Summary
Troubleshooting low email engagement for B2B content marketing involves a multifaceted approach encompassing technical setup, audience understanding, content optimization, and deliverability monitoring. Technically, verifying proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), maintaining a positive sender reputation, and setting up feedback loops with ISPs are crucial. Understanding the audience involves segmenting lists based on demographics, industry, job function, and engagement, while also ensuring data validity and relevance. Content should be engaging, personalized, valuable, and mobile-optimized, with clear call-to-actions, and optimized through A/B testing. Determining if the problem is technical deliverability or recipient disinterest is key. Monitoring and analyzing delivery patterns, identifying potential filtering issues, and continuously refining strategies based on results are also important.
Key findings
- Technical Authentication: Proper setup and maintenance of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are essential for deliverability and sender reputation.
- Audience Segmentation: Effective segmentation by industry, job function, and engagement level increases relevance and engagement.
- Content Optimization: Valuable, personalized, mobile-optimized content with clear CTAs drives higher engagement.
- Deliverability Monitoring: Monitoring sender reputation, using feedback loops, and analyzing delivery patterns are vital for identifying and addressing deliverability issues.
- Engagement Analysis: Analyzing opens, clicks, and conversions helps determine if low engagement is due to deliverability or content issues.
Key considerations
- Authentication Maintenance: Regularly review and update SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records to ensure continued authentication success.
- List Hygiene: Remove old, invalid, and unengaged email addresses to improve deliverability and targeting.
- Content Testing: A/B test different email elements (subject lines, content, CTAs) to optimize engagement.
- Mobile Optimization: Always ensure emails are optimized for mobile devices to cater to B2B professionals using smartphones and tablets.
- Feedback Loop Management: Actively monitor and respond to feedback loops from ISPs to address deliverability concerns promptly.
- Domain Reporting: Breaking down reports by recipient domain to identify and address any filtering issues.
- Permission: Check sending permission and ensure you have gained consent from the user to email.
What email marketers say
9 marketer opinions
To troubleshoot low email engagement for B2B content marketing, several key strategies emerge. Understanding your audience through segmentation based on demographics, industry, job title, and engagement level is crucial for delivering relevant content. Improving email content by providing value, personalization beyond just names, and compelling storytelling are essential. A/B testing subject lines, content, and send times helps optimize campaigns. Mobile optimization ensures accessibility for B2B professionals who check emails on phones. Tangible value in each email, such as exclusive insights or special offers, ensures a return on the recipient's time. Implementing a double opt-in and surveying new contacts about their preferences can inform segmentation strategies. Ensuring content relevance to the recipient's business needs and highlighting solutions to pain points will also improve engagement.
Key opinions
- Segmentation: Segment your email list based on demographics, industry, job title, company size, and engagement level to deliver highly relevant content.
- Content Improvement: Focus on providing value, personalized content, and compelling storytelling to make emails more engaging.
- Optimization: Optimize email campaigns through A/B testing of subject lines, content, and send times to identify what resonates best with your audience.
- Mobile Optimization: Ensure emails are fully optimized for mobile devices, as many B2B professionals check emails on their phones.
- Value Provision: Provide tangible value in every email, such as exclusive insights, early access to content, or special offers.
- Double Opt-in: Implement a double opt-in process and survey new contacts to gather preferences and inform segmentation strategies.
- Relevance: Ensure content is relevant to the recipient's business needs and highlight solutions to their specific pain points.
- Personalization: Personalize beyond just names by including shared connections, relevant company news, or past interactions.
Key considerations
- Audience Understanding: Continuously gather data and insights about your audience to refine your segmentation and personalization strategies.
- Testing and Analysis: Regularly A/B test different email elements and analyze the results to identify and implement improvements.
- Mobile Experience: Always test your emails on various mobile devices to ensure a seamless and engaging experience for mobile users.
- Value Proposition: Clearly communicate the value proposition of your emails and ensure that each email provides a clear benefit to the recipient.
- Data Privacy: Adhere to data privacy best practices and regulations when collecting and using subscriber data for segmentation and personalization.
- Permission: Check sending permission and ensuring you have gained consent from the user to email
Marketer view
Email marketer from LinkedIn shares that making content extremely relevant to the recipient's business needs will improve engagement. Highlight solutions to their specific pain points.
21 Mar 2022 - LinkedIn
Marketer view
Email marketer from Email on Acid Blog shares that ensuring emails are fully optimized for mobile devices is essential. Many B2B professionals check email on their phones, so responsive design is critical.
21 May 2024 - Email on Acid Blog
What the experts say
12 expert opinions
Troubleshooting low email engagement for B2B content marketing involves a multi-faceted approach focusing on technical correctness, audience relevance, and engagement tactics. Verifying technical aspects includes authenticating emails properly and monitoring sender reputation. Audience relevance involves considering the age and validity of email addresses, segmenting lists based on various criteria, and ensuring content is tailored to recipients' needs. Engagement tactics include using gamification, optimizing call-to-actions, and identifying potential filtering issues by analyzing domain-specific delivery. Determining whether the issue is deliverability or lack of audience interest is crucial, and gathering data from test emails and domain reporting aids in this process.
Key opinions
- Technical Verification: Ensuring emails are technically correct and properly authenticated (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is fundamental for deliverability.
- Audience Relevance: Segmentation based on industry, company size, and job function, and addressing the age and validity of email addresses are critical for targeting.
- Engagement Tactics: Gamification, improved CTAs, and personalized content can boost audience engagement.
- Filter Identification: Analyzing domain-specific delivery patterns helps identify potential filtering issues and specific problem domains (e.g., O365).
- Deliverability vs. Interest: Distinguishing between deliverability problems (emails not reaching inboxes) and lack of audience interest (emails reaching inboxes but not being opened) is crucial for diagnosis.
Key considerations
- Authentication: Regularly check and maintain email authentication settings (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to ensure deliverability.
- List Hygiene: Actively manage email lists by removing old, invalid, or unengaged addresses.
- Testing: Use test emails to friends and family behind different corporate filters to gather data on delivery.
- Segmentation Strategy: Continuously refine segmentation strategies based on data and feedback to ensure relevant content delivery.
- Domain Monitoring: Monitor domain reputation and delivery patterns, breaking down reports by recipient domain to identify potential issues.
- Permission: Check sending permission and ensure you have gained consent from the user to email.
Expert view
Expert from Spam Resource shares that improving your call to actions (CTAs) can increase engagement. Ensure your CTAs are clear, concise, and compelling, and make them visually prominent in your emails.
18 Jun 2025 - Spam Resource
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks states that tools showing email placement are mostly fictional for B2B, while varying for consumer email.
4 Jun 2023 - Email Geeks
What the documentation says
5 technical articles
Troubleshooting low email engagement in B2B content marketing requires a strong focus on email authentication and sender reputation. Utilizing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is crucial for ensuring your domain and IP have a positive reputation and prevent spoofing. Monitoring domain reputation via tools like Google Postmaster Tools helps identify deliverability issues. Establishing and using feedback loops with ISPs to address complaints and issues affecting sender reputation is also vital.
Key findings
- Authentication: Email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is critical for maintaining a positive sender reputation and preventing domain spoofing.
- Sender Reputation: A positive sender reputation is crucial for email deliverability and engagement.
- Monitoring Tools: Tools like Google Postmaster Tools provide insights into domain reputation and potential deliverability issues.
- Feedback Loops: Establishing feedback loops with ISPs allows for proactive identification and resolution of deliverability problems.
Key considerations
- Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC: Properly configure SPF records to authorize sending servers, DKIM for email signing, and DMARC to protect against spoofing and enable reporting.
- Monitor Reputation: Regularly monitor your domain's reputation using available tools to identify and address any issues promptly.
- Establish Feedback Loops: Set up feedback loops with major ISPs to receive and act on complaints and deliverability issues.
- Proactive Action: Take proactive steps to maintain a positive sender reputation by following email best practices and addressing any identified issues immediately.
Technical article
Documentation from Microsoft Docs explains that sender reputation is crucial for deliverability. Ensure your domain and IP address have a positive reputation by authenticating your email with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
14 Sep 2024 - Microsoft Docs
Technical article
Documentation from DMARC.org explains that properly configuring DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) to protect your domain from email spoofing. It enables reporting to monitor email authentication.
28 Jan 2023 - DMARC.org
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