So you want to send personalized email campaigns to your B2B prospects, but you’re tired of generic guides and marketing fluff. You want real steps, honest advice, and maybe a few “don’t waste your time on this” warnings. You’re in the right place.
This guide is for sales, marketing, or growth folks who need to get results, not just check boxes. We’ll walk through exactly how to set up a campaign in Aptiv, what’s worth your effort, and what to skip. If you want to stand out in crowded inboxes without spending all week fiddling with templates, read on.
1. Get Your List Ready (Don’t Skip This)
Before you even log in to Aptiv, your results depend on your contact list. This is where most people mess up. If you blast out emails to a sloppy or irrelevant list, no amount of personalization will save you.
What’s worth your time: - Clean your data. Check for missing names, duplicate records, and outdated emails. Nothing tanks deliverability like a bunch of bounces. - Segment by real attributes. Industry, company size, job function—whatever actually matters for your pitch. “Everyone in our CRM” isn’t a segment. - Collect personalization fields. At minimum: First name, company name, and a field that helps you relate (like recent funding, tech stack, or location).
Skip: Over-engineering. You don’t need 15 data points per contact. Focus on what you’ll actually reference in your emails.
2. Set Up Your Aptiv Account and Workspace
If you’re new to Aptiv, take a few minutes to get your bearings. The UI is fine, but it’s easy to get lost if you try to do everything at once.
Do this first: - Create a new campaign workspace. Keep each campaign separate so you don’t mix up data or messaging. - Connect your sending domain. Aptiv lets you send from your own domain. Go through their SPF/DKIM setup—yes, it’s annoying, but it helps with deliverability. - Import your contacts. Upload a CSV or connect your CRM. Double-check your field mapping, especially for personalization.
Pro tip: Set a test group with your own (and a few colleagues’) emails. You’ll catch weird formatting or mistakes before prospects do.
3. Build a Simple, Personal Email Template
You don’t need a designer or a copywriter. In fact, the plainer your email looks, the more likely it is to get read. Aptiv’s template builder is drag-and-drop, but stick to the basics.
What works: - Plain text or very light HTML. Avoid images, banners, or logos. Looks like a real one-to-one email, not a mass blast. - Personalization tokens. Use Aptiv’s merge fields for first name, company, etc. Test these carefully—nothing says “spam” like “Hi {{FirstName}}.” - Short, direct copy. You’re reaching out to busy people. Get to the point in 4–6 sentences.
What doesn’t:
- Overly clever subject lines (“Quick question” is played out).
- Walls of text or long introductions.
- “Dear Sir/Madam” greetings (seriously?).
4. Add Real Personalization (Not Just Name Dropping)
Personalization means more than dropping in someone’s name. Aptiv lets you use dynamic fields and conditional logic, but don’t overdo it.
How to add value: - Reference something relevant. Mention a recent company event, product launch, or shared connection. Use your segment data. - Conditional content. Aptiv lets you show different lines based on attributes (like industry). Example: “I saw you just rolled out [Product/Feature].” - Custom snippets. If you have time, add 1–2 sentences unique to top-priority prospects. Aptiv makes this easy with editable fields per contact.
Skip:
- Fake familiarity (“Hope you had a great weekend!” when you don’t know them).
- Copy-pasted LinkedIn bios. It’s obvious and adds no value.
5. Set Up Your Sequence and Timing
One email rarely does the trick. Aptiv’s campaign flow lets you schedule follow-ups, but timing matters.
Sequence basics: - 2–4 emails, spaced out. Day 1, Day 3, Day 7 is a solid start. Don’t bombard people daily. - Vary your messaging. Each follow-up should offer a new angle (case study, question, resource—not just “bumping this up”). - Automatic stop on reply. Make sure Aptiv is set to halt the sequence if someone responds. No one likes getting “Did you see my last email?” after they’ve replied.
What to ignore:
- Overly complex branching. If you’re new to Aptiv, skip multi-threaded flows until you’ve nailed the basics.
6. Test Everything (Seriously)
Most mistakes in B2B email outreach are simple: typos, broken fields, or emails landing in spam. Don’t just trust the preview.
Checklist: - Send tests to yourself and others. Try Gmail, Outlook, and mobile. - Check personalization tokens. Make sure first and company names work for every contact. - Preview as plain text. Fancy formatting can break—make sure your core message still looks good.
Pro tip:
Don’t obsess over minor formatting. Focus on whether your email gets read and replied to.
7. Hit Send and Monitor Real Metrics
Once you’re happy with your campaign, hit send. Now comes the most important part: honest tracking.
What matters: - Replies, not just opens. Opens can be misleading (thanks, Apple Mail privacy). Count the number of real conversations started. - Unsubscribes and complaints. If you’re getting lots, revisit your list or messaging. - Deliverability. Aptiv gives bounce and spam report data—don’t ignore it.
What doesn’t:
- Vanity metrics like “clicks” if your CTA is a reply, not a link.
- Comparing your results to “industry averages.” Focus on improving your own baseline.
8. Iterate, Don’t Overthink
No campaign is perfect out of the gate. Aptiv makes it easy to duplicate and tweak campaigns, so use that.
How to improve: - Review what worked. Which emails got replies? Which segments performed best? - Tweak and re-run. Change one thing at a time—subject line, timing, or core message. - Kill what doesn’t work. Don’t be precious. If a template bombs, move on.
Final Thoughts
Personalized B2B email campaigns aren’t magic, and Aptiv won’t do the work for you. But if you set up a clean list, keep your messaging real, and don’t overcomplicate things, you’ll be ahead of 90% of inbox noise. Start simple, get feedback, and keep improving. No need to chase the latest hacks—just focus on being relevant and respectful, and you’ll get results.