In an Aberdeen Group survey to over 550 B2B organizations, 95 percent of the respondents cited email as an integral channel for marketing communications. In an email marketing -specific survey to 186 B 2C organizations, Aberdeen found that 78 percent of all marketers value email for active strategic or tactical purposes. The point? Email is where B2B and B2C marketing efforts most commonly comingle and compete.

While the buyers at businesses are, in some regards, entirely different animals for straight -forward consumers, there are some common truths and best practices that top- performing email marketers adhere to, in both spheres. There are also vital distinctions and environmental elements specific to B2B and B2C marketing that must be understood, to achieve strong performance.

In this report, we will start with a head-to-head comparison, between B2B and B2C email marketing organizations, in three key areas:

• effectiveness levels of email marketing personnel for critical competencies
• process outputs in terms of year-over-year improvement for marketing metrics
• technology propensities based on overall adoption trends.

This comparison will flesh out the common truths that underpin both effective B2B and B2C email marketing efforts. Following this comparison, Aberdeen Group will then briefly break down key factors specific to B2B and B2C email marketing. Collectively, these findings will reveal what marketers need to know, overall, to be effective email marketers.