BLOG

While the era of mass email blasts may be behind us, email marketing is far from obsolete. In fact, by tapping into your existing leads, you can not only engage your current audience but also generate a substantial number of new leads. In this post, we’ll explore a strategy to encourage your leads to become advocates for your brand, transforming them into a valuable source of new leads through email marketing.

How to Encourage Leads to Share Your Content:

Create Compelling CTAs:

Develop clear call-to-action (CTA) buttons encouraging your leads to share your content via email. Examples used at HubSpot can be easily customized and incorporated into your marketing assets.

Convert Buttons to Mailto Links:

Transform these buttons into customized mailto links. This hyperlink, using ‘mailto’ instead of ‘http,’ opens a new email compose window when clicked, streamlining the sharing process. Customize the link with a pre-populated subject line and body content.

Why These Buttons Work:

Email serves as a form of social proof, leveraging the concept that if others are engaging with your content and are trusted by your leads, it validates the content for new users. HubSpot, for instance, generates 17 times more leads from email sharing links than social media sharing links.

Thank-You Page:

Encourage sharing immediately after a lead fills out a form. Add buttons on the thank-you page to prompt sharing with friends and colleagues.

Follow-Up Email:

Send a simple follow-up email providing the offer link, an email share button, and a call-to-action for the next stage in your buying cycle. This email serves as a reference for future sharing.

Marketing Emails:

Incorporate share buttons in your targeted email campaigns. Even if emails are specific to certain segments, offer opportunities to share content that recipients believe would interest their network.

How to Measure Your Results:

Use Tracking URLs:

Include a tracking URL in your mailto link to monitor traffic and leads generated by the “Email to a Friend” buttons. HubSpot provides an easy-to-use tracking URL builder.

Analyze Results:

Utilize HubSpot’s Sources report to assess the impact of your “Email to a Friend” buttons. Track traffic, new contacts, and customer conversions resulting from leads who shared these emails.

Conclusion:

By encouraging your leads to share your content, you can turn them into active participants in your email marketing strategy. This user-generated referral approach not only boosts engagement but can significantly contribute to your lead generation efforts. Consider implementing the “Email to a Friend” button and watch as your email marketing evolves into a top lead generation channel. Share your experiences and strategies in the comments below!

In the quest for quick and inexpensive solutions to build an email list, marketers often consider buying email lists. The allure of instant access to thousands of contacts can be tempting, but the consequences of such a decision can be detrimental to your email marketing program. In this article, we’ll delve into the reasons why buying email lists is a bad idea and provide effective alternatives to organically build your email marketing list.

Methods of Acquiring an Email List:

Buy an email list:

Working with a list provider, you purchase a list based on demographic or psychographic information. This method is not a sustainable or ethical approach to growing your business.

Rent an email list:

This involves identifying a segment of people to email without owning the list. You can’t see the email addresses of the recipients, and collaboration with the provider is necessary to send out your emails.

Own an opt-in email list:

Contacts voluntarily provide their email addresses for communication. Opt-in email addresses result from earning trust and interest through valuable content.

Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Buy Email Lists:

GDPR Compliance:

Purchased lists often violate the consent rules under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Contacts must explicitly opt in to receive emails, a requirement that purchased lists frequently lack, making them non-compliant.

Reputable Email Marketing Services:

Reputable email marketing services insist on using opt-in email lists. Non-reputable vendors suffer from poor deliverability, impacting your ability to reach the inbox.

Quality Email Lists Aren’t for Sale:

High-quality email lists are not available for purchase unless a company is undergoing a merger or acquisition. If a list is for sale, it likely contains unresponsive or unqualified addresses.

Lack of Recognition:

People on purchased or rented lists may not recognize your business. This lack of familiarity can lead to recipients marking your emails as spam, damaging your sender reputation.

Email Deliverability and IP Reputation:

Purchased lists pose risks to email deliverability and IP reputation. Without confirmation of the list’s quality and origin, your emails may be flagged as spam, harming your reputation.

Potential Annoyance:

Sending emails to recipients who did not request them can be annoying and may lead to a negative perception of your brand. It’s essential to build trust through valuable content.

Provider Penalties:

Email service providers may penalize you for sending unwanted content, and repeated flags as spam can result in immediate account closure.

Paid Email List Alternatives:

Shift to Inbound Marketing:

Move from outbound to inbound marketing to build brand awareness and relationships through content creation and social media, offering a more cost-effective approach.

Lead Generation Campaigns:

Attract prospects through lead generation campaigns, such as sharing blog posts, promoting products on social media, and offering trials or coupons with compelling call-to-actions.

Demonstrate Thought Leadership:

Display thought leadership through informative content like tutorials and posts that help your target audience learn something new, building trust and credibility.

How to Grow an Opt-In Email List for Free:

Create Gated Assets:

Develop valuable, long-form content assets such as webinars and ebooks to entice people to provide their email addresses.

Create Useful Tools:

Build tools that provide value to your audience, offering free demos in exchange for their email addresses.

Promote Gated Assets:

Leverage various channels, especially your blog, to promote gated assets. Blogging consistently can compound lead generation over time.

Run Creative Email Campaigns:

Use email marketing as a lead-generating channel by creating compelling content with CTAs that encourage recipients to share with colleagues.

Include Sharing Buttons:

Make sharing easy by adding social media buttons and an “Email to a Friend” button to your emails, expanding your reach.

Conclusion:

Building a quality email list takes time and effort, but the benefits far outweigh the risks associated with buying lists. By focusing on organic methods, you can attract engaged prospects, nurture relationships, and turn them into loyal customers without compromising your brand’s reputation.

In the ever-evolving landscape of marketing channels, email marketing remains a stalwart method for generating leads and converting prospects. According to a HubSpot survey, a whopping 94% of marketers find email marketing effective in achieving their business goals. To ensure you’re maximizing the potential of your email marketing strategy, dive into these proven best practices.

Email Marketing Best Practices:

1. Don’t purchase contact lists.

Rely on earned, not bought, information for healthy open rates.

GDPR compliance necessitates consent from European recipients, typically lacking in purchased lists.

2. Avoid using ‘No-Reply’ in the sender’s email address.

CAN-SPAM guidelines discourage the use of “no reply” to maintain recipient rights.

Personalize sender names to boost engagement and comply with regulations.

3. Stick to fewer than three typefaces.

Simplify your message with no more than two fonts for enhanced readability.

Opt for web-safe fonts in the 10-12 point range for consistent legibility.

4. Optimize the email’s preview text.

Craft a custom preheader that entices recipients, supplementing the subject line.

Avoid default messages that may decrease open rates.

5. Include an email signature.

Enhance brand visibility with a signature, fostering a personal touch.

Leverage the opportunity for a call-to-action, directing recipients to your website or social media.

6. Clean your mailing list regularly.

Maintain a high-quality mailing list by removing inactive subscribers.

Implement workflows to gradually shift subscribers based on engagement levels.

7. Keep the main message and call-to-action above the fold.

Prioritize important content at the top for increased visibility.

Recognize the limited attention span of recipients, aiming for a swift impact.

8. Personalize the email greeting.

Utilize personalization tokens for customized greetings based on recipient names.

Capture attention with a human touch, enhancing the likelihood of engagement.

9. Keep your email around 500 to 650 pixels wide.

Optimize email templates for mobile responsiveness, ensuring a positive user experience.

Consider user habits, as nearly 30% of marketers emphasize mobile optimization.

10. A/B your subject lines and calls to action.

Employ A/B testing to refine subject lines and calls to action.

Continuously improve content based on recipient responses.

11. Include your logo.

– Enhance email engagement and brand recall by incorporating your logo.

– Leverage logos for increased consumer confidence and open rates.

12. Name the offer in your subject line.

– Increase open rates with subject lines featuring incentives or promotions.

– Balance promotional emails with a focus on customer loyalty and industry insights.

13. Allow recipients to subscribe to your newsletter.

– Facilitate sharing by including a “Subscribe” option in forwarded emails.

– Ensure this addition aligns with your primary campaign goals.

14. Write compelling (but concise) subject lines.

– Craft subject lines with 30-50 characters for optimal visibility.

– Create urgency while providing a glimpse of the email’s content.

15. Create automated emails for opt-ins.

– Set up automated reminders for subscribers who may forget their opt-ins.

– Provide additional content or rewards to incentivize continued engagement.

16. Closely tie emails to landing pages.

– Maintain consistency between email content and landing page design.

– Utilize tracking tools to assess the performance of emails and landing pages.

17. Conduct a five-second test.

– Ensure clarity and a compelling call-to-action within the first five seconds.

– Seek feedback from colleagues to refine subject lines or landing page links.

Outbound Email Best Practices:

1. Make it personal.

Tailor outbound emails based on existing connections or cold outreach.

Personalize greetings to establish a human touch.

2. Include a clear CTA.

Clearly articulate the desired action in your outbound emails.

Avoid vague or open-ended closings to enhance clarity.

3. Follow up.

Strategically follow up based on industry response times.

Maintain a balance to avoid overwhelming recipients with excessive follow-up emails.

Incorporate these best practices into your email marketing strategy to harness the enduring power of this reliable and effective tool.