Email marketing is still a powerful tool for businesses, especially in the B2B field. Despite the rise of social media and other marketing channels, companies continue to prioritize building a B2B email list that brings targeted engagement and measurable results.
Not sure how to build B2B email list that delivers these outcomes? You’re in the right place.
In this article, we’ll explore why a well-managed email list is crucial for increasing visibility, building trust, and driving loyalty among your target audience. You’ll also find some actionable tips to help you and your sales and marketing teams create a high-performing email list that delivers results.
Why build an email list?
Building an email list is essential for growing your online reach. It lets you connect with a broader audience interested in what you offer. These people are more likely to engage with your marketing campaigns because they’ve opted in to receive your updates.
Creating genuine relationships with your audience is another major benefit. When people sign up for your list, they’re giving you permission to reach out, setting the stage for a connection based on trust and mutual interests.
Sending regular updates, important information, and personalized messages helps strengthen these relationships and turn subscribers into loyal customers.
Finally, if you build a good email list, you can simplify the buyer’s journey. By segmenting your list into different groups, you can tailor your email campaigns to various stages of the buying process. This ensures your communications are more relevant, making it easy for subscribers to take your desired action.
Why avoid buying an email list?
Purchasing an email list may seem like an easy way to build a B2B email list. But its long-term effects might harm your brand’s reputation and marketing success.
For starters, when emailing contacts from a purchased list, there’s a high possibility of getting marked as spam. Recipients have not agreed to receive communications from you, so they are more likely to flag your emails as spam. This can ruin your current email marketing campaigns and harm your sender’s reputation, lowering future deliverability.
Cheap email lists also often lack accurate information. This significantly lowers their value. In many cases, the B2B contact records can be outdated, with email addresses no longer in use. Emailing such contacts causes high bounce rates and low engagement.
Poor deliverability issues are another common thing when purchasing an email list. Email service providers track how recipients interact with your emails, and high rates of spam complaints and bounces can lead to your emails being blocked.
When your sender reputation drops, it becomes harder to reach people who have signed up for your list. Good-quality email marketing software may not even approve campaigns using non-opt-in mailing lists.
Furthermore, in the EU, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) imposes strict rules on how personal data must be collected and used. The contacts on bought lists have not given explicit consent to receive emails from your company, which directly violates these regulations. Non-compliance results in hefty fines, which makes purchasing email lists B2B a risky proposition.
7 ways to build B2B email list
Investing time and effort into a marketing campaign is crucial for your business. However, it can be tricky to find the right approach to building your email marketing list.
Here are seven simple strategies to help you build a strong B2B mailing list.
1. Address the pain
Understanding and addressing the specific pain points of your target audience is key to getting them to join your email marketing list. Spend time creating content that identifies their problems and offers clear solutions.
For example, if your audience is small business owners, tips on reducing operational costs or improving customer acquisition will be very relevant. When people see that your content addresses their challenges, they are more likely to trust your expertise and subscribe to your list for future updates.
To dive deeper into these issues, use different content formats such as:
- Blog posts
- Whitepapers
- Ebooks
- Case studies
- Webinars
- Podcasts
These content types help you showcase your expertise and solve problems in depth, encouraging readers to sign up for more detailed information via email.
A great B2B example is Salesforce, a company that has successfully built a large customer base by understanding and addressing the pain points of businesses in managing customer relationships.
Many businesses struggle with keeping track of customer interactions, sales processes, and data analysis. Salesforce provides comprehensive solutions through its CRM software, which helps businesses streamline their operations and improve customer engagement.
Salesforce boosts email sign-ups by offering valuable content such as in-depth case studies, insightful ebooks, and exclusive webinars that address specific industry challenges.
Additionally, they engage subscribers with interactive tools like free trials and personalized demos, demonstrating the tangible benefits of their solutions. By focusing on the core issues faced by businesses and providing clear, actionable solutions, Salesforce has become a trusted brand and built a substantial email marketing list.
2. Build an online community
Building an engaged online community is crucial for growing your list of B2B emails.
You can start by adding interactive content, such as quizzes relevant to your industry, to your website or social media platforms. A good quiz is fun for users and encourages them to share their contact details.
Another good idea is to run giveaways that require participants to enter their email addresses. This strategy grows your email list and offers value to new subscribers.
Use user-generated content to boost engagement and attract new leads. Ask your community members to share their own experiences, reviews, and success stories about your products or services.
Highlight this content on your platforms. This creates a sense of belonging and provides real testimonials that can attract new subscribers who trust peer insights.
Your community should encourage lively discussions and constructive comments on industry topics. Use forums, comment sections, and social media to keep the conversation going. Regular interaction keeps your audience engaged and builds strong relationships.
Additionally, provide resources like tutorials, expert Q&A sessions, and live discussions. B2B clients look for great content, so these kinds of offerings enhance the value of your community and attract more sign-ups.
3. Conferences and events
Booking your place or hosting conferences and industry events is a great strategy for B2B email list building. When you attend these events, you get a chance to meet potential subscribers face-to-face.
You can demonstrate your products or services live and explain in detail what your company does. It’s also a great chance to start building relationships with key decision-makers, making it easier to connect with them in the future.
Get creative so the attendees remember you. Consider setting up a sign-up station with a kiosk or iPad. This setup allows potential customers to quickly subscribe and receive more information or follow-up messages from you. It’s a convenient and efficient way to capture their details on the spot, ensuring they don’t forget to connect with your company after the event.
Hosting your own events can be beneficial. It positions your brand as a leader in your field. At these events, make sure to encourage attendees to join your email list B2B by offering exclusive content, such as a free consultation. These special offers make signing up more appealing and can attract a committed audience.
Lastly, remember to always follow up with attendees after the event with a personalized email like the one below that thanks them for coming. Remind them about the benefits of being on your online list. Make sure your message includes specific content related to the event, like summaries of key presentations or extra insights from speakers.
This follow-up is crucial for turning event interest into long-term engagement and can prompt recipients to eagerly anticipate more emails and future events from you.
4. Include opt-ins in blogs and website forms
To grow your B2B email list, make it easy for visitors to subscribe. Place opt-in forms prominently throughout your website. These forms should be user-friendly and blend seamlessly with the site.
For example, placing a signup form at the end of an engaging blog post can convert readers into subscribers. Offer potential subscriebrs more valuable content via email.
You can also use pop-up forms that appear based on user behavior, such as after they’ve spent some time on a page or as they’re about to leave the site.
Clearly communicate the benefits of subscribing. Highlight what subscribers will gain, like expert advice, early access to new products, or exclusive discounts. This helps visitors understand the value of giving their email addresses.
Optimize the placement of your forms for maximum visibility. Test different designs and messages to see which ones get the most sign-ups. Regularly refresh your call-to-action and subscription incentives to keep them appealing.
Additionally, making the subscription process easy and inviting will lead to more engagement and a larger, active email list. Be sure to inform them that they can unsubscribe at any time, which can make new subscribers feel more comfortable with signing up.
5. Adopt a referral program
Referral programs are a great way to boost your B2B mailing lists. Encourage your current subscribers to refer colleagues or industry peers, which can quickly expand your network. Offer attractive rewards for every new subscriber they bring in to build loyalty and commitment to your brand.
Rewards can include discounts, free trials, or exclusive content. These incentives are important for fostering strong relationships with your members.
To make your referral program effective, communicate clearly and consistently. Use email newsletters, your website, and social media to share details about the program. Make sure each message explains the benefits and rules.
Send regular reminders to keep the program on top of your members’ minds and motivate them to participate. Highlight success stories and top referrers to inspire others.
You could also offer tiered rewards, where incentives increase based on the number of new sign-ups a subscriber brings in. This approach encourages ongoing engagement and attracts more subscribers who want to enjoy the benefits.
Ensure that new sign-ups provide verified contact information to maintain the quality of your email list. Verified B2B emails help ensure that your communications reach real and interested people, enhancing the effectiveness of your campaigns.
Implement a simple verification step during the sign-up process, such as confirming the email address, to confirm the new leads are genuine and valuable. This practice improves your email list’s quality and strengthens your overall B2B marketing emails strategy.
6. Use social media organic marketing and paid campaigns
Social media is a great tool for businesses. With organic marketing and paid advertising, you can maximize its use. Use social channels to effectively promote your B2B email sign-ups.
LinkedIn, which is popular among professionals and B2B audiences, is especially useful for targeting that specific market.
Facebook and Instagram offer additional targeting capabilities, allowing you to narrow down your audience based on certain demographics, interests, and behaviors. This makes your social media content even more effective.
Create general content that address the specific needs and interests of potential subscribers so they can get a glimpse of what’s in store for them if they sign up. See how Asana does it:
Use testimonials or case studies to show how your content has positively impacted other subscribers.
Also, use social media to offer sneak peeks of new products available only to email subscribers. This creates a sense of exclusivity and urgency, which can significantly increase your sign-up rates.
7. Incentivize email sign-ups
Offering incentives is a great way to increase email sign-ups. Make sure to clearly state what new subscribers will get right away, such as a free eBook, a discount code, or exclusive access to a webinar.
Ensure these incentives align with what your target audience values and are compelling enough to encourage them to share their email addresses. You can determine what they consider valuable by asking them directly via surveys, checking your analytics, among others. Statistics prove that even a $10 incentive increases the likelihood of someone taking your desired action by 30%.
Regularly update and refresh your incentives to keep them appealing. Remember, people’s interests and preferences change over time. The key is to anticipate them so you can make the necessary tweaks to your incentives. This approach helps ensure your offers remain valuable despite potential changes and encourages more sign-ups over time.
Promote these updates through email newsletters, social media, and your website. What’s the use of updating your incentives if potential subscribers don’t know about them?
Additionally, consider tying your incentives to specific actions that can increase sales. For example, offer a discount on their next purchase when they sign up. The UPS Store, for instance, which also offers postal and printing services to companies, offers a 15% discount off select products and services.
This way, you can grow your email list while directly encouraging immediate business.
Conclusion
If you want to run successful email campaigns, you need to start with the right strategy to build a B2B email list. A good mailing list allows you to reach a wider, more interested audience, generate leads, develop true relationships, and streamline the buyer’s journey. Ultimately it can result in higher engagement and conversions.
Collect email addresses from your website, events, or other interactions to attract contacts who are interested in your messages. This approach boosts your chances of effective engagement.
Remember to keep away from email lists with poor-quality contact details offered by dodgy vendors. They are risky and can harm your company in the long run. Instead, build an online community, take advantage of social media, and add referrals or incentives. This way, you can create worthwhile B2B email lists that will benefit your business in the long run.
Go on and watch your email marketing efforts improve and customer relationships strengthen with a well-crafted B2B email list.