7 Best Practices to Ensure Applying Proper Email Campaign for Your B2B Contact List

Practicing proper email etiquettes allows you to show recipients in your B2B contact list the level of refinement and finesse you put in to your campaign. But, more importantly, applying good manners in your email marketing communications demonstrates how aware and considerate you are about your recipients needs. After all, being aware of others’ feelings is the basis for etiquettes and manners in whatever you do.

Here are seven key ideas on proper email etiquettes you should always stick to without fail:


1. Make sure your contacts have opted in.

Whether you’ve developed your contact lists organically or with the help of a trusted email list vendor, all entries should relate to individuals who have genuinely gave permission or have opted in to become part of your email database. While this is actually a legal requirement in many jurisdictions, it’s also a practical and ethical matter.

2. Humanize your messages.

Your email messages should be written by a person for a person. This means you have to personalize your messages according to the attributes and characteristics of your recipients, such as names, demographics, psychographics, etc. You should also see to it that personal touches, like From or Reply To names identifiable with a person rather than with an organization or a department, are included.

3. Optimize your sending frequency.

Aside from serving a practical purpose, finding and sticking to the right sending frequency also shows good email manners as well. It demonstrates how much you consider striking the balance between engagement and inconvenience from the point of view of your recipients. Test and see what this magic figure is for your campaign or ask the subscribers themselves.

4. Avoid any kind of mismatch.

This takes us back to the much-talked-about concepts of proper list segmentation and content relevance. Of course, these ideas definitely boost your campaign’s potential, but they also enhance your brand and reputation, two benefits which may not immediately be reflected on your metrics.

5. Comply with regulations.

Apart from stipulating the requirement of working only with a consent-based business mailing list provider, regulations like the CAN-SPAM Act also mandate the availability of opt-out options and prompt action for unsubscribe requests. While the penalties for noncompliance can be compelling enough; the ethical dilemma involved in violations can equally be heavy.

6. Manage inactive subscribers.

Subscribers who haven’t opened or performed any action on your messages should be handled appropriately. Instead of continuing to send the usual emails, you should confirm their desire to continue subscribing or their intention to opt out. Besides giving you the opportunity to keep your list clean, this action also allows you to show your responsiveness to developments in your campaign.

7. Run an inclusive campaign.

Today’s email marketing audiences are more diverse than ever. Your campaign needs to account for different deliverability requirements like spam filters, email platforms in use, device preferences (mobile or what-not). These issues need to be addressed in order to avoid leaving out specific contacts in your list.

No matter where you are in your email campaign, checking how well you’re doing in terms of the politeness and warmth of your messages is a necessary step. Striving to apply proper email etiquettes is as important for your overall efforts as any other component in your project. What other ideas on email manners do you consistently adhere to?