10 Reasons Why No One is Reading Your B2B Emails

How many times a day do you check your email? For many people, it’s way too many times to count. That’s because email is vital for everyday communication and collaboration. When email’s done right it has the highest ROI of all your marketing tools because it’s great for building relationships. But many businesses struggle with email. They often complain that no one’s opening emails and when they do, clicks are dismal.  

It's never been more important to use the power of email to grow your business. If no one’s reading your emails, it’s time to fix that. Here are ten reasons why your emails may not be working:

1. Your Subject Line Stinks  

Email success starts and ends with a compelling subject line. It’s your first and only opportunity to grab the reader’s attention, entice them to open your email, and preview what’s inside. Without a compelling and interesting subject line, the rest of the email doesn’t even matter.

While there’s a lot to say about great subject lines, the most important thing to remember is the subject line is your hook, so make it count. Spend more time on crafting your subject line than anything else. Test different subject lines to learn what makes your readers stop and take notice.  

2. There’s Too Much “Stuff” In Your Emails

Long paragraphs of text and tons of callouts are overwhelming. No one wants to scroll endlessly thru 5 different topics and multiple CTA buttons all crammed into one email. With short attention spans and overflowing inboxes, no one has time for fluff.

Stick to what’s most important and get to the point quickly. Research shows that emails under 200 words have the highest open and response rates. If you have a lengthy message, create a link to a dedicated landing page. This not only helps email performance, but you can track exactly who’s interested in specific topics.

3. Your Emails Are About You & What You’re Selling

While too much text is overwhelming, a relentless sales blitz is even worse.  Emails that are all about you and your product lack empathy for the reader’s needs. There's no engagement if the reader doesn’t find your email helpful. And, bombarding your readers with sales pitches usually brings lots of unsubscribes.

Unless you’re offering a big discount, focus on providing valuable content and personalized messaging with a conversational tone. This helps engage and build the trust that’s necessary to ultimately make more sales.

4. Your Emails Look Like Spam

Misleading subject lines, excessive use of all caps or punctuation, or emails without opt-in permission make the reader think it’s spam. If the reader marks your email as spam, it tells their email service provider that you’re email should probably be in the spam folder next time. Over time this lowers your sender reputation and impacts email deliverability.

While you want to stand out in the inbox, don’t cross the line into clickbait territory with false subject lines. Always craft your emails from the reader’s perspective. If you provide valuable content that helps solve a problem or meets a need no one will view your emails as spam.

5. Poorly Designed Emails

A cluttered layout with too many images or links makes it difficult for readers to understand the message. If it’s not easy to read or images don’t load properly, your email will confuse the reader who will delete it before taking any action.

It’s important to design your emails in a visually appealing and engaging way for optimal performance.  Make your emails easy to scan with sub-headings, short copy blocks, and interesting images to create a great user experience that will bring more clicks and conversions.  

 6. Your Emails Lack Personalization  

Everyone has different interests and needs so don’t assume your entire list wants the same email message. Have you heard the saying: “when you’re talking to everyone, you’re connecting with no one”? One general email that goes to everyone is impersonal, irrelevant, and uninteresting.

Review your email list to identify people by their specific needs and interests, whether they are current customers or prospects, etc. Segment your lists to tailor your content and messaging to resonate with the individual reader. While segmentation takes time, it’s necessary for more impactful emails that build relationships and convert.  

7. You Emails Have Boring Content

When your emails don’t provide value or repeatedly share the same information it’s not very exciting to the reader. All text emails (without any graphics) can be effective but can also be perceived as boring.

Look for ways to include relevant graphics or photos that complement or replace the copy. Visuals are much easier to process and more likely to grab attention and increase engagement. But, choose your visuals wisely, stock photos and outdated memes are also boring.

8. Your Email Has No Context

When someone receives an email from you, they should know who you are and why they are receiving your message. If you sponsor an event or acquire emails via a partnership; the reader may not know why they’re receiving your email. Welcome, and introductory email sequences are extra important in these scenarios.   

Only send emails that make sense and are very relevant to the readers receiving them. If someone has not filled out a form on your website to opt into your information, you should think twice about emailing them.  

9. Emails With Bad Timing

There are a couple of timing factors to consider: sending emails at the wrong time of day for your audience, sending too many emails that overwhelm readers, or emailing so sporadically that your readers forget who you are.

Most email providers now have options to email each reader at the time they are most likely to open. This is especially helpful when you’re emailing across different time zones. Learning your readers’ frequency preferences, on the other hand, requires testing and analyzing to strike the right balance on how often they want to hear from you.

10. Your Emails Are A Hassle            

This one makes me bonkers, and I’m surprised it still happens. Please don’t make your readers complete forms when they click an email link. Gated content that requires the reader to fill out their name and email address again after they've already opted into your list is a very poor user experience. You know who the person is because you sent them the email. Links and call-to-actions should be seamless, easy, and definitely not a hassle.   

Ready For More Readers?

Email is a very cost-effective marketing tool that’s ideal for building relationships. If no one’s reading your emails, start by taking a closer look at these ten areas. And, more importantly, think about each aspect from your readers’ perspective. Once you have good insights into why your emails are not currently performing, you have your next steps for improvement.

Thinking like your readers enables you to leverage the power of email to create more engagement that increases sales and grows your business. Happy Emailing!

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