If you're running B2B email campaigns and feel like you're just blasting into the void, you're not alone. Getting real engagement is tough, even with all the fancy tools out there. This guide is for marketers, sales folks, and even founders who use Hubspot and want their emails to actually get read—and maybe, just maybe, lead to real conversations.
Let's skip the fluff and get into what actually works.
1. Clean Up Your List—Seriously
Most email problems start with a messy list. Old contacts, bounces, people who haven't opened an email since 2018—these are dragging down your results.
What to do: - Purge dead weight: Remove unengaged contacts at least twice a year. Hubspot's "Never Engaged" and "Unsubscribed" filters are your friends. - Segment by real criteria: Don't just go by job title. Use behavioral data—who clicked, replied, or filled out a form in the last 6 months. - Double-check permissions: Especially important in B2B, where you might inherit lists. If you can't remember where you got a contact, probably best to remove them.
Pro tip: Hubspot scores contact "health." Use it, but don't rely on it blindly—sometimes it overestimates engagement if someone accidentally clicks a link.
2. Stop Writing Like a Robot
B2B emails are notorious for jargon and long-winded intros. People can spot a template a mile away.
What to do: - Write like a human: Use short sentences. Get to the point in the first two lines. - Ditch the generic subject lines: “Solutions for Your Business” goes straight to archive. Try something specific—reference an industry pain point or a recent event. - Personalize beyond first name: Mention their company, or reference a recent webinar or article they've engaged with (Hubspot can track these).
What doesn't work:
- Overly formal language. If you wouldn't say it on a Zoom call, don't write it.
- Stuffing in every feature of your product. Stick to one message per email.
3. Segment Like You Mean It
Generic blasts are dead. You need to send the right message to the right people—otherwise, your open rates will tank and you'll hit spam filters.
How to do it in Hubspot: - Use active lists: Set up lists that auto-update based on recent behaviors, like "opened last 2 emails" or "visited pricing page." - Segment by buying stage: Are they just browsing? Already talking to sales? Tailor content accordingly. - Industry and company size matter: A SaaS founder and an enterprise IT director need different things—don't lump them together.
Pro tip: Smaller segments with targeted content almost always outperform big, generic lists. Yes, it’s extra work—but it pays off.
4. Test, Test, and Then Actually Look at the Results
A/B testing isn’t just for the big guys. Hubspot makes it easy, but most people don’t use it well.
What to actually test: - Subject lines: The easiest win. Test specific vs. vague, question vs. statement. - Send times: Try sending at off-hours—sometimes early morning or late afternoon gets better results in B2B. - Content length: Some audiences like punchy, others prefer details. You won’t know until you test.
What NOT to obsess over:
- Button colors. Unless your audience is very design-focused, this rarely moves the needle in B2B.
- Minuscule tweaks. Focus on changes that actually affect open or response rates.
Reviewing results: - Don’t just glance at “opens.” Look at click-throughs, replies, and even unsubscribes (if those spike, something’s off). - If a test flops, that’s data. Don’t try to rationalize it—move on.
5. Automate—But Don’t Set and Forget
Hubspot’s workflows are powerful, but automation is where a lot of B2B marketers get lazy. A bad automated sequence can annoy good leads.
How to do it right: - Start small: Build workflows for your best-performing segment first. Don’t try to automate everything. - Branch logic: Use if/then branches—if someone clicks a pricing link, send them the case study next, not just the next generic email. - Time delays matter: Don’t stack three emails in one week unless you have a good reason.
What to ignore: - Endless “nurture” sequences that just regurgitate your blog. If you’re bored reading it, so is your audience. - Overcomplicated flows. The fancier the automation, the more likely it is to break or go off the rails.
6. Get the Technical Stuff Right
You can write the world’s best email, but if it never hits the inbox, it’s worthless.
Checklist: - Authenticate your domain: Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Hubspot has guides, but your IT team might need to help. - Check for spam triggers: Avoid “free,” “guarantee,” and ALL CAPS in subject lines. - Plain text versions: Always include one—Hubspot makes this easy. Some B2B folks (especially IT or finance) use text-based clients. - Monitor deliverability: If open rates crash, check your sender reputation. Hubspot’s email health dashboard is useful, but don’t be afraid to use external tools too.
7. Measure What Matters
Vanity metrics are everywhere. Focus on the numbers that actually mean something.
Care about: - Reply rate: Actual conversations, not just opens. - Meeting bookings or demo requests: The real goal for most B2B. - Unsubscribe rate: A spike means you’re missing the mark.
Ignore: - Raw “sends.” Who cares if you sent 10,000 emails if nobody replied? - Social shares. Nice to have, but not a core B2B metric.
8. Keep Improving (But Don’t Chase Every Trend)
There’s no magic bullet, despite what some consultants say. AI subject line generators, “hyper-personalization,” and other shiny objects usually offer marginal gains—if any.
Instead: - Review results monthly. What worked? What flopped? - Ask your sales team what leads say about your emails—real feedback beats dashboard numbers. - Update your best-performing sequences every quarter. Don’t let things get stale.
Pro tip: Most campaigns fail because people try to do everything at once. Better to nail one segment than send mediocre emails to everyone.
Wrapping Up: Don’t Overthink It
B2B email isn’t rocket science. Clean up your list, send relevant messages, and pay attention to what actually gets replies—not just opens. Use Hubspot’s automation and analytics, but don’t trust them blindly. Start simple, see what works, and keep tweaking. The simplest campaigns, done well, almost always outperform the complicated stuff.
Now, get back to work—your next great campaign won’t build itself.