Survey: Majority of B2B Email Recipients Delete Messages Before Opening

As B2B marketers struggle to drive awareness through email, new research suggests that it may be due to recipients’ instincts to instantly delete. The “2015 B2B Participation Survey” from Iris has found that 63 percent of respondents delete emails they don’t like to read without opening them first.

When it comes to recipient preferences, about 70 percent stated that they want to receive marketing emails that lead with example-driven content. Approximately 66 percent also want them to be professional, rather than overly friendly. Taking these statistics into account could help reduce the number of emails that find their way into the “trash.”

Additionally, the data shows that 55 percent of respondents do not unsubscribe from email lists when a company occasionally sends them something worthwhile. Thirty-two percent said they stay subscribed because they like seeing what other B2B marketers are emailing to the industry.

Statistics show that awareness and traffic are still the primary challenges for B2B marketers, with more than 90 percent of marketers citing these issues. Budget and ROI are also near the top of the list.

Personalization and Open Rates

Marketers that do not focus on email personalization risk facing the most adversity, according to new survey results from VentureBeat. An analysis of responses from 200 marketers has found that 95 percent have seen their open rates increase through personalization.

The majority (21.3 percent) saw an increase of between 5 and 10 percent. Marketers use respondents’ names (32 percent), social profiles (29.4 percent) and demographics (27.4 percent) to personalize their emails.

“Consumers have come to expect greater relevance from every interaction — and they are blocking and unsubscribing from irrelevant messages,” said VentureBeat Analyst Andrew Jones. “Email personalization addresses consumer demands for relevance, as well as marketers’ need to drive qualified traffic while maintaining low unsubscribe rates.”