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If You Could Only Do One Thing With Email… (B2B vs B2C)

Picture of Beth O'Malley

Hi, I’m Beth 👋 (see below, but I'm defo due an update on my headshot!) 

BethPink

Not the “perfect email marketer”, not the most successful business owner or marketer, not the absolute master of CRM. 

Just someone who lives and breathes email & CRM and has made every mistake you can think of (including one this week 🙃).

I’ve spent 12 years studying and doing this function across hundreds of teams and businesses. This post is for the marketers running on fumes: the one-person marketers, tiny teams, small businesses asking:

“I don’t have time. If I could only do one thing with email, what would make the most impact?”

Short answer:

It depends (of course it does!)

Your offer, sales cycle, audience, resources, everything matters.

But you still need a starting line.

So I’m going to give you a single, highest-leverage move for B2B and B2C/D2C, plus how to do it in a few focused hours, and what to ignore until later.

 

Before you dig in, why don't you get access to RE:markable

RE:markable is the weekly email about emails. Dropping the latest email marketing news, updates, insights, free resources, upcoming masterclasses, webinars, and of course, a little inbox mischief.

 

B2B: Do this one thing

If you do get time to do this exercise, please create personas first (it will help!). 

Reactivate & nurture your warm 5% with a 3 email value sequence

In B2B, ~95% of your market is out of market at any given time, this means they are likely not actively in 'buying mode' because no CMO wakes up one day and says, " I dreamt about getting an audit on this impulsively - it happens over time, the problem identification or need takes time. 

Chasing cold leads is a long game (do it later).

Your fastest, most realistic impact with limited time is to work the warm 5%:

  • Past customers/clients
  • Stalled opps/lapsed trials
  • High-intent visitors (demo/booked but never started, revisited pricing/case studies)

This is where revenue hides and easiestto activate. 

Your sprint plan

1. Pull the segment (keep this simple):
  • Past customers or clients - but ringfence it, like past clients you've worked with 'this year' - be specific and maybe create sub segments 
  • Stalled leads/opps (e.g. no meaningful activity in 45–90 days)
  • Anyone who hit “pricing”, “book a call”, or “case study” pages ≥2 times in last 60 days - this must be a relevant and appropriate signal for YOUR business btw
  • Exclude: recent complainers/unsubs, current contracts, active support tickets, unhappy clients, active leads. 
2. Build a 3-email value sequence (7–10 day window):

Email 1 – “Courtesy check-in” (plain text, from a human)

This literally needs to be a simple, human-to-human email to say it's a courtesycheck in and last time we spoke [enter what they will remember], you said you felt/needed [x]. 

Then just be very to the point, ask them if they need anything else, can we help and ask them to respond. 


Email 2 – “Teach me something I can use today” (light design)

One specific fix/mini-framework/checklist tailored to their use case- give them something of value! 

Create something of value, seriously valuable, like 'Our CEO just wrote this and I know this is a problem you were having with x, so hope it helps'. 

Email 3 – “Low-friction next step” (plain text)

People who are already too busy, too overwhelmed or whoever has already decided 'no', you need to make sure you do not add to that friction. 

Give people options, so like 'if you're discussing this internally, let me know and reply' or 'if you just want us to keep sending helpful content, tell us here' 

You WILL get some results from this but the content will need tweaking, changing, testing - make it on brand, add some flavour and tone! 

3. Set a simple handoff rule:
  • Anyone who replied / clicked key pages → notify Sales (or you-in-Sales-mode) same day.
4. Measure impact, not vanity:
Replies, meetings booked, opps re-opened, revenue reactivated, hits to the website, search increase, lead acquisiton, companies engaged, plus email-assisted conversions over 30–60 days.
What to skip (for now)
  • Fancy nurture maps, 20-step automations, or “perfect” design.
  • Weekly newsletters to cold lists.
  • “Best-practice theatre” that burns time and doesn’t move pipelines.

 

B2C/D2C: Do this one thing

Drive the second purchase (or refill) with a 3-email post-purchase journey

Consumers can be activated any day of the week.

Your quickest lift with limited time is not blasting a sale to everyone; it’s getting first-time buyers to purchase again (or refill) quickly. That’s where lifetime value starts to ramp.

Your sprint plan

1. Pull the segment:
  • Orders in last 30–120 days, exactly one purchase.
    • Or a 'hot' segment for you that you know is likely to re-engage 
  • Split by product/category so you can talk like a human.
    • Do not focus on people for instance that spent a high amount who aren't likely to buy again for a while 
  • Exclude: recent complainers/returns, open support cases, anyone who just bought again.
2. Build a 3-email journey (timed to product usage window):
Email 1 – “How to get the most from what you bought” (value first)
  • Setup tips, care, style/use ideas, quick wins.
  • CTA: “Show me inspo / tutorials.”
  • Aim: reduce buyer’s remorse, push positive signals (opens/clicks/saves).

Email 2 – “Complementary picks + social proof”
  • 2–3 truly relevant add-ons or bundles (not a warehouse dump).
  • One tight review/UGC per item.
  • CTA: “Build my bundle.”

Email 3 – “Right-time refill/reminder”
  • If it’s consumable: “It’s probably running low, want a quick reorder?”
  • If not: “Customers who bought [X] loved [Y] next.”
  • Optional: small incentive only for first-time repeat.
3. Layer tiny deliverability wins:
  • Ask a 1-line question (“What did you buy it for?”). 
  • Encourage replies (human signal).
  • Keep frequency sane; exclude recent buyers.
4. Measure the stuff that matters:

Second-purchase rate, days-to-repeat, average order value on repeat, and email-assisted revenue.

But remember, do not push it - people who JUST bought do not want selling to. 

What to skip (for now)
  • Daily promos to your entire list.
  • Giant segmentation projects.
  • Endless “design tweaks” that won’t change behaviour.

 

Shared truths (B2B & B2C)

  • Email is an ecosystem, not a one-off send. If you only track opens/clicks, you’re grading the wrapper, not the present. Look at replies, meetings booked, repeat rate, email-assisted conversions, and “time to first action”.
  • Don’t panic-cut every “quiet” subscriber. Email is also an awareness channel. A healthy engaged core lets you keep a broader audience warm (visibility matters—even unopened messages build familiarity). If you want the deeper dive, read my piece on using email for awareness.
  • Control groups > one-off A/Bs. If you change a big lever (tone, cadence, segmentation), hold back a comparable control segment for a month and compare programme-level impact. Single-send subject line tests tell you almost nothing in the real world.
  • Deliverability is guardrails, not a prison. Exclude the obvious risks (recent complainers, conflict segments), keep replies alive, and be consistent. Test placement weekly if you can, but don’t let fear stop progress.
  • AI is a co-pilot, not your voice. Use it to structure, not to speak for you. Readers can smell “AI-ish” a mile off.

 

If you have one afternoon…

  • B2B: Pull warm 5% → write the 3 emails above → set a basic handoff to Sales (or you) → get it out.

  • B2C: Pull one-purchase segment for your top category → write the 3 emails above → time them to the product usage window → ship.
Then review in 14–30 days. Keep what moved, refine what didn’t. That’s it.



What comes next (when you have more time)

Well, that's The PPPP™ Email Framework & Ecosystem for the BIG stuff in email, but one thing at a time. 

Final word

You don’t need perfect. You need momentum. Pick the one thing above that fits your world, ship it this week, and let compounding do its thing. When you’re ready for the deeper strategy (awareness, segmentation that actually matters, deliverability muscles), I’ve got you!!


 

Like this blog? You'll love RE:markable

RE:markable is the weekly email about emails. Dropping the latest email marketing news, updates, insights, free resources, upcoming masterclasses, webinars, and of course, a little inbox mischief.
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