The B2B finance world has undergone a rapid transformation in recent years.
Fast-paced transactions have replaced outdated forms of banking, and the shiny world of financial technology, known also as “fintech,” has made it possible for businesses to get the most out of their finances through on-demand apps, cross-channel money management, and automation.
But the rapid explosion of fintech has brought an influx of competitors.
Now, financial services companies are having to compete with many more brands than before. Standing out means creating deeper connections with clients and providing a personalized experience.
One of the easiest ways to do this is through email marketing. Sending emails straight to your clients’ inboxes has many benefits:
- It’s a low-cost marketing activity that brings in amazing results (a study by eMarketer shows email marketing has an ROI of 122%)
- It lets you communicate with clients in their own private space
- It helps personalize the client experience
If your fintech company hasn’t already rolled out an email marketing strategy, now’s the time to do so.
To help you out, we’ve written up a collection of tips that will help your email marketing efforts thrive in a highly competitive industry.
1. Provide a Warm Welcome
Welcome emails are proven ways to spark a connection with new clients and establish a solid, loyal relationship.
The average open rate of a welcome email is 50%, which makes them 86% more effective than standard newsletter emails. Clients who receive a welcome email go on to show 33% more engagement with the brand in question.
Perhaps most importantly, 76% of people expect to receive a welcome email straight away. Fail to send one, and you could miss out on getting a great new client relationship off on the right foot.
But it’s not enough to just send a “hello” email and hope for the best.
Start as you mean to go on:
- Provide value to the client
- Share the benefits they’ll get by working with you
- Give them an action to take next, whether it’s read a blog post, sign up to a webinar, or book a call with you
- Tell them what they can expect from your emails moving forward
- Explain who you are and what you can help them with
Square’s welcome email is a great relationship-starter. It shares valuable benefits that allow the user to get acquainted with all they have to offer.
2. Provide Personal Value
Personalization is key in any industry, but particularly in the financial industry when revenue, profits, and client base can vary so much from business to business. Providing a unique experience for each B2B buyer creates a more enjoyable process, which means they’re more likely to stick around and buy from you again.
Plus, research shows that 96% of marketers who personalize the client experience reported better client relationships, and emails are a great place to start.
Harvest, a time tracking and invoicing software, sends a personalized summary report to its users at the end of each year. Not only does this increase engagement, but it provides personal insights they can tap into to help them make better use of the product or service.
3. Share Helpful Resources
Your email marketing strategy shouldn’t just be promotional email after promotional email. Sure, you want to guide prospects toward a sale at some point, but to do that you have to establish trust and build a relationship with them first.
Sharing valuable content and helpful resources can help do this. It cements you as an industry expert and lets prospects see that you’re able to solve their most pressing challenges.
Divvy mentions the biggest pain point businesses are facing right now—getting through the pandemic—and provides resources based on that. They share a range of content, from guides and blog posts to roundtable registrations and videos.
4. Inject Your Brand Personality
Let’s face it, the financial services sector isn’t known for being wildly exciting. In fact, it can be very dry and complex. If you want to establish a relationship with clients, try injecting your email marketing campaigns with personality.
Despite the digital age we’re living in, clients – including B2B buyers – crave human connection. By treating them like a real person and explaining difficult concepts in layman’s terms, you’ll build trust and solidify your expertise.
FreshBooks injects their emails with a human touch. As well as signing them off with the name of a person rather than “from the brand”, they use the type of simple language they would choose if they were emailing a friend.
5. Make Your Onboarding Emails Count
The last thing you want to do when you send your welcome email is go dark on clients. This is a pivotal time for cementing engagement and loyalty. Keep the conversation going with a series of onboarding emails that show clients how you work, what they can expect and what they can do next.
Onboarding emails follow a welcome email and show clients how they can use your product or service and familiarize them with key features.
Take Quickbooks, for example. Their onboarding emails share videos of how different features work, provide the benefits users will get, and once again welcome buyers to the brand.
Laying it out in a timeline format with actionable steps helps keep the momentum going.
6. Show Your Expertise
B2B clients want to work with financial brands they can trust.
Money is a touchy subject, so it’s important that you establish your expertise in your emails. This works to build trust and position you as an authority on the topic (which, in turn, will encourage buyers to choose you over a competitor).
Use your emails to share studies, reports, case studies and industry trends that showcase your knowledge and the kinds of successes you can help people achieve.
Plaid, a software company that allows brands to connect their financial data to apps and services, does this with their simple newsletters. Each email shares a report or an industry-related study that links to an actionable guide or blog post readers can use to implement what they’ve learned.
Get Started With Email Marketing
B2B financial services face a lot of competition today.
They are constantly having to innovate to stand out. The most effective way to get ahead is to forge deep and meaningful relationships with clients.
Email marketing allows you to do this by reaching clients in their inboxes, sharing your expertise and creating personal connections with each individual.
Make your email marketing work for you by sharing resources, sending welcome emails, creating useful onboarding sequences and personalizing your emails as much as possible. Do this, and you’ll secure client loyalty and increase revenue at the same time.
Need help with your email marketing strategy? Contact the experts at Elevation today!
