your recipients’ ISPs may think your messages aren’t legitimate.
• Engagement rates: Do your prospects ever open, click on, or respond to your cold emails? If your engagement rates are low, your emails could get flagged as spam—which can impact deliverability.
• Sender reputation: Both IP and domain reputations act as critical factors in email deliverability. A positive sender reputation, significantly influences whether emails reach the intended inbox or get flagged as spam. Maintaining a favorable sender reputation is imperative.

What Are Some Emerging Trends in Email Deliverability?

• AI-Powered Predictive Analytics: As the digital landscape evolves, AI-driven predictive analytics is emerging as a game-changer in email deliverability. Harnessing the power of artificial intelligence, marketers can now anticipate potential deliverability issues before they arise. By analyzing vast datasets, AI identifies patterns, refines targeting strategies, and optimizes content, ensuring messages consistently reach the right audience with precision.

• Interactive Email Experiences: The future of email deliverability lies in interactivity. Marketers are increasingly incorporating dynamic, interactive elements into their emails, transforming static messages into engaging experiences. From clickable carousels to live polls, interactive content not only captivates recipients but also enhances the overall user experience. As ISPs recognize the value of engaged users, emails with interactive elements are more likely to land in the coveted inbox.

• Enhanced Email Authentication Protocols: With cyber threats on the rise, email authentication protocols are evolving to bolster security and trust. DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) adoption is becoming more widespread, providing an additional layer of protection against phishing and unauthorized use of domains. As ISPs prioritize authenticated emails, adhering to these protocols is integral to maintaining a positive sender reputation.

• Leveraging AI for Personalization: In the era of hyper-personalization, leveraging AI for personalization is a trend reshaping email deliverability. Artificial intelligence not only refines audience segmentation but also dynamically tailors content based on individual preferences and behaviors. As recipients receive more relevant and personalized content, the likelihood of engagement increases, positively impacting deliverability metrics.

• Privacy Compliance and Its Impact on Deliverability: As privacy regulations tighten globally, adherence to compliance standards is emerging as a pivotal factor in email deliverability. Marketers navigating the landscape of data protection laws, such as GDPR and CCPA, are not only ensuring legal compliance but also building trust with their audience. Prioritizing privacy compliance is essential for maintaining a positive sender reputation and fostering a secure email environment.

How Do You Ensure Email Deliverability?

With a smart strategy, you can increase the chance of getting your emails in prospects’ inboxes.

Here are 5 email deliverability tips from Janine Du Toit, Customers.ai Director of Marketing Operations, and resident email deliverability expert:

1. Use a SMTP Server: Always use a SMTP server for cold email marketing. She likens SMTP servers to phone books for email domain senders—using one with a good reputation can boost deliverability.
2. Moderate Send Volume: Even when you use a SMTP mail server, it’s important to moderate your send volume and your send times. Start your campaign slowly (no more than 100 cold emails per day) and send out emails at intermittent times throughout the day.
3. Use Multiple Senders: Use multiple email senders if you plan to launch a larger campaign and need to send more than 100 emails per day.
4. Authenticate Your Emails: Don’t forget to authenticate your emails using a DKIM and SPF checker. With these tools, you’ll be able to send emails more reliably and get better inbox placement.
5. Generate Engagement! Create cold email campaigns that get opens, clicks, and responses. Every time a prospect opens your email, clicks a link, or responds to your offer, the engagement boosts the health of your email account.

How Can DTC Marketers Increase Email Deliverability Rates?

Embarking on the journey of elevating email deliverability rates is a mission-critical endeavor for DTC marketers. From mastering the art of personalization to optimizing send frequency, the is not just inbox placement, but genuine audience engagement. Here are a few tips for superior email deliverability.

1. Focus on Segmentation and Personalization

Tailoring content for different audiences and incorporating personalized subject lines not only enhances engagement but also lays the foundation for improved deliverability. This can be done in several ways.

• Tailor Content to Different Audiences: In the realm of Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) email marketing, one size rarely fits all. For example, someone looking for a pair of women’s jeans likely doesn’t want to be emailed about a men’s sneaker sale. Implementing audience segmentation allows you to tailor your content based on distinct customer profiles. By understanding the unique preferences and behaviors of different segments, you can craft messages that resonate more deeply, increasing the likelihood of engagement and, consequently, positively impacting deliverability. With Customers.ai, it’s easy to identify which visitors landed on which pages and segment them into specific audiences.

• Personalize Subject Lines: Elevate your email game by embracing the power of personalized subject lines. DTC marketers can significantly enhance open rates by incorporating dynamic content, recipient names, or targeted offers into subject lines. A personalized touch not only captures attention but also signals to recipients that your message is tailored to their interests, bolstering the chances of your emails making it to the inbox.

2. Quality Content and Engagement

In the dynamic landscape of DTC marketing, the value of quality content cannot be overstated. Your email content has to be relevant and it has to be valuable – actively encouraging subscriber interaction. These practices not only captivate your audience but also contribute to a robust sender reputation, fortifying your path to superior email deliverability.

• Create Relevant and Valuable Content: The backbone of any successful email campaign lies in the quality of its content. DTC marketers must prioritize crafting content that is not only relevant but also valuable to their audience. Providing insightful information, exclusive offers, or personalized recommendations ensures that subscribers find genuine value in your emails, fostering a positive sender reputation and bolstering deliverability. Additionally, make sure it’s personalized! With a tool like the Customers.ai AI writer, you can create something that is not only interesting but also completely relevant! Check out how it works:

• Encourage Subscriber Interaction: Boosting subscriber interaction is a strategic move towards improved deliverability. DTC marketers can implement engagement-driving elements such as clickable calls-to-action, surveys, or interactive content. When recipients actively engage with your emails, it sends positive signals to ISPs, reinforcing your sender reputation and increasing the chances of future messages reaching the inbox.

• Leverage User-Generated Content: Harness the power of your community by incorporating user-generated content into your emails. DTC marketers can enhance authenticity and engagement by showcasing real customer experiences. UGC not only adds a personal touch to your emails but also contributes positively to your sender reputation.

3. Optimize Send Frequency and Timing

Mastering the art of email timing is a game-changer in the dynamic landscape of DTC marketing. Your email frequency and send times play a crucial role in captivating your audience without overwhelming them. Striking the perfect balance ensures that your messages are not only noticed but also engaged with, contributing to improved deliverability.

• Find the Sweet Spot for Send Frequency: DTC marketers must navigate the delicate balance between staying top-of-mind and avoiding email fatigue. Experiment with different send frequencies to identify the optimal cadence for your audience segments. By tailoring your approach to subscriber preferences, you not only enhance engagement but also solidify your position in their inbox.

• Perfect Your Timing with Analytics: Leverage analytics tools to decipher the ideal moments for sending emails to different segments of your audience. By understanding when your subscribers are most active, you can strategically time your campaigns, maximizing the chances of inbox visibility and interaction.

Optimizing your send frequency and timing is a nuanced process that requires continuous refinement but is super important to email deliverability success.

4. Maintain a Clean and Updated Subscriber List

In the dynamic world of DTC email marketing, a clean and updated subscriber list is a must. Ensuring your list is pristine not only enhances the relevance of your campaigns but also prevents potential deliverability pitfalls.

• Regular List Purge for Peak Performance: DTC marketers, take note—regularly auditing and purging your subscriber list is a proactive step toward optimal deliverability. Identify and remove inactive or disengaged subscribers to maintain a list populated with genuinely interested recipients. This meticulous curation not only improves open rates but also signals to ISPs that your content is eagerly anticipated.

• Update Contacts to Stay Relevant: The key to a thriving DTC email strategy lies in relevance. Regularly update subscriber details to reflect changes in preferences, ensuring your campaigns remain aligned with evolving customer needs. By keeping your contact information current, you not only minimize bounce rates but also foster a positive sender reputation.

• Embrace Automation for Efficiency: Streamline list maintenance with automation tools that effortlessly manage subscriber updates and removals. Automation not only saves time but also ensures your list is consistently refined, allowing you to focus on delivering content that truly resonates with your engaged audience.

5. Monitor and Address Deliverability Issues Promptly

Vigilance is the linchpin of successful email deliverability in the world of DTC marketing. Proactive monitoring and swift resolution of deliverability issues are paramount to maintaining a pristine sender reputation and ensuring your messages consistently reach the intended audience.

• Regularly Assess Key Metrics: DTC marketers, make it a habit to regularly assess critical deliverability metrics. Keep a close eye on bounce rates, spam complaints, and open rates to detect any anomalies. By identifying issues early on, you can address them swiftly, preventing potential setbacks to your sender reputation.
• Investigate Bounces and Complaints: Bounces and spam complaints are red flags that demand immediate attention. Dive deep into the reasons behind bounces and proactively investigate spam complaints. Understanding the root causes allows you to rectify issues promptly, demonstrating to ISPs that you are committed to delivering valuable, solicited content.

• Utilize Email Authentication Protocols: Implement and regularly review email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. These protocols not only enhance email security but also contribute to better deliverability. Regular checks ensure that your emails are not only reaching inboxes but are also protected from phishing attempts and unauthorized use of your domain.

The journey to increased deliverability rates is an ongoing commitment. By integrating personalized strategies, maintaining a clean subscriber list, and promptly addressing issues, DTC marketers can forge a path to sustained success.

How to Increase Email Deliverability Rates with Customers.ai

Improving email deliverability doesn’t have to be as difficult as you might think. With Customers.ai’s email warmup tools, you can automatically improve deliverability and avoid bounced emails as you send cold outreach campaigns.

Here’s a 3-step process to increase email deliverability to 90% using Customers.ai Website Visitor ID X-Ray tool and AI Email Writer to create targeted outbound emails to a warm audience:

1. Start Collecting Email Addresses
2. Set Up Your Email Automation
3. Warm Up Your Email Accounts

Step #1: Start Collecting Email Addresses

The first step is adding the Customers.ai Website Visitor X-Ray ID Pixel. In 90 seconds, you can start collecting the email addresses of the people who visit your website. Turn anonymous visitors into a warm audience you can use! The Website Visitor ID X-Ray is easy to add – we have several ways to install it including GTM, Shopify, WordPress, and more.

In the dashboard, navigate to My Automations, select + New Automation, and get your pixel. Make sure to test it to verify it’s working. 

Step #2: Set Up Your Email Automation

Once you have the X-Ray pixel working and have connected your email, you can start setting up automations to target this particular audience. On your Customers.ai dashboard, click the + Automation button in the main menu, and select X-Ray Lead Generation Pixel.

For enhanced targeting, you can create both automations and emails by landing page.

Step #3: Warm Up Your Email Accounts

It’s important to remember that your X-Ray list is not cold. These are actual users who have visited your site. To help with deliverability, Customers.ai will automatically detect if an email is active, ensuring you are not wasting email sends or seeing a high number of bounces.

Once you have your automation set up and your email configured, you can start sending!

Boost Email Deliverability With the Website Visitor ID X-Ray Pixel

Hear that? It’s the sound of your emails landing in inboxes and getting responses from your target prospects.

With Customers.ai’s Website Visitor ID X-Ray tool and our email warmup capabilities, your team can generate more revenue.

Curious how these tools can benefit your cold outreach efforts? Get started now with a free trial of Customers.ai.

Important Next Steps

• See what targeted outbound marketing is all about. Capture and engage your first 500 website visitor leads with Customers.ai X-Ray website visitor identification for free.
• Talk and learn about sales outreach automation with other growth enthusiasts. Join Customers.ai Island, our Facebook group of 40K marketers and entrepreneurs who are ready to support you.
• Advance your marketing performance with Sales Outreach School, a free tutorial and training area for sales pros and marketers.

Convert Website Visitors into Real Contacts!

Identify who is visiting your site with name, email and more. Get 500 contacts for free!

Website / URL *

Grade my website

Email Deliverability FAQs

Q. What factors affect email deliverability?

Email deliverability is influenced by various factors, including sender reputation, content quality, engagement rates, authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and list hygiene.

Q. How can I improve my email deliverability?

Focus on maintaining a positive sender reputation, sending relevant content, engaging with your audience, authenticating your emails using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, and regularly cleaning your email list to remove inactive or bouncing addresses.

Q. Why are my emails going to the spam folder?

Emails can land in the spam folder due to poor sender reputation, spammy content, low engagement, or insufficient authentication. Ensure your emails comply with best practices and monitor your sender reputation.

Q. What is sender reputation, and how is it measured?

Sender reputation is a score assigned to a sender’s domain or IP address based on factors like email engagement, spam complaints, and bounce rates. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) use this score to determine whether to deliver an email to the inbox or mark it as spam.

Q. What role does customer engagement play in DTC email deliverability?

DTC brands heavily rely on customer engagement. High engagement rates, such as opens, clicks, and purchases, contribute positively to sender reputation, enhancing the chances of DTC emails reaching the inbox.

Q. How can DTC brands personalize emails without compromising deliverability?

Personalization is key for DTC marketing. Ensure you have clean and segmented lists, use dynamic content based on customer preferences, and avoid excessive personalization that might trigger spam filters.

Q. How should DTC marketers handle re-engagement campaigns to maintain email deliverability?

Implement re-engagement campaigns to win back inactive subscribers. Clearly communicate the value proposition, offer incentives, and, if necessary, provide an easy way for subscribers to opt-out to maintain list hygiene.

Q. What steps can DTC marketers take to avoid spam traps and maintain a clean email list?

Regularly clean your email list by removing inactive or bouncing addresses. Use confirmed opt-ins and monitor engagement metrics. Avoid purchasing email lists, as they may contain spam traps, and implement double opt-in processes to verify subscriber intent. Regularly update your list hygiene practices to align with industry standards.

Q. What role does a sender’s reputation play in email deliverability, and how can it impact overall email deliverability rates?

A sender’s reputation is a crucial factor in email deliverability. It is a measure of the sender’s trustworthiness based on their sending history. A positive reputation enhances email deliverability, ensuring that emails land in the inbox rather than being flagged as spam.

Q. What are the common challenges faced by marketers in maintaining high email deliverability, and how can they overcome these challenges?

Marketers often face challenges in maintaining high email deliverability due to factors such as changing ISP algorithms, evolving spam filters, and subscriber engagement fluctuations. Overcoming these challenges involves staying updated on industry best practices, regularly monitoring and adjusting sending strategies, and maintaining a clean and engaged email list.

Q. What impact does the quality of email content have on email deliverability?

The quality of email content significantly influences email deliverability. Marketers should create relevant, engaging, and non-spammy content. Avoiding trigger words, optimizing HTML code, and personalizing content based on subscriber preferences are best practices that contribute to improved email deliverability.

Q. How can DTC marketers identify and prevent issues that may hurt email deliverability?

Proactively monitor metrics like bounce rates and spam complaints. Address issues promptly, remove inactive subscribers, and stay compliant with regulations.

Q. How do email deliverability rates impact the success of an email marketing campaign?

Deliverability rates directly impact campaign success. Improve rates with audience segmentation, personalized content, optimal send times, and regular list maintenance.

Q. What are the consequences of neglecting efforts to improve email deliverability?

Neglecting efforts can result in spam marking and damage to reputation. Prioritize ongoing education, invest in tools, and allocate resources for list maintenance and compliance.

The post Boosting Email Deliverability: 5 Strategies for DTC Marketers appeared first on Customers.ai.

As we’ve previously discussed, this is a big deal for email marketers and sales teams, especially those who tend to rely on cold outreach and ABM efforts. 

Meeting the 0.3% spam complaint threshold will be challenging for a lot of people and if teams don’t adjust, they are in big trouble.

To help you prepare for the impending update, we brought in six email marketing experts to discuss not only what the impact of the bulk sender update will be but how companies can prepare and adapt. 

From tips on email deliverability and infrastructure to engagement and frequency, get ready, because our experts are going to help ensure your inbox is insured against these new rules.

1. Focus on Intent-Driven Outbound Emails 

According to Customers.ai Founder & CEO Larry Kim, it’s time to zero in on intent-driven outbound emails. 

This means connecting with people who’ve already shown some love for what you’re offering. Forget blasting cold emails that end up in the spam folder. We’re talking about reaching out to those who have, in one way or another, signaled they’re into your brand or products.

The magic of this strategy? It’s how folks perceive your emails. With inbound emails, you’re preaching to the choir – these are your newsletter subscribers, your past shoppers. They’re way more likely to hit ‘unsubscribe’ than scream ‘spam’ if they’re over your messages. 

But with outbound? 

You’re often hitting up strangers, which cranks up the odds of landing in spam jail. The game-changer here is to shift your sights to those who’ve already taken a sneak peek at what you offer, maybe through your website or your ads.

The trick is to make the most of your first-party data. 

Tools like Customers.ai’s Website Visitor ID X-Ray pixel can turn your website traffic into a goldmine of potential contacts. 

These aren’t random names; these are folks who’ve already flirted with your brand just a bit. It’s like warming up the crowd before you step on stage. And hey, why not flip the script with your target lists? 

Instead of unleashing a flood of emails, use those lists to whip up custom ad audiences on platforms like Facebook or Google. Then, track down the people who bite and show interest in these ads. 

This way, you’re not shooting emails into the dark. You’re laser-targeting folks who’ve kinda, sorta raised their hands already.

In short, intent-driven outbound emailing is about blending the reach of old-school outbound with the savvy, targeted approach of inbound. It’s like having your cake and eating it too – reaching far and wide, yet keeping it relevant and welcomed. 

This approach not only boosts your chances of getting real engagement but also keeps email providers happy, making sure your messages hit the mark.

2. Make Your Deliverability Anti-Fragile To The Email Service Providers

The new spam rules are making it harder to reach inboxes and the reality is, as an email marketer, your primary job is to ensure your emails actually reach the inbox. 

According to Barrett Unger, Co-Founder of The Deal Lab, it’s about making your deliverability strategy tough as nails against the whims of email service providers. 

The key focus here is on how you’re sending those emails. The goal? To make your email deliverability ‘anti-fragile’. This means adapting your strategy to be resilient against the constraints and changes of email service providers. 

How do you do that? 

Start by playing it cool with your sending limits. If there’s a cap, don’t flirt with it; stay safely below. This not only keeps you out of trouble but also maintains the health of your email domain.

Here’s another pro move: diversify your domains. 

Don’t put all your outbound emails in one basket, i.e., your main domain. Why? Because if your main domain gets flagged, it’s not just your marketing efforts that take a hit. Your entire business communication – with investors, customers, and internal teams – could get disrupted. 

The solution? Invest in multiple domains dedicated solely to outbound emailing and warm them up. 

Warming up a domain means gradually increasing the volume of sent emails over about a month, establishing a reputation with email service providers as a legitimate sender.

But why stop at one extra domain? If your email volume demands it, keep adding and warming up more domains. This strategy allows you to scale your email efforts without endangering your main domain’s reputation. And remember, this isn’t just about playing defense. It’s about being smart and strategic with how much you send and from where.

This strategy is about playing by the rules but playing them smartly. It’s not about pushing boundaries to the max; it’s about maximizing outcomes within safe limits. By distributing your outbound efforts across multiple warmed-up domains, you create a robust, anti-fragile system that keeps your deliverability strong and your main domain safe. 

3. Polish Your Domain Infrastructure

With Google and Yahoo’s bulk sender guidelines, there has to be a focus on the technical setup of your email marketing infrastructure. 

According to Vladyslav Podoliako, CEO & Founder of Folderly, the key is understanding DNS records. This is no longer just the realm of IT pros. Marketers need to be clued in on DNS records and why they matter. 

These records, including DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance), SPF (Sender Policy Framework), and BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification), are your email’s digital signature. They’re not just fancy acronyms; they’re your first line of defense in ensuring your emails actually reach their intended recipients.

Setting up these DNS records correctly is also critical. With the new updates rolling out, non-compliance could mean your emails get bounced back or, worse, rejected outright. 

Think of these records as your email’s passport and visa. Without them being in order, your messages aren’t going anywhere. 

• DMARC helps authenticate that your emails are genuinely from you
• SPF verifies your sending sources
• BIMI provides a visual indication of your brand in the recipient’s inbox 

So, what’s the call to action here? 

It’s time to get your hands dirty with the technical side of things. 

Audit your current domain and mailbox setup. Are your DNS records in place and correctly configured? Are they aligned with the latest standards and requirements set by email service providers? This isn’t just a one-time setup; it’s an ongoing process of ensuring that your email infrastructure stays compliant and optimized.

The message is loud and clear: polish your domain infrastructure to keep up with the technical demands of modern email marketing. This means diving deep into the nuts and bolts of your email setup and ensuring everything from DNS records to mailbox configurations is spot-on. 

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4. Integrate Voice of Customer Data

Be human. That’s what Kham Inthirath, CEO of Compound Effect, says is important when it comes to beating the new spam rules.

It’s about stepping away from the comfort zone of templates and best practices to embrace a more humanistic approach. 

The question to constantly ask is: Would I read this? Would I click on this? 

Getting into the mindset of your audience is crucial, and sometimes that means stepping out of the marketing bubble to see things from a fresh, customer-centric perspective.

It means, start engaging in open conversations with clients who interact with your content – be it newsletters or other forms. That is a goldmine of qualitative data that many overlook! 

This isn’t about just processing numbers and analytics; it’s about understanding the ‘why’ behind the actions. Why did a customer click on a particular link? What made them engage with a specific piece of content? This insight is invaluable.

The real challenge lies in bridging the gap between quantitative data and qualitative feedback. 

It’s about validating the numbers with actual human responses. These conversations can be enlightening, offering perspectives that raw data alone cannot provide. They help in understanding the effectiveness of your content and can lead to significant improvements in how you communicate with your audience.

Moreover, rewarding customers for their insights can be an effective way to encourage this exchange. A simple ‘thank you’ or a small token of appreciation for their time can go a long way. This interaction not only garners valuable feedback but also strengthens customer relationships, making them feel heard and valued.

The integration of VOC data is about balancing the hard facts with the human element. It’s about moving beyond the trap of solely relying on data and metrics to embracing a more holistic approach that includes real conversations with real people. 

5. Identify & Segment Engaged Groups

One of the most pivotal strategies when it comes to insuring your inbox is focusing on segmentation, specifically identifying the most engaged groups within your audience. 

Per Amber Doughty, Senior Director, Lifecycle Marketing, Hawke Media, this isn’t just about who’s on your list; it’s about understanding who actively interacts with your emails. 

For instance, if you’re noticing that your emails are getting lukewarm receptions from Gmail or Yahoo users, it’s a signal that these segments need extra nurturing. This is where the real detective work begins – diving deep into how these specific groups engage with your emails. Are they opening them? Clicking through? Or just giving them a pass?

This is also where the concept of quality over quantity comes to play. 

It’s not about how many emails you send, it’s about how relevant and engaging they are to each segment of your audience. 

One of the smartest tools in your arsenal here is the email preference center. It’s like a secret weapon that allows subscribers to choose what they want to hear about and how often. By leveraging this, you ensure that the content you send resonates with each recipient’s interests and preferences.

But what about those who aren’t engaging? Here’s a pro tip: send them straight to your preference center. This not only gives them the power to tailor their email experience but also provides you with valuable feedback on what works and what doesn’t. It’s a win-win: your subscribers feel heard, and you get to fine-tune your approach.

Now, let’s talk about cleaning up. The era of batch-and-blast emails is over – it’s old school, ineffective, and frankly, it can damage your sender reputation. This is where implementing a ‘sunset flow’ becomes crucial. It’s a process designed to identify and remove unengaged subscribers from your list. Think of it as housekeeping for your email marketing – keeping your list clean, engaged, and effective.

Identifying and segmenting your engaged groups is not just a tactic; it’s a strategic necessity. It’s about delivering the right message to the right people at the right time. By focusing on engagement and nurturing each segment of your audience, you protect your sender reputation and set the stage for more impactful, meaningful email conversations. 

[Watch the Webinar Replay]

6. Optimize the Sender Name

Optimizing the sender name in your emails might seem like a small tweak, but it can be a game-changer in getting your emails to land. 

According to Andy Crestodina, Co-Founder and CMO, Orbit Media, this strategy revolves around the simple yet powerful concept of being more human in your approach. 

Consider this: it’s psychologically more challenging for someone to unsubscribe or report an email as spam when it’s from a recognizable person, not just a faceless brand. The idea here is to make your emails feel like they’re coming from a friend or a trusted advisor, not an impersonal corporate entity.

The effectiveness of this approach has been backed by conversion optimization experts and seasoned email marketers alike. 

One such proponent is Ann Handley, known for her highly engaged email list. She attributes part of her success to optimizing the sender name. It’s a straightforward change that anyone can make in a matter of seconds, yet it can lead to significant improvements in open rates. Imagine seeing an email from ‘John from Company X’ versus just ‘Company X’. The former has a personal touch that can make all the difference.

This strategy is not just about opening rates; it’s also about building trust over time. 

The more familiar and human your sender name, the more likely recipients are to perceive your email as relevant and valuable, rather than just another piece of noise in their inbox. It’s about creating a connection that goes beyond the transactional nature of most marketing emails.

Additionally, this approach aligns perfectly with the idea of maintaining high-quality content. The world indeed isn’t waiting for another mediocre article or generic email blast. Focusing on high quality with lower frequency can yield far better results than bombarding your audience with frequent, lower-quality content. It’s about adding value with every email, making each communication something your audience looks forward to.

Another interesting aspect of this approach, highlighted by marketer Chris Penn, is the use of a prominent unsubscribe button. This might seem counterintuitive, but it actually reduces the likelihood of getting spam complaints. By making it easy and even humorous for people to unsubscribe, you’re essentially filtering out those who are not genuinely interested in your content, thereby improving the overall health of your email list.

At the end of the day, it’s about bringing a human touch to your communications, building trust, and ensuring that your audience perceives your emails as valuable and relevant. Coupled with high-quality content and an easy unsubscribe process, this strategy can significantly enhance your email marketing performance in the face of these crazy updates.

Make Your Email Marketing Update-Proof

The bulk sender update from Google and Yahoo is certainly one of the biggest we’ve seen but in all likelihood, isn’t the last of the major updates.

The key to staying update-proof and avoiding getting caught in the dreaded spam folder is to focus on building strong, personal connections and understanding your audience deeply. 

Embrace strategies like intent-driven outbound emails, optimizing sender names, and integrating customer feedback, ensuring your content resonates and your approach remains agile. 

By staying adaptable and prioritizing engagement and authenticity, your email marketing will not only survive but thrive amidst constant updates and shifts in the digital world.

Want more? Watch the webinar and get even more tips from our amazing experts!

Important Next Steps

• See what targeted outbound marketing is all about. Capture and engage your first 500 website visitor leads with Customers.ai X-Ray website visitor identification for free.
• Talk and learn about sales outreach automation with other growth enthusiasts. Join Customers.ai Island, our Facebook group of 40K marketers and entrepreneurs who are ready to support you.
• Advance your marketing performance with Sales Outreach School, a free tutorial and training area for sales pros and marketers.

The post Gmail Inbox Insurance: Expert Advice for the Google Spam Update appeared first on Customers.ai.

Given that this is one of the biggest email updates we’ve seen in some time and certainly one of, if not the first time Google has given us specific numbers, we felt this was going to have a significant impact on email marketers. More so, we felt this was going to have a significant impact on outbound email marketers aka B2B sales and marketing teams.

Our initial assessment was this:

“The challenge will be for start-ups or smaller, less established companies. Specifically, those in the B2B space that may be using more aggressive outbound strategies or have been leaning on ABM to establish their brand. These companies must adhere pretty closely to best practices to avoid hitting the 0.3% threshold.” 

And it turns out…we were right.

I had the team dig into spam complaint rates across the B2B space and found that they are well beyond the 0.3.% threshold that has been laid out by Google and Yahoo.

It’s not even close! The average spam complaint rate across the B2B space was 2.01%, with a range between 1.1% and 3.1%.

When we break it down by industry, we get an even clearer picture:

Key Takeaway: B2B Outbound Marketing is in Trouble

We looked at the B2B space as that’s where the majority of cold outreach takes place. 

Unfortunately for B2B marketers and sales teams, there doesn’t seem to be a way to do outbounding with complaint rates below 0.3%.

In fact, for the top 9 spammiest verticals, we were unable to find a single sender that was able to score below the 0.3% proposed threshold.

This poses a big problem, especially for businesses that rely on outbound emails to generate leads and drive business. 

Tips for Lowering B2B Spam Complaint Rates

All is not lost when it comes to the new spam complaint threshold. There are plenty of things email marketers and sales teams can do to reach the inbox:

• Focus on Warm Leads. Move away from cold lists and focus on high-intent active site users. Website visitor identification can tell you who these people are. 

• Make Unsubscribe Options Clear. Don’t hide your unsubscribe. If a user can’t find the unsubscribe button, they are more likely to mark you as spam.

• Add Multiple Unsubscribe Links. We recommend giving your users several options – include unsubscribes in the body and the footer.

• Tighten Your Audience Segments. You can create better audiences and better messaging by layering more data filters. 

• Enhanced Email Customization. The more customized your email is to the individual, the less likely it is they will complain. 

• Increase Helpful Transactional Emails. Emails like order confirmations, tracking information, or purchase follow-ups can help increase email volume and won’t result in complaints. 

How Customers.ai Can Help

The main problem with all of this is the cold outreach.

Like I said before, it’s not the big businesses with established customer bases and large inbound lists that will be impacted. This update specifically impacts those who are using more aggressive outbound strategies or have been leaning on ABM to establish their brand.

Companies need to shift away from the old tactics of buying and emailing cold lists if they are going to succeed with outbound.

Companies need to focus on capturing first-party data and shifting their outbound strategies to warm leads.

That’s where Customers.ai comes in.

With the Customers.ai Website Visitor ID X-Ray Pixel, you can capture visitors to your site.

That doesn’t mean you should email all of them but it does allow you to nurture them. Perhaps you add them to your retargeting campaign or add them to your CRM.

For those who take high-intent actions, it may make sense to put them into your email automation.

The difference between cold emails and this is that these people are already familiar with you. Maybe they haven’t given you their info but perhaps they visited your pricing or request a demo page. They’ve shown enough interest that it won’t feel like spam.

B2B Spam Complaint Rate Threshold: Report Methodology

The data on spam complaint rates across various industries was compiled by Customers.AI‘s analytics team, leveraging a systematic approach focused on targeted outbound email campaigns. This comprehensive analysis was conducted over a four-week period, from November 20th to December 20th, encompassing a diverse range of industries known for their reliance on email marketing.

The methodology adopted for data collection involved a two-pronged approach:

• Data Aggregation: Utilizing API integrations with multiple ESPs, we aggregated a large dataset (1 million+) of email campaign metrics. This dataset encompassed key parameters such as the number of emails sent, open rates, click-through rates, and the frequency of spam complaints. The data aggregation process was automated to capture real-time data, ensuring the timeliness and relevance of the information collected.

• Statistical Analysis: The team employed advanced statistical techniques, including regression analysis and variance estimation, to identify patterns and derive insights from the aggregated data. This included calculating the mean spam complaint rates and their ranges for each industry and adjusting for outliers and anomalies to ensure accuracy.

To refine the accuracy of our analysis, we incorporated:

• Segmentation by Industry: Emails were categorized based on the industry of the sender, enabling a granular analysis of spam complaint rates across different sectors.

• Temporal Analysis: The study accounted for variations in email campaign performance across different times of the week and day, recognizing the impact of timing on recipient engagement and spam complaint likelihood.

• Compliance and Legal Framework Consideration: The analysis was conducted with a keen awareness of varying spam regulations across different regions, ensuring that the data reflects a global perspective on email marketing practices.

Get The Full Infographic

Important Next Steps

• See what targeted outbound marketing is all about. Capture and engage your first 500 website visitor leads with Customers.ai X-Ray website visitor identification for free.
• Talk and learn about sales outreach automation with other growth enthusiasts. Join Customers.ai Island, our Facebook group of 40K marketers and entrepreneurs who are ready to support you.
• Advance your marketing performance with Sales Outreach School, a free tutorial and training area for sales pros and marketers.

The post B2B Marketers Aren’t Ready for Google’s New Email Guidelines [Report] appeared first on Customers.ai.

This year alone we’ve witnessed significant shifts that require strategic adaptability. Take, for instance, the ripple effects of iOS 17 privacy changes and the upcoming Google Chrome Cookie Deprecation, both casting a profound impact on tracking and data collection practices. 

Meanwhile, the latest updates to Google and Yahoo Email Spam Filters have thrown an additional curveball, making it even trickier to secure that coveted spot in the inbox. 

These challenges underscore the importance of thinking ahead. If we’ve learned anything over the years, it’s that things aren’t going to slow down. The only constant is change, right? We have to be ready.    

Let’s dig into five practical strategies to help future-proof your B2B outbound lead generation and thrive in this crazy environment.

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1. Focus on First-Party Data

We have to face it; Between GA4, iOS 17 and iOS 14 adjustments, and the imminent demise of cookies in Chrome, the reliability of third-party data for B2B outbound lead generation is dwindling. 

We must reassess our strategies and that means recognizing the shift toward first-party data. 

Relying on first-party data ensures accuracy and helps us create more personalized and trustworthy messaging. It also allows you better targeting and relevance in your outreach efforts. 

While there are any number of ways to capture first-party data, there are a few we think will help you stay ahead of the game:

Website Visitor Identification

Wouldn’t it be nice to know who is visiting your site? Wouldn’t it be even better if you could capture their work email addresses, names, and company information to put into your sales and marketing funnel? 

That’s exactly what website visitor identification tools do. They capture the people on your site – the people already familiar with your brand and already interested in what you have to offer. It’s basically an abundance of warm leads that can be used for outbound lead gen.

Build Targeted Remarketing Campaigns

One of the challenges B2B marketers are going to face in their outbound lead generation efforts has to do with the new Google and Yahoo email spam filter updates. With a new complaint rate threshold of 0.3%, cold email outreach is going to become a bit tricky. 

The key is to warm up your leads through retargeting. You can still use lead lists but you won’t run the risk of getting your email pinged. And once a user clicks on an ad and comes to your site, you now have first-party data.

Creative Email Capture

Whether it’s newsletters, lead magnets, ebooks, or whatever, you need to get creative in capturing user emails. No one wants to willingly turn over their contact information but if you give them a good reason, they will. 

Focusing on first-party data sets you up for more precise, tailored, and trustworthy outbound lead-generation efforts.

2. Build Stronger Relationships with Target Audiences

The era of cold, impersonal outreach is rapidly on its way out. According to Gartner,

77 out of 100 cold emails you send never get opened. 

Even before the tech changes we noted above, businesses were already realizing the pitfalls of mass messaging. The future lies in building stronger relationships with our target audience through personalized and tailored campaigns. 

That means understanding the unique pain points, preferences, and needs of each potential customer. It also means creating very strategic segments and leveraging CRM data. 

For example, when a user comes to your site and downloads a report, that doesn’t necessarily mean they are interested in your product. However, if a user comes to your site, visits a product page, visits the pricing page, and then fills out a request a demo form, they likely are. We can’t treat these visitors the same way.

We have to evolve our outbound lead gen to 1-to-1 target marketing. People want to feel understood. In fact, according to McKinsey 71% of consumers expect personalization and 76% get frustrated when they don’t find it. 

By integrating personalization into your outreach strategies, you can start earning that much-needed trust and building relationships that will help drive sales. 

3. Embrace Privacy-Compliant Technologies

People care about privacy and they care about what you do with their data. According to Norton, 85% of global adults want to do more to protect their online privacy and 86% of US voters support requiring companies to minimize the types of user data they collect.

As a business, you can’t just incorporate technologies that respect user privacy, you have to show consumers you respect their privacy. 

This means using compliant ESPs that make it easy for consumers to unsubscribe.

Do NOT send emails to users without an unsubscribe option.

You are way more likely to get marked as spam and any trust you might’ve had will be eroded.

Additionally, be careful of your lead lists. Make sure you are only purchasing opt-in emails and intent-based leads that fit your ICP. As we said before, targeting is the name of the game, and bad targeting means spam complaints.

By prioritizing privacy in your B2B outbound lead generation strategies, you can build trust, enhance your reputation, and create stronger connections with your target audience.

Email Deliverability Hacks:

Unlocking Inboxes

HOSTED BY

Larry Kim

Founder and CEO, Customers.ai

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4. Focus on Content Quality

No one can escape the discussion around content quality and certainly no one in the B2B outbound lead generation space. Especially when it comes to landing in the inbox.

Email filters are designed to sift through millions of messages and real, quality content is essential to getting in. When content is relevant, personalized, and devoid of spammy elements (think too many links), it increases the likelihood of making it through to the primary inbox (and not that blasted Promotions tab!).

Here are a few tips for creating quality content that will get your message in the inbox:

• Get Personal: Personalization goes beyond addressing your email recipients by name; it involves creating messages that are tailored to each individual. Segment and craft your messages based on pages visited, assets downloaded, companies, interests, and whatever else will make that message seem personal. The more you know about your audience, the more effective your messaging will be.

• Test, Test, Test: Regularly testing your content is imperative. What might work for one audience might not work for another. Make sure to A/B test subject lines, messaging styles, and content formats. Use the data you have to refine your campaigns.

• Be Human: Write your subject line and your email like a regular person. Outreach emails tend to be so formal and so cold. We have talked about the importance of building connections and your subject line is no different. Tell your potential customers why they need to open this and make them feel like this email is written just for them. Show them you are a real person and get in that 23% of cold opens.

At the end of the day, crafting interesting and unique email content will help your messaging resonate with your audience and get you through those pesky email filters. 

5. Stay Informed and Agile

Life comes at you fast, especially in the B2B digital marketing space. 

You have to be proactive and you have to stay on top of what is happening, especially when it comes to things like regulatory developments. Take for example the Google spam filter updates I mentioned above – if you are using email for your outbound lead generation and don’t know the requirements – your emails will be marked as spam and your lead gen will go down the toilet.

Everyone has their own ways of staying informed but I recommend engaging with industry publications, attending webinars, and joining LinkedIn groups. 

Along with staying informed, you must stay agile. This means you have to adapt and adapt quickly. Real-time data analysis and campaign performance monitoring are essential. If something isn’t working, you can’t wait 90 days to find out. Staying agile will allow you to adjust strategies swiftly and meet the evolving demands of your audience. 

The only way to stay future-proof is to be future-ready. You have to know what has happened in order to know what is coming. 

Get Future-Ready Now

B2B outbound lead generation is only going to get harder and if we have learned anything, flexibility is the key to success. 

Teams must embrace first-party data, personalize outreach, and prioritize privacy. These aren’t just trends; they are strategies for building trust and creating meaningful connections with your target audience. 

Additionally, by focusing on content quality, staying informed of industry changes, and continually refining your strategies, you can truly set yourself up for success.

We should look at this as an exciting time. These changes force us to learn, evolve, and put on our creative caps. The success of tomorrow’s lead generation efforts hinges on our ability to not just be responsive to change, but to be catalysts for it. Embrace the changes, think outside the box, and drive your future forward.

Convert Website Visitors into Real Contacts!

Identify who is visiting your site with name, email and more. Get 500 contacts for free!

Website / URL *

Grade my website

Important Next Steps

• See what targeted outbound marketing is all about. Capture and engage your first 500 website visitor leads with Customers.ai X-Ray website visitor identification for free.
• Talk and learn about sales outreach automation with other growth enthusiasts. Join Customers.ai Island, our Facebook group of 40K marketers and entrepreneurs who are ready to support you.
• Advance your marketing performance with Sales Outreach School, a free tutorial and training area for sales pros and marketers.

B2B Outbound Lead Generation FAQs

Q. What is B2B Outbound Lead Generation?

It is a process where businesses proactively reach out to potential clients to generate leads through methods like cold calling, emailing, and social media outreach.

Q. Why is B2B Outbound Lead Generation important?

It’s crucial for consistent business growth and revenue, helping to actively seek new clients and maintain a steady pipeline of potential customers.

Q. What are the best practices for B2B Outbound Lead Generation?

Best practices include understanding your target market, personalizing communication, using a multi-channel approach, and consistent follow-up.

Q. How does B2B Outbound Lead Generation differ from Inbound Lead Generation?

Outbound lead generation involves proactive outreach to potential customers, while inbound relies on attracting leads through content marketing and SEO.

Q. What are effective tools for B2B Outbound Lead Generation?

Essential tools include CRM software, email marketing tools, social media platforms, visitor identification platforms, and lead databases.

Q. How can social media be used in B2B Outbound Lead Generation?

It can be used to identify and engage with potential leads and build relationships through targeted content and interaction.

Q. What role does content play in B2B Outbound Lead Generation?

Content like personalized emails and informative blog posts can engage and nurture leads throughout the outbound lead generation process.

Q. How do you measure the success of B2B Outbound Lead Generation campaigns?

Success is measured by tracking response rates, conversion rates, number of qualified leads, and ROI.

Q. What are the challenges of B2B Outbound Lead Generation?

Challenges include reaching the right audience, overcoming market saturation, and effectively handling rejection or non-responses.

Q. How can automation improve B2B Outbound Lead Generation?

Automation streamlines repetitive tasks, ensures consistent follow-ups, and analyzes lead data for more effective targeting.

Q. What is the role of personalization in B2B Outbound Lead Generation?

Personalization increases engagement by making communications more relevant and appealing to each prospect.

Q. How important is follow-up in B2B Outbound Lead Generation?

Follow-up is crucial for nurturing leads, building relationships, and converting prospects into customers.

Q. What are effective strategies for cold emailing in B2B Outbound Lead Generation?

Effective strategies include compelling subject lines, personalization, providing value, and a clear call to action.

Q. How can networking events be used for B2B Outbound Lead Generation?

They provide opportunities to meet potential leads in person, understand their needs, and establish connections for future follow-ups.

Q. What is the impact of data quality on B2B Outbound Lead Generation?

High-quality data is essential for targeting the right prospects and achieving a higher success rate.

Q. How do legal considerations impact B2B Outbound Lead Generation?

Compliance with laws like GDPR and CAN-SPAM Act is crucial to avoid legal issues and maintain a positive brand reputation.

Q. What is the role of a sales team in B2B Outbound Lead Generation?

The sales team executes outreach strategies, engages with leads, and converts them into customers.

Q. How can businesses overcome objections in B2B Outbound Lead Generation?

Overcoming objections involves understanding concerns, providing clear responses, and demonstrating product or service value.

Q. What are the trends in B2B Outbound Lead Generation for 2024?

Trends include the use of AI, focus on personalization, and multi-channel communication strategies.

Q. How does targeting affect the success of B2B Outbound Lead Generation?

Accurate targeting ensures focus on prospects most likely to be interested and convert, improving campaign effectiveness.

Q. Can B2B Outbound Lead Generation be outsourced?

Yes, it can be outsourced to specialized agencies or freelancers for efficient management.

Q. What is the role of customer feedback in B2B Outbound Lead Generation?

Customer feedback helps refine strategies, understand market needs, and improve offerings.

Q. How can businesses integrate email and social media for effective B2B Outbound Lead Generation?

Integrating both channels allows for a cohesive strategy, leveraging each channel’s strengths.

Q. What is the importance of a value proposition in B2B Outbound Lead Generation?

A clear value proposition conveys the benefits of your product or service, increasing engagement chances.

Q. How can businesses optimize their website for B2B Outbound Lead Generation?

Optimizing involves ensuring a user-friendly website, providing relevant information, and clear calls-to-action.

The post 5 Ways to Future-Proof Your B2B Outbound Lead Generation Strategies appeared first on Customers.ai.

ABM has been the hot buzzword over the past 5 years, with everyone from CEOs to sales teams to digital marketers hopping on the ABM bandwagon.

However, like most trends, ABM’s time is running out.  As we can see in Google trends, ABM is past its peak.

This isn’t terribly surprising to us. In fact, it’s a large reason we launched our B2B solution. 

ABM has its limitations. 

Marketers and sales teams need more than just company names or job titles. They need real data about the people they are selling to.

They need contact-based marketing.

• What is Contact-Based Marketing?
• What’s the Difference Between Contact-Based Marketing and Account-Based Marketing (ABM vs. CBM)?
• Key Components of Contact-Based Marketing
• The Advantages of Contact-Based Marketing
• How to Implement a Contact-Based Marketing Strategy
• How Customers.ai Supports Contact-Based Marketing
• Contact-Based Marketing FAQs

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Understanding Contact-Based Marketing

Understanding contact-based marketing is key to appreciating its role in creating deeper, more effective customer relationships in today’s digital landscape. Let’s dive in.

What is Contact-Based Marketing?

Contact-based marketing (CBM) is a highly targeted marketing strategy that focuses on engaging with individual contacts or decision-makers within organizations.

Unlike broader marketing approaches, contact-based marketing centers on understanding and catering to the specific needs, preferences, and behaviors of individual people rather than the company as a whole. 

Contact-based marketing involves:

• Personalization: Tailoring marketing messages and offers to address the unique interests and pain points of each contact.

• Data Analysis: Utilizing detailed data from various customer touchpoints to inform and customize marketing efforts.

• Multi-Channel Engagement: Reaching out to contacts through their preferred communication channels, which may include email, social media, direct mail, and more.

• Building Relationships: Establishing and nurturing long-term relationships with key decision-makers through ongoing, relevant, and value-added interactions.

• Aligning Sales and Marketing: Coordinating closely between sales and marketing teams to effectively convert personalized marketing efforts into successful sales outcomes.

The main goal of contact-based marketing is more individualized marketing for stronger customer relationships and higher conversion rates.

What’s the Difference Between Account-Based Marketing and Contact-Based Marketing (ABM vs. CBM)?

The primary difference between contact-based marketing and account-based marketing is the focus on individuals vs companies. 

CBM targets individual contacts or decision-makers within an organization with an emphasis on the personal preferences, behaviors, and needs of specific people.

ABM focuses on entire accounts or organizations. The strategy is to treat individual companies as markets in their own right, addressing the collective needs and characteristics of the organization as a whole.

CBM is also highly personalized to the individual, taking into account their role, influence, and personal preferences while ABM personalization is more at the account level, aligning marketing messages with the organization’s industry, size, and overall business needs, rather than individual preferences.

Why is Contact-Based Marketing Necessary?

Contact-based marketing is really just the natural evolution of account-based marketing.

As technology has evolved, so have we.

Sales teams have realized that you don’t sell to businesses, you sell to individuals.

Individuals have realized that they are a precious commodity. 

The result? Personalized marketing to individuals, not accounts. 

Organizations must focus on creating personal connections and that won’t happen at the account level.

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6 Key Components of Contact-Based Marketing

Contact-based marketing represents a strategic shift towards a more personalized and individual-centric approach. As mentioned previously, CBM is about understanding and engaging with each contact on a personal level. 

Here are the key components that form the foundation of an effective CBM strategy:

1. Personalization
2. Data Analysis
3. Customer Journey Mapping
4. Segmentation and Targeting
5. Multi-Channel Engagement
6. Feedback and Continuous Improvement

Let’s dig a bit further into each.

1. Personalization

People want personalization and CBM thrives on crafting messages and experiences uniquely tailored to each contact. It’s about going beyond generic marketing pitches and speaking directly to the individual’s needs, interests, and challenges.

CBM involves using data to create content that resonates with each contact, whether it’s through email campaigns, social media interactions, or personalized web experiences.

2. Data Analysis

Like most things in marketing, data is the lifeblood of contact-based marketing. Understanding each contact’s behavior, preferences, and interaction history is necessary for effective personalization.

Advanced analytics tools are also used to process data from various touchpoints – such as website visits, social media interactions, and past purchase history – allowing marketers to gain a comprehensive understanding of each contact.

3. Customer Journey Mapping

The average customer needs eight touchpoints before a sale and in most cases, those journeys are going to be different. 

CBM recognizes this by mapping out the individual steps each contact takes – from initial engagement to the final decision-making process.

By understanding these journeys and understanding intent, marketing and sales teams can identify opportunities for personalized engagement.

4. Segmentation and Targeting

When we think of individual contacts, we don’t always think about segmentation. But in CBM, segmentation still plays a pivotal role – it involves grouping contacts with similar characteristics or behaviors to tailor marketing efforts more effectively.

Segmentation can be based on various factors like demographic details, behavioral patterns, or purchase history, enabling marketers to create more focused and relevant campaigns.

5. Multi-Channel Engagement

Contact-based marketing isn’t limited to a single channel. It’s about engaging with contacts where they are most active and receptive – whether that’s email, social media, phone, or in-person interactions.

A multi-channel approach ensures that the communication is not only personalized but also delivered through the most effective medium for each individual.

6. Feedback and Continuous Improvement

Continuous improvement is key in contact-based marketing. This involves listening to feedback from contacts and using it to refine and enhance future marketing efforts.

Implementing mechanisms for collecting feedback and making adjustments based on this input ensures that the strategy remains dynamic and responsive to the needs of each contact.

Contact-based marketing is a powerful tool for building stronger, more meaningful relationships with your contacts. It’s about shifting from a one-size-fits-all approach to a more nuanced, individual-focused strategy that resonates on a personal level.

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The Advantages of Contact-Based Marketing

Contact-based marketing offers a range of benefits beyond its core components. Here are five notable advantages of CBM:

Enhanced Customer Experience

According to Salesforce, 56% of consumers say most companies treat them like numbers. Not good. 

People want to be treated well and contact-based marketing can help create a better customer experience. By focusing on individual contacts, companies can address specific needs and preferences, leading to a more satisfying and engaging interaction for the customer.

Example: A retail company might notice a customer frequently browsing eco-friendly products. They can then tailor their communications to highlight new sustainable products, special eco-friendly offers, or relevant corporate social responsibility initiatives.

Increased Customer Loyalty and Retention

Personalized interactions foster a deeper emotional connection with customers, which can lead to increased loyalty and higher retention rates.

Example: A service-based business like a telecom operator might use CBM to offer personalized plan upgrades or loyalty rewards based on individual usage patterns, significantly reducing churn rates.

Higher Conversion Rates

We know that customers are more likely to engage with content that resonates with their specific interests and needs. By delivering more relevant and timely messages, contact-based marketing can lead to higher conversion rates. 

Example: An online education platform can send targeted course recommendations based on a user’s browsing history and past course enrollments, leading to a higher likelihood of course purchases.

Marketing Efficiency 

Time and resources are two precious commodities in business. Thankfully, contact-based marketing helps improve efficiency and utilize resources more effectively. Focusing efforts on individual contacts who are more likely to convert reduces waste in marketing spend.

Example: A B2B software company could use CBM to focus its resources on engaging key decision-makers in organizations with a higher propensity to purchase, rather than a broad, less-targeted audience.

Better Alignment with Sales Teams

Businesses with strong sales and marketing alignment are 67% more effective at closing deals and 58% better at retaining customers.

Contact-based marketing can help create that alignment by providing detailed insights into customer preferences and behaviors – both invaluable data points for sales teams. 

Example: In a tech company, the marketing team could provide the sales team with detailed insights into a prospect’s interests and pain points, enabling the sales team to tailor their pitch and increase the likelihood of closing a deal.

At the end of the day, contact-based marketing is not just about reaching out to individuals; it’s about understanding and engaging with them in a way that adds value to their experience with your brand. 

How to Implement a Contact-Based Marketing Strategy

Adopting a contact-based marketing strategy can be transformative for businesses seeking a more personalized approach to customer engagement. 

But like anything else, you want to have a plan and you want to make sure you are following best practices:

• Start Small: Begin with a pilot program to test the effectiveness of your CBM strategy before rolling it out on a larger scale.

• Focus on Quality Over Quantity: It’s better to have fewer, high-quality personalized interactions than numerous generic ones.

• Leverage Technology: Utilize marketing automation, AI, and data analytics tools to enhance your CBM efforts.

• Continuously Learn and Adapt: The digital marketing landscape is always evolving. Stay informed about new trends and technologies that can enhance your CBM strategy.

With the best practices out of the way, here’s a step-by-step guide to implementing CBM in your business:

Step 1: Define Your Objectives

• Action: Clearly define what you want to achieve with CBM – be it increasing sales, enhancing customer engagement, or improving customer retention.
• Challenge: Avoid setting vague goals; be specific about what success looks like.
• Best Practice: Use SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals to guide your CBM strategy.

Step 2: Gather and Analyze Customer Data

• Action: Collect detailed data on your customers, including demographics, purchase history, online behavior, and preferences.
• Challenge: Ensuring data quality and privacy compliance can be complex.
• Best Practice: Use reliable CRM tools and respect data privacy laws (like GDPR).

Step 3: Segment Your Audience

• Action: Based on the data collected, segment your audience to identify key individuals or groups for targeted marketing.
• Challenge: Avoid creating too many segments which can complicate your strategy.
• Best Practice: Focus on meaningful segmentation that aligns with your business objectives.

Step 4: Develop Personalized Content and Campaigns

• Action: Create content and marketing campaigns tailored to the interests and needs of each segment or individual.
• Challenge: Balancing personalization with scalability can be tricky.
• Best Practice: Use automation tools where appropriate, but keep the personal touch in your content.

Step 5: Choose the Right Channels

• Action: Identify the most effective channels for reaching your contacts – this could be email, social media, direct mail, or others.
• Challenge: Different contacts may prefer different channels, making it challenging to manage.
• Best Practice: Use multi-channel marketing strategies and monitor which channels perform best.

Step 6: Execute and Monitor the Campaigns

• Action: Launch your campaigns and closely monitor their performance, making adjustments as needed.
• Challenge: Constantly adapting campaigns based on real-time feedback requires agility.
• Best Practice: Use analytics tools to track key performance indicators and be ready to pivot quickly.

Step 7: Collect Feedback and Refine

• Action: Gather feedback from your contacts and use this to refine your strategy over time.
• Challenge: Consistently acting on feedback to improve can be resource-intensive.
• Best Practice: Establish a systematic approach for collecting and implementing feedback.

Step 8: Align with Sales and Other Teams

• Action: Ensure that your sales team and other relevant departments are aligned with the CBM strategy.
• Challenge: Achieving interdepartmental alignment can be difficult in larger organizations.
• Best Practice: Regular communication and joint planning sessions can help maintain alignment.

Implementing a contact-based marketing strategy requires a thoughtful approach, balancing personalization with scalability, and aligning various teams towards common goals. It’s important to have a plan and execute it like you would any other strategy to really see success.

How Customers.ai Supports Contact-Based Marketing

Customers.ai plays a pivotal role in empowering businesses to effectively implement and benefit from contact-based marketing. Here’s how:

• Website Visitor Identification
• Real-Time Data and Insights
• Enhanced Contact Enrichment
• Personalized Marketing Automation
• Segmentation and Targeting Capabilities

Website Visitor Identification

Our Website Visitor ID X-Ray pixel goes beyond traditional analytics, revealing the identities of individual visitors to your website. The result? Actual insights into who is engaging with your site – names, emails, company affiliation, job titles, domains, and more.

With this knowledge in hand, you can tailor your marketing efforts to these specific visitors, creating highly personalized experiences and content that resonate with their unique interests and needs.

To install the Website Visitor ID X-Ray Pixel, sign up (for FREE!), go to your dashboard, and navigate to My Automations. 

Select + New Automation and get your pixel. We have easy install options for Google Tag Manager, WordPress, and Shopify, or you can install the pixel manually.

Real-Time Data and Insights

Our website visitor identification functionality works in real-time, giving you immediate feedback on visitors and allowing you to understand the interests and intent of each contact.

Real-time data means you can not only create targeted follow-up campaigns with personalized content, but you can act fast and ensure you are reaching your audience while they are interested.

Enhanced Contact Enrichment

Contact and lead enrichment are the heart and soul of successful sales teams. Unlike ABM tools, Customers.ai data goes beyond just company and account data. 

Our B2B tool offers business emails, Linkedin profiles, company domains, and more. 

The more data you can gain about your visitors, the better your contact-based marketing campaigns will perform.

Personalized Marketing Automation

Customers.ai provides advanced marketing automation capabilities, allowing you to send personalized emails, notifications, and messages based on visitor behavior and data.

Our integrations with automation tools and CRM systems also keep the process as seamless as possible. 

By ensuring that each contact receives relevant and timely communication, enhancing the chances of conversion and building a stronger personal connection.

Segmentation and Targeting 

We are all about segmentation. Why? Segmentation is crucial in CBM for tailoring marketing campaigns to different groups and ensuring that each contact receives the most relevant and impactful message.

We recommend segmentation right at the start, which is why our Website Visitor ID X-Ray pixel offers segmentation capabilities.

Moving From ABM to CBM

As you can see, contact-based marketing marks a significant shift from the well-trodden path of ABM, addressing its limitations by focusing on individual contacts rather than broad accounts. 

By embracing CBM, marketers and sales teams can leverage real, actionable data to create personalized, impactful interactions that resonate on a much deeper level. 

Contact-based marketing isn’t just the next trend; it’s a more sustainable, customer-centric way of engaging in the B2B and B2C space. 

Customers.ai serves as a robust support system for businesses looking to adopt or enhance their contact-based marketing strategy.

By providing detailed insights into individual website visitors, enabling personalized communication, and integrating seamlessly with existing CRM systems, we really can help businesses create more meaningful and effective connections with their contacts.

Important Next Steps

• See what targeted outbound marketing is all about. Capture and engage your first 500 website visitor leads with Customers.ai X-Ray website visitor identification for free.
• Talk and learn about sales outreach automation with other growth enthusiasts. Join Customers.ai Island, our Facebook group of 40K marketers and entrepreneurs who are ready to support you.
• Advance your marketing performance with Sales Outreach School, a free tutorial and training area for sales pros and marketers.

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Contact-Based Marketing FAQs

Q. How does contact-based marketing differ from account-based marketing?

Contact-based marketing targets individual decision-makers, whereas account-based marketing focuses on entire organizations.

Q. What are the key components of contact-based marketing?

Key components include personalization, data analysis, customer journey mapping, segmentation, and multi-channel engagement.

Q. Why is personalization important in contact-based marketing?

Personalization in CBM is crucial for addressing the specific needs and preferences of each individual contact, enhancing engagement and effectiveness.

Q. Can contact-based marketing improve customer retention?

Yes, CBM can improve customer retention by creating more personalized and relevant experiences for individual contacts.

Q. What role does data analysis play in contact-based marketing?

Data analysis in CBM helps understand individual preferences and behaviors, enabling more targeted and effective marketing strategies.

Q. How does contact-based marketing impact the customer journey?

CBM personalizes the customer journey for each contact, catering to their unique needs and preferences at each interaction point.

Q. What types of businesses benefit most from contact-based marketing?

Businesses with high-value products or services and those in B2B industries often benefit most from CBM due to the importance of individual relationship building.

Q. How does contact-based marketing align sales and marketing efforts?

CBM aligns sales and marketing by leveraging detailed contact insights to create cohesive, targeted engagement strategies.

Q. What technologies support contact-based marketing?

Technologies like CRM systems, marketing automation tools, and data analytics platforms support CBM by providing detailed insights and facilitating personalized engagements.

Q. Is contact-based marketing suitable for small businesses?

Yes, CBM is suitable for small businesses, especially those looking to build strong, personalized relationships with key customers or clients.

Q. How does contact-based marketing drive lead generation?

CBM drives lead generation by targeting specific, high-potential contacts with personalized messaging, increasing the likelihood of conversion.

Q. Can contact-based marketing be automated?

Certain aspects of CBM, like email campaigns and data collection, can be automated, but it still requires a personal touch for maximum effectiveness.

Q. How do you measure the success of contact-based marketing?

Success in CBM is measured by engagement rates, conversion rates, customer retention, and ultimately, the ROI of marketing campaigns.

Q. What challenges are associated with implementing contact-based marketing?

Challenges include maintaining data quality, achieving personalization at scale, aligning sales and marketing teams, and ensuring privacy compliance.

Q. How does contact-based marketing enhance customer experiences?

CBM enhances customer experiences by providing highly relevant and personalized interactions, making customers feel valued and understood.

Q. What is the role of content in contact-based marketing?

In CBM, content is tailored to address the specific interests and needs of each contact, making it a vital tool for engagement and conversion.

Q. How does segmentation work in contact-based marketing?

Segmentation in CBM involves dividing the audience based on specific criteria like behavior or preferences, allowing for more targeted marketing efforts.

Q. What is the future of contact-based marketing?

The future of CBM includes more advanced personalization, integration of AI and machine learning for deeper insights, and a greater focus on customer data privacy.

Q. How do you build a contact-based marketing strategy?

Building a CBM strategy involves setting clear goals, collecting and analyzing contact data, personalizing content and campaigns, and continuously measuring and adjusting tactics.

Q. How important is multi-channel engagement in contact-based marketing?

Multi-channel engagement is crucial in CBM for reaching contacts on their preferred platforms, enhancing the effectiveness of the marketing efforts.

Q. Can contact-based marketing help in upselling and cross-selling?

Yes, by understanding individual customer needs and behaviors, CBM can effectively identify opportunities for upselling and cross-selling.

Q. What types of content are most effective in contact-based marketing?

Effective content types in CBM include personalized emails, targeted blog posts, custom videos, and interactive content tailored to individual preferences.

Q. How does feedback influence contact-based marketing strategies?

Feedback is essential in CBM for refining strategies, improving engagement tactics, and ensuring that marketing efforts remain aligned with contact needs.

Q. What is the importance of CRM in contact-based marketing?

CRM systems are vital in CBM for storing and analyzing contact data, tracking interactions, and providing insights for personalized marketing strategies.

The post Forget ABM. Contact-Based Marketing is the Future appeared first on Customers.ai.

The filter, known as RETVec, stands for Resilient & Efficient Text Vectorizer and is used to identify things like homoglyphs (manipulated letters and symbols), invisible characters, or keyword-stuffed text that is often used to try and bypass spam filters.

According to Google, their new spam filter can help improve the spam detection rate by 38% and reduce the false positive rate by 19.4%

This is great news for Gmail users but what does RETVec mean for email marketers?

Another day, another new challenge

A few weeks ago I broke down the Google and Yahoo email spam filter changes rolling out Feb 1, 2024. 

The key takeaways for email marketers? Reduce spam complaints and optimize send volume through best practices like clear unsubscribe options, tightened audiences, and email customization.

Easy enough right? Ok, it isn’t that simple. 

The reality is, with the updates coming in February and the new AI spam filter rolling out now, email marketers, especially outbound marketers, are going to have to work really hard to create messages that not only get through the new spam filter but don’t get marked as spam once they do. 

Your cold outreach needs to feel warm and it needs to feel personal. 

It’s exactly what we are trying to help with here at Customers.ai.

Let’s take two scenarios:

Scenario 1: You receive an email from a company you’ve never heard of and you aren’t interested in. 

Scenario 2: You receive an email from a company whose site you have visited and whose ads you’ve seen.

Which scenario lends itself to engagement and which to spam? 

It’s a simple answer but that’s what companies need to consider as these spam filter changes roll out. 

Instead of buying a list of people who might fit your ICP and might be in the market for what you sell, why not focus on the people who are already interested?

With Customers.ai, you can identify the anonymous visitors who land on your site – names, emails, phone numbers, LinkedIn profiles, business emails, etc. 

And instead of immediately emailing those people, you can put them into ad remarketing lists and start taking them through the buyer journey. 

Now when you go to email them, they’ve already seen your brand, you have an idea of the types of products or services they are interested in, and you can create a very personalized message. 

This is a much better scenario and one that is going to not just help you avoid the spam folder, but improve your overall email performance.

There is an upside to RETVec.

Back to RETVec, there is good news here. While spam detection is up with the new Google AI spam filter, false positives are down. 

For email marketers doing things the “right” way, the hope is that as Google’s spam detection continues to get smarter, legitimate emails have a better chance of reaching inboxes, resulting in higher email deliverability and a better sender reputation overall. That’s definitely a plus.

Evolving your email marketing strategy

Gmail is one of Google’s core products and with data privacy becoming a bigger and bigger issue, these inbox crackdowns are going to continue. 

Email marketers have to adapt and they have to shift away from bulk emails and cold outreach. Warm leads and personalization are the new normal and you had better jump on board if you want to see the inbox.

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Important Next Steps

• See what targeted outbound marketing is all about. Capture and engage your first 500 website visitor leads with Customers.ai X-Ray website visitor identification for free.
• Talk and learn about sales outreach automation with other growth enthusiasts. Join Customers.ai Island, our Facebook group of 40K marketers and entrepreneurs who are ready to support you.
• Advance your marketing performance with Sales Outreach School, a free tutorial and training area for sales pros and marketers.

The post What Does Gmail’s New AI Spam Filter Mean for Email Marketers? appeared first on Customers.ai.

Dating back to the roots of commerce, outbound marketing has played a pivotal role in connecting businesses with their audiences. 

However, as technology reshapes our world and consumer expectations soar to new heights, the landscape of outbound marketing is undergoing a shift. The age-old practices of cold calling, direct mail, and events are not merely relics of the past but are now just a set of tools in the hands of savvy marketers. 

In this era of instant connectivity and informed consumers, we have to find new ways to reach customers on their turf. 

Let’s explore outbound marketing – the essentials, the strategies, and the real-world insights that define outbound marketing in this evolved business ecosystem.

• What is Outbound Marketing?
• Why is Outbound Marketing Important?
• What are the Advantages of Outbound Marketing?
• 5 Common Outbound Marketing Strategies
• How to Overcome Common Challenges in Outbound Marketing
• How to Measure Outbound Marketing Success
• How to Automate Outbound Marketing
• Outbound Marketing FAQs

Understanding the Outbound Marketing Landscape

Outbound marketing blends traditional strategies with cutting-edge approaches to create dynamic and impactful connections between businesses and their audiences. But the landscape is not just broad, it’s constantly shifting. We need to understand what it is before we can dig into the strategies themselves.

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What is Outbound Marketing?

Outbound marketing is a strategy that relies on identifying prospects and reaching out to them with targeted offers and communications.

Outbound methods involve pushing messages out to get prospects’ attention—so you can get them into your sales funnel and guide them toward a conversion.

Traditional marketers often use outbound channels like:

• Cold calling
• Trade shows
• Billboards
• TV ads

But you don’t have to focus on traditional channels for successful outreach. Digital alternatives like sending cold emails and SMS messages can be just as (or much more) effective.

Why is Outbound Marketing Important?

For growth-minded businesses, mastering outbound is critical.

If you rely mainly on inbound marketing, you’ll end up creating a lot of blog posts, social media posts, and other digital content to draw in prospects. But a lot of the prospects you attract probably won’t be a good fit for your business—which means you could waste a lot of resources on nurturing.

In other words, inbound typically has a high signal-to-noise ratio.

In contrast, outbound lets you take a much more targeted approach to prospecting and lead generation. That means you can focus your marketing efforts on your ideal customers—and get more control over the results.

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What are the Advantages of Outbound Marketing?

Both marketers and sales reps can extract tons of benefits from outbound marketing. Let’s look at some of the key advantages of outbound marketing:

• Targeting
• Segmentation
• Messaging
• Personalization
• Conversion Tracking
• Testing

Targeting

Who is your ideal customer? With outbound marketing, you can identify prospects who fit that profile and reach out to them—without waiting for them to find you via search engines.

In other words, you can define your target audience and take a proactive approach to building relationships and converting prospects into customers.

With the right tools in your sales stack, there’s no need to spend endless hours on manual research. You can use tools like Customers.ai RoboBDR to define and build a target audience for your products and services.

Segmentation

Even when you have a well-defined target audience, prospects will engage with your efforts in different ways. Some may open your messages, others may click, and still others may reply.

As you run sales outreach campaigns and gather data, you can begin to divide prospects into groups based on their behaviors. By segmenting your list, you can center your best efforts on your most engaged prospects—giving your sales team better chances to close deals.

Messaging

With outbound marketing, you can send the same message to your entire prospect list—but you certainly don’t have to. Instead, you can send targeted offers to specific lists or adjust your messaging for each segment.

When you use automated outbound tools like Customers.ai, you can build unique email templates and sequences for each segment or offer. That way you can make sure you’re reaching out to the right prospects at the right time.

Personalization

One of the key differences between inbound and outbound marketing is personalization. Inbound marketing is designed for a broadly defined group of people, which can make it seem somewhat generic.

But when you create content for outbound outreach, you have tons of personalization tools at your fingertips. When you customize your messages, you can get prospects’ attention more effectively.

With Customers.ai, you can insert virtually any attribute into the subject line or body of your email marketing. That means you can use first names, company names, or even data like monthly website visitors and ad spend.

Conversion Tracking

It’s a common misconception that outbound marketing is best or top-of-funnel goals like brand awareness. Yet outbound marketing includes plenty of opportunities to zero in on bottom-of-funnel goals like conversions.

Outbound tools like Customers.ai make conversion tracking simple. Using Customers.ai analytics, you can easily monitor conversions and find the top-performing  message, offer, or segment.

Testing

Is part of your strategy failing to produce the results you expect? Outbound tools allow you to make minor adjustments to your approach—so you can test and optimize to improve your results.

In fact, if you keep reusing the same outbound sequence for months on end, you’re making a donkey move. When you’re always testing, you can see what works best on your target audience and continue to improve your results.

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5 Common Outbound Marketing Strategies

1. Cold Calling

Cold calling remains a potent outbound marketing technique despite the evolving landscape of digital communication. The direct, person-to-person engagement it offers can create valuable opportunities and establish genuine connections. 

Here’s why cold calling continues to be effective and a few tips to enhance its impact:

• Immediate Personal Connection: Cold calling allows for instant, personal interaction with potential clients or customers. This direct communication enables sales representatives to tailor their pitch based on immediate feedback, fostering a more personalized connection.

• Real-Time Feedback and Adaptation: The live nature of cold calls provides immediate insights into the prospect’s needs, objections, and interests. This real-time feedback allows the caller to adapt their approach on the fly, increasing the chances of resonating with the prospect.

• Building Trust and Credibility: Cold calling offers an opportunity to build trust and credibility by addressing concerns, answering questions, and demonstrating expertise. A well-prepared and knowledgeable caller can establish a positive impression, laying the foundation for future business relationships.

• Targeted Outreach: Through strategic data analysis and segmentation, cold calling enables businesses to target specific demographics or industries effectively. This focused approach ensures that the message reaches the most relevant audience, increasing the likelihood of a positive response.

• Supplementing Digital Strategies: While digital marketing plays a crucial role, cold calling complements these efforts by adding a personal touch. Integrating cold calling into a multi-channel marketing strategy ensures a comprehensive and well-rounded approach, maximizing outreach and engagement.

Looking for a few tips on making your cold calling more effective? 

• Do Your Research: Before making a call, conduct comprehensive research on the prospect. Understand their business, challenges, and potential pain points. This knowledge will enable a more tailored and relevant conversation.

• Have a Clear Value Proposition: Clearly articulate the value proposition early in the conversation. Explain how your product or service addresses the prospect’s specific needs or challenges. A compelling value proposition captures attention and encourages further dialogue.

• Practice Active Listening: Actively listen to the prospect’s responses and concerns. Use this information to guide the conversation and address their specific needs. Demonstrating attentive listening builds rapport and increases the likelihood of a positive outcome.

• Utilize Effective Scripting, Not Robotic: While having a script is essential, avoid sounding robotic or overly rehearsed. Use the script as a guideline to ensure key points are covered, but allow for a natural and dynamic conversation that adapts to the prospect’s responses.

• Develop a Follow-up Strategy: Develop a systematic follow-up strategy to nurture leads generated from cold calls. Whether through email, additional calls, or personalized content, a well-planned follow-up reinforces the initial connection and keeps your offering top of mind.

2. Cold Email Outreach 

Cold email outreach remains a valuable outbound marketing technique, offering a scalable way to connect with potential clients and customers. Despite recent changes to email spam filters by major providers like Google and Yahoo, strategic and personalized cold email campaigns can still be highly effective. 

Here’s why cold email outreach is impactful, along with key tips to navigate the evolving landscape:

• Cost-Effective Scalability: Cold email outreach provides a cost-effective means of reaching a large audience. With the right tools and segmentation, businesses can personalize messages at scale, tailoring content to specific target groups. This scalability allows for efficient lead generation and outreach.

• Data-Driven Personalization: Leveraging data analytics and customer insights enables businesses to personalize cold emails effectively. By crafting tailored messages that address the recipient’s pain points and interests, marketers can increase the likelihood of engagement and conversion.

• Direct Access to Decision-Makers: Cold email outreach provides direct access to key decision-makers within organizations. Crafting compelling messages that resonate with these individuals can open doors to valuable opportunities, making it an essential strategy for B2B marketing and sales efforts.

To help ensure you are creating an effective cold email outreach, we’ve outlined a few tips:

• Engaging Subject Lines: Craft compelling and relevant subject lines that encourage recipients to open the email. Avoid spammy or misleading language, as recent changes to spam filters prioritize user experience and penalize emails that may be perceived as deceptive or overly promotional.

• Personalization and Segmentation: Personalize your cold emails based on recipient characteristics and preferences. Utilize segmentation to tailor content to specific audience segments. Don’t forget to use an AI email writer for even better messaging!

• Transparent Opt-In and Compliance: Ensure that your cold email campaigns comply with relevant regulations, such as GDPR or CAN-SPAM. Explicitly communicate the purpose of your email and provide a clear option for recipients to opt-out. Recent updates to spam filters emphasize the importance of transparency and user consent in email communications.

3. Direct Mail Campaigns

Mail is tangible. It’s a tangible thing that allows us to connect with our target audience in a different way. In an age dominated by digital communication, the physicality of direct mail can actually cut through the clutter and leave a true impression. 

It’s important to remember that creative elements play a pivotal role in the success of direct mail campaigns but when done right, they offer: 

• Tangible Impact: Direct mail provides a tangible and physical representation of a brand’s message, making it more likely to capture attention. Creative design elements, such as eye-catching visuals and compelling copy, enhance the overall impact and memorability of the communication.

• Personalization Opportunities: Creative direct mail allows for highly personalized content. From personalized greetings to tailored offers, the ability to customize each piece ensures that recipients feel a personal connection with the message, fostering a positive response.

• Brand Differentiation: Creativity in direct mail sets brands apart by creating a distinctive identity. A well-designed and executed piece can distinguish a brand from competitors, reinforcing its unique value proposition in the minds of recipients.

To make your direct mail campaigns more effective, you need to: 

• Define Clear Objectives: Clearly define the objectives of your direct mail campaign. Whether it’s driving sales, promoting an event, or building brand awareness, a well-defined goal guides the creative and strategic aspects of the campaign, ensuring a focused and impactful message.

• Segment for Personalization: Leverage data to segment your target audience and personalize your direct mail pieces accordingly. Tailoring content to specific demographics, interests, or purchase history enhances the relevance of the message, increasing the likelihood of engagement.

• Create Compelling CTAs: Include a clear and compelling call to action in your direct mail materials. Whether it’s prompting a visit to a website, making a purchase, or attending an event, a well-crafted CTA guides recipients on the desired next steps, driving measurable outcomes.

4. Event Marketing 

Event marketing offers that direct engagement and brand exposure that no other channel can. Whether hosting in-person events or leveraging virtual platforms for global reach, events provide a dynamic environment for showcasing products, fostering connections, and leaving a lasting impression.

Some of the benefits of event marketing include:

• In-Person Connection: Hosting in-person events enables brands to establish genuine connections by providing a physical space for face-to-face interactions. This personal touch fosters trust and brand loyalty, allowing attendees to experience products or services firsthand.

• Networking Opportunities: Participation in industry-related events, whether physical or virtual, provides invaluable networking opportunities. Building relationships with peers, partners, and potential clients can lead to collaborations and business opportunities that extend beyond the event itself.

• Leveraging Virtual Events: Virtual events eliminate geographical constraints, letting you connect with a global audience. This expanded accessibility not only boosts brand exposure but also facilitates engagement with diverse markets worldwide. To enhance the virtual experience, invest in interactive platforms featuring live Q&A sessions, virtual product demonstrations, and networking lounges, replicating the interactive elements of in-person events in a digital landscape.

Here are a few tips on effective event marketing:

• Strategic Planning: Develop a comprehensive event marketing strategy that aligns with your overall business goals. Clearly define the objectives of the event, whether it’s lead generation, brand awareness, or product launches, and tailor your approach accordingly.

• Create Engaging Content and Experiences: Create compelling and relevant content that adds value to attendees. Whether through captivating presentations, interactive workshops, or exclusive product previews, the quality of content and experiences significantly influences the success of your event.

• Post-Event Follow-up: The event isn’t over once it concludes. Implement a robust post-event follow-up plan to capitalize on the connections made. Send personalized follow-up emails, share event highlights on social media, and nurture leads generated during the event to sustain the momentum and convert potential opportunities into tangible results.

5. Paid Advertising

Paid advertising stands as a highly effective outbound marketing technique, offering businesses a direct and strategic way to reach their target audience. The importance of paid ads lies in their ability to quickly generate visibility, drive traffic, and deliver measurable results. 

Here are four key tips to maximize the effectiveness of paid advertising:

• Targeted Audience Segmentation: Precision in targeting is crucial. Define and segment your audience so you can tailor your ads based on demographics, interests, and behaviors. By reaching the right people with the right message, you optimize the impact of your paid advertising efforts.

• Compelling Ad Creatives: You need visually appealing ad creative. Whether it’s eye-catching visuals, concise and persuasive copy, or a compelling call to action, the creative elements of your ads play a significant role in capturing attention and driving engagement.

• Continuous Monitoring and Optimization: Paid advertising requires ongoing monitoring and optimization. Regularly analyze performance metrics, such as click-through rates and conversion rates, to identify what works and what needs improvement. Adjust your strategies based on these insights to ensure a dynamic and effective campaign.

• Focus on Retargeting: Retargeting is one of the most underrated outbound marketing techniques. Remarketing allows you to show ads to people who have already engaged with you, improving your chances of conversion. Don’t forget to use Customers.ai to help recover your ad retargeting audiences.

To summarize, the 5 common outbound marketing strategies are:

• Cold Calling
• Cold Email Outreach
• Direct Mail Campaigns
• Event Marketing
• Paid Advertising

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How to Overcome Common Challenges in Outbound Marketing

Navigating outbound marketing comes with its share of challenges, and addressing them proactively is crucial for success. Here are some common challenges and tips on overcoming them:

Dealing with Resistance and Skepticism

Tip: Build Trust Through Transparency

Resistance and skepticism can arise when reaching out to potential clients. Counteract this by establishing trust through transparent communication. Clearly convey the value proposition, address concerns openly, and provide relevant information to build credibility. Personalizing your outreach and showcasing real-world success stories can also help overcome initial skepticism.

Additionally, tools like Customers.ai can help you identify people are who have already been on your site. Our Website Visitor ID X-Ray pixel will tell you not only who has been on your site but also their email address, domain, and phone number.

To install the Website Visitor ID X-Ray Pixel, sign up (for FREE!), go to your dashboard, and navigate to My Automations. 

Select + New Automation and get your pixel. We have easy install options for Google Tag Manager, WordPress, and Shopify, or you can install the pixel manually.

Adapting to Regulatory Changes (e.g., GDPR compliance)

Tip: Prioritize Compliance and Consent

Regulatory changes, such as GDPR, necessitate a meticulous approach to data handling. Prioritize compliance by ensuring explicit consent for communication. Clearly communicate the purpose of data collection, offer opt-in choices, and regularly update your practices to align with evolving regulations. 

Staying informed about legal requirements and integrating compliance measures into your marketing strategy is key to navigating regulatory challenges.

Optimizing Multi-Channel Integration

Tip: Foster Seamless Communication Across Channels

Coordinating messaging across multiple channels can be complex. Ensure a cohesive customer experience by fostering seamless communication. Integrate data and insights from different channels to create a unified customer profile. 

Align messaging to maintain consistency, regardless of the channel, ensuring a holistic and coherent brand image.

Measuring and Proving ROI

Tip: Define Clear Metrics and Attribution Models

Measuring the return on investment (ROI) in outbound marketing can be challenging. Clearly define metrics aligned with your business goals and leverage analytics tools to track performance. Implement attribution models to assign value to various touchpoints in the customer journey, providing a more accurate representation of your marketing efforts’ impact on overall business success.

By proactively addressing these challenges with strategic approaches, businesses can enhance the effectiveness of their outbound marketing efforts and build sustainable, long-term relationships with their target audience.

How to Measure Outbound Marketing Success

Effectively measuring the success of outbound marketing is imperative for refining strategies and maximizing impact. KPIs serve as crucial benchmarks, enabling businesses to analyze performance and adapt strategies based on data-driven insights.

Here are a few KPIs to consider when analyzing your outbound marketing performance:

• Conversion Rates: Track the conversion rates of your outbound marketing campaigns. Whether it’s converting leads into customers or achieving specific desired actions, understanding conversion rates provides insight into the effectiveness of your messaging and targeting.

• Lead Quality and Acquisition Cost: Assess the quality of leads generated through outbound efforts. Analyze the cost associated with acquiring each lead, comparing it to the value those leads bring to your business. This helps optimize budget allocation and refine targeting strategies.

• Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): Calculate the cost of acquiring a new customer, factoring in expenses related to marketing and sales efforts. Understanding CAC helps in determining the overall efficiency and sustainability of outbound marketing campaigns.

• Return on Investment (ROI): Measure the return on investment by evaluating the revenue generated against the costs incurred for outbound marketing activities. A positive ROI indicates that the marketing efforts are contributing to the overall financial health of the business.

Additionally, it’s important to analyze and adapt your strategies based on the data you have. This includes:

• Regular Data Analysis: Conduct regular and comprehensive data analysis. Utilize analytics tools to assess performance metrics, identify trends, and gain insights into the effectiveness of specific channels, campaigns, or messaging.

• A/B Testing: Implement A/B testing to experiment with different elements of your outbound marketing campaigns. Test variations in messaging, visuals, or targeting parameters to identify what resonates most with your audience. Use the results to refine and optimize your strategies.

• Customer Feedback and Surveys: Seek direct feedback from customers through surveys or feedback mechanisms. Understanding customer sentiments and preferences provides qualitative data that complements quantitative metrics, offering a more holistic view of outbound marketing success.

• Competitor Benchmarking: Benchmark your outbound marketing performance against industry competitors. Analyzing how your strategies compare to others in the market provides valuable context and insights, helping you identify areas for improvement and innovation.

• Long-Term Customer Value: Evaluate the long-term value of customers acquired through outbound marketing efforts. Consider factors such as customer retention, repeat purchases, and overall customer satisfaction to gauge the enduring impact of your marketing strategies.

By consistently monitoring KPIs, analyzing data, and adapting strategies based on insights, you can not only measure the success of your outbound marketing efforts but also refine your approach for maximum growth and impact.

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How to Automate Outbound Marketing

Automating outbound marketing processes can significantly enhance efficiency and scalability, allowing businesses to reach and engage their target audience with precision and effectiveness. Here’s how to get started.

How to Automate Outbound Marketing Step #1: Identify Prospects and Build a List

Successful outbound marketing campaigns start with well-defined prospect lists. Naturally, a list that’s more aligned with your ideal customer typically drives the most engagement and leads.

To improve your prospecting workflow, start with the Customers.ai Website Visitor ID X-Ray pixel. In 90 seconds you can start identifying who is on your site and what they are looking for.

Want to build your list further? Check out our intent-driven consumer database. Featuring 250 million US consumers,  you can filter, search, and purchase consumer directory leads.

Because this is an intent-rich database, you can identify people who actually want to buy the products and services your business sells—which can help you get better results.

How to Automate Outbound Marketing Step #2: Configure and Warm up Email Accounts

Next, take your prospect list and plug it into a Customers.ai automation workflow. To add it to a new automation, click the + Automation button in the main menu on the Customers.ai dashboard.

We also integrate with automation tools like Klaviyo and Mailchimp, making it easy to plug these leads into existing workflows. 

To maintain high deliverability and avoid putting your domain or email account at risk, use the built-in email warmup tools. Connect multiple email accounts and select several addresses to use for the sequence.

Customers.ai automatically rotates through the email addresses to gradually increase volume and avoid over-sending from a single account. This process keeps deliverability as high as possible while helping your outreach emails avoid the spam folder.

How to Automate Outbound Marketing Step #3: Create an Outbound Sequence

Once you’ve configured the settings for the automation, you can plug in your messaging sequence.

You can set your workflow to just email or you can have it automatically alternate between email and SMS, allowing you to connect with prospects via multiple channels.

Customers.ai’s AI Email Writer can also help to make a more personal connection with your prospects. Using the Insert Attributes dropdown, you can add first names to the subject line, plug company names into the body, or choose from other data you’ve gathered.

How to Automate Outbound Marketing Step #4: Segment, Optimize, and Scale

Click to start running your outbound marketing campaign and check the results daily. Identify who’s clicking, engaging with, and replying to your messaging—and separate them into segments.

Then build tailored sequences for each segment. You can use Customers.ai to create and optimize sales cadences, leveraging conditional logic to deliver the right message at the right time.

Keep in mind that taking a “set and forget” approach is a donkey move. Continue testing to find what works best for your target audience.

Continue to keep an eye on your outbound automation analytics. When you find a sequence that reaches or exceeds your goals, scale your outreach so you can increase lead generation.

Grow Your Business With Automated Outbound Marketing Tools

With a targeted outreach sequence combined with the effective outbound marketing strategies we mentioned above, you can connect with your ideal customers and guide them toward a conversion. And with automated tools like Customers.ai, you can do outbound outreach at scale.

Ready to reach out to your prospects? Grab your free trial of Customers.ai and start automating your targeted outbound outreach.

Important Next Steps

• See what targeted outbound marketing is all about. Capture and engage your first 500 website visitor leads with Customers.ai X-Ray website visitor identification for free.
• Talk and learn about sales outreach automation with other growth enthusiasts. Join Customers.ai Island, our Facebook group of 40K marketers and entrepreneurs who are ready to support you.
• Advance your marketing performance with Sales Outreach School, a free tutorial and training area for sales pros and marketers.

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Outbound Marketing FAQs

Q: How does outbound marketing differ from inbound marketing?

Inbound marketing focuses on drawing customers in through content and engagement, while outbound marketing involves proactive outreach to potential customers.

Q: What are common outbound marketing channels?

Common outbound marketing channels include cold calling, email marketing, direct mail, advertising (online and offline), and events.

Q: Is outbound marketing still effective in the digital age?

Yes, outbound marketing remains effective, especially when integrated with digital strategies. Techniques like targeted advertising and personalized email campaigns contribute to its success.

Q: What are the key benefits of outbound marketing?

Outbound marketing can provide quick results, reach a broad audience, and create brand awareness, making it suitable for certain business goals and industries.

Q: How can I measure the success of my outbound marketing campaigns?

Success can be measured through metrics like conversion rates, lead quality, customer acquisition cost (CAC), and return on investment (ROI).

Q: What are the challenges in outbound marketing?

Challenges include dealing with resistance, adapting to regulatory changes (e.g., GDPR), optimizing multi-channel integration, and proving the ROI of campaigns.

Q: Can outbound marketing be personalized?

Yes, advancements in data analytics allow for personalized outbound marketing, tailoring messages and content to specific demographics, interests, and behaviors.

Q: How can I overcome skepticism in outbound marketing?

Overcome skepticism by building trust through transparent communication, addressing concerns openly, and showcasing real-world success stories.

Q: What are the best practices for cold calling in outbound marketing?

Best practices include thorough research on prospects, clear value propositions, active listening, effective scripting, and a systematic follow-up strategy.

Q: How can I comply with regulations like GDPR in outbound marketing?

Ensure compliance by obtaining explicit consent, clearly communicating data usage, offering opt-in choices, and staying informed about and adapting to evolving regulations.

Q: What is the role of creative in direct mail campaigns?

Creative elements in direct mail, such as visuals and copy, are crucial for capturing attention, building brand recall, and establishing a distinctive identity.

Q: How do virtual events contribute to global reach in event marketing?

Virtual events break down geographical barriers, offering global accessibility and interactive platforms that replicate the in-person experience.

Q: Why is measuring ROI important in outbound marketing?

Measuring ROI helps businesses understand the financial impact of their outbound marketing efforts, guiding budget allocation and strategic decision-making.

Q: What are the essential KPIs for measuring outbound marketing success?

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) include conversion rates, lead quality, customer acquisition cost (CAC), and return on investment (ROI).

Q: How can I optimize outbound marketing for multi-channel integration?

Foster seamless communication across channels by integrating data, aligning messaging for consistency, and creating a unified customer profile.

Q: Is outbound marketing compatible with content marketing strategies?

Yes, outbound marketing can complement content marketing by promoting content through channels like email marketing and paid advertising.

Q: How can businesses adapt outbound marketing for B2B purposes?

B2B outbound marketing involves targeting businesses, focusing on building professional relationships, and tailoring messaging to address specific business needs.

Q: What role does automation play in outbound marketing?

Automation streamlines outbound marketing processes, enhancing efficiency by automating repetitive tasks, targeting, and personalized communication.

Q: Can outbound marketing be ethical?

Yes, ethical outbound marketing involves obtaining consent, respecting privacy, providing value to the audience, and adhering to relevant regulations.

The post Outbound Marketing Unboxed: Strategies, Tips & Real-World Insights appeared first on Customers.ai.

It’s a challenge, and with the recent email spam filter updates from the likes of Google and Yahoo, getting into those coveted inboxes is becoming even trickier. 

It’s why we launched B2B by Customers.ai. For years, B2B sales teams have relied on tools like Demandbase, ZoomInfo, and Clearbit to identify who has visited their site. The problem as most people know – is these tools identify the companies visiting you. But companies are not buying from you – people are!

And now, Customers.ai bridges that gap. We can tell you who is visiting your site at the individual level, giving you names, business emails, Linkedin profiles, and more!

It’s a true game changer and we are excited to see just how fast B2B sales teams can improve their outreach efforts. 

We aren’t done helping yet though. Along with the launch of our B2B solution, we are going to dive deep into the dynamic landscape of B2B outbound sales, unpacking the challenges, and serving up actionable strategies to help your sales team not just survive but thrive in this inbox battleground. Let’s do it!

• What is B2B Outbound Sales?
• Challenges in B2B Outbound Sales
• 5 Strategies for Highly Targeted B2B Sales Outreach
• How to Do B2B Outbound Sales with Customers.ai
• B2B Outbound Sales FAQs

What is B2B Outbound Sales?

To start, we have to understand what B2B outbound sales means: 

B2B outbound sales, short for Business-to-Business outbound sales, is a proactive approach where businesses initiate direct communication with potential customers to generate leads and close deals. 

Unlike inbound strategies that rely on attracting prospects organically, outbound sales involve reaching out to a carefully identified target audience through channels like email, phone calls, and social media. 

The goal is to create meaningful connections, understand customer needs, and showcase how a product or service can address those needs.

Some sales pros use outbound sales and cold outreach interchangeably. But they aren’t quite the same.

• Cold outreach refers to connecting with truly cold leads, or potential customers who haven’t interacted with your business before.
• Outbound sales can refer to reaching out to prospects who have shown intent—by visiting your website or interacting with your social media content.

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Challenges in B2B Outbound Sales

We know that B2B buyers rely on email to make purchasing decisions. In fact, according to MarketingCharts, 41% say they use email to source information. Unfortunately, with the average person receiving over 100 emails per day, getting your email to stand out is no easy feat. 

Getting in the inbox isn’t the only challenge facing B2B sales teams though. Let’s look at the current landscape and common challenges we are seeing and how Customers.ai can help overcome these challenges.

1. Identifying the Right Prospects

Who are your prospects? Challenges arise in the initial phase of B2B outbound sales when identifying the right prospects. Defining your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) is crucial, as it provides a clear blueprint of your target audience’s characteristics and needs.

How Customers.ai Can Help:

Our Website Visitor ID X-Ray pixel tells you who is on your site, helping you identify the right prospects. 

By capturing real-time data on website visitors, you can see who is visiting your site, what they are interested in, and tailor your outreach strategies based on genuine insights into their behavior and preferences.

It’s like having a personal detective for your website, revealing the clues that lead straight to your most promising leads.

To install the Website Visitor ID X-Ray Pixel, sign up (for FREE!), go to your dashboard, and navigate to My Automations. 

Select + New Automation and get your pixel. We have easy install options for Google Tag Manager, WordPress, and Shopify, or you can install the pixel manually.

2. Building and Maintaining a High-Quality Contact List

Ensuring a high-quality contact list is a perpetual challenge in B2B outbound sales. Strategies for data hygiene play a pivotal role, involving regular cleansing to eliminate outdated or irrelevant contacts. 

Furthermore, leveraging CRM tools for contact management streamlines the process, offering functionalities for segmentation, personalization, and efficient list maintenance.

How Customers.ai Can Help:

With our Signs of Life Detector, we automatically know if an email is valid, ensuring you aren’t wasting time on the wrong people. 

Additionally, Customers.ai integrates with your CRM, offering seamless contact management, segmentation, and personalization, making it the go-to ally for keeping your contact list not just extensive, but exceptionally high-quality. 

3. Crafting Compelling Outreach Messages

Crafting messages that resonate with your target audience is a persistent challenge in B2B sales outreach. 

Tailoring messages to specific industries or personas demonstrates a deep understanding of the recipient’s context, while A/B testing for message optimization allows for continuous improvement by experimenting with different elements such as subject lines and content.

How Customers.ai Can Help:

Customers.ai makes outreach easy – the key is our AI email writer. 

Tailoring messages to specific industries or personas becomes a breeze as AI Email Writer understands the nuances and preferences of your target audience and can inject a personalized touch based on the information captured. 

It’s like having a virtual wordsmith that not only understands your audience but also knows the exact words that will capture their attention.

4. Avoiding Promotions Tabs & Spam Folders

With the ever-evolving algorithms of email providers, the challenge extends to avoiding promotions tabs and spam folders. Staying out of these sections requires meticulous attention to email content relevance and adherence to best practices. 

Encouraging recipients to whitelist your emails is an additional proactive step to improve deliverability.

How Customers.ai Can Help:

By exclusively targeting individuals who have actively engaged with your site, we ensure that your emails enter inboxes as warm messages. 

This tailored approach not only enhances deliverability but also mitigates the risk of being marked as spam. Coupled with strong personalization, your communications should not only reach your audience but also grab their attention in the best way possible.

5. Navigating Gatekeepers and Overcoming Objections

Gatekeepers can be formidable barriers in B2B outbound sales, necessitating techniques for engaging gatekeepers effectively. 

Strategies that establish a connection and convey the value of your outreach can prove instrumental. 

Simultaneously, addressing objections is an inherent part of the process, and addressing common objections effectively involves anticipating and preparing persuasive responses that transform objections into opportunities for meaningful engagement.

How Customers.ai Can Help:

Customers.ai helps navigate gatekeepers and overcome objections by providing a unique advantage—insight into exactly what pages your prospects have visited. 

With this powerful feature, segmentation becomes more than just a strategy; it becomes a precision tool. 

By tailoring your outreach to resonate with the specific products or services your prospects have shown interest in, you’re not just navigating gatekeepers, you’re opening doors.

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5 Strategies for Highly Targeted B2B Sales Outreach

You will always face challenges but having a toolkit of highly targeted outreach strategies isn’t just an advantage—it’s a necessity. Here are five strategies to help you cut through the noise, connect with the right prospects, and elevate your outreach game.

1. Segmentation and Personalization

Segmenting your audience is imperative when it comes to sales outreach. By categorizing your audience based on shared characteristics or behaviors, you can tailor your messages to be more relevant and impactful. This not only boosts engagement but also allows for a more strategic allocation of resources, ensuring your efforts are laser-focused on the right targets.

It also lends to personalization. Personalization goes beyond just addressing someone by their first name. Use the data you have to craft messages that resonate with their specific interests, pain points, or product preferences, creating a connection that feels not just personalized but genuinely tailored to their needs.

2. Multi-Channel Outreach Approach

We mentioned earlier that 41% of people rely on email to get content. Those same people also rely on social media, internet searches, and publications for information. A holistic approach to outreach is a must. 

A multi-channel strategy ensures that your message reaches your audience through their preferred platforms, maximizing the chances of engagement. Plus, by diversifying your communication channels, you amplify your outreach efforts and meet your prospects where they are.

But remember, consistency is key. Make sure that your messaging across email, phone, and social media aligns seamlessly, creating a unified brand voice. This not only strengthens your brand identity but also enhances the overall customer experience, fostering trust and recognition across various touchpoints.

3. Content Marketing Integration

Content is how you capture your audience’s attention. By understanding the topics and products that resonate with your prospects, you can create content that not only educates but also adds value to their decision-making process. It positions you as an authority in your industry and makes your outreach more compelling.

However, it can feel like content marketing efforts aren’t always aligned with outreach efforts. Content is a powerful ally in your outreach journey. 

Use the data you have to create personalized email campaigns or targeted social media messaging. Aligning your content with your outreach efforts enhances engagement and reinforces the value you offer.

4. Utilizing Technology and Automation

Two of the biggest challenges facing any organization are resources and time. You have to build something that is scalable. 

Automation tools help you handle repetitive tasks, allowing your team to focus on building genuine connections. From email campaigns to lead scoring, these tools revolutionize how you approach outbound sales.

While automation brings efficiency, maintaining personalization is paramount. Customers.ai ensures that your automated outreach retains a human touch by incorporating personalization features. Whether it’s dynamically adjusting email content based on prospect behavior or timing outreach for maximum impact, our best practices keep your automated efforts personalized and effective.

5. Continuous Monitoring and Iteration

Perpetual improvement in your outbound sales strategy can only be done through continuous monitoring. Utilize real-time analytics and tracking tools to keep a finger on the pulse of your campaigns. This proactive approach allows you to spot trends, identify successful strategies, and promptly address any areas that may need adjustment.

You also can’t stay stagnant. Iterate based on results for ongoing enhancement. Use the insights gained from monitoring key performance indicators to adapt and improve on your outreach strategies. 

Whether it’s refining your messaging, adjusting target segments, or experimenting with different channels, a commitment to ongoing enhancement ensures your outreach efforts remain agile and effective in the ever-evolving landscape of B2B sales.

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How to Do B2B Outbound Sales with Customers.ai

To excel at outbound sales, you need an automated process and powerful tools. We’ll show you how to set up a solid sales strategy with Customers.ai.

Step #1: Know Your Ideal Customer

You could spend time cold emailing a huge list of prospects who may or may not be a good fit for your offer. But you’re probably going to waste a ton of time chatting with donkey leads.

Instead, focus on connecting with your target audience. That starts with knowing your ideal customer. Grab your buyer persona and make a note of:

• Demographics, including age, gender, and location
• Interests and behaviors that define your customers
• Problems and challenges your customers deal with
• How your solution can help potential customers

As we mentioned earlier, install the Website Visitor ID X-Ray Pixel and start gathering data on your website visitors.

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Step #2: Fine-Tune Your Prospect List

Now you know exactly who you’re looking for—but you’re going to need a hand finding those prospects. Along with identifying who is on your site, you can also find prospects who fit your ICP through our Consumer Directory.

Consumer directory is our lead database of over 250,000,000 consumers in the United States. Filter, search, and purchase consumer directory leads and add them to a custom outreach automation to qualify and close leads.

Once you’ve identified the best prospects for you, you can plug their contact information right into your existing campaigns or build new ones.

Step #3: Warm Up Email Accounts

You’re almost ready to start sending targeted outbound outreach. But before you start reaching out to prospects, it’s important to warm up your email address.

Customers.ai has a built-in email warmup tool. All you have to do is click Integrations to link all the email addresses you want to use for outreach.

Not sure how many to add? If you’re using new email accounts, keep in mind that you probably shouldn’t send more than 100 emails from each account per day.

Once you connect your email addresses, click the Configure Sending button in your automation. Select Multiple Emails to give Customers.ai permission to rotate senders.

Step #4: Send Outbound Outreach

Then open the email template at the top of the automation and write your first outreach message. This is a great opportunity to introduce your business, product, or service and offer something of value. To make your message sound more natural, use Customers.ai’s AI Email Writer. 

Once you have your message, configure the waiting period before the next message, and so on and so forth. 

Continue to add email follow-ups to your automation and use your sales team’s benchmarks to decide on the right number of follow-ups for your list.

Superpower Your B2B Outbound Sales Efforts

In the dynamic realm of B2B sales, the challenges are real and the competition fierce. The recent email spam filter updates from industry giants like Google and Yahoo have added an extra layer of complexity, making inbox visibility an even trickier feat.

That’s why we introduced B2B by Customers.ai. Traditional tools identify companies visiting your site, but we understand that people make the decisions. With our Website Visitor ID X-Ray pixel, we bridge the gap, providing individual-level insights into your site visitors—names, business emails, LinkedIn profiles, and more.

But we’re not stopping there. As we launch our B2B solution, we’re delving deep into the intricacies of B2B outbound sales, unraveling challenges, and serving up actionable strategies. In this inbox battleground, survival is not enough; thriving is the goal.

B2B outbound sales is not just about sending emails; it’s about sending the right emails to the right people. Whether it’s identifying the right prospects, building a high-quality contact list, crafting compelling messages, avoiding spam folders, or navigating gatekeepers, Customers.ai is your ally in this journey.

Ready to transform your B2B outbound sales game? Let’s do it together. Explore B2B by Customers.ai now and unlock a new era of precision and effectiveness in your outreach efforts.

Important Next Steps

• See what targeted outbound marketing is all about. Capture and engage your first 500 website visitor leads with Customers.ai X-Ray website visitor identification for free.
• Talk and learn about sales outreach automation with other growth enthusiasts. Join Customers.ai Island, our Facebook group of 40K marketers and entrepreneurs who are ready to support you.
• Advance your marketing performance with Sales Outreach School, a free tutorial and training area for sales pros and marketers.

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B2B Outbound Sales FAQs

Q. What’s the difference between inbound and outbound sales?

Whether you’re using inbound or outbound tactics, you have the same end goal: to close the deal. But the way you start and nurture relationships with prospects differs, depending on which approach you choose.

With inbound, prospects find the organization through social media, the company website, or another marketing channel. They request information or sign up for a list and receive a series of general marketing campaigns.

With outbound, sales reps use one of the channels above to initiate a connection with a potential customer. Sales reps typically tailor their offers for customer segments so they appeal to prospects’ unique needs and challenges.

Because outbound is more targeted, it tends to have a lower signal-to-noise ratio—as long as you’re reaching out to the right prospects. That means outbound is ideal for finding unicorns in a sea of donkeys.

Q. What are the most effective outbound channels?

It’s easy to assume that outbound sales is all about cold calling. But in practice, phone calls often work best at the end of the sales process, when hot leads are ready to hear your pitch.

Let’s look at a few of the best places to reach out to outbound leads:

• Email outreach is the ideal channel to start with since it’s great for introducing your business and offering something of value. With email, you can continue to connect with prospects over time, increasing trust and sharing solutions.
• SMS outreach is ideal for prospects who are closer to completing their customer journeys. Because SMS inboxes are private spaces for your inner circle, it’s a good idea to build trust first before connecting with prospects over text.
• Social selling via channels like Facebook and Instagram is helpful for building relationships and engaging with leads. Once potential customers show intent by commenting or sending a DM, you can shift the conversation to email or text.

Q. Who does outbound sales?

A successful sales team typically needs three types of representatives:

• Sales development reps (SDRs) handle the first few steps of the sales process. They generate leads and then nurture and qualify them before handing them over to an account executive.
• Business development reps (BDRs) are experts at prospecting and finding potential customers who fit the target audience. They excel at lead generation—turning cold prospects into warm leads and so account executives can get the sale.
• Lead response reps (LRRs) often focus on higher-intent prospects who have indicated interest in the business. Like SDRs, they nurture and qualify leads before tasking the account executive with closing the deal.

Q. What are the best outbound sales tools?

To close more deals, sales teams need tools that automate manual tasks and organize prospects:

• Prospecting data tools connect you with your ideal customers so you can focus on building relationships. Tools like Customers.ai RoboBDR let you create customer segments for targeted sales outreach.
• Outreach automation tools send targeted messages to prospect lists and follow up on key channels over time. Tools like Customers.ai automate email, SMS, and social media sequences to streamline prospecting and lead qualification.
• Customer relationship management (CRM) tools keep track of prospects and touchpoints so you know where everyone is in their customer journey. CRMs like HubSpot integrate with Customers.ai so you can streamline your efforts.

Q: What is the difference between B2B outbound sales and cold outreach?

Cold outreach involves contacting entirely new leads, while B2B outbound sales may include reaching out to prospects who have shown some level of interest or intent.

Q. How can I identify the right prospects for my B2B outbound sales efforts?

Define your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) and leverage tools like Customers.ai’s Website Visitor ID X-Ray pixel to see who is actively engaging with your site.

Q: What challenges do B2B sales teams face in reaching their target audience via email?

Email saturation is a challenge, with the average person receiving over 100 emails per day. Standing out in crowded inboxes requires strategic and personalized messaging.

Q: How does segmentation and personalization enhance B2B sales outreach?

Segmentation categorizes your audience, allowing you to tailor messages for relevance. Personalization goes beyond names, crafting messages that resonate with specific interests or pain points.

Q: What role does multi-channel outreach play in B2B sales strategies?

Multi-channel outreach ensures your message reaches prospects through preferred platforms, enhancing engagement. Consistent messaging across channels builds brand trust.

Q: Why is content marketing integration crucial for B2B outbound sales?

Content marketing adds value to the customer’s decision-making process. Aligning content with outreach efforts positions your brand as an industry authority.

Q: How can technology and automation improve B2B outbound sales efficiency?

Automation tools handle repetitive tasks, optimizing resource use. Customers.ai’s automation retains a personalized touch, balancing efficiency with genuine connections.

Q: What are the benefits of continuous monitoring and iteration in outbound sales?

Continuous monitoring allows real-time adjustments, spotting trends and addressing issues promptly. Iteration based on results ensures ongoing enhancement and adaptation to market dynamics.

Q: How does Customers.ai help navigate gatekeepers and overcome objections?

Customers.ai provides insights into pages prospects visited, enabling precise segmentation. This tailoring of outreach to specific interests transforms objections into opportunities.

Q: Can B2B outbound sales be successful without an automated process?

While possible, an automated process, as offered by Customers.ai, streamlines tasks, saves time, and ensures scalability, making success more achievable in the competitive B2B landscape.

Q: Why is email deliverability crucial in B2B outbound sales?

Email deliverability determines whether your messages reach the intended inboxes. Customers.ai’s warm-up tools and targeted engagement contribute to improved deliverability.

Q: How does B2B outbound sales contribute to building a brand’s authority?

B2B outbound sales positions your brand as an industry expert by delivering valuable content and personalized messages, fostering trust and credibility among your target audience.

Q: What role does predictive analytics play in B2B outbound sales strategies?

Predictive analytics analyzes historical data to forecast outcomes and behaviors. Customers.ai integrates predictive analytics, helping make informed decisions and optimize resources.

Q: Can B2B outbound sales efforts be successful without continuous audience monitoring?

Continuous monitoring is vital for staying agile. It allows for real-time adjustments and ensures your outreach efforts align with changing customer behaviors and market dynamics. Adjustments are necessary in the process of reviewing expectations and realities concerning SLA vs SLO agreements which can ultimately benefit your end results. 

Q: How does B2B outbound sales adapt to changes in customer preferences and behaviors?

Iteration based on continuous monitoring and data-driven insights ensures B2B outbound sales strategies evolve to meet changing customer preferences and behaviors effectively.

Q: What challenges does B2B outbound sales face in the era of information overload?

Standing out in a sea of information is a challenge. Crafting personalized and compelling messages, as well as utilizing targeted segmentation, helps overcome information overload.

Q: How does B2B outbound sales contribute to lead generation and conversion?

B2B outbound sales actively generates leads by initiating direct communication. Effective lead generation, combined with personalized outreach, contributes to higher conversion rates.

Q: Is there a limit to the number of follow-ups in B2B outbound sales campaigns?

The number of follow-ups depends on your industry and target audience. Test and adapt based on your specific benchmarks to find the optimal number for your campaigns.

Q: How does B2B outbound sales address the balance between automation and personalization?

B2B outbound sales tools like Customers.ai strike a balance by automating repetitive tasks while ensuring personalization features retain a human touch in outreach efforts.

Q: Can B2B outbound sales strategies be effective without a deep understanding of the target audience?

Deep understanding of the target audience is foundational. Identifying buyer personas, preferences, and pain points ensures B2B outbound sales strategies resonate and drive meaningful engagement.

The post B2B Outbound Sales: Your Guide to Highly Targeted Outreach appeared first on Customers.ai.

Google and Yahoo recently announced significant changes to their spam filter algorithms, prompting a reevaluation of strategies for email marketers and sales teams engaged in both inbound and outbound marketing efforts.

Here at Customers.ai, we see this as an opportunity for better email marketing campaigns.

Because the reality is, when it comes to email, less is more. The more targeted you get, the better. The more intent signals you have, the better. The more customized your campaigns are, the better they will perform.

If you are doing email the right way, these updates shouldn’t have a significant impact on your business. 

We have a lot more to dig into here. To help our customers and email marketers as a whole better understand what these changes mean, we are going to explain key algorithm changes, discuss their impact, and provide strategic considerations to help navigate these changes successfully.

• Key Algorithm Changes
• Understanding & Analyzing Email Dynamics
• Strategic Considerations for the Google & Yahoo Spam Filter Updates
• Takeaways: Who Does This Impact?
• Customers.ai for Better Email Deliverability 

Two Key Algorithm Changes

• Mandatory Digital Email Signing.  One noteworthy adjustment is the requirement for senders with over 5,000 emails to use DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) for digital signing. While this is already a best practice, non-signed emails are now treated more suspiciously. Digital signing enhances email authenticity, providing a layer of trust that is crucial.

• New Complaint Rate Threshold. A complaint rate over 0.3% now poses the risk of being blocked. For context, popular platforms like Mailchimp suspend accounts for a 0.01% complaint rate. It’s also essential to clarify that a complaint occurs when a user marks an email as spam, not when they unsubscribe. 

Understanding & Analyzing Email Dynamics

Understanding email dynamics is essential for devising effective strategies and understanding what these changes mean for performance. 

For instance, many promotional emails land in the promotions tab, effectively reducing the visible complaint rate. If 80% of emails go to the promotions tab, the effective complaint rate could be 5x higher and still be ok for the remaining 20%.

In another instance, if emails are going to spam, people aren’t complaining. Low deliverability actually makes it hard to get spam complaints.

Now, we aren’t advising you to lower your deliverability rates. What we are saying, is you have to understand the dynamics at work to truly understand how this change impacts your campaigns. 

Strategic Considerations for the Google & Yahoo Spam Filter Updates

It boils down to this; If the complaint rate equals the number of complaints divided by total emails sent, the strategy is simple; reduce spam complaints and increase total emails sent. 

Let’s dig into these two factors:

Reducing Spam Complaints

When it comes to reducing spam complaints, there are a number of things to consider. 

• Clear unsubscribe options are crucial. You may think it’s a good idea to hide your unsubscribe but we’ll be the first to tell you it’s not. If a user can’t find the unsubscribe button, they are more likely to complain and mark you as spam.

• Multiple unsubscribe links in emails can help reduce complaints. Again, not only is it best to make your unsubscribe visible but we also recommend giving your users several options. Make it easy! Include one in the body and the footer.

• Use shorter, engagement-based outreach cadences. It’s not about blasting your customers for everything, all the time. Focus on engaging them through timely messaging and relevant content.

• Diversify outreach communication channels. Go beyond email. Focus on channels like direct messaging or even phone calls.

• Tighten your target audience. You can create better audiences by layering additional data filters. Better audiences mean more engagement and less complaints.

• Enhanced email outreach customization is key. The more customized your email is to the individual, the less likely it is they will complain. Utilize segmentation, AI email writers, and make sure you are giving your audience what they want.

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Optimizing Email Volume

If the way to avoid penalties is to reduce spam complaints and increase total emails sent, we have to optimize our email volume. That doesn’t mean buying huge lists and going overboard. In fact, you should never do that.

What it does mean, is being strategic about the database you have and emails you are sending. A few ideas:

• Maintain inactive contacts. By maintaining some inactive contacts, you can strategically increase email volume without causing complaints. Since you know those people won’t open it, they won’t mark you as spam. It’s worth noting here, we believe that maintaining a clean database of emails is important. But if you are toeing that 0.3% complaint rate line, maybe don’t delete your emails so aggressively. 

• Increase helpful transactional emails. Emails like order confirmations, tracking information, or purchase follow-ups can help increase email volume and won’t result in complaints. We have seen companies send 3-4 tracking emails alone! 

• Reduce the use of Slack and online chat. As every email reply from a customer sends positive signals to algorithms, moving all of your conversations away from email could result in a loss of email deliverability. Again, this doesn’t mean we should make the lives of customers harder but we see many companies moving away from email support when it actually could benefit you in the long run. 

Strategic Takeaways: Who Does This Impact?

The biggest takeaway is that we have a number – 0.3%. Both Google and Yahoo have disclosed the threshold for complaint rates. It’s an unusual move and in actuality, helps email marketers. 

Previously, those consistently sending emails, who feared getting penalized, didn’t know what the line was. Now it’s a math equation that can easily be monitored and adjusted.

The question comes down to, “Who does this impact?”. 

The reality is that it’s not the big businesses with established customer bases and large inbound lists. This update actually helps those companies.

They likely have low existing complaint rates and can more easily and safely expand their outbound efforts, especially now that they know the target number.

The challenge will be for start-ups or smaller, less established companies. Specifically, those in the B2B space that may be using more aggressive outbound strategies or have been leaning on ABM to establish their brand. These companies must adhere pretty closely to best practices to avoid hitting the 0.3% threshold. Risk analysis will be crucial in adapting to these changes effectively. 

Customers.ai for Better Email Deliverability 

As mentioned previously, we believe that when done the right way, email is an amazingly effective tool. 

Looking at our own metrics, where we typically send 300,000 emails, our complaint rate is 0.008%, 36 times below the new 0.3% threshold. Here’s a small sample of those (Note 0 abuse reports):

If you are doing outbound marketing based only on ICP, you are in danger. What you should be focusing on is those who are already aware of you. Those who are familiar with your brand or have been to your website.

That’s why we launched our Website Visitor ID X-Ray pixel. It identifies who is on your site and who has interacted with your brand. It prevents the cold outreach that so often results in spam complaints. 

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On top of it, it allows you to go beyond email. When in doubt, remarket!

If someone has visited your site, specifically an internal landing page, you can feel pretty safe remarketing to that person. Take those emails and put them into your Facebook or Google Ads remarketing lists. You are now reaching out to them but in a less intrusive way that won’t result in spam complaints.

It’s an Exciting Time

The changes in Google and Yahoo’s email spam filters present an exciting opportunity for those who can adapt. We know where the boundaries are! By aligning strategies and tools with these new guidelines, email marketers and sales teams can showcase their expertise and commitment to navigating and succeeding in their email marketing efforts. 

Embracing these changes positions businesses to thrive in the dynamic world of email marketing.

Important Next Steps

• See what targeted outbound marketing is all about. Capture and engage your first 500 website visitor leads with Customers.ai X-Ray website visitor identification for free.
• Talk and learn about sales outreach automation with other growth enthusiasts. Join Customers.ai Island, our Facebook group of 40K marketers and entrepreneurs who are ready to support you.
• Advance your marketing performance with Sales Outreach School, a free tutorial and training area for sales pros and marketers.

The post A Deep Dive into Google and Yahoo’s Email Spam Filter Changes appeared first on Customers.ai.

Getting those emails delivered? That, on the other hand, has never been more difficult. Spam filters, promotions folders, and strict domain reputation guidelines stand between you and your customers. 

It sounds daunting, I know. That’s where email deliverability tools come in. 

In this blog, I can tell you how to turn these obstacles into advantages. I have 7 amazing email deliverability tools to get your email delivery rates way up. 

While your competitors’ emails are stuck in the spam folder, yours will be in the promised land: the inbox . 

• What are email deliverability tools?
• What do email deliverability tools do?
• What makes an email more deliverable?
• Best practices for improving email deliverability
• Choosing the right email deliverability tool
• The top 7 email delivery tools of 2023
• Email deliverability Tool FAQs

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Understanding Email Deliverability Tools

Before we get to the email deliverability tools, let’s get on the same page. We have to understand email deliverability and why tools are important. 

What are email deliverability tools?

Email deliverability tools are software or services that help businesses ensure their marketing emails reach their intended recipients’ inboxes. Email deliverability tools typically offer features such as email verification, spam testing, and analytics to optimize email campaigns. 

By using email deliverability tools, businesses can improve their sender reputation, increase the chances of their emails being delivered, and ultimately enhance their email marketing effectiveness.

What do email deliverability tools do?

Email delivery tools are designed to optimize the delivery of marketing and sales emails. 

These tools offer a range of features to improve deliverability, including:

• Email authentication
• Email validation
• List management
• Spam testing
• Email warmup 

By using these email deliverability tools, businesses can give their emails a leg up and reduce the likelihood of them being marked as spam. 
Additionally, email delivery tools can provide data and insights to help businesses understand how their email campaigns are performing and identify areas for improvement.

What Makes an Email More Deliverable?

The defenses forged by email servers use a lot of factors to determine how deliverable your email is. 

These make up your sender reputation. Think of it like your report card. You’ve gotta do well in every facet if you want to maintain a stellar GPA! 

So, what are you being graded on?

Authenticated Senders

Email authentication is a set of techniques and protocols designed to do two things: 

1. Prove that sender is who they say they are 
2. Prove that the email wasn’t messed with on its journey from point A to point B. 

Emailing your leads without these authentications set up is like trying to board a plane without your ID. 

Authentication techniques include: 

• SPF (Sender Policy Framework): This allows the owner of a domain to specify which IP addresses are authorized to send email on behalf of the domain.
• DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): This is a digital signature to authenticate the sender of an email and ensure that the message has not been altered during transit.
• DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance): This allows domain owners to specify how email servers should handle messages that fail SPF or DKIM authentication checks.

You can get these set up in your email client and DNS settings.

Relevant Content

Your emails have to actually be interesting to the people you’re sending them to. 

This is a surefire way to increase your open and engagement rates and reduce your spam complaints. 

Figuring out who on your big list of leads is interested in what can seem like a tough task. Keep reading to learn how easy it actually is with Customers.ai’s tools!

Consistency

You want to be a familiar, friendly presence in the inboxes of your leads. 

Sending emails on a consistent basis ensures you stay on their mind.

Email Volume

Consistency doesn’t mean flooding their inbox everyday. Overwhelming people with tons of emails gets you a one-way ticket to the spam folder.

Respect Opt-Outs

When somebody unsubscribes, just let ‘em go! Continuing to email people who have asked you to stop is only good for one thing: destroying your send reputation.

Email Deliverability Hacks:

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Best Practices for Improving Email Deliverability

Email marketing is a potent tool for businesses. However, the real challenge lies in ensuring that your emails successfully land in the inboxes of your target audience. Let’s look at five fundamental best practices for improving your email deliverability:

• Maintain a Pristine Email List: Regularly cull your email list to remove dead or fake email addresses. This proactive upkeep ensures that your messages find their way to engaged recipients who are more inclined to interact with your content, elevating your sender reputation and bolstering deliverability.

• Harness Email Authentication: Incorporate robust email authentication protocols such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to authenticate your domain and thwart email spoofing. These authentication measures help Internet Service Providers (ISPs) recognize you as a legitimate sender and improve the chances of your emails landing in the inbox.

• Craft Irresistible Email Content: Make your content resonate with your target audience and focus on personalization. Personalized emails don’t just add value to your recipients, but they also can amplify engagement and signal to ISPs that your emails are trustworthy. But be aware of spam-like language or deceitful tactics, as these can trigger spam filters, jeopardizing your deliverability. 

• Vigilant Monitoring and Data Analysis: Regularly scrutinize your email performance metrics – open rates, click-through rates, and bounce rates. This analysis enables you to unearth potential issues within your campaigns and helps you to make informed, data-driven decisions aimed at improving your deliverability over time.

• Adhere to Email Regulations: Adherence to email marketing regulations is essential. Conform to stipulations such as the CAN-SPAM Act (for the United States) and GDPR (for the European Union). Ensure there are transparent opt-in and opt-out mechanisms for recipients and honor their preferences concerning email communication. Compliance with these regulations not only ensures legal compliance but also nurtures trust with your audience and garners favor with ISPs.

By diligently implementing these best practices, businesses can elevate their email deliverability, intensify engagement with their target demographic, and ultimately augment the efficacy of their email marketing endeavors.

Choosing the Right Email Deliverability Tool

When it comes to optimizing your email marketing efforts, selecting the perfect email deliverability tool is a critical decision for businesses. With a multitude of options at your disposal, you want to make a well-informed choice that suits your unique needs and goals. 

Here are some key factors to consider when evaluating and choosing the most suitable email deliverability tool:

1. Budget Considerations: To kick things off, it’s important to take a close look at your budget. Email deliverability tools come in a wide range of pricing models, ranging from affordable or even free options to premium solutions with advanced features. Assess how much you can allocate to this aspect of your marketing strategy.

2. Size of Email List: The size of your email list is a crucial factor in making the right choice. Some tools are better suited for smaller to medium-sized lists, while others are designed to handle larger-scale email campaigns efficiently. Make sure that the tool you select can comfortably handle your current list size and has room for growth as your audience expands.

3. Feature Set: Email deliverability tools offer a variety of features, including email verification, spam testing, analytics, A/B testing, and more. Pinpoint the specific features that align with your objectives. For instance, if improving open rates is a top priority, opt for a tool that provides robust A/B testing and analytics capabilities.

4. Integration Compatibility: Consider whether the email deliverability tool can seamlessly integrate with your existing email marketing platform, customer relationship management (CRM) software, and other crucial tools in your tech arsenal. Integration simplifies data flow and streamlines your marketing processes.

5. Deliverability Reputation: Take the time to research the tool’s reputation for email deliverability. A reputable tool should have a track record of helping businesses maintain high sender scores and successfully get their emails into recipients’ inboxes. Look for user reviews and real-world case studies to gauge its effectiveness.

6. Customer Support: Evaluate the level of customer support and training provided by the tool’s vendor. Reliable customer support can be invaluable when you run into technical challenges or need guidance on maximizing the tool’s potential.

7. Trial Period: Whenever possible, opt for a tool that offers a trial period or a free version with limited features. This allows you to test the tool’s compatibility with your specific needs and workflow before committing to a subscription.

8. Scalability: Keep an eye on your long-term goals. Ensure that the chosen tool can adapt and scale alongside your business as your email marketing campaigns grow and evolve.

The process of selecting the right email deliverability tool can and will significantly influence the success of your email marketing strategies. By carefully considering your budget, list size, desired features, and other essential criteria, you can make an informed choice that aligns with your business goals and enhances your email deliverability.

The Top 7 Email Deliverability Tools for 2024

Email Deliverability Tool #1: Targeted Customer List Generators 

You don’t want to waste your time and risk your send reputation emailing just anybody. 

You want to email people who are actually interested in what you’re selling. 

Casting a wide net made some sense in the past when it was really difficult to tell who was a real-deal potential customer and who wasn’t. 

But now, thanks to Customers.ai’s Unicorn X-Ray technology, all you have it takes is a few clicks. 

Here’s how it works: 

1. Create an automation 
2. Click email
3. Pick X-Ray Website Visitor as your input Trigger
4. Set your conditions

And there you go! 

The URL could be a pricing page, a specific item page, or any other high intent page. 

This lets you send extremely relevant emails to people who are extremely interested in your business! 

Email Deliverability Tool #2: Email Validators

High bounce rates are a huge red flag to email service providers. 

If a lot of your emails are constantly bouncing back, Google and the rest of the email clients will think you’re just tossing spaghetti at other people’s inboxes and seeing what sticks. 

Email validators are an essential email deliverability tool. 

Launching an email campaign without a validator is like driving in the rain without your wipers on.

That’s why we built one into our automation. 

Some validators only look for negative signals. This leaves you vulnerable to high bounce rates. 

Our validator looks for actual confirmation that an email is live. This offers your reputation the best protection. 

Email Deliverability Tool #3: Customers.ai’s Signs of Life Detector 

Starting with a targeted list and filtering it with an email validator are great steps towards protecting your domain reputation and finding the right customers. 

But one more filter is key to stratospheric success. 

That’s why we built our newest email deliverability tool: the Signs of Life Detector. 

This groundbreaking tool automates the best strategies for getting your emails into your customers’ inboxes. 

Here’s how it works: 

1. We send out an ice-breaker email
2. If someone engages, we detect that and automatically follow-up
3. If they don’t engage, we don’t bother sending anymore emails

It sounds counterintuitive but it’s true. 

Unlike other marketing channels, less really is more. There are huge potential downsides to sending too many emails to the wrong people. This is a chart of one customer’s email performance last year:

Chasing after people who don’t engage with or open your emails is the wrong strategy. 

S.o.L.D. helps you focus on the people that demonstrate interest in your emails. Those are the people that actually matter. 

They’re the hot leads you can close fast!

Email Deliverability Tool #4: Round Robin Senders

Email Service Providers try to relegate bulk-sent emails to the promotions folder. 

That’s not where you want to be. You want to be in the inbox. The best way to avoid the cautious gaze of the ESP is to not send too many emails from any one account. 

That’s why a Round Robin Sender is an essential email deliverability tool. With Customers.ai, you can set it up so your campaign sends the email from several different accounts! 

This way you avoid tripping the signals that stop your emails from getting to the promised land!

Email Deliverability Tool #5: Interval Sender

Sending too many emails too fast is like standing outside the ESP’s office with an “I’m Spam!” sign. 

People often make the mistake of doing too much too fast. Using an email deliverability tool like an interval sender does two things: 

1. It helps your accounts go unnoticed by ESPs. 
2. It gives you a steadier stream of leads for your sales team. 

It’s easy to set your intervals in Customers.ai’s system. 

1. Click on the “Integrations” tab on the navigation bar. 
2. Click the pencil icon in the actions column.
3. Select the interval you’d like. We recommend 10 minutes between emails! 

Email Deliverability Tool #6: Paid Email Domain

You might like free email accounts like yourname@gmail.com or yourname@yahoo.com because, well, they’re free.

But email service providers will shut those accounts down the second they catch a whiff of bulk sending.

Google and other providers will give users who pay for accounts, like Google workspace, much more leeway.

This is one instance where you get a lot for paying more.

Email Deliverability Tool #7: Automatically Customized Email Content

Avoid getting flagged for sending the same email too many times by, well, not send the same email too many times! 

That doesn’t mean you have to reduce your sending even further. Instead, use one of Customers.ai’s email deliverability tools: easily customizable email templates and our AI email writer.

Putting these customizations in prominent places like the subject line, preview, or beginning of the email helps to convince the ESP that every email is unique and individual. 

Even better, that’s because each email is unique and individual. Your potential customers will feel the same way. 

Getting Started with Email Deliverability Tools

So, you now understand the importance of email deliverability tools. Start reaping the benefits by trying out a demo from Customers.ai today!

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Important Next Steps

• See what targeted outbound marketing is all about. Capture and engage your first 500 website visitor leads with Customers.ai X-Ray website visitor identification for free.
• Talk and learn about sales outreach automation with other growth enthusiasts. Join Customers.ai Island, our Facebook group of 40K marketers and entrepreneurs who are ready to support you.
• Advance your marketing performance with Sales Outreach School, a free tutorial and training area for sales pros and marketers.

Email Deliverability Tool FAQs

Q. Why is email deliverability important?

Email deliverability is crucial for the success of any email marketing campaign. High deliverability rates result in more engagement, higher click-through rates, and ultimately, more conversions. Poor deliverability can significantly impact the effectiveness of your campaigns and damage your sender reputation.

Q. How do email deliverability tools work?

Email deliverability tools use various techniques to enhance deliverability, such as monitoring sender reputation, verifying email addresses, providing detailed analytics and reporting, and offering suggestions to improve email content and design. Some tools also help with email authentication and maintaining compliance with anti-spam regulations.

Q. Who can benefit from using email deliverability tools?

Any business or individual who uses email marketing or sends out large volumes of emails can benefit from email deliverability tools. These tools are particularly beneficial for email marketers, e-commerce businesses, SaaS companies, and other organizations that rely on email communication to reach their customers.

Q. Are there free email deliverability tools available?

Yes, there are free email deliverability tools available, although they may offer limited features compared to paid options. Some popular free tools include Mail-tester, Sender Score, and Google Postmaster Tools. However, for more advanced features and better insights, you may want to consider investing in a paid tool.

Q. How do I choose the right email deliverability tool for my needs?

To choose the right email deliverability tool for your needs, consider the following factors – budget, size of your email list, complexity of your email campaigns, specific features you require (e.g., email validation, spam filter testing, real-time analytics, etc.), and compatibility with your email service provider. You can also read reviews and compare different tools to find the one that best suits your requirements.

Q. Can I use multiple email deliverability tools together?

Yes, you can use multiple email deliverability tools to address different aspects of your email campaigns. For example, you might use one tool for email validation, another for monitoring your sender reputation, and a third for testing email content against spam filters. However, be cautious not to overlap features, as this can lead to unnecessary expenses and complexity.

Q. What features do email deliverability tools typically offer?

Common features include email verification, spam testing, analytics, A/B testing, and list management.

Q. How can email deliverability tools help improve sender reputation?

These tools assist in maintaining a positive sender reputation by reducing bounce rates, spam complaints, and email abuse reports.

Q. Which email authentication protocols do email deliverability tools support?

Many tools support SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication protocols to verify the legitimacy of email senders.

Q. What impact do email deliverability tools have on reducing spam complaints?

Email deliverability tools can help identify and remove subscribers who no longer want to receive emails, reducing the likelihood of spam complaints.

Q. How do these tools contribute to better open and click-through rates?

By optimizing email content, subject lines, and send times, email deliverability tools can lead to higher open and click-through rates.

Q. Can email deliverability tools prevent emails from being marked as spam?

While no tool can guarantee 100% prevention, these tools significantly reduce the chances of emails being classified as spam.

Q. What should businesses consider when choosing an email deliverability tool?

Factors to consider include budget, list size, required features, integration compatibility, and scalability.

Q. Are there case studies demonstrating the effectiveness of email deliverability tools?

Yes, numerous case studies showcase how businesses improved their email marketing results using these tools. See our success stories for a few. 

Q. How can email deliverability tools assist in regulatory compliance?

They can help ensure compliance with laws like the CAN-SPAM Act and GDPR by providing opt-in/out mechanisms and managing consent preferences.

Q. Do email deliverability tools offer real-time monitoring of email campaigns?

Many tools provide real-time monitoring and reporting to track email performance and detect issues promptly.

Q. Can email deliverability tools help with personalized email campaigns?

Yes, by segmenting lists and analyzing recipient behavior, these tools can enable more personalized and targeted email campaigns.

Q. How do these tools handle email list hygiene?

Email deliverability tools help maintain list hygiene by identifying and removing invalid or inactive email addresses.

Q. What impact does email list segmentation have on deliverability?

List segmentation, facilitated by these tools, allows businesses to send tailored content to specific segments, increasing engagement and deliverability.

Q. How do email deliverability tools assist with bounce rate reduction?

They automatically handle bounce management by removing hard bounces from email lists.

Q. Can email deliverability tools help prevent email spoofing?

Yes, these tools implement authentication protocols to verify sender legitimacy, reducing the risk of email spoofing.

Q. Do these tools provide recommendations for improving email content?

Many email deliverability tools offer content analysis and suggestions to enhance email content quality. Customers.ai also offers an AI email customizer tool to help you create and test content. 

Q. How do email deliverability tools handle feedback loops from ISPs?

These tools can manage feedback loops, allowing businesses to handle spam complaints and unsubscribes more efficiently.

Q. Can email deliverability tools predict and prevent deliverability issues?

Yes, they often employ algorithms and predictive analytics to anticipate and mitigate deliverability challenges.

Q. How can email deliverability tools assist with A/B testing?

They typically offer A/B testing capabilities, allowing businesses to experiment with different email elements to determine what resonates best with recipients.

Q. Are there email deliverability tools specifically designed for small businesses?

Yes, some tools cater to the needs and budgets of small businesses, offering scaled-down versions with essential features.

Q. What role does email deliverability play in overall email marketing success?

Email deliverability is a foundational element of email marketing success, as it ensures that emails reach the intended audience, leading to higher engagement and conversion rates.

The post Email Deliverability Tools: Top 7 for 2024 appeared first on Customers.ai.

As with any new technology, it makes sense to be skeptical of the claims about just how life-changing these tools are. Are AI email writers as good as everyone says? 

In a word, yes. But don’t worry: I’ll explain! Read along and gain a comprehensive understanding of everything AI Email Writer! 

• What is an AI email writer?
• How does an AI email writer work?
• What are the benefits of using an AI email writer?
• How to use an AI email writer effectively
• How different companies can use an AI email writer

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What is an AI email writer? 

An AI email writer is a software tool that uses artificial intelligence to generate personalized emails at scale. AI email writers help businesses save time, improve efficiency, generate more leads, and generate more sales. 

How does an AI email writer work? 

It’s actually a really simple concept. 

AI email writers work by using a combination of machine learning and natural language processing to analyze your email list data and generate personalized emails for each recipient. 

In other words, it does exactly what you used to do, but it does it in seconds while you grab a cup of coffee!

Here’s what’s happening on a more minute level: 

Machine learning is a type of artificial intelligence that allows computers to learn without being explicitly programmed. AI email writers use machine learning to identify patterns in your email list data, such as the demographics, interests, and behaviors of your recipients. In this matter, confidential computing for enterprises can play a pivotal role in ensuring that machine learning algorithms can process and analyze email list data securely, preserving the privacy of sensitive customer information.

Natural language processing is a type of artificial intelligence that allows computers to understand and process human language. AI email writers use natural language processing to generate personalized emails that are tailored to the individual interests and needs of each recipient.

What are the benefits of using an AI email writer? 

All of this sounds great, but the real question is, what does it actually do for you? 

Here are just a handful of the benefits: 

• Save time: AI email writers can save you a significant amount of time by generating personalized emails at scale. This means that you can focus on other important tasks, such as building relationships with customers and growing your business.
• Improve efficiency: AI email writers can help you improve your email efficiency by automating tasks such as sending follow-up emails, segmenting your audience, and tracking results. This allows you to focus on the most important aspects of your email marketing campaigns.
• Generate more leads and sales: AI email writers can help you generate more leads and sales by sending personalized emails that are tailored to the needs of your target audience. This can lead to higher open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates.

How to use an AI email writer effectively

1. Generate enriched leads. AI email writers are only as good as the information they’re given. Email campaigns are only as effective as the audiences their sent to. So filling your pipeline with high-intent leads that have enough targeting information is key. 

Customers.ai’s X-Ray tool is perfect for this! It’s easy to install on your site and it provides you with super valuable information on 20% of your website visitors! Learn their name, email, landing page visited, and more! Then use that data to build out the rest of your campaign.

2. Segment your audience. Segmenting your audience is the process of dividing your email list into groups of people who share similar characteristics. This allows you to send more targeted and relevant emails to your audience. AI email writers can segment your campaigns based on a number of intent signals, like landing page visited.

This lets you target people who visited each page based on what they’re interested in!

3. Generate personalized emails. To generate personalized emails, you will need to provide the AI email writer with some information about your recipients, such as their demographics, interests, and landing page visited. The AI email writer will then use this information to generate personalized emails for each recipient.

4. Track your results. Tracking your email marketing results is important because it allows you to see what is working and what is not. This information can help you improve your email campaigns over time.

Customers.ai keeps your analytics front and center so you can always stay on top of how many leads you’re getting, how many emails you’re sending, and what the engagement is like. Improvements or issues will never go unnoticed!

How different companies can use an AI email writer

AI email writers can be used by businesses of all sizes and industries to improve their email marketing results. Here are some examples of how different types of companies can use AI email writers:

E-commerce companies

E-commerce companies can use AI email writers to:

• Send personalized product recommendations to customers based on their purchase history and browsing behavior.
• Send abandoned cart emails to customers who have added items to their cart but have not yet completed the purchase process.
• Send win-back emails to customers who have not made a purchase in a while.
• Promote new products and special offers to customers.

Insurance companies

Insurance companies can use AI email writers to:

• Send personalized quotes to potential customers.
• Send policy reminders to existing customers.
• Send educational content about insurance to customers.
• Cross-sell and upsell additional insurance products to customers.

Travel and tourism companies

Travel and tourism companies can use AI email writers to:

• Send personalized travel recommendations to customers based on their interests and budget.
• Send flight and hotel booking reminders to customers.
• Send special offers to customers, such as discounts on flights and hotels.
• Promote tourist attractions and activities to customers.

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Conclusion

AI email writers are such a powerful time-saving, engagement-boosting tool. Your email marketing won’t ever be the same. Give ’em a shot and see for yourself.

Frequently Asked Question about AI Email Writers

The post AI Email Writer: The Key to Marketing in 2023 appeared first on Customers.ai.

With the sheer volume of emails flooding inboxes every day, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to stand out and make an impact.

By leveraging the power of AI, businesses can create more personalized and targeted email campaigns. These are more likely to resonate with their audience. 

In this blog post, we’ll explore what AI email marketing is, the benefits it offers, and some of the tools and technologies that make it possible. Join us as we dive into this exciting world of and discover how it can help take your email campaigns to the next level.

• What is AI Email Marketing?
• Benefits of AI Email Marketing
• Best Practices for Implementing AI in Email Marketing
• AI Email Marketing Challenges and Solutions
• Examples of AI Email Marketing
• Best Tools for AI Email Marketing in 2023
• Future of AI Email Marketing
• AI Email Marketing FAQs

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What is AI Email Marketing?

AI email marketing is the use of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and other advanced technologies to optimize and automate email marketing campaigns. 

At its core, AI email marketing is about using data and algorithms to create personalized and targeted emails that are more likely to resonate with the recipient.

Basically: its role is to make your life easier and your company more successful at the same time. 

One of the key features is its ability to analyze large amounts of data about customer behavior and preferences.

By tracking how customers interact with emails (such as which links they click, when they open them, and how long they spend reading), AI algorithms can identify patterns and insights that human marketers might miss. These make your emails more deliverable. 

Using this data, you can then create highly personalized email content that speaks directly to the recipient’s interests and needs. 

For example, an AI-powered email might include product recommendations based on the recipient’s purchase history or browsing behavior.

You can also automate various aspects of the email marketing process, such as segmentation, scheduling, and A/B testing. By taking care of these tasks automatically, businesses can save time and resources while still achieving better results.

This offers a powerful way to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of email marketing campaigns, while also creating a more personalized and engaging experience for customers. Better results with less work!

Benefits of AI Email Marketing

AI in email marketing brings a transformative edge, providing benefits such as hyper-personalization, precise segmentation, and automated efficiency to elevate engagement and drive unparalleled success in their campaigns.

Increased personalization

One of the biggest benefits is its ability to personalize emails at scale. By analyzing customer data and behavior, AI algorithms can create highly targeted and relevant email content that speaks directly to the recipient’s interests and needs. This level of personalization can lead to higher open rates, click-through rates, and ultimately, conversions.

Improved targeting and segmentation

AI can help businesses segment their email lists more effectively. By analyzing customer data, AI algorithms can identify different segments of customers based on factors such as demographics, behaviors, and preferences. This allows businesses to send more targeted and relevant emails to each segment. Which leads to, you guessed it, higher engagement and conversions.

Higher open rates and click-through rates

Email marketing campaigns using AI are more personalized and targeted. Because of this, they tend to have higher open rates and click-through rates than traditional email marketing. By sending emails that are more likely to resonate with the recipient, businesses can increase the chances that they will take action and engage with the content.

Automation efficiency and cost savings

AI can automate can automate many aspects of the email marketing process, such as segmentation, scheduling, and A/B testing. This can save businesses time and resources, allowing them to focus on other areas of their marketing strategy.

Predictive analytics for better emails

AI enables the utilization of predictive analytics to forecast user behavior, allowing marketers to anticipate the needs and preferences of their audience. By analyzing historical data and patterns, businesses can send targeted emails that align with individual customer journeys, resulting in higher conversion rates and customer satisfaction.

Dynamically optimized email content

AI empowers marketers to dynamically optimize email content based on real-time user interactions and preferences. Through machine learning algorithms, emails can adapt and evolve to deliver the most relevant and engaging content to each recipient. This ensures that email campaigns remain fresh, compelling, and highly tailored, ultimately maximizing the impact on the audience.

A/B testing for patterns and insights

AI facilitates sophisticated A/B testing by quickly and automatically analyzing vast amounts of data to identify patterns and insights. This enables marketers to refine and optimize their email campaigns in real-time, determining the most effective subject lines, content, and CTAs. With AI-driven A/B testing, businesses can make data-driven decisions to continuously improve the performance of their email marketing efforts.

Email Deliverability Hacks:

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Larry Kim

Founder and CEO, Customers.ai

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Best Practices for Implementing AI in Email Marketing

Incorporating AI into your email marketing strategy requires a thoughtful approach, encompassing the careful selection of tools, seamless integration into existing workflows, and a steadfast commitment to maintaining data privacy and compliance. Let’s look at best practices to ensure a successful implementation of AI in your email campaigns.

1. Choosing the Right AI Email Marketing Tools and Platforms:

• Research and Evaluate: Conduct thorough research to understand the specific needs of your business. Evaluate different AI email marketing tools and platforms available in the market, considering factors such as features, scalability, and compatibility with your existing systems.

• Trial Periods and Demos: Take advantage of trial periods and product demos offered by AI email marketing vendors. This allows you to experience the capabilities of the tools firsthand and assess how well they align with your email marketing objectives.

• User Reviews and Case Studies: Explore user reviews and case studies to gain insights into the real-world performance of AI email marketing tools. Learning from the experiences of other businesses can help you make informed decisions and choose the tools that best suit your requirements.

2. Integrating AI Seamlessly into Existing Email Marketing Strategies:

• Start with a Pilot Program: Begin the integration of AI into your email marketing strategy with a small-scale pilot program. This allows you to test the impact of AI on a limited basis and make adjustments before full-scale implementation.

• Collaboration Across Teams: Foster collaboration between marketing, IT, and data analytics teams. Ensure that everyone involved understands the goals of integrating AI and works together to streamline the process, ensuring a smooth transition and effective utilization of AI capabilities.

• Training and Skill Development: Provide training for your marketing team to familiarize them with the AI tools being implemented. This helps in maximizing the potential of the technology and encourages the team to adapt and innovate in their email marketing efforts.

3. Ensuring Data Privacy and Compliance with AI-Powered Campaigns:

• Adherence to Data Regulations: Stay informed about data protection regulations, such as GDPR or CCPA, and ensure that your AI-powered email marketing campaigns comply with these regulations. This includes obtaining proper consent for data usage and respecting users’ privacy rights.

• Secure Data Handling: Implement robust security measures for the storage and handling of customer data. Utilize encryption methods, access controls, and other security protocols (including a proxy service) to safeguard sensitive information and build trust with your audience.

• Transparency in Communication: Clearly communicate to your audience how AI is used in your email marketing campaigns. Be transparent about the data collected, the purposes behind its usage, and the benefits it brings. This transparency builds trust and reinforces your commitment to ethical and responsible AI practices.

By following these best practices, you can capture the full potential of AI in email marketing, elevating your campaigns with precision, personalization, and compliance, and ultimately forging stronger connections with your audience.

AI Email Marketing Challenges And Solutions

The integration of AI in email marketing brings forth a spectrum of challenges, from data quality concerns to resistance to change; however, understanding and addressing these hurdles head-on with strategic solutions is key to unlocking the unparalleled benefits that AI has to offer in revolutionizing your email campaigns.

Let’s look at five common challenges and break down the solutions for each one.

1. Challenge: Lack of Quality Data for AI Training

Solution: Data Cleansing and Enrichment

Regularly cleanse and enrich your data to ensure its accuracy and relevance. Implement data validation processes and leverage third-party tools to fill in missing information. High-quality data is essential for training AI models effectively.

2. Challenge: Overcoming Resistance to Change

Solution: Employee Training and Change Management

Provide comprehensive training programs to familiarize your team with AI technologies and their benefits. Implement effective change management strategies, emphasizing the positive impact AI can have on efficiency and results, to overcome resistance and foster a culture of innovation.

3. Challenge: Integration Complexity with Existing Systems

Solution: API Integration and Scalable Solutions

Choose AI email marketing tools that offer seamless integration with your existing systems through well-documented APIs. Prioritize scalable solutions that can adapt to the growth of your business, allowing for a smooth and efficient integration process.

4. Challenge: Ensuring AI-Generated Content Quality

Solution: Continuous Monitoring and Optimization

Implement a system for continuous monitoring of AI-generated content. Regularly review and optimize the output to maintain quality standards. Combine AI automation with human oversight to ensure that the content aligns with brand voice and resonates with the target audience.

5. Challenge: Ethical Use of AI in Email Marketing

Solution: Establish Ethical Guidelines and Regular Audits:

Develop and adhere to ethical guidelines for the use of AI in email marketing. Conduct regular audits to ensure compliance with these guidelines, emphasizing transparency in communication and respecting user privacy. This proactive approach builds trust and aligns your AI practices with ethical standards.

By addressing these common challenges with strategic solutions, businesses can navigate the complexities of implementing AI in email marketing and unlock the full potential of this transformative technology.

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Examples of AI Email Marketing

Some of the most successful and cutting-edge businesses already ahead. Better to be like them than their competitors, yeah? 

Netflix

Netflix uses AI algorithms to personalize their email content based on each subscriber’s viewing history and preferences. For example, if a subscriber has been watching a lot of action movies, they might receive an email recommending a new action movie release.

Sephora

Sephora uses AI-powered chatbots to provide personalized makeup recommendations to customers via email. By analyzing customer data and preferences, the chatbot can suggest products that are tailored to each individual’s needs.

Spotify

Spotify uses AI algorithms to create personalized playlists for each user based on their listening history and preferences. They then send personalized emails to each user with recommendations for new songs and playlists based on their listening habits.

Best AI Email Marketing Tools for 2023

AI Email Marketing Tool #1: X-Ray Email Extractor

What’s the most important part of email marketing? Getting the emails in the first place! 

Customers.ai’s X-Ray email extractor makes getting high-quality leads a snap. All you have to do is install a bit of code to your site. Your reward? The names and email addresses of up to 20% of the anonymous visitors to your website. 

These are leads who already know who you are and are already interested. 

Here’s how to install it on your site: 

To get the most out of the tool, we recommend setting it up on high-intent pages. Then, you can set up email automations targeted by the pages they visited. Here’s how to set that up: 

From there, you can start turning your website traffic into revenue! 

AI Email Marketing Tool #2: Automated Email Generator

What’s the most important part of email marketing? Getting emails!

But it can be a real pain. Coming up with personalized campaigns for every page? Every type of customer? It’s exhausting! 

That’s why introduced our AI email writer, which will write your emails for you! Here’s a glimpse of it in action: 

And it was able to do all of that just off our homepage! It only gets better the more information you give it! 

This is an essential time saving tool. It’s even better when combined with our other targeting tools

AI Email Marketing Tool #3: Signs of Life Detector

What’s the most important part of email marketing? Getting the emails delivered! 

That’s why we designed our Signs of Life Detector. It uses the power of AI to create better performing campaigns with fewer spam complaints, and less work for you! 

The SOLD tool analyzes recipient responses to your emails to make this happen! Get more engagement as customers move through your automation, not less! 

AI Email Marketing Tool #4: Automated Email Campaigns

Our campaigns are simple, customizable, and powerful. 

Just need to set up a simple cadence? No problem. 

Need to export some information to a Google Sheet? Easy! 

Need to run some info through a Zapier-integrated tool? No sweat. 

We know you need an eye on how your campaigns are performing. So we’ve got analytics at your fingertips. They’re compatible with our email deliverability tools like round robin sending. This means you don’t have to sacrifice analytics for deliverability! 

The Future of AI Email Marketing

The use of AI in email marketing is still in its early stages, but it is clear that this technology has the potential to transform the way businesses communicate with their customers. Here are a few trends that are likely to shape the future:

Increased personalization 

As AI algorithms become more sophisticated and businesses collect more data on their customers, email marketing is likely to become even more personalized. Emails may be tailored to individual preferences, behaviors, and interests, creating a more engaging and relevant experience for customers.

Greater automation 

AI technology can automate many aspects of email marketing, including content creation, segmentation, scheduling, and performance analysis. As businesses become more comfortable with using AI in their email campaigns, they may increasingly rely on automation to streamline their processes and improve their ROI.

Integration with other technologies 

AI is likely to become more integrated with other technologies, such as chatbots, voice assistants, and social media. This integration will allow businesses to create more cohesive and omnichannel experiences for their customers.

Enhanced creativity

While AI algorithms can generate content, they are not yet able to replace the creativity and ingenuity of human marketers. However, as AI technology develops, it may become more capable of assisting marketers in the creative process, such as by suggesting new ideas or providing inspiration.

Propelling AI Email Marketing Forward

AI email marketing has the potential to revolutionize the way businesses communicate with their customers. By leveraging the power of machine learning algorithms, businesses can create more personalized, relevant, and engaging email campaigns that drive conversions and build customer loyalty.

However, while the benefits are clear, there are also potential drawbacks and limitations that must be considered. Businesses must be mindful of issues such as privacy, cost, and algorithmic bias, and work to mitigate these issues wherever possible.

Looking to the future, AI is likely to become even more sophisticated and integrated with other technologies. As businesses continue to collect more data on their customers and AI algorithms become more advanced, we can expect to see even greater levels of personalization, automation, and creativity in email marketing campaigns.

Ultimately, the key to success in AI email marketing is to use this technology in a thoughtful and strategic manner. You can do that with Customers.ai!

AI Email Marketing FAQs

Q. What is AI email marketing?

AI email marketing is the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies such as machine learning algorithms to optimize and personalize email marketing campaigns.

Q. What are the benefits of AI email marketing?

The benefits of AI email marketing include increased personalization, automation, efficiency, and relevance of email campaigns. This can lead to higher open rates, click-through rates, and ultimately, higher ROI.

Q. What tools are available for AI email marketing?

There are a variety of tools, including email extractors, outreach tools, and automated writers. These tools increase personalization and deliverability.

Q. How does AI improve email marketing?

AI can improve email marketing by using machine learning algorithms to analyze customer data, optimize email content, personalize campaigns, and automate certain tasks, such as segmentation and send times.

Q. How can businesses get started with AI email marketing?

Businesses can get started with AI email marketing identifying their goals and target audiences. Then they can look into the available products and pick the right one for them.

Q: Can AI help with email personalization?

Yes, AI is instrumental in email personalization. It analyzes user data to create highly targeted and relevant content, leading to higher engagement and conversion rates.

Q: How does AI improve targeting and segmentation in email marketing?

AI analyzes customer data to identify segments based on demographics, behaviors, and preferences, allowing businesses to send more targeted and relevant emails to specific audience segments.

Q: What is the role of predictive analytics in AI email marketing?

Predictive analytics in AI email marketing forecasts user behavior by analyzing historical data and patterns. This enables marketers to anticipate user needs and preferences for more effective and personalized campaigns.

Q: Can AI optimize email content dynamically?

Yes, AI empowers marketers to dynamically optimize email content based on real-time user interactions and preferences, ensuring that emails remain fresh, compelling, and highly tailored to individual recipients.

Q: How does AI help with A/B testing in email marketing?

AI facilitates sophisticated A/B testing by quickly analyzing vast amounts of data to identify patterns and insights. This enables marketers to refine and optimize email campaigns in real-time for better performance.

Q: What are the best practices for implementing AI in email marketing?

Best practices include choosing the right AI tools and platforms through research and trials, seamless integration into existing strategies, and a commitment to data privacy and compliance with regulations.

Q: What are the challenges of implementing AI in email marketing?

Challenges include the lack of quality data for AI training, resistance to change, integration complexity with existing systems, ensuring AI-generated content quality, and ethical considerations in AI use.

Q: How can businesses address the lack of quality data for AI training?

Businesses can address this challenge by regularly cleansing and enriching their data, implementing data validation processes, and leveraging third-party tools to fill in missing information.

Q: What steps can overcome resistance to AI implementation in email marketing?

Overcoming resistance involves providing comprehensive employee training, implementing change management strategies, and emphasizing the positive impact AI can have on efficiency and results.

Q: How can businesses seamlessly integrate AI into existing email marketing strategies?

Seamless integration is achieved by starting with a small-scale pilot program, fostering collaboration across teams, and providing training to ensure effective utilization of AI capabilities.

Q: What measures ensure data privacy and compliance with AI-powered campaigns?

Ensuring data privacy involves adhering to data regulations, implementing secure data handling practices, and maintaining transparency in communication about how AI is used in email marketing campaigns.

Q: Can AI help with email content creation?

Yes, AI can assist in email content creation through tools like automated email generators, which analyze data to create personalized and targeted content, saving time and resources for businesses.

Q: How do AI algorithms assist in analyzing customer behavior in email marketing?

AI algorithms analyze customer interactions with emails, tracking elements such as clicks, opens, and reading times. This data is then used to identify patterns and insights that inform personalized content creation.

Q: Which businesses have successfully implemented AI in email marketing?

Examples include Netflix, which uses AI to personalize content recommendations, Sephora, utilizing AI chatbots for personalized makeup recommendations, and Spotify, employing AI to create personalized playlists based on user preferences.

Q: What are some recommended AI email marketing tools for 2023?

Recommended tools include Website Visitor ID X-Ray pixel for lead generation, Automated Email Generator for content creation, Signs of Life Detector for campaign deliverability, and Automated Email Campaigns for customizable and powerful campaigns.

Q: What is the future outlook for AI in email marketing?

The future of AI in email marketing includes increased personalization, greater automation, integration with other technologies like chatbots and voice assistants, and enhanced creativity as AI technology develops.

Q: How can businesses ensure ethical use of AI in email marketing?

Businesses can ensure ethical use by establishing clear ethical guidelines, conducting regular audits for compliance, and maintaining transparency in communication with users about the purpose and benefits of AI in email marketing campaigns.

The post AI Email Marketing: Everything You Need to Know appeared first on Customers.ai.

Pretty unhelpful stuff! (Not to mention quite technical to navigate.)

You may just want to do what’s most effective for results and performance and move on to your next exciting campaign idea. 

But there are risks associated with email marketing and cold email outreach that marketers want to avoid if at all possible. (If not, you may have months or even years of cleanup to do for your sender IP address, your company domain, and your standing with your ESP.)

At Customers.ai, we don’t think the secrets to email deliverability should be secret.

So we put together this email deliverability cheat sheet for you. Follow its seven tenets and you’ll be grand!

My personal favorite tip? Doubling down on engaged recipients … because I love unicorns. (That’s why I included it as number one!)

But in fact, every one of these AI-powered email deliverability tools and best practices have proven critical to the success of Customers.ai’s targeted outbound marketing strategy that today accounts for over half of the leads our marketing team generates for our sales team.

The email deliverability cheat sheet I promised you is below and here’s a presentation that will walk you through it.

7 Email Deliverability Tips That Get Your Message in the Inbox & Keep Your Compliant Rate Low

Click the links below to jump to the tip or read on for all the email deliverability tips that will help your cold, warm and event hot emails get seen by your intended recipient (minimizing risk to your IP and domain health, of course)!

1. Double down on engagers
2. Validate, validate, validate
3. Use multiple senders & send throttling
4. Include an unsubscribe link
5. Warm up email senders
6. Segment your audience list
7. Check for signs of life

But first, why are marketers so keen on email deliverability tips?

It comes down to the fact that email is pretty much the undisputed GOAT of marketing channels.

• Email generates an average $36 for every $1 spent.
• Recovered cart abandonment email revenue can account for a third of ecommerce sales.
• Generative AI technology is changing email marketing fast with 43% of marketers using AI for email marketing.

At the same time, there are Gmail promotion tabs and spam filters to account for when optimizing your email to show up in front of your desired audience.

At Customers.ai we combine our email deliverability tips with AI to:

• Build a list of likely-to-buy email contacts
• Land in inboxes and stay there
• Send email outreach to prospects before they’ve created an account or added products to a cart
• Use AI-powered analytics to improve performance
• And more!

Email Deliverability Tip #1. Double down on engagers (and purge the rest)

Double down on engagers and purge non-engagers from your list — even though this seems to go against everything marketers are trained to do…

For decades, email marketers have been conditioned to horde every contact, regardless of likelihood to engage. I get it, with the average website’s email capture rate and conversion rate between 2-4%, it used to require enormous effort to generate every email contact added to the list.

But this scarcity mindset is a thing of the past now that you can passively grow an email list from the high-intent visitors to your website.

Today, thanks to AI and the ability to capture email addresses from website visitors automatically, the email marketing best practice has changed: Remove non-engagers from your list. Continuing to email them only raises your risk of spam complaints, falling into spam traps, and more!

Market aggressively to the people who do engage. This keeps engagement rates high and email delivery rate climbing!

Customers.ai does this automatically with our AI-powered Signs of Life Detector (more on this below) so you don’t have to do anything manually. This leaves you more time to work on crafting offers and copy that convert.

Email Deliverability Tip #2. Validate email addresses before sending messages

Email validators weed out addresses that are spam traps or otherwise unsafe to email.

Using an email contact validator is essential to improving your deliverability.

Again, Customers.ai’s system executes this email deliverability tip by automatically validating contact emails before you send anything.

You don’t have to worry about bounced or undelivered emails, or risky spam traps mixed in with your prospecting contact list.

Email Deliverability Tip #3. Use multiple senders & send throttling to avoid spam filters and promotions tabs

Sending thousands of identical emails from the same address at the same time is a recipe for landing in the promotions or spam folder. Plus, incorporating an SPF record checker into your email marketing strategy is a wise move to authenticate your email sending domain, thereby improving your email deliverability.

These are some of the signals that the email platforms like Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Outlook and more use to detect mass marketing emails and can easily land your email in the promotions tab or tucked away never to be seen in in a spam folder.

Use multiple senders and limit the number of sends per day to increase deliverability.

Customers.ai makes configuring multiple email senders, pacing email sends in small batches, and unique, personalized email copy generated by AI simple so you can set it and forget it.

Email Deliverability Tip #4. Include an unsubscribe link separate from the built-in ones from ESPs and email inboxes

Any email sending service will automatically include an unsubscribe link at the bottom of the email.

This unsubscribe link gives users a chance to complain to Email Service Provider (ESP) like Mailchimp, Active Campaign or Constant Contact about your email campaign. If this happens even a few times, it can land you in hot water with your ESP and potentially cause suspension or deactivation of your account.

Here’s an email deliverability tip that will reduce the usage of the built-in unsubscribe link and keep your audience to only those who want to hear from you: Include an in-house unsubscribe link above the standard unsubscribe link.

Think about it this way: These unsubscribe requests will stay between you and your audience — exactly where it belongs.

Process unsubscribes yourself and reduce your complaint rate at the same time, without setting off alarms to the email marketing platform.

Email Deliverability Tip #5. Warm up email senders before scaling outbound sending to protect your domain rating

Newly created email addresses have limitations on how many messages they can send while looking natural.

You have to send fewer emails at first so that email providers like Gmail learn to trust you.

This can be a frustrating process because you want to hit the ground running but slowly increasing capacity wins the race.

Customers.ai has built in automated email warmup to protect your domain reputation and sender reputation, allowing you to scale to higher volumes of outbound emailing faster than you would without email warmup tools.

Email Deliverability Tip #6. Segment your audience list with as much targeting intent as needed for fine-tuned messaging relevance

As with all marketing, the more targeted your emails are, the better.

Better open rate, better click rate, better response rate, better conversion rate.

Segmenting your list into more narrow and targeted groups based on interests, intent, and what you know about the audience will increase your deliverability and engagement, helping you sell more.

With Customers.ai, you can target emails to customers based on what page they visited, demographic attributes (location, income, etc.), and more.

Customers.ai just released a new AI-generative email copywriting feature that will create email copy customized to the webpage that a visitor to your site viewed.

Try Customers.ai for free and get your first 50 website visitor leads and email sends on us.

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Email Deliverability Tip #7. Check for signs of life before sending follow-up outreach

Think about this: Email providers like Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo Mail are checking for engagement signals like opens, replies, clicks and low unsubscribes as a whole in order to decide if any particular email will be welcomed in the inbox of your intended recipients.

So sending emails to those who engage with them is one sure-fire signal to the email providers that your emails should go where you send them (and not in a spam folder or promotions tab).

This is why it’s a key email deliverability tip to check for signs of life, and send more emails to those who engage with your messages.

Customers.ai’s Signs of Life Detector is designed to do exactly that.

And Signs of Life Detector (or S.o.L.D.) is 100% automated and powered by AI.

As new lead email contact enter your Customers.ai targeted outreach automation sequences, the first message will check for signs of life (opens, clicks, replies) before sending any follow-up messages in the sequence.

Ready to put these email deliverability tips into practice for your business? Let Customers.ai email deliverability experts help you implement AI tools to increase sales with AI-powered email marketing automation.

Important Next Steps

• See what targeted outbound marketing is all about. Capture and engage your first 500 website visitor leads with Customers.ai X-Ray website visitor identification for free.
• Talk and learn about sales outreach automation with other growth enthusiasts. Join Customers.ai Island, our Facebook group of 40K marketers and entrepreneurs who are ready to support you.
• Advance your marketing performance with Sales Outreach School, a free tutorial and training area for sales pros and marketers.

The post 7 AI-Powered Email Deliverability Tips to Increase Sales appeared first on Customers.ai.

Even better, But that’s not all, we’re also going to talk about a game-changing software that has made targeted sales prospecting possible for B2C businesses. Yes, you read that right! B2C businesses are no longer stuck in the land of donkeys, wistfully dreaming they could join the land of unicorns with their B2B counterparts. 

The same type of database-driven prospecting that was once only available to B2B businesses is now accessible to B2C businesses too. 

Before we get to that, let’s make sure we’re on the same page. 

• What exactly is sales prospecting?
• What makes a good sales prospecting email template?
• Who do sales prospecting email templates make sense for?
• B2C Sales Prospecting Email Templates
• B2B Sales Prospecting Email Templates

What exactly is sales prospecting?

Think of it as detective work, but with less trench coats and more email templates. Sales prospecting is all about finding the right people who have a need for what you’re selling and are willing to pay for it. It involves researching and qualifying potential leads, reaching out to them, and persuading them to take action.

The key: understand your target audience and their pain points. You need to be able to communicate your value proposition in a way that resonates with them and offers a solution to their problems. 

It’s not just about selling a product or service; it’s about building relationships and creating trust.

So, get ready to put on your detective hat and start prospecting. With the right mindset, a bit of creativity, and some solid email templates, you can find the treasure trove of potential customers that will help grow your business.

What makes a good sales prospecting email template?

Here are a some things you have to include in all your sales prospecting emails!

1. Catchy Subject
   • It has to be attention grabbing! This isn’t just about making big promises. People are more likely to open emails that seem sent specifically to them!
2. Personalization
   • Show that you care by addressing your prospect by name. Throw in a personalized touch or two. This will go a long way towards endearing them to you!
3. Clarity
   • Make what you’re selling crystal clear! Don’t beat around the bush. You have something you think they want. You want them to know what it is! They have to know what it is to want it!
4. Brevity
   • Get! To! The! Point! Nobody has time to read a novel. Your prospects have lots of other emails, texts, tweets, etc to attend to. Every second counts.
5. Relevance
   • Demonstrate that you did your research. Establish why what you’re offering is good for them. Establish why you’re reaching out now as opposed to two months ago or two months from now.
6. Credibility
   • Why should they work with you? Case studies, testimonials, customer reviews, documented success. Anybody can send an email! You have to prove you’re legit.
7. Professionalism
   • Your email should be classy and free from typos. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t let your personality shine through! Nobody wants to read another boring email. It can be a tough line to walk but you can do it!
8. Call to Action
   • Give your prospect something to actually do! Schedule time with you, sign-up for a consultation, whatever it is. Make sure there’s an action they can take!

Who do targeted Sales Prospecting Email Templates make sense for?

Formerly, targeted sales prospect emailing was only really possible for B2B salespeople. They had so much more information about their prospects like their industry, company size, and pain points. 

But B2C companies were stuck with expensive and inefficient solutions like direct mail campaigns. 

Social media seemed like it was the solution until privacy restrictions made the targeting so much worse. 

With MobileMonkey’s X-Ray technology, B2C companies can now get the contact information of 1 in 5 people who visit their website! With this information, you can turn casual browsers into loyal customers. 

To write great Sales prospecting emails, set up your automation to target users who visit specific pages on your website. This will let you know they’re interested in one of your products or services in particular. 

Then you can dazzle them with emails that perfectly match what they’re considering! 

Plus, setting up couldn’t be easier! Here’s how:

B2C Sales Prospecting Email Templates

So you’ve set up your targeting criteria. Now what? 

Use that information to write emails that are targeted and personalized. 

Firstly, they demonstrate that you know the prospect and their needs. But that’s not all. 

They also demonstrate why they should buy from you and not just anyone.

For example, here’s an email automation sequence sent by a real estate agent in East Lansing, Michigan.

They ran a Facebook ad targeting University of Michigan fans living in East Lansing who were interested in energy-efficient homes. Now they’re reeling them in!

Sales Prospecting Email Templates for a Real Estate Agent

Cold Email

Follow-up #1

Follow-up #2

Pre-breakup

Re-engagement

Sales Prospecting Email Templates for a Financial Advisor

Here’s another example for a sales prospecting campaign by a financial advisor in Austin, Texas. They’re targeting the influx of tech workers by emphasizing their local knowledge.

Cold email

Follow-up #1

Follow-up #2

Pre-breakup

These are easy to transform for your business!

You already know your target customer and you know what makes you special. Therefore, you already know how to write a great sales prospecting email. Just plug those nouns in and you’re ready to go.

B2B Sales Prospecting Email Templates

Just like with B2C Sales Prospecting Email Templates, B2B emails need to be personalized and targeted!

Different businesses communicate in different ways. Here are cold email templates written for different styles! 

Even if these don’t fit perfectly you can use them to make your writing process less Donkey and more Unicorn! 

Funny Sales Prospecting Email Templates

Silly Sales Prospecting Email Template

Professional Sales Prospecting Email Templates

Chatty Sales Prospecting Email Template

Very Professional Sales Prospecting Email Template

Your B2B sales prospecting emails may also be prompted by a variety of different events. These include not only corporate communications but also social media posts. Here are templates for turning those events into leads!

If a LinkedIn Post Prompts your Email:

Perhaps a Press Release Prompted You to Send:

Email Triggered by an Internal Tracking Tool

Maybe a Facebook post triggered the email:

If the prospect was recently promoted:

Conclusion

Previously, B2C businesses lacked access to the tools B2B businesses have been using to thrive.

Because of Customers.ai’s powerful tools, they can finally harness the power of Sales Prospecting Email Templates for their prospecting!

Important Next Steps

• See what targeted outbound marketing is all about. Capture and engage your first 500 website visitor leads with Customers.ai X-Ray website visitor identification for free.
• Talk and learn about sales outreach automation with other growth enthusiasts. Join Customers.ai Island, our Facebook group of 40K marketers and entrepreneurs who are ready to support you.
• Advance your marketing performance with Sales Outreach School, a free tutorial and training area for sales pros and marketers.

FAQs about Sales Prospecting Templates

The post 25 Sales Prospecting Email Templates for Better Results appeared first on Customers.ai.