The Best (and Worst) Email Practices for B2B SaaS Founders in 2024...and Beyond
Many early-stage startup founders are driven by the vision of their product’s potential to revolutionize their industry. However, bringing that vision to market successfully requires more than just enthusiasm and innovation—it necessitates a strategic approach to customer relationship management (CRM) and lead generation, and effective email messaging is a crucial part of this strategy.
Unfortunately, many founders lack experience in sales and marketing, so they think a CRM is just a data repository and if you load it with leads and send emails, they will have success. Throw in the mistaken belief that AI can manage this process, and you have a recipe for disaster. So, this blog will delve into the best and worst email practices for B2B SaaS founders in 2024, emphasizing the importance of providing value to your recipients and optimizing your outreach efforts.
What NOT To Do:
Let’s start with an example of worst practice scenarios, because many people learn from examples, and they’re more fun. I would venture every person has received something like the below email which just hit my inbox:
“Hi James,
My name is xxxxxxx. It's a pleasure to contact you.
Would you be interested in Cloud Cost Management Users updated professional contacts list?
I would typically want to recommend the below targeted mailing lists for your email and marketing drives:
Apptio Cloudability Users
Datadog Users
Nutanix Users
CloudCheckr Users
Harness Users
HashiCorp Users
VMware Tanzu Users
Site24x7 Users
CloudHealth Users
Tangoe Users
AWS Cost Explorer Users
IBM Turbonomic Users and many others…
The list includes details such as the Company Name, Web Address, Contact Name, First Name, Last Name, Email Address, Job Title, Address, City, State, ZIP Code, Country and Phone Number.
Please let me know your thoughts, So that I can send you the number of contacts available and the Pricing for your review.
Thanks & Regards,
xxxxxxx
Marketing Executive”
Besides the fact that this is an example where friends shouldn’t let friends buy lists off the internet, can you guess what the problem with this email is from a business outreach standpoint? Answer--I don’t fit into their Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). This “marketer” did no research into their ICP - instead, they just blasted out email messages hoping for a few responses. This gives conscientious marketers and salespeople a bad name and, of course, does little to sell their product.
Where to Start - Defining your Ideal Customer Profile
Anyone looking to market a product should first understand their target audience. Here are some examples:
Industry and Company Size - Identify the industries that need your solution and the size of companies (in terms of revenue and employee count) that are most likely to benefit.
Technological Sophistication - Assess the level of tech adoption within these companies.
Challenges and Pain Points - Understand the specific problems these companies face that your product can solve.
Once you’ve fleshed out the ICP, you can craft your buyer persona, which represents the individuals within your ICP who will make purchasing decisions. These are typically:
Title and Role - C-Suite, Founders, VP’s, HR, CPO’s, etc. Decision makers
Demographics - Age, education, tech proficiency, etc.
Goals &Challenges - Focus on their professional goals and the obstacles they face in achieving them
Crafting Your Message
This is where AI can help, but also where AI can seriously fall down a proverbial rabbit hole. It should be noted that AI has yet to make emotional connections. To resonate with your audience, your emails should highlight how your product addresses common problems faced by your ICP. Unfortunately, AI tends to lean to quantity over quality, resulting in impersonal and irrelevant emails. While AI is a great idea generator, your messages will benefit from a bit of humanity.
Piquing Interest Without Overselling
One of the biggest mistakes in B2B emailing is trying to sell too early. The goal of your initial emails should be to pique enough interest to secure an introductory call. Nothing more. You want the recipient to think that maybe you know something that will help solve one of their problems. If someone thinks you can help them, they won’t care how long you’ve been in business, how many clients you have, etc.
Here’s how to do it:
Personalization - Address the recipient by first name in both the subject line and in the body of the email. In the text, mention something specific about a common problem in their industry.
Value Proposition - Clearly state how your product can solve that common problem, preferably in three sentences or less. Any more than that and you’re overselling.
Call to Action - Ask them to schedule a call or reply for more information.
Crafting Your Ask
Your ask should be clear and straightforward. I like to specify a couple days to connect in the following week, so the recipient can review their calendar and suggest times they are available. I ask if they’re “open” to a “brief” call, and that the goal is to discuss the problem and see if we may have a solution. The goal is to not sound like every other salesperson - remember, we don’t even know if we can help this person. And maybe they have other problems we don’t yet know about.
Example:
“Hi first name—A common challenge in {your industry} is {problem} This frequently leads to {cost overruns, lost productivity, etc.}
Here at {Company Name} we help mitigate this problem through {solution} leading to...
Would you be open to a brief call next Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon to discuss strategies around mitigating this risk?”
Email Length and Timing
Your emails should be concise and to the point. Aim for 50-125 words. This ensures your message is easy to read and digest. Three paragraphs - six sentences.
Best Time to Send
Ever notice how you receive a stack of marketing emails at 10 am? Well, that’s because a search of best times to send emails frequently returns 10-11am or 1-2pm Tuesdays through Thursdays. Some marketers say 8-9am when people are settling in to work or after lunch. For this reason, I never send emails at the top of the hour, preferring instead to send on the quarters - and, I use a scheduling tool in my Hubspot CRM to automate my sends.
Quality Over Quantity: The Importance of Personalization
It’s better to send fewer, highly personalized emails than many generic ones, which leads to:
Higher Engagement - Personalized emails are more likely to be opened and responded to.
Building Relationships - Personalization shows that you value the recipient as an individual, not just a lead.
Avoiding Spam: Persistence Without Annoyance
While it’s true that it can take multiple attempts to reach a prospect, you must avoid becoming a nuisance. Follow these guidelines:
Limit Attempts - Send your follow up messages 2-3 days apart, and if you haven’t received a response after four attempts, pause your outreach for a month or two.
Subject Line Tip - For unopened messages, try changing the subject line to increase open rates without creating new content.
Automation and Outreach
If your email platform supports automation, use it to streamline your outreach. Automate follow-ups and use AI to suggest optimal send times and personalize messages. However, always monitor the process to maintain quality and relevance. I recommend Hubspot CRM, since they have well-designed automation tools.
Conclusion
Email marketing remains a powerful tool for B2B SaaS founders, but its success hinges on delivering value and personalizing your approach. By understanding your ICP, crafting tailored messages, leveraging AI wisely, and maintaining a focus on quality over quantity, you can create impactful email campaigns that drive engagement and conversions. Remember, the goal is to initiate a meaningful conversation, not just to sell. By focusing on the challenges your product solves and the value it provides, you’ll be well on your way to building strong, lasting relationships with your prospects.
