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Staying on top of the latest email marketing lead generation techniques is critical for B2B marketers.
In our recent B2B marketing trends study, 83% of B2B marketers said email is the most important marketing channel.
Yet, 42% of B2B marketers say their email marketing budget is low.
What’s more, the average marketing email open rate in the B2B tech industry was 14% in 2022. (Meanwhile, the average email open rate across all industries was 34.5%!)
And as of 2024, 24% of marketers say their open rates have further dropped.
What are we missing? How can we address declining open rates and low budgets to generate a steady flow of high-quality leads?
Not to worry! In this article, you’ll learn 8 email marketing lead generation techniques that can help tackle these problems.
But first, let’s talk about what email marketing lead generation means.
What is email marketing lead generation?
Crafting a solid email lead generation campaign involves more than writing a catchy subject line, adding some sales copy, and hitting the send button.
Email marketing lead generation techniques focus on attracting potential customers and gathering contact information. It’s the first step in the email marketing funnel.
This typically involves:
- Capturing leads: Using sign-up forms or lead services to collect email addresses from potential leads.
- Initial engagement: Sending welcome emails to new leads.
- Broader targeting: Identifying those interested in your products or services.
Remember, the goal isn’t to sell a prospect on your product or service immediately.
That’s done over time through email marketing lead nurturing.
The goal of email marketing lead generation is to expand your audience and connect with potential leads.
So, with that said, let’s look at some of the best email marketing lead generation techniques.
8 proven email marketing lead generation techniques
1 – Use compliant lead lists
A purchased lead list can give you a headstart on your lead generation strategy. But you need to be careful.
Buying a list from an unscrupulous seller can be illegal or non-compliant with federal regulations.
If you go this route, you must ensure the list complies with all the opt-in requirements.
Only buy from trusted vendors. A good way to identify them is by looking at the source of their contact data with the “party” model.
Focus on vendors who provide zero-party data. This means the paid lead has freely given the business their data.
Third-party or second-party data can result in low-quality leads and non-compliance.
2 – Monitor domain reputation
If you’re new to email lead generation, you may not know about domain reputation. Even some experienced email marketers may not fully understand the details.
Domain reputation affects your email’s deliverability and whether it reaches the recipient’s inbox or is sent to spam.
Domain reputation is like a credit score for ISPs and mailbox services. A low trust rating can severely hurt your deliverability. So, you don’t want to ignore this key metric.
There are several ways to monitor your domain reputation. Postmaster Tools by Gmail and Cisco Talos Intelligence allow you to look up your IPs and domains.
For newer businesses just starting their email lead generation efforts, start slowly and ramp up over time. A new domain suddenly sending out email blasts can harm its reputation.
Another tip is to avoid spammy subject lines. All-caps headlines and obvious phrases like “BUY NOW” will quickly harm your reputation.
Also, make sure to prune your email list regularly. Some domain reputation services use spam traps, and sending emails to these traps will harm your reputation. To keep your list fresh, regularly remove outdated email leads and those who have unsubscribed.
3 – Properly segment your leads
Not all leads react to the same offers. Highly personalized emails are key to maximizing conversions. Segmenting leads also helps with the following:
- Increased open rates
- Increased click-throughs
- Increased conversions
- Higher ROI
- Reduced unsubscribe rates
- Spam avoidance
An email survey can help with your segmentation strategy. Sometimes, the best way to understand your leads is to simply ask them questions about their interests and goals.
4 – Don’t skimp on content quality
Gated content is an excellent way to grow your email list. But remember: The content must be worthwhile. For example, It could be a market research report or guide that helps your audience overcome a specific challenge.
B2B content syndication platforms can get your content in front of the right people. ViB Syndication is a great option with a pay-per-download model for targeted leads.
For people already in your database, you can gate content with an additional ask, like details about their organization’s needs.
You can also offer ungated content and factor the reader’s activity into your lead score.
For example, if someone engages with a mid-funnel asset, that might indicate they’re ready to meet with a salesperson or set up a demo.
5 – Nail the first touchpoints with creativity
Now that we’ve gone over how to attract leads to your email channel, let’s discuss engaging them with solid copy!
I – A subject line that hooks
A subject line is the digital equivalent of an icebreaker. It should be a catchy, intriguing statement that will pique the reader’s interest enough to open your emails.
Keep it short. According to Convince and Convert, 82% of successful email marketers say their subject lines do not exceed 60 characters.
II – Captivating, reader-friendly copy
A great subject line might hook a reader, but an excellent copy will keep them engaged.
When it comes to copy, less is more. Instead of cramming in as much information as possible, keep it concise and highlight the key details.
According to a study by Boomerang, emails between 50 and 125 words drive the best response rate.
Here’s a marketing email template to help structure your copy:
III – Clear and compelling call to action
What do you want a contact to do after reading an email? Sign up for a webinar? Download an ebook? Schedule a demo?
Whatever the case, make sure your CTA is obvious. If you don’t make it easy for your readers to take action, they’ll likely move on.
6 – Test, analyze, and trust your data
Data will provide the best insight into your potential customers, so carefully study your analytics.
A/B-test different methods, offers, and funnels to determine which generate the best responses.
If a lead generation technique isn’t producing the desired results, fine-tune it. If the metrics don’t improve, switch to a different strategy.
Plus, some demand-generation strategies simply become stale after a while. By constantly adjusting and improving, you can avoid demand generation “burnout” and achieve more consistent growth.
7 – Optimize email cadence through analytics
Once you’ve identified which lead generation campaigns are performing, follow up with a strategic cold email cadence. Your cadence is the timing between emails or the lead’s interactions.
To determine your cadence, start by defining your goals for your lead generation emails. Different goals will require a different cadence. Setting up a phone call may require a faster cadence. Free offers or trials can be less time-sensitive.
Check out the multi-channel example Shay Berman shared in this webinar.
Day 1:
Send an introduction email to your prospect.
Send a LinkedIn connection request.
Day 3:
Follow up with an email to schedule a call. If the call goes to voicemail, follow up with another email.
Day 7:
Send an email with a resource, such as a blog post or whitepaper.
Day 10:
Send a personalized LinkedIn video message that addresses any objections or questions they may have raised.
Follow up with an email to schedule a call.
Day 14:
Follow up with a final email that offers a limited-time discount or incentive to encourage them to take action.
The key to perfecting your cadence is through A/B testing and analytics. Drops in open rates can suggest an issue with the frequency. If you send too many emails, they will go straight to the spam folder. If you send too few, the lead may forget about your offer.
For more great tips on this topic, check out our on-demand webinar.
8 – Find a trusted email marketing lead generation partner
Of course, building a list can be challenging. And in some cases, you may begin to saturate your database and need to get your message in front of new audiences.
This is where a demand generation partner comes in handy.
By working with a service like ViB Emails, you can tap into a community of millions of verified professionals in the market for your products and services.
A great partner will handle all the heavy lifting to ensure your message gets to the right people at the right time.
So, what makes ViB Emails different?
- Engaged leads: Our millions-strong community consists of tech professionals interested in new technologies like yours. These leads come from zero-party sources, are precisely segmented, and have a track record of conversions.
- Easy targeting: We’ll curate a list of targeted prospects from our engaged ViB Community so you can skip the tedious list-cleaning or filtering process.
- No domain reputation risk: We send your email via our ViB Community domain, which community members already know and trust.
- No-fuss setup: Simply send us your email and ICP, and we’ll do the rest. Engaged members who click through your email then become your leads.
Email marketing lead generation is a highly effective tool for driving demand, nurturing qualified leads, and ensuring a steady pipeline of buyers. These eight techniques can quickly enhance your email marketing lead generation efforts.
Want to test-drive ViB Emails without the risk?
From hyper-targeted zero-party lead lists to powerful customer analytics, we help connect you with the buyers you need to blow past your revenue targets.
That means a steady stream of targeted leads for brand building, webinar registrations, content downloads, or any other marketing campaigns.
Chat with the team to get a personalized walkthrough of our powerful email lead generation service.
Or, if you’re ready, start a discounted, low-risk trial. We’ll show you the easiest way to generate targeted B2B leads.
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