If you’re in the B2B cannabis space, email marketing is still one of the best options to promote your business. While getting businesses to make a buying decision may not be a walk in the park, when done right, you can generate massive sales with the power of email.
So the big question is: as a B2B brand in the marijuana industry, how can you use email marketing effectively? In this article, we’ll offer four tips to help you craft email campaigns that drive results.
Let’s dive in.
1. Do not treat it like B2C marketing
At surface level, B2B and B2C email marketing look similar. They both aim at promoting products, communicating with customers and guiding prospects through the sales cycle.
Scratch below the surface though, and you will find that B2B and B2C email marketing are quite different. For instance, the buying cycle in B2B is longer than in B2C. There are many people involved in the B2B decision-making process, so it takes longer to turn prospects into leads and then into customers.
In a B2C scenario, only the customer is involved. Marketers therefore use emotion to create a sense of urgency and quickly convert prospects into buyers. But when it comes to B2B marketing, this tactic will not work.
You have to provide your prospects with hard facts. This is not to say that your emails should be robotic. Instead, you should find a balance between creating an emotional connection and providing the vital information needed to convert.
Your B2B emails should be professional, results-oriented and factual, but still entertaining. Emphasize the financial benefits of your cannabis products and let your clients know what they will get for the price they are paying.
Also, since you are talking to other industry experts, you shouldn’t shy away from using industry jargon.
Business buyers, like consumers, need to be educated, but you should take care not to sound patronizing or worse, insulting. To avoid this, don’t go overboard with explanations. Your audience is already in the industry, so speak to them at their level by using industry-related terms.
2. Segment your email list
Your clients aren’t all the same. Sure, they all sell cannabis or cannabis-related products or services, but they hold different job titles. What’s more, they are involved in various areas of the buying decision-making process.
Take a minute to consider the different people who will participate in the buying decision. How do their needs differ? Do you see why it is important to send a different message to each group?
Another reason why you should segment your email list is that different contacts in your database are at different stages of interaction with your business.
Your contacts are at different points in the sales cycle and as such you should provide them with different information depending on which point they’re at.
For instance, a new subscriber would respond better to a welcome email that explains what your business is about and the kind of emails they should expect from you. On the other hand, if you sent such a subscriber an email asking them to sign up for an expensive seminar you are organizing, they might be put off and even unsubscribe.
An older subscriber who has previously shown interest in learning how they can offer better services to their cannabis customers might be drawn to the latter email.
Segmenting your email list allows you to send targeted messages to each group of your subscribers. Targeted emails are more likely to drive engagement.
3. Don’t sell in every email
Promotional emails are effective for conveying a single, clear and direct message to your customers.
A punchy headline, sharp intro, eye-catching visual and a compelling call to action is the sure way to focus attention around a product or service you are selling. Such an email gives you a chance to highlight a crucial part of your business and encourage customers to contact you for more information or make a purchase.
If you need to boost your sales or create hype ahead of a product launch, then a promotional email will come in handy. But sales emails are not always the answer. Overusing them can drive your prospects and customers away.
This is why you need to strike a balance between promotional emails and newsletters. Email newsletters allow you to position yourself as an expert in the cannabis sector. Here you can share a variety of useful information such as industry news, product updates, opinion pieces, insights and company developments.
Recipients tend to respond well to newsletters as they feel they are gaining expertise from thought leaders as well as insight into behind the scenes information and the personality of your company. For this reason, email newsletters can go a long way in building your brand loyalty, since they make your audience feel like they are receiving useful content that they can trust and share with others.
Our advice is to always think carefully about the content of your email communications. It can be tempting to keep sending emails about how great your products are, and what amazing deals you are offering. But ensure that you strike a balance so your audience gets to know you as a trusted partner, an industry leader and a source of knowledge.
4. Use the right bait
It is not enough to ask your website visitors to subscribe to your mailing list. You need to give them a reason to subscribe. In other words, you have to ‘bait’ them.
Such a bait, often called a lead magnet, can be any information product such as an educational email series, a webinar, a special report or a case study.
Your lead magnet should be valuable. It should go beyond being just interesting. It should be something that cannabis clients would be willing to pay for.
Even though its primary purpose is to get people to subscribe to your mailing list, it should also position your company as a brand that provides quality.
Final word
This list is by no means exhaustive. However, the four tips above will get you on your way to growing an email list that will bring more leads and boost sales in your business. Now, it’s up to you to implement these best practices and see your engagement and sales skyrocket.
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If you have any questions on B2B email marketing for cannabis businesses, drop them in the comment section below. We will be sure to respond.