80% of marketers say that email marketing improves customer retention. Additionally, it offers superb ROI. In fact, studies have proven this. Data shows that email marketing provides an astounding ROI of up to 4200%.
Part of making the most of email marketing is having a strong email list. Some may suggest buying one, but this is ineffective, as you want quality, not just quantity. A list may give you thousands of names, but if they don’t belong to your target audience, your email marketing efforts will fall flat. What’s more, 77% of B2B buyers say that they prefer to receive emails only after granting permission. In a nutshell, buying a list may decrease your click-through rate and subsequent conversions too.
The other way is to grow your list organically. This option might take time to show you the desired results, but it will contain people who are eager to hear from you and know about your products/services. With this in mind, here are our top tips on how to expand your email list organically.
Simplify the subscription process
If your email subscription process is too detailed or complex, it’s likely that individuals will ignore it because of the time and effort required to fill it up. So, focus on creating simple forms that ask for essential information only. Avoid asking for too many personal details, as this can come across as intrusive and can be a deterrent. However, if you absolutely must gather information beyond the email ID, provide the reason for it to build transparency and trust. The thumb rule is: the shorter and simpler your form, the more likely people are to sign up.
Incentivize subscriptions
One of the quickest ways to grow your subscription list is to offer an incentive for subscribing. In return for their email address, provide individuals with information-rich e-books, or even discounts on your products/services. Optionally, create a bank of content that is highly relevant and informative to your audience. You can then make access to such content gated, and only allow those who share their email ID to view it. When you have strong content backing this approach, you can build interest around your organization, strengthen your email list and satiate your audience’s need for valuable information—all in one go.
Include sign-up prompts on all webpages
This is a very basic, yet very effective way to reel people in. Remember that attention spans are limited, so you can’t expect people to seek out the subscription form. To grow your list exponentially, ensure that the sign-up option is present on all pages. On pages that record-high traffic or are especially long, you can even present the subscription field twice.
Use social media smartly
Since you create engaging, informative emailers that champion your target audience’s needs, why not show off snippets of such emailers in your social media posts? Think of it as a way to advertise the value you provide through emailers. When people see that they’ll receive enriching content and not be spammed, they’ll be more likely to sign up. It’s also a good way to directly generate interest for your product or service, and push the prospect into the consideration stage.
Utilize YouTube end cards
YouTube offers you outros or end slates/cards that you can use to drive engagement in a number of ways. Essentially, these cards allow you to add links that people can click on once the video that they are viewing has ended. So, assume that you have a YouTube video that introduces your accounting software. It is engaging to the extent that when a member from your target audience views it, he/she wants to learn more. You can capitalize on the interest that your video has generated by providing a link to your sign-up page in one of the end cards. As they are eager to learn more, audiences are likely to sign up.
Once you have a robust list in place, segment it and then draft emailers that align with each segment’s behaviors and persona. This way you can get the most out of email marketing. Also, conduct A/B testing on the content to ascertain what kind of communication gets you the most favorable response. Use this knowledge to further refine your strategy.
As you now know, building and managing a strong email list is step 1 of email marketing, but segmenting it, creating content, and distributing it strategically is crucial to the success that you can yield through this tool. Since expertise is key, we encourage you to bring Resolute B2B’s team on board. We can help you augment your list, craft a refined strategy and even generate the content that you need. Contact us today to know more.
