When it comes to email list strategy, increasing email list quality is the most important goal for B2B marketers, according to new research from email marketing service provider and strategic consultancy Delivra, in partnership with Ascend2. Email marketing provides B2B businesses the ability to build a one-on-one relationship with subscribers and increase their conversions with loyal customers. With a large reach of 4 billion active users and proven effectiveness with a 30% average open rate, email marketing is a strategy marketers can no longer ignore. However, it’s important to collect quality subscribers who are not only interested in your brand but will also actively engage with your communications. When it comes to email—more does not always equal better. The report, titled B2B Email List Strategy, provides insights into what B2B marketers find to be the most significant barriers to building a better email list, and how they are overcoming them.
Email list qualityIncreasing email list quality
was the top objective for 70 percent of respondents, and many are achieving that goal, with 43 percent saying email list quality is increasing and only 15 percent experiencing a decrease in quality. Forty-two percent say their list quality is not changing. “Effective email marketing campaigns are driven by email list quality,” said Neil Berman, CEO of Delivra. “We’re thrilled to team up with Ascend2 and provide an in-depth look at the challenges B2B marketers are facing, as well as some of the most effective tactics they’re using to achieve success.” Lack of an effective strategy was cited as the most significant obstacle to email list success (51 percent), followed by inadequate list hygiene practices (39 percent), and inadequate list segmentation data (37 percent). Only six percent of marketers consider their email list strategy “very successful” at overcoming these barriers and achieving goals, while 54 percent settle for “somewhat successful” and 40 percent rank themselves as “unsuccessful.” When asked what their most effective tactics used to achieve email list strategy success, the survey participants provided a variety of responses. The top three were: content download registrations (59 percent), email-specific landing pages (52 percent), and email social media integrations (38 percent).
Content download registrations
Marketers understand that no matter how many times you offer the opportunity to join your list, it’s unlikely a visitor will act unless given a relevant and valuable incentive. While there are many ways to deliver this, it’s important to think about how your content or offer can help solve your lead’s problems. For B2B businesses, developing high-quality content in the form of lead magnets is a great solution to grow your email list. Provide gated content like e-books, whitepapers, webinars, and more to capture email addresses through a sign-up form where the visitor has to give their email address to access the content. To make this effective, you must:
- Do extensive research into what your audience wants and how your services can help
- Utilize storytelling to creatively describe your solution
- Incorporate high-quality images and visuals to drive your point
- Cross-promote on social platforms to increase awareness
Source: Optimonk
Email-specific landing pages
Landing pages help drive more prospects for your B2B sales funnel to convert them into customers. Marketers can develop email landing pages that are personalized to the individual to demonstrate that your brand cares about their concerns. In turn, this will result in higher signups. These pages are effective because it helps focus the visitor’s attention on one thing—joining your email list with a clear call-to-action and consistent branding. For your landing page to be successful, consider the following elements:
- Create compelling headlines
- Build authenticity and credibility
- Adhere to SEO guidelines
- Include FOMO
Social media integrations
When social media is combined with email marketing, B2B marketers have a huge opportunity to connect with more leads and take the entire marketing strategy to the next level. Not only does this provide a holistic approach that creates a seamless customer experience, but it also ensures that you stay in the forefront of your lead’s mind with multiple touchpoints. Integrate your email marketing and social media efforts by:
- Determining how social media can benefit your email list and vice versa
- Collaborating your editorial calendars to create consistent messaging
- Encouraging people to sign up for your email list on social platforms through Twitter Cards or Facebook page CTAs
- Using paid advertising to target those who are interested in your brand or retarget your current email subscribers
- Including social icons in email communication to cross-promote channels
Source: Twitter
Wrap up
Having a large list is only helpful if you've got a quality list, and these tactics will help you fill your list with the kind of subscribers who are looking forward to hearing from you. After all, focusing on engagement will reap far better rewards for your marketing than focusing on building a large list as quickly as possible. Delivra, in partnership with Asend2, fielded this survey and received responses from 245 marketing influencers. This report represents the opinions of 123 companies dedicated to B2B marketing and sales. If you’re looking to grow a high-quality email list that converts, Delivra provides a full suite of email marketing and automation services to help B2B marketers. Request a demo to see how it can benefit your strategy!
