Increase Your Average Email Open Rate: B2B Industry Secrets You’re Missing!

Did you know that the average email open rate for B2B industries is around 20.94% according to Mailchimp? If your rates are below that, you're missing out on valuable engagement.

In this guide, you’ll learn proven strategies to increase your B2B email open rates, optimize email performance further, and stay ahead of the competition.

Why B2B Email Open Rates Matter

1. Reflects Target Audience Relevance

• Your email open rate shows how much your audience cares about your content. If people aren’t opening your emails, maybe they’re not finding them useful.
• For example, sending the right content to the wrong people won’t help your business. Email marketing needs to be relevant to make people click.
• Keeping track of the industry average for open rates helps you understand where your business stands in comparison to competitors.

2. Impacts Brand Perception

• Did you know your email open rate can shape how people see your brand? When people open your emails, they are engaging with your brand.
• If they don’t open your emails, they might forget about your company. A high open rate tells you that your brand is on their mind and your emails are important to them.

3. Increases ROI on Email Marketing Campaigns

• The more people open your emails, the better your return on investment (ROI) for email marketing. Imagine sending out a great campaign, but only a few people read it. That’s wasted effort.
• By increasing your open rates, you make sure your email marketing campaigns are working harder for you, leading to better results.

4. Aligns with Business Growth Goals

• Your email open rate plays a role in helping your business grow. If your emails are not being opened, it’s hard to reach new goals.
• A strong open rate can lead to more leads, more sales, and overall business success. Think of it as a small step toward bigger business goals.

5. Early Signal of Email List Health

• Your open rate can also show how healthy your email list is. If a lot of people stop opening your emails, it might be a sign that your list is becoming stale.
• Keeping a close eye on this metric helps you stay ahead of problems, like high unsubscribe rates or low engagement.

How to Improve Your Email Open Rates

1. Craft Irresistible Subject Lines

Your subject line is the first thing people see when they get your email. If it's boring, people won't open it. A good subject line grabs attention and makes people curious. You want them to think, "I need to open this!"

Why it’s important:

Subject lines can make or break your email marketing campaign. Studies show that 47% of email recipients decide to open an email based on the subject line alone.

How to implement:

• Use action words. For example, "Discover" or "Unlock."
• Keep it short. A subject line should be less than 50 characters.
• Personalize it. Add the recipient's name or company.
• Test it. You can try different versions of the subject line to see which works best (this is called A/B testing).

By crafting engaging subject lines, you'll see a positive impact on your average email open rate.

2. Segment Your Audience

Not all of your email subscribers are the same. Some are interested in one part of your various business support services, while others may want something completely different. Segmenting means breaking your email list into smaller groups based on their interests or behaviors.

Why it’s important:

Segmentation helps you send the right message to the right people. This increases the chances of your emails being opened because they’re more of relevant content. Sending targeted content based on user behavior increases the chances of engagement.

How to implement:

• Group your audience by age, location, or past buying behavior.
• Use tools within your email marketing strategy to automate this process.
• Personalize content for each segment. For example, if you’re selling software, send technical updates to IT staff and marketing tips to the marketing team.

This approach will help increase your click through rates and keep your unsubscribe rate low because people get content they care about.

For example, the architecture and construction industry might have different email engagement patterns than social services, compared to tech or retail.

3. Test Your Send Times

When you send your emails can be just as important as what’s in them. If you send at the wrong time, people might be too busy to open your email. Testing your send times means figuring out when your audience is most likely to open emails.

Why it’s important:

Emails sent at the right time get higher open rates. If you always send at random times, you’re missing opportunities to connect with your audience.

How to implement:

• Look at your email marketing metrics to see when your audience opens emails.
• Test sending emails at different times. For example, try sending them in the morning versus the afternoon.
• Use tools that automate sending based on each person’s time zone.

Testing and adjusting your send times will help you improve your bounce rates, click to open rates and improve your overall email campaign performance.

4. Use Preheader Text Wisely

The preheader is the short summary text that appears next to the subject line when you receive an email. It gives readers more context about what the email is about.

Why it’s important:

The preheader text can make people want to open your email. Think of it as a sneak peek. If it's interesting, people are more likely to open your email. Studies show that emails with clear, engaging preheader text have higher open rates.

How to implement:

• Keep it short and to the point (around 50-100 characters).
• Use it to expand on your subject line. For example, if your subject line says, "New Products Released," your preheader could say, "Check out our latest gadgets!"
• Avoid repeating your subject line in the preheader. Instead, offer more detail to entice the reader.
• Test different preheader texts to see which works best.

Using the right preheader text can greatly improve your email marketing performance and help boost your open rates.

5. Keep Your List Clean

Keeping your email list clean means removing invalid or inactive email addresses.

Why it’s important:

When you send emails to people who don’t engage or whose addresses bounce back, it hurts your email open rates.

It also affects your sender reputation, which can make it harder for your emails to reach the next recipient's inbox instead of the spam folder. A clean list ensures your emails go to people who are interested.

How to implement:

• Regularly remove inactive subscribers. If someone hasn’t opened your emails in a few months, consider removing them or sending a re-engagement email to confirm they still want to receive your emails.
• Use a tool to identify and remove invalid email addresses.
• Segment your list by activity. Send targeted emails to those who frequently engage and separate those who rarely open emails.

A clean email list helps improve click through rates and keeps your unsubscribe rate low, making your email marketing more effective.

6. Make It Mobile-Friendly

Mobile-friendly emails are those that look good and function well on smartphones and tablets.

Why it’s important:

More than half of all emails are opened on mobile devices. If your email isn’t optimized for mobile, it might be hard to read or navigate, causing recipients to delete it or ignore it.

Ensuring your emails are mobile-friendly can significantly improve your open rates and overall engagement.

How to implement:

• Use a responsive design that automatically adjusts to different screen sizes.
• Keep your subject line and preheader short, as mobile screens show less text.
• Make buttons and links easy to tap by using large fonts and clear call-to-action buttons.
• Test your emails on various mobile devices to see how they look.

Making your emails mobile-friendly will improve your average email open rate and ensure that more people engage with your content.

7. Create Curiosity or FOMO

Curiosity or FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) is a tactic used to make people feel like they’re missing something important. When people think they’ll miss out, they’re more likely to open your email.

Why it’s important:

Emails that create curiosity or urgency get higher open rates. Studies show that using FOMO can increase open rates by 22%. People don’t want to feel left out, especially if it seems like they could lose out on a special offer or important information.

How to implement:

• Use words like “limited time,” “exclusive,” or “don’t miss out” in your subject lines and preheader text.
• Offer sneak peeks or early access to content. For example, "Be the first to see our new features."
• Create a sense of urgency with deadlines. For instance, “Only 24 hours left to claim your discount!”

By sparking curiosity or a sense of urgency, you make readers feel like they need to open your email right away.

8. Personalize Beyond the Name

Personalizing an email means going beyond just adding the recipient’s name. It’s about making the content of the email relevant to their interests, location, or past behavior.

Why it’s important:

Personalized emails have higher engagement rates. According to studies, personalized emails can result in 6 times higher transaction rates. People are more likely to open an email if it feels tailored specifically to them.

How to implement:

• Use your audience’s past purchases or browsing behavior to send targeted emails. For example, if someone looked at a product on your site, send them a follow-up email with a related offer.
• Segment your audience by location and send region-specific content or offers.
• Mention something specific to their business or industry in B2B emails. For example, “Here’s how we can help your business grow in 2024.”

Personalizing emails beyond just using the person’s name will make your audience feel valued, leading to higher open rates and engagement.

9. A/B Test Your Emails

A/B testing is when you create two versions of an email and send them to different groups to see which one performs better. You can test things like subject lines, images, or the send time.

Why it’s important:

A/B testing helps you understand what works best with your audience. By testing different elements, you can improve your open rates over time.

Even small changes can lead to big improvements in email statistics. For example, something as simple as changing the subject line can increase open rates by 10%.

How to implement:

• Choose one thing to test at a time. For example, test different subject lines, preheader texts, or email designs.
• Split your audience into two groups. Send one version of the email to group A and another version to group B.
• Track the results. Look at which email got more opens or clicks, then use that information to improve future emails.

By consistently A/B testing your emails, you’ll learn what your audience responds to and improve your email marketing performance.

10. Optimize for Dark Mode

Dark mode is a setting on mobile devices and computers that makes the screen darker and the text lighter. More and more people use dark mode because it's easier on the eyes, especially at night.

Why it’s important:

If your email isn’t optimized for dark mode, it may not look good on the recipient's device. Some colors might disappear, and your email could be hard to read.

Optimizing your email for dark mode ensures that your message is clear no matter how your audience views it. This can improve your average email open rate b2b because your emails will be visually appealing to more people.

How to implement:

• Use contrasting colors so text and buttons are easy to see in both light and dark mode.
• Avoid using images with transparent backgrounds, as they might look strange in dark mode.
• Test your emails in both light and dark modes to make sure they look good.

By optimizing for dark mode, you make sure your emails look great for everyone, increasing the chances of your emails being opened.

How to Measure Your Open Rates

1. Track Open Rate Percentage

Open rate percentage is the number of people who open your email compared to the total number of recipients. It’s a simple and effective way to know how many people are engaging with your email messages and content.

How to track it:

Most email marketing tools calculate the open rate for you automatically.

To calculate it manually, use this formula: (Emails Opened ÷ Emails Sent) × 100. For example, if you sent 100 emails and 25 were opened, your open rate would be 25%.

The industry standard for B2B email open rates is around 15-25%, but your goal should be to keep improving.

2. Use UTM Parameters for Deeper Insights

UTM parameters are small pieces of code added to the end of a URL. They help you track where traffic is coming from, like which email campaign led someone to your website.

How to use it:

When you add UTM parameters to links in your email, they let you see how many people clicked through from your email to your website.

You can create UTM parameters using tools like Google’s Campaign URL Builder.

You can measure traffic from different email campaigns, specific links, or even the email type (newsletter, promotion, etc.).

3. Analyze Time-Based Open Rates

Time-based open rates show you when people are most likely to open your emails. This could be the time of day or day of the week.

How to track it:

Your email marketing platform likely tracks when emails are opened.

Look at past email campaigns and see if there are trends. For example, do more people open your emails in the morning or afternoon? Is there a particular day of the week that works better?

Once you find the best time for your audience, stick to it. This can help improve your email marketing performance and click to open rates over time.

4. Check Mobile vs. Desktop Open Rates

Mobile vs. desktop open rates show how many people click to open rate of your emails on their phones versus their computers.

How to measure it:

Most email marketing tools can tell you if your emails are being opened on a mobile device or a desktop. Look for this data in your email platform’s reports. It might be labeled as “device type” or “platform usage.”

If mobile opens are high, make sure your emails are mobile-friendly. Use larger fonts and clear call-to-action buttons.

If desktop opens are high, check that your design works well on larger screens. Test it in different email programs like Gmail and Outlook.

By tracking this, you’ll know how to better design your emails to get more opens on any device.

5. Monitor Unsubscribe Rates Alongside Open Rates

Unsubscribe rates tell you how many people stop receiving your emails. It’s important to compare this with your average open rate to get a full picture of your email’s performance.

How to measure it:

Look at your email and marketing automation tool’s report. The unsubscribe rate is usually listed as a percentage.

Compare it to your good open rate and average unsubscribe rate. For example, if you have a high open rate but also a high unsubscribe rate, something in your content might not be connecting with readers.

By tracking unsubscribe rates with your open rates, you can make sure your email content keeps your audience engaged.

Comparing your results to email marketing benchmarks provides a clear picture of where improvements are needed.

6. Use Heatmaps for Engagement Patterns

A heatmap shows you which parts of your email get the most clicks and attention. It highlights which links people on average click to open first, where they scroll, and how long they spend looking at your email.

How to measure it:

Use tools like Crazy Egg or your email marketing platform if it offers heatmap tracking.

Heatmaps use colors to show activity—red areas are where people engage the most, while blue areas show less engagement.

Using heatmaps helps you learn what grabs your audience’s attention and improves overall engagement.

7. Measure Click-Through Rates (CTR)

Click-through rate (CTR) is the percentage of people who clicked on a link in your email. It shows how many recipients took action after reading your email.

How to measure it:

Most email marketing tools will automatically calculate your CTR.

To calculate it manually, use this formula: (Clicks ÷ Emails Delivered) × 100. For example, if 10 people clicked your link out of 100 emails delivered, your CTR is 10%.

8. Use Email Service Provider Analytics

Email service provider (ESP) analytics give you detailed information about your email campaigns. These analytics help you track open rates, CTRs, bounces, and more.

How to use it:

Most ESPs, like Mailchimp or Constant Contact, provide reports that show how your email performed.

Look for data such as open rate, click-through rate, and bounce rate to understand how your audience interacts with your emails.

Common Pitfalls in B2B Email Marketing

1. Not using an Email Marketing Strategy

Some businesses send emails without a clear plan. They might not know who they are sending to, what message they want to deliver, or how often they should send emails.

Why it’s a problem:

Without a strategy, your emails can seem random and confusing. Your audience may not find value in your content, leading to low email open rates and high unsubscribe rates.

How to avoid it:

• Develop a clear email marketing strategy that defines your goals, audience, and key messages.
• Plan when and how often to send your emails.
• Track your results to adjust and improve your strategy over time.

2. Overloading with Jargon

Jargon is specialized language that can confuse readers. Using too much technical language in your emails might make it hard for your audience to understand your message.

Why it’s a problem:

Not everyone in your audience knows the technical terms used in your industry. If they can’t understand your email, they are less likely to read it or click through. This leads to lower average click through rate, rates and engagement.

How to avoid it:

• Use simple, clear language that anyone can understand.
• Explain complex terms in a friendly way if you must include them.
• Focus on the value your email offers, rather than trying to impress with technical knowledge.

3. Sending Irrelevant or Untargeted Content

Irrelevant content is information that doesn’t match your audience’s needs or interests. Sending emails without considering who will receive them is a common mistake for email marketers.

Why it’s a problem:

People will quickly lose interest in your emails if they don’t find them useful. This can lead to higher unsubscribe rates and lower engagement. It also hurts your average email open rate because fewer people will open future emails.

How to avoid it:

• Segment your email list based on your audience’s interests, location, or buying habits.
• Personalize your emails by including relevant information for each group. For example, send promotions for products that match their past purchases.
• Use tools like email marketing campaigns to send targeted emails to the right audience at the right time.

4. Focusing Solely on the Product

Some companies only talk about their product in their marketing emails. They forget to include helpful information or content that engages their audience.

Why it’s a problem:

If your email is just about the product, it might feel like a sales pitch. People will stop opening your emails if they think you're always trying to sell them something. This can lead to a lower email open rate and higher unsubscribe rates.

How to avoid it:

• Mix your product information with helpful tips, industry news, or success stories.
• Show how your product solves problems for your audience, not just its features.
• Use engaging content that adds value to your reader, like guides, blog post, or case studies.

5. Inconsistent Sending Frequency

Sending emails randomly or with no schedule can confuse your audience. They might get too many emails one week and none the next.

Why it’s a problem:

Inconsistent emails can hurt your brand trust. People might forget about you if you don't send emails regularly.

If you send too many at once, they might unsubscribe. It also leads to lower subscriber engagement and impacts your overall email marketing performance.

How to avoid it:

• Set a clear email schedule. Whether it's once a week or once a month, stick to a routine.
• Track your results and adjust the frequency if needed. Keep it consistent but not overwhelming.
• Use tools to automate your email campaigns so they go out on time every time.

Conclusion

Improving your average bounce rate and email open rate B2B requires a solid email marketing strategy. Use engaging subject lines, keep content relevant, and test your click-through rates. By applying these simple tips, your average email bounce rate and marketing performance will improve, and you’ll see better results in your B2B email campaigns. Stay consistent and track your progress!

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