There are lots of content channels available to marketers these days – from inbound and SEO opportunities to the ever-growing list of social media platforms. But when it comes to gaining immediate exposure for your content, many would argue that email is still the way to go.

Earlier in my career I worked as an editor for an online publishing company, where we were always looking for new ways to reach more people with the content we created. While we invested a lot of time working to increase our site’s organic search value, I can tell you that when it came to driving traffic for our most recent content, the eNewsletter was easily the most powerful tool in our arsenal.

Back then we used to send out multiple eNewsletters per week, which is more than any B2B should attempt. But if you’re a company that’s made a serious investment in content marketing and you don’t at least send out a monthly eNewsletter to subscribers, then I can tell you that you’re missing a golden opportunity to boost traffic and generate buzz.

It looks like most content marketers today would agree. Recent data shows that 80% of B2B content marketers send out eNewsletters, making it among the top three most popular content tactics going. That tells us two things: 1) If you don’t already have an eNewsletter strategy, then the competition probably does, and 2) if you do send out an eNewsletter, you better make it a good one.

With that in mind, here are five basic ideas to consider when building a successful B2B eNewsletter strategy.

1. Keep it content-focused

First and foremost, the same principles of most content marketing strategies apply to eNewsletters. What I mean is, the focus should be on the audience, not you. This is where it’s important for B2Bs to really think like publishers. The most successful eNewsletters provide information that your target audience finds valuable. That’s what will attract and keep subscribers; not a bunch of sales messaging and product or service updates.

That’s not to say your eNewsletter shouldn’t include calls to action to learn more about your business. But if you want your strategy to grow, it’s important to fight off the promotional urges and keep your eNewsletter aligned with your overall content marketing strategy.

2. Write topical subject lines

I’d also argue that when it comes to open and click-through rates for email, the subject line is the single most important factor to consider. This is true for any type of email marketing, and eNewsletters are no exception. In fact, in my days as a publisher, I could tell which newsletters would be successful that week by simply looking at the subject line being used.

Generic subject lines like “CompanyX Newsletter” won’t cut it. To pump up engagement, eNewsletter subject lines should follow the same rules as content titles. Keep them compelling, value-focused, and in the case of email, brief. You don’t want your message cut off in someone’s Outlook inbox, which will only make it too easy for recipients to delete and move on.

3. Highlight featured content

Most B2Bs and publishers use the subject line to highlight the featured content item in their newsletters. This could be a relevant blog post, exciting new eBook, infographic – anything that you think your audience would be most interested in. You can have other elements in your newsletter, but many B2Bs use the publishing model that highlights one content item, followed by other secondary items underneath (similar to the featured story on a website or newspaper.)

There’s no point in trying to cover everything in your eNewsletter with your subject line. If your featured content item is the resource that you think will generate the most clicks, then that’s the message that will make for the most effective subject line as well.

4. Don’t cram too much in

With this in mind, it’s important not to get too carried away with the amount of content in your eNewsletters. I’ve seen eNewsletters with 20+ links in them, and I’ve seen others with only one content item promoted. The fact is, the majority of clicks will go to your featured content, so everything else simply rounds out the newsletter with other relevant messages. Including too much, however, will only dilute the effectiveness of those elements.

For example, an eNewsletter with a featured item and 3 additional links will expose your audience to more content without overwhelming them. 10 additional links? The odds that recipients will read through each one is highly unlikely. People don’t like long emails, so when it comes to your eNewsletter, less is almost always more.

5. Keep a consistent, clean design

No matter how frequently you send out your eNewsletter, it’s best to have a layout that’s simple and consistent. Not only does this make your emails easier for recipients to review, but the creation process will be more seamless on the back end as well. For instance, a recent Uberflip case study highlights the need for a simple, sustainable layout that accommodates different types of text, formats and widgets, and can be easily updated.

These are just 5 tips that I ‘ve found useful, but there’s a lot more that goes into creating a successful B2B eNewsletter. For quick tips on adding interactive elements, utilizing graphics and more, check out the full Uberflip case study from the C100.

What are your best practices for creating a B2B newsletter? Share them with your fellow readers in the comments!