Outsourcing B2B Email Marketing: When It Makes Sense and How to Choose a Partner

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When done right, email marketing helps you nurture leads, grow your client base, and build brand loyalty.  

But not every email marketing strategy is created equal. In the B2B landscape, success depends on hyper-personalization, targeted email lists, and data-driven strategies. 

And since most companies already have enough on their plate, finding the time to develop an email marketing strategy, execute campaigns, and analyze results can feel nearly impossible. That’s where outsourcing comes in. 

When you outsource B2B email marketing, you gain access to a team of experienced professionals who help you build lasting relationships with hard-to-reach companies—without the added stress of campaign setup and follow-up. 

Keep reading to learn why companies outsource B2B email marketing, what to look for in an outsourcing partner, and tips to help your emails stand out.  

What is B2B email marketing outsourcing?

B2B email marketing outsourcing is the practice of hiring an external team to handle the planning, execution, and optimization of email campaigns on your company’s behalf. From strategy development to campaign management and A/B testing, they help you build stronger customer relationships that drive growth. 

B2B vs. B2C Email Marketing Outsourcing

Email marketing strategies vary from company to company. These differences are even more notable when comparing B2B with B2C approaches. 

Since B2C companies target customers, quick engagement and emotional connections are key. Emails should focus on visually appealing content, customer retention, and immediate action. 

B2B companies, on the other hand, target other businesses. This completely changes the strategy and communication behind the email. In B2B email marketing, it’s all about building long-term partnerships. Since sales cycles tend to be longer, the goal is to help prospects solve real challenges and see the value you bring over time. 

So why does this matter when outsourcing? 

Because the skills and mindset needed for B2B email marketing campaigns differ from those used in B2C. We’d go as far as saying a B2C strategy should never be applied to a B2B company, and vice versa.  

That said, choosing an outsourcing partner that specializes in B2B marketing is key to ensuring your strategy and messaging align with your business goals. We won’t dive too much into this, as we’ll walk you through how to choose a partner later in this article. 

Benefits of Outsourcing B2B Email Marketing

So why are businesses turning to outsourcing for their email marketing needs? 

Because they have much to gain from this marketing approach: 

• Fills skill gaps: Some companies make the mistake of delegating their email marketing tasks to team members that have no experience in this area. While it’s not expected that everyone should be an email marketing expert, it’s important to recognize when outsourcing can help you fill skill gaps. After all, your efforts shouldn’t be random, and an experienced email marketing professional can help you achieve your objectives more efficiently. 

• Reduces costs: Hiring an in-house expert isn’t always the most cost-efficient solution. Outsourcing helps you reduce overhead costs like office space and employee benefits, meaning you can allocate resources more strategically. 

• Saves you time: Email marketing can be time-intensive. And while necessary, not everyone has the time to create campaigns, craft engaging copy, and continually optimize performance. When you outsource, you gain valuable time back, meaning you can focus on core business activities. 

• Data-driven insights: Successful email marketing campaigns rely on data. Experienced agencies use advanced analytics and industry insights to provide strategic suggestions and optimize campaigns. This helps you stay ahead of B2B email marketing best practices without the stress. 

• Helps you scale faster: Need a last-minute email blast? Want to increase your email marketing efforts for the holidays? When you outsource, you can easily scale your B2B email marketing services up or down to match your business needs. 

When Does Outsourcing Email Marketing Make Sense?

To outsource or not to outsource—this is a question many companies are contemplating. 

At Scopic Studios, we’ve partnered with companies of all sizes across a wide range of industries, and we’ve noticed a few common reasons they choose to outsource their email marketing: 

• Low engagement and stagnant leads. 

• Pressure to achieve a quick return on investment. 

• The need to automate repetitive marketing tasks. 

• A stronger focus on refining audience segmentation. 

• Fast growth that demands scalable marketing support. 

• Lack of time or expertise in email marketing. 

The list of potential reasons is endless. Whether you can relate to the above or there’s a unique reason that you want to outsource, we’ll help you create a data-driven strategy that supports email marketing B2B lead generation. Contact our team to get started. 

What to Look for in B2B Email Marketing Companies

By now you have a pretty good idea if and why outsourcing can benefit your company. But what factors should you consider when choosing an outsourcing partner? 

Since there are countless companies offering B2B email marketing services, here are some key criteria to help you choose the right one. 

They Specialize in B2B Solutions

Working with a company that specializes in B2B solutions should be non-negotiable. As mentioned above, strategies for B2B companies are vastly different from B2C.  

Agencies that understand the nuances of selling to other businesses can help you craft more effective email campaigns, develop the right type of content, use a brand voice that resonates with professional audiences, and ultimately drive higher-quality leads. 

They Have Experience in Your Industry

Take our advice when we say working with a company that has industry-specific experience is key to a successful campaign. This experience enables them to better understand your target audience, address their pain points, and ensure compliance. 

When comparing companies, inquire about their past projects; this gives you valuable insight into their experience, creativity, and ability to deliver measurable results. 

Interested in Scopic Studios’ past work? Check out our case studies and portfolio. 

They’re Committed to Innovation

To stand out in a technology-driven market, you require forward-thinking solutions. This means advanced tools that streamline work, innovative techniques that grab the attention of users, and working with a partner that’s constantly staying ahead of new trends. 

Asking potential partners about the email marketing software they use and how they’ve adapted their strategies to new technologies gives you valuable insight into their approach to innovation. 

They Have a Proven Workflow

B2B email marketing requires a clear process that includes strategy development, list segmentation, tailored content and design, campaign setup, and continuous optimization. 

Remember: There’s no winging it when it comes to email marketing, and a reliable company will have a clear process in place. 

They Provide Additional Marketing Services

Whether you need additional marketing services right away or decide to add them later, it’s best to keep all your marketing efforts under one company. This ensures that you maintain a unified brand voice across all channels, from social media to ads and landing pages.

Scopic Studios is a full-service digital marketing company that helps businesses strengthen their online presence through tailored strategies, engaging content, and data-driven campaigns. From email marketing to targeted PPC campaigns and lead generation, we’ve got you covered.

Red Flags to Look Out for When Outsourcing

Avoid these red flags when choosing a B2B email marketing company: 

• Poor Communication: Without a solid communication strategy, you risk misaligned expectations, frustrating processes, and delays in approval processes. Your partner should use tools that facilitate communication and real-time feedback loops. 

• Inadequate security measures: If a company does not enforce strict security protocols, run. Your email marketing partner should have clear safeguards in place to prevent data breaches, phishing attempts, malware infections, ransomware attacks, and other scams. 

• Overpromising results: Be wary of providers who are quick to promise you results without evaluating your unique situation. For instance, while a 100% revenue increase in the first week may sound impressive, is it realistic? Always ask about their strategy and how they plan to achieve such results. 

• Lack of transparency: If a company is vague about their workflow, security protocols, or pricing, then you should be cautious about working with them. Building a successful partnership with external teams requires complete transparency to avoid potential issues. 

Collaborating with an Outsourcing Partner: 5 Steps to a Successful B2B Email Marketing Strategy

Now that you’re outsourcing your email marketing strategy, what should you expect? 

We’ve broken down the process into 5 key steps: 

Step 1: Define Goals and KPIs

The very first step is clearly identifying the goals of your B2B email marketing strategy. After evaluating your unique industry, requirements, and objectives, your outsourcing partner will set KPIs to measure the progress of your strategy. 

Key KPIs may include: 

• Increasing click-through rates 

• Decreasing bounce rates 

• Improving open rates 

• Boosting website traffic 

• Enhancing overall campaign performance 

• Driving higher revenue 

Step 2: Identify Target Groups & Segment Email Lists

This step typically requires collaboration between you and your partner. On your end, you should identify who your target audience is and provide any additional information that may be helpful, like campaigns that have been successful or audience insights. 

Your outsourcing partner will perform additional research, using criteria such as demographics, behavior, and customer lifecycle stages to create targeted groups. They will then segment your contact list within the email marketing system to ensure accurate targeting and more effective communication strategies. 

Step 3: Create Copy for B2B Marketing Emails

The next step is to craft engaging copy that caters to your target audience. Experienced copywriters handle this part of the process, using industry-specific insights, your unique brand voice, and your audience’s demographics to create copy that builds trust. 

In addition to writing the copy, email marketing specialists implement best practices to ensure campaign success. For instance, is the subject line concise and compelling? Are clear calls to action included in the copy? Does the sender’s email address appear professional and trustworthy? 

Step 4: Design the Template

A great design can make the difference between users engaging with your email or deleting it within seconds. It should come as no surprise, then, that design is a key part of B2B email marketing services.  

After selecting an email marketing platform, designers create templates for your emails that feature an intuitive layout, on-brand colors, and meet accessibility requirements. 

Step 5: Send & Optimize Campaign Performance

Once the email has been designed and approved by your team, it’s ready to be sent to your email list. What happens next is a make-or-break for your email performance. 

We’re referring to testing, measuring, and continuously optimizing your campaign. Email marketing specialists understand the importance of A/B testing, meaning they compare different versions of your email to identify what performs best. 

While this is an ongoing process, that’s the beauty of outsourcing—your partner handles it so you don’t have to worry about time constraints. 

B2B Email Marketing Best Practices Your Partner Should Be Implementing

Email marketing is a very competitive market. With an estimated 376 billion emails sent and received daily around the world, companies must stay ahead of trends to stand out.  

Here are 3 key B2B email marketing best practices your outsourcing partner should be implementing: 

Automate Where Possible (But Don’t Get Carried Away)

AI is a marketer’s best friend. In the context of email marketing, it helps them identify patterns, create quality content at scale, and determine optimal send times. 

However, there’s a fine line between helpful automation and overdoing it. While advanced tools can help you save time and optimize campaigns, your strategy still requires human insight to ensure authenticity and maintain a personal touch. 

Don’t Forget to Personalize

From creating custom templates to providing tailored product recommendations and leveraging behavioral triggers, the possibilities of personalization are endless. And with personalized promotional mailings achieving 29% higher open rates and 41% higher click rates, it’s clear that personalization plays a key role in driving engagement.

Optimize Send Times for Engagement

Your email marketing outsourcing partner shouldn’t be sending out emails at random times. By analyzing past engagement metrics, you gain valuable insight into the best times to send emails to your target audience. You can also use A/B testing to compare different send times and determine which yields the highest engagement.  

Pro tip: Many email marketing tools automatically recommend or optimize send times based on user behavior, ensuring your campaigns reach subscribers when they’re most likely to open and engage. 

We could talk all day about best practices. From mobile-friendly designs to avoiding spam-triggering words, there are many strategies companies can (and should) use to enhance their campaigns.  

Want to know our approach to increasing engagement? Get in touch with our team to learn more about our proven best practices. 

Real-World B2B Email Marketing Example From Scopic Studios

Analyzing a successful B2B email marketing example is the best way to understand how best practices can be implemented in real-world situations.

Let’s take a look at an email we created for our sister company, Scopic Software  . While the full newsletter is more extensive, here’s a quick preview—along with a few tips on what made it successful.

Rimma Ghazaryan, Marketing Specialist at Scopic Studios, led this campaign and shares the key strategies she used to make it (and other campaigns) successful:

• Align the tone of voice: It’s important to maintain a tone that resonates with your company’s personality and aligns with your audience. In our case, the campaign was directed toward business owners and key decision-makers, so we implemented a friendly yet formal voice.
• Use branded design: Each edition can have its own unique touch, but the overall style should remain consistent with your brand identity. Consistency in design is essential not only for newsletters but for all emails sent on behalf of the company.
• Create engaging and concise subject lines: Keep subject lines short and captivating. The recommended character limit is around 40 characters.
• Include a preheader text: Add a short preheader that hints at the content inside without giving everything away.
• Follow a structured format: Keeping a consistent structure helps your audience know what to expect each time, especially if you’re creating a newsletter series.
• Keep the content clear, concise, and value-driven: Use simple, informative, and easy-to-read text that delivers value to the reader. Our team avoids overly long texts that are hard to read. Even if the new service is complex, we try to make the information easy to understand for all clients. We always add product images, when available, to help visualize the information.
• Add CTAs after each section: Encourage action by linking to your service pages, new blog posts, or contact forms, and refer readers back to the sales team for more information.
• Choose the right send time: Schedule newsletters for weekdays, avoiding Mondays and Fridays. Late mornings (around 11 AM) often yield higher open rates.

Final Thoughts

B2B email marketing is a powerful strategy for driving revenue, and many marketers consider it one of the most essential components of a comprehensive marketing plan. 

After reading this article, we now understand that a successful email isn’t just about writing copy and pressing send; it requires a data-driven strategy, careful segmentation, personalization, and ongoing optimization. 

And since not all companies have the time or expertise to achieve the ROI they expect, outsourcing is an excellent solution. 

At Scopic Studios, our email marketing services are tailored to the unique needs of each company. Our innovative approach has helped clients achieve measurable results that exceed industry benchmarks. 

Interested in learning how we can help your business connect with more potential partners? 

Contact our team today. 

FAQs about B2B Email Marketing Outsourcing