Email marketing is one of the most effective and affordable ways to grow your business and generate more leads. According to a study by DMA, email marketing has an average ROI of $42 for every $1 spent. That’s higher than any other digital marketing channel.
But how do you use email marketing to attract and convert more prospects into customers? How do you create engaging and relevant emails that stand out in the crowded inbox? And how do you measure and optimize your email campaigns to achieve your business goals?
In this blog post, we’ll share with you 7 powerful ways to generate more leads for your business with email marketing. Whether you’re just starting out or looking for some fresh ideas, these tips will help you create and execute a successful email lead generation strategy.
What is email lead generation?
Email lead generation is the process of collecting and nurturing potential customers’ contact information through an email opt-in form. The opt-in form gathers information such as name, email address, company name, industry, etc. that can be used to segment and personalize your email campaigns.
Email lead generation is also about building relationships with your prospects by providing them with valuable and relevant content that educates them about your products or services, solves their pain points, and guides them through the buyer’s journey.
The ultimate goal of email lead generation is to turn your prospects into loyal customers who trust your brand and buy from you repeatedly.
Why is email lead generation important?
Email lead generation is important because it allows you to:
- Grow your brand awareness and trust by reaching out to your target audience directly and consistently.
- Build relationships with your prospects by providing them with value and education that helps them solve their problems and achieve their goals.
- Convert your prospects into customers by sending them targeted and personalized offers that match their needs and interests.
- Retain your customers by keeping them engaged with valuable content and feedback that increases their satisfaction and loyalty.
- Increase your revenue by upselling and cross-selling your products or services to your existing customers.
7 ways to generate more leads for your business with email marketing
Here are 7 proven ways to generate more leads for your business with email marketing:
1. Target and engage your audience based on their interests and needs
The first step to generating more leads with email marketing is to know who your ideal customers are and what they want from you. You need to create buyer personas that represent the characteristics, behaviors, goals, and challenges of your target audience.
Buyer personas help you tailor your email campaigns to the specific needs and interests of your prospects. You can use tools like HubSpot’s Make My Persona or Xtensio’s User Persona Creator to create detailed buyer personas for your business.
Once you have your buyer personas, you need to segment your email list based on criteria such as:
- Demographics (age, gender, location, etc.)
- Psychographics (attitudes, values, preferences, etc.)
- Behavior (website activity, purchase history, email engagement, etc.)
- Stage in the buyer’s journey (awareness, consideration, decision)
Segmenting your email list allows you to send more relevant and personalized emails that resonate with your prospects and increase their engagement. According to Campaign Monitor, segmented campaigns have a 14.31% higher open rate and a 100.95% higher click-through rate than non-segmented campaigns.
2. Provide value and offer irresistible incentives to your subscribers
The next step to generating more leads with email marketing is to provide value and offer irresistible incentives to your subscribers. You need to give them a compelling reason to join your email list and stay subscribed.
One of the most common ways to provide value and offer incentives is to create lead magnets. Lead magnets are free resources that you offer in exchange for your prospects’ contact information. They can be anything from ebooks, reports, guides, checklists, templates, webinars, courses, quizzes, etc.
Lead magnets should be relevant to your niche, solve a specific problem or answer a specific question for your prospects, and showcase your expertise and authority. They should also be easy to consume and deliver immediate value.
To create effective lead magnets, you need to:
- Identify the pain points and goals of your target audience
- Research what type of content they consume and prefer
- Choose a format that suits your content and audience
- Create a catchy title that grabs attention and promises a benefit
- Design a landing page that highlights the value proposition and has a clear call-to-action
- Promote your lead magnet on your website, social media, blog posts, etc.
Some examples of lead magnets are:
- How to Generate B2B Leads Through Email Marketing
- 10 Email Marketing Lead Generation Techniques to Boost Your Customer Base
- Email Marketing Checklist: 25 Steps for a Successful Email Campaign
3. Create catchy and concise emails with attention-grabbing subject lines and click-worthy CTAs
The third step to generating more leads with email marketing is to create catchy and concise emails that stand out in the crowded inbox and entice your prospects to open, read, and click.
The two most important elements of your email are the subject line and the call-to-action (CTA). The subject line is the first thing your prospects see when they receive your email, and the CTA is the last thing they see before they decide to take action.
Your subject line should be:
- Short and sweet (no more than 50 characters)
- Clear and specific (no vague or misleading claims)
- Relevant and personalized (use your prospect’s name, location, industry, etc.)
- Curious and urgent (use questions, numbers, emojis, power words, etc.)
Your CTA should be:
- Visible and prominent (use a button, a different color, or a larger font)
- Action-oriented and concise (use verbs like download, register, join, etc.)
- Singular and focused (have only one CTA per email)
- Value-driven and persuasive (use words like free, now, today, etc.)
Some examples of catchy subject lines and CTAs are:
- How to generate 10x more leads with email marketing 🚀 [Download Now]
- The ultimate guide to email lead generation [Yes, I want it!]
- You’re invited: Free webinar on email marketing best practices [Save my spot]
4. Use email automation and lead scoring to segment and nurture your leads
The fourth step to generating more leads with email marketing is to use email automation and lead scoring to segment and nurture your leads. Email automation is the process of sending automated emails based on triggers or conditions that you set. Lead scoring is the process of assigning points to your leads based on their actions or attributes.
Email automation and lead scoring help you:
- Save time and resources by automating repetitive tasks
- Deliver timely and relevant messages to your prospects
- Increase engagement and conversions by sending personalized offers
- Identify your most qualified leads and prioritize your follow-up
To use email automation and lead scoring effectively, you need to:
- Define your goals and objectives for each email campaign
- Map out your customer journey and create email sequences for each stage
- Set up triggers or conditions for sending automated emails
- Assign points to your leads based on their actions or attributes
- Segment your leads based on their scores and send them targeted emails
- Monitor and optimize your email performance and lead quality
Some examples of email automation and lead scoring are:
- Sending a welcome email with a lead magnet when a prospect joins your email list
- Sending a series of educational emails with case studies when a prospect downloads your ebook
- Sending a promotional email with a discount code when a prospect visits your pricing page
- Sending a follow-up email with a testimonial when a prospect opens your promotional email
- Sending a thank-you email with a referral program when a prospect becomes a customer
5. Conduct A/B testing and analytics to improve your email performance
The fifth step to generating more leads with email marketing is to conduct A/B testing and analytics to improve your email performance. A/B testing is the process of comparing two versions of an email element (such as subject line, CTA, layout, etc.) to see which one performs better. Analytics is the process of measuring and analyzing your email metrics (such as open rate, click-through rate, conversion rate, etc.) to see how well your email campaigns are achieving your goals.
A/B testing and analytics help you:
- Test different hypotheses and assumptions about your prospects’ preferences
- Identify what works best for your audience and what doesn’t
- Optimize your email campaigns for maximum results
- Learn from your mistakes and successes
To conduct A/B testing and analytics effectively, you need to:
- Choose one variable to test at a time (such as subject line, CTA, layout, etc.)
- Split your email list into two groups randomly (such as group A and group B)
- Send one version of the email to group A and another version to group B
- Compare the results of the two versions using a statistical tool (such as Google Analytics or HubSpot)
- Choose the winner based on the metric that matters most for your goal (such as open rate, click-through rate, conversion rate, etc.)
- Implement the winner in your future email campaigns
Some examples of A/B testing are:
- Testing whether using emojis in subject lines increases open rates
- Testing whether using buttons or links for CTAs increases click-through rates
- Testing whether using images or videos in emails increases conversion rates
6. Leverage social media and other channels to promote your email campaigns and grow your list
The sixth step to generating more leads with email marketing is to leverage social media and other channels to promote your email campaigns and grow your list. Social media and other channels can help you:
- Reach a wider and more diverse audience
- Drive more traffic to your website and landing pages
- Increase your brand awareness and credibility
- Encourage social proof and word-of-mouth
- Generate more leads and subscribers
To leverage social media and other channels effectively, you need to:
- Choose the right platforms for your niche and audience
- Create and share valuable and engaging content that relates to your email campaigns
- Include clear and compelling CTAs that direct your followers to your opt-in forms
- Use hashtags, keywords, and tags to increase your visibility and reach
- Collaborate with influencers, partners, and affiliates to expand your network
Some examples of leveraging social media and other channels are:
- Sharing snippets or teasers of your lead magnets on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.
- Creating a video or a podcast episode that covers the topic of your lead magnet and embedding it on YouTube, Spotify, etc.
- Hosting a live Q&A session or a giveaway on Instagram, TikTok, Clubhouse, etc.
- Writing a guest post or an article that links to your lead magnet on Medium, Quora, Reddit, etc.
7. Keep subscribers engaged with valuable content and feedback
The seventh and final step to generating more leads with email marketing is to keep subscribers engaged with valuable content and feedback. You need to maintain a consistent and frequent communication with your prospects and customers to keep them interested and loyal.
Keeping subscribers engaged with valuable content and feedback helps you:
- Build trust and rapport with your audience
- Educate and inform your prospects about your products or services
- Address objections and overcome challenges
- Increase retention and loyalty
- Generate referrals and testimonials
To keep subscribers engaged with valuable content and feedback, you need to:
- Send regular newsletters that provide useful tips, insights, news, etc.
- Send surveys or polls that ask for feedback, opinions, preferences, etc.
- Send case studies or success stories that showcase your results and benefits
- Send testimonials or reviews that highlight your customer satisfaction and loyalty
- Send re-engagement emails that offer incentives or discounts to inactive subscribers
Some examples of keeping subscribers engaged with valuable content and feedback are:
- Sending a monthly newsletter that features the latest industry trends, best practices, resources, etc.
- Sending a survey that asks for feedback on your products or services and offers a reward for completing it
- Sending a case study that shows how you helped a client achieve their goals and solve their problems
- Sending a testimonial that features a happy customer who recommends your products or services
- Sending a re-engagement email that offers a free trial or a discount code to inactive subscribers
Conclusion
Email marketing is a powerful way to generate more leads for your business. By following these 7 steps, you can create and execute a successful email lead generation strategy that will help you grow your brand awareness, build relationships with prospects, convert them into customers, retain them as loyal fans, and increase your revenue.
However, email marketing can also be challenging and time-consuming. You need to have the right tools, skills, and strategies to create effective email campaigns that stand out in the crowded inbox.
That’s where Jordan Digitals can help. We are a digital marketing growth partner that offers tailored marketing services for businesses of all sizes. We can help you with:
- Website and mobile app design: We can create stunning websites and mobile apps that showcase your brand identity, attract visitors, and generate leads.
- PPC ad management: We can manage your pay-per-click ads on Google, Facebook, Instagram, etc. to drive more traffic, leads, and sales.
- SEO: We can optimize your website for search engines to rank higher, get more organic traffic, and increase conversions.
- Lead generation: We can create high-quality lead magnets, landing pages, opt-in forms, etc. to grow your email list and generate more leads.
- Email marketing: We can create engaging and personalized email campaigns that nurture your leads into customers.
If you’re ready to take your email marketing to the next level, contact us today for a free consultation. We’ll help you create a custom email marketing plan that suits your needs and goals.
FAQs
Here are some frequently asked questions about email lead generation:
Q: What is the difference between email lead generation and email marketing?
A: Email lead generation is the process of collecting potential customers’ contact information through an email opt-in form. Email marketing is the process of sending emails to those contacts to provide value, educate them about your products or services, and persuade them to buy from you.
Q: How do I measure the success of my email lead generation campaigns?
A: You can measure the success of your email lead generation campaigns by tracking metrics such as:
- List growth rate: The percentage of new subscribers added to your email list over time.
- Opt-in rate: The percentage of visitors who sign up for your email list through your opt-in forms.
- Open rate: The percentage of subscribers who open your emails.
- Click-through rate: The percentage of subscribers who click on the links in your emails.
- Conversion rate: The percentage of subscribers who take the desired action (such as downloading a lead magnet, registering for a webinar, buying a product, etc.)
- Unsubscribe rate: The percentage of subscribers who opt out of your email list.
Q: How do I avoid spamming my email leads?
A: You can avoid spamming your email leads by following these best practices:
- Only send emails to people who have given you permission to do so (such as by filling out an opt-in form or checking a consent box).
- Provide clear and easy ways for your subscribers to unsubscribe or change their preferences at any time.
- Follow the rules and regulations of the CAN-SPAM Act and the GDPR.
- Don’t send too many or too few emails. Find the optimal frequency that works for your audience and your goals.
- Don’t send irrelevant or misleading emails. Make sure your emails match your subscribers’ expectations and interests.
