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The Ultimate 2024 Showdown: LinkedIn Marketing or Email Marketing – Which Channel Yields Better ROI for B2B Brands?
In 2024, the question isn’t whether your B2B brand should invest in digital marketing—but which platform will give you the best bang for your buck. Should you prioritise LinkedIn, with its professional audience and hyper-targeted ads, or rely on the time-tested power of email marketing to nurture leads and drive conversions? Both channels offer substantial potential, but which delivers the best ROI for B2B brands?
With this thought, let’s compare LinkedIn and email marketing head-to-head, analysing lead generation, conversion rates, and cost-effectiveness, and find out which marketing channel will lead your B2B strategy to success. Â
Navigating the ROI Debate:
How to Determine the Best Marketing Channel for B2B Brands in 2024
Understanding return on investment (ROI) is crucial for B2B brands in 2024. ROI measures the efficiency of your marketing spend by comparing revenue generated to costs. For B2B marketers, it’s not just about immediate sales but evaluating the overall impact on growth, including lead quality, customer acquisition cost, and lifetime value.
Return on Investment in B2B Marketing involves analyzing how each marketing channel—such as LinkedIn or email—contributes to these metrics. LinkedIn offers targeted access to professionals, while email marketing provides a cost-effective means to nurture leads and drive conversions. By assessing the ROI of these channels, brands can allocate resources more effectively and align with long-term goals. Recent insights highlight that B2B marketers increasingly use data-driven strategies to refine their approaches. For example, LinkedIn’s targeting capabilities can enhance lead generation, while email campaigns can boost engagement and retention.
If you are still exploring your B2B marketing strategy options, check out HubSpot’s Ultimate Guide to B2B Marketing Strategies. You can also speak to an Aweb Expert who can leverage insights specific to your growth that will allow for more strategic investment decisions.Â
Why LinkedIn Marketing Is a Key Player for B2B Brands in 2024
LinkedIn remains a dominant force in B2B marketing for 2024, offering unparalleled opportunities for lead generation and brand visibility. With its vast professional user base, LinkedIn provides a platform uniquely suited for targeting decision-makers and industry influencers.Â
LinkedIn’s Professional User Base
LinkedIn’s user base comprises professionals across various industries, including executives, managers, and specialists. This focus on professional networking means that if you have a B2B brand, you can tap into a highly relevant audience! By engaging with this network, businesses can enhance their brand visibility and establish themselves as thought leaders in their respective fields.
The platform’s environment is ideal for showcasing industry insights, sharing content, and building relationships with potential clients and partners.Â
LinkedIn Advertising Strategies
One of LinkedIn’s standout features is its advanced advertising capabilities. The platform offers a range of advertising options, including Sponsored Content, InMail, and Text Ads. These tools allow precise targeting based on job titles, company sizes, industries, etc. Sponsored Content, for instance, enables brands to promote their posts directly in the LinkedIn feed of their target audience.
At the same time, InMail allows for personalised messages to be sent directly to the inboxes of key decision-makers. These targeted approaches increase the likelihood of engagement and conversions.Â
LinkedIn ROI 2024 Insights
Measuring the effectiveness of LinkedIn marketing efforts involves analyzing several key metrics. LinkedIn provides comprehensive analytics that tracks engagement levels, lead generation, and overall campaign performance. For example, you can monitor click-through, conversion, and cost per lead. These insights help marketers understand how well their campaigns perform and how effectively they reach their target audience. Â
How to Measure ROI for LinkedIn Marketing in B2B
To gauge ROI for LinkedIn marketing, B2B brands should focus on key performance indicators (KPIs) such as lead generation and conversion rates. Using LinkedIn’s analytics tools, you can evaluate the return on your investment by comparing the costs of your campaigns to the revenue generated from the leads acquired.
This data-driven approach enables brands to refine strategies, optimise ad spend, and enhance marketing effectiveness.Â
Why Email Marketing Continues to Deliver Strong ROI for B2B Brands
In 2024, email marketing remains a cornerstone of B2B strategies, providing a reliable and cost-effective method for nurturing leads and driving conversions. Despite the rise of social media and other platforms, email marketing delivers strong ROI, making it essential for building long-term relationships with clients and prospects.Â
Email Marketing Effectiveness in Nurturing Leads
Email marketing excels at building and nurturing relationships over time. Through personalized content and targeted messaging, B2B brands can effectively guide leads down the sales funnel. Email campaigns allow marketers to tailor their messages based on the recipient’s stage in the buyer’s journey, providing valuable information at the right time.
Regular email communications, such as newsletters, case studies, and product updates, help keep your brand in mind. Personalized content—whether it’s a special offer or exclusive industry insight—keeps the recipient engaged and more likely to convert into a paying customer.Â
Driving Conversions with Email Campaigns
One reason email marketing continues to yield a high ROI is its ability to drive conversions. According to recent data, email marketing’s conversion rates can surpass many other channels because it offers direct access to decision-makers in a more personal space—the inbox.
The structured nature of email allows for clear calls to action (CTAs), such as downloading a whitepaper, booking a demo, or purchasing a service. When done effectively, email campaigns can be a powerful tool for moving leads from awareness to decision-making stages.Â
Higher Engagement with Targeted Email Campaigns
Segmented email lists allow B2B brands to send relevant, tailored content to different audience segments. Whether based on industry, job role, or specific actions taken (such as downloading an eBook), segmentation ensures that recipients receive information that resonates with their needs. This leads to higher open rates, click-through rates, and overall engagement.
Studies show that segmented and personalized email campaigns can improve click-through rates by 14% and conversion rates by 10%. This demonstrates the continued effectiveness of email marketing in fostering engagement, particularly for B2B brands looking to stay competitive.Â
Key Metrics for Evaluating Email Campaign Performance
To measure the ROI of email marketing, brands must track specific key performance indicators (KPIs). These include:Â Â
Open Rates
The percentage of recipients who open your email Â
Click-Through Rates (CTR)
The number of people who clicked on a link in your email
Conversion Rates
The percentage of recipients who took a desired action (e.g., making a purchase, filling out a form)Â
Bounce Rate
The percentage of emails that were not successfully deliveredÂ
Unsubscribe Rate
The rate at which recipients opt out of your email listÂ
Tracking these metrics enables you to optimize email strategies, improving future campaigns for better results. It also ensures that marketing efforts are aligned with business goals, keeping costs down while increasing engagement and conversions.Â
Marketing Channel Comparison: LinkedIn or Email—Which Wins in ROI for B2B?
As B2B brands look to maximize their return on investment (ROI), the debate between LinkedIn marketing and email marketing continues to grow in importance. Each channel offers distinct advantages, but which genuinely provides better ROI for B2B brands?
To determine this, we need to analyze key factors such as cost-per-lead, conversion rates, and customer retention.Â
Cost-Per-Lead: LinkedIn’s Targeted Approach vs. Email’s Cost Efficiency
One of the most critical metrics in any marketing channel comparison is cost-per-lead (CPL). LinkedIn is known for its precision-targeting capabilities, allowing B2B brands to reach decision-makers directly through advanced segmentation tools. However, this precision comes at a price. LinkedIn ads, especially in competitive industries, can be expensive, driving up the CPL.
In contrast, email marketing offers a more cost-effective approach. Building an email list may require initial investment in lead generation efforts, but once established, email campaigns can be sent at minimal cost. The result is a significantly lower CPL, mainly when using segmentation and automation to nurture leads effectively.Â
Outcome: LinkedIn excels in highly targeted lead generation but can have a higher CPL. At the same time, email marketing provides a more cost-efficient way to generate and nurture leads, especially over time.
Conversion Rates: LinkedIn’s Engagement vs. Email’s Personalization
When it comes to conversion rates, LinkedIn offers an advantage in terms of engagement. Its professional audience is more likely to respond to ads and sponsored content, especially when targeting the right job titles and industries. The platform’s environment fosters thought leadership and trust, which can lead to higher conversions in certain stages of the B2B sales funnel.
On the other hand, email marketing shines in its ability to personalize content. Segmenting email lists based on recipient behaviour, demographics, or engagement levels allows B2B brands to send highly relevant messages. Email’s direct and personalized nature often translates into higher conversion rates, as recipients feel the content is tailored to their needs. Â
Data-Driven Insight
Studies show that personalized email campaigns can result in a 26% higher conversion rate compared to non-targeted campaigns. While LinkedIn excels in fostering engagement, email personalization offers superior conversion potential, especially in the later stages of the sales funnel.Â
Outcome: LinkedIn can drive strong engagement, but email marketing’s personalized content results in better conversion rates, especially for nurturing leads.
Customer Retention: Long-Term Relationship Building with Email Marketing
A critical factor for ROI in B2B marketing is customer retention. While LinkedIn is highly effective for lead generation and initial engagement, it lacks the capacity to nurture long-term relationships with clients as effectively as email marketing.Â
Email marketing provides ongoing opportunities to engage with customers, offer value, and maintain relationships. By regularly sending personalized content such as newsletters, product updates, and industry insights, your brand can remain top-of-mind with your audience, encouraging repeat business and fostering loyalty.
Additionally, retention marketing through email is often more cost-effective than continually acquiring new leads through LinkedIn ads, further improving long-term ROI.
Outcome: Email marketing excels in nurturing long-term relationships and retaining customers, providing better ROI for B2B brands focused on sustained growth.
Long-Term ROI: The Advantage of Email Marketing
While LinkedIn is a powerful tool for lead generation and brand visibility, email marketing offers superior long-term ROI. Its cost-effectiveness, high conversion rates, and ability to build lasting customer relationships make it a cornerstone of B2B marketing strategies.Â
Key Statistics
- According to recent findings, email marketing delivers an average ROI of $42 for every $1 spent, significantly higher than most other channels, including LinkedIn.
- B2B marketers report that 78% of email marketing campaigns outperform LinkedIn in terms of ROI when examining the entire customer lifecycle—from lead generation to retention.Â
By continuously nurturing leads through personalized and targeted campaigns, email marketing helps your brand lower customer acquisition costs, increase lifetime value, and maximize ROI in a way that LinkedIn marketing, with its higher costs, struggles to match.Â
Suggested reading:
How Targeted Marketing Works in E-commerce and How to Improve it with Time
Best Practices for Maximizing ROI in B2B with Email Marketing
Implementing best practices is critical to optimising ROI to harness the full potential of email marketing for B2B brands. Here are actionable tips to enhance your email marketing campaigns:Â
Leverage Segmentation
Effective segmentation is crucial for targeting the right audience with the right message. By dividing your email list based on criteria such as industry, customer pain points, or past interactions, you ensure that your content resonates with each recipient’s specific needs and interests.
This tailored approach leads to higher engagement rates and more qualified leads.Â
Personalize Content
Personalization goes beyond addressing recipients by their first name. Use data insights to craft emails that speak directly to the recipient’s challenges, goals, or previous interactions with your brand.
Personalized emails, such as customized offers or relevant industry insights, boost conversion rates by making recipients feel valued and understood.Â
Implement Automation
Automation streamlines your email marketing efforts and enhances efficiency. Set up automated workflows for lead nurturing, follow-ups, and re-engagement campaigns.
For instance, a well-timed drip campaign can nurture prospects through the sales funnel, delivering timely content that drives them toward conversion.Â
Optimize for Deliverability and Engagement
Ensure your emails reach the intended inbox by maintaining a clean list, using a reliable email service provider, and following best practices for deliverability.
Regularly monitor vital metrics such as open, click-through, and conversion rates to refine your strategies and improve engagement over time.Â
Test and Refine
A/B testing different elements of your email campaigns—such as subject lines, CTAs, and send times—can provide valuable insights into what resonates best with your audience. Continuously analyze performance data and refine your approach based on these findings to maximize ROI.
At Aweb Digital, we leverage these best practices to help B2B brands boost their ROI through effective email marketing strategies. Our segmentation, personalization, and automation expertise ensures that your campaigns are optimized for maximum impact, driving higher engagement and conversions.
By applying these strategies, your B2B brand can achieve tremendous success in email marketing, which will translate into improved ROI and sustained growth.Â
Final Verdict: LinkedIn or Email—Which Should B2B Brands Choose for Better ROI?
While LinkedIn excels at B2B lead generation, fostering valuable connections and driving engagement, email marketing is the more effective channel for long-term conversions. LinkedIn’s strength lies in building awareness and opening doors to new opportunities, and it works best at the top of your funnel.
However, when it comes to the middle of the funnel, that is, in nurturing leads and transforming prospects into customers, email marketing reigns supreme, delivering a higher ROI for B2B brands.
The direct and personalized nature of email marketing allows for more meaningful engagement, driving customer retention and sustained business growth. Ultimately, both platforms play crucial roles in a well-rounded B2B strategy, but for brands focused on maximizing ROI, email marketing effectiveness cannot be overlooked!Â
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