15 Easy Steps To Build Your B2B Email List From Scratch

Build your B2B email list from scratch: 15 new strategies for 2023/2024

It's true that building a comprehensive b2b email list takes time and effort, but that doesn't mean you can't grow your list quickly and effectively using alternative methods. Traditional email sign-up forms on your website are a great starting point, but there are many other creative ways to attract potential subscribers and grow your email list.

However, while traditional list-building strategies such as pop-up forms, landing pages, and gamification have been effective in the past, they may not be as effective today. As consumers become more savvy and discerning, it's essential to use new and innovative approaches to capture their attention and encourage them to provide their contact information.

Simply relying on old list-building methods may no longer suffice. So, If you're looking for ways to build your email listing or have run out of ideas, here are 15 new easy tactics to build your b2b mailing list.

How to build a B2B email list using offline methods?

1. Attend industry conferences and networking events

Attending industry conferences and networking events can be an effective way to build your B2B contact list. These events provide an opportunity to meet potential clients, partners, and industry influencers, all of whom can provide valuable contact information for your email marketing list. During the event, make sure to engage in meaningful conversations with attendees and exchange contact information. You can also consider hosting a booth or sponsoring an event to attract more attention and provide additional opportunities to collect contact information. And be confident in finding new leads because more than 95% of professionals say that face-to-face meetings are crucial in lead generation.

➤ Here are some tips to start effectively-

• Determine your goals for attending the event, such as networking with potential clients, partners, or industry influencers or speaking on a panel.
• Prepare a pitch or elevator speech that highlights your value proposition and explains why attendees should sign up for your email list.
• Engage in meaningful conversations with attendees, and be sure to listen and ask questions to understand their needs and interests.
• Be strategic in who you approach, and make an effort to connect with individuals who are likely to be interested in your mailing list and the content you offer.

2. Host a seminar or workshop

Hosting a seminar or workshop is one of the most effective offline methods for B2B email list building. It's a great way to attract potential customers or clients and collect their email addresses. According to APSIS, 73% of companies are using event marketing to generate leads.

You can offer valuable information and educational content and establish yourself or your business as an expert in your field. At the same time, you can use these events as an opportunity to build your b2b email database and stay in touch with attendees after the event.

When you host a seminar or workshop, you have the chance to provide your audience with valuable insights and knowledge that can help them address their pain points and solve their problems. These events allow you to connect with attendees in a more personalized and meaningful way, creating opportunities for networking and relationship-building.

Source : SSM

To make the most of hosting a seminar or workshop for email list building, it's important to plan the event carefully. You need to choose a relevant topic, find a suitable venue, plan the schedule, create promotional materials, prepare the content, and collect email addresses. This is one of the most legitimate methods to building your b2b mailing list opt-in.

3. Participate in local business associations

Local business associations are also an effective way to build your B2B list. In addition to networking and sharing knowledge, participating in local business associations can also provide opportunities for collaboration and referrals. You can build relationships with similar businesses or new emerging businesses in your community, and refer clients to one another and potentially collaborate on projects or events.

To get started, research local associations that are relevant to your industry or target audience, such as chambers of commerce, industry-specific associations, or networking groups. Attend meetings and events hosted by the association to introduce yourself to other members and start building relationships. Make sure to bring business cards and be prepared to talk about your business and what you have to offer.

4. Hold a contest or giveaway

Offering offline contests can be an effective way to build your email address list while also creating excitement and engagement around your brand. You could offer various types of contests, such as social media contests or in-store giveaways, with email list subscriptions as an option for notifications to winners or to simply receive results and other information. Alternatively, you could create contests that entirely revolve around email list subscriptions by having subscription options on the contest entry forms or as the entry forms themselves.

➤ Here are some exciting stats about holding a contest or giveaways:

• 33% of contest participants are open to receiving information about the brand and partners.
• Of the total participants, 62.13% refer to a friend.
• Approximately 94.46% of the time, users share the promotion immediately after registering.
• An average of over 34% of new customers are acquired through contests.

Data Source : Outgrow

Source : woobox blog

➤ Here's a step-by-step guide on how to offer offline contests to build your email list:

• Choose a contest theme that's relevant to your business or industry. For example, if you run a bakery, you could have a cupcake decorating contest.
• Decide on the entry requirements and rules for the contest, such as who can enter, how to enter, and the deadline for entries.
• Create entry forms that include an option for contestants to subscribe to your email list. Make sure that the subscription option is clearly visible and not buried in the fine print.

Source : Formstack

• Promote your contest offline through flyers, posters, or local advertisements to attract participants. Make sure to include information on how to enter and the prize for the winner.
• Collect entries and email addresses from contestants who have subscribed to your email list.
• Choose a winner and notify them via email. If possible, include an incentive for all contestants to join your email lists, such as a discount code or exclusive content.

5. Promote on merchandise

Mention your brand on any promotional products, such as magnets, water bottles, pencils, gift cards, and T-shirts.

Source : Mindstick

To get the most out of this strategy, consider offering the merchandise for free. This can be a great way to incentivize customers to sign up for your email address list, as they'll be more likely to do so if they know they're getting something for free. Moreover, according to statistics, 43% of consumers are influenced to purchase by photos they see.

➤ But keep in mind the following things:

• Consider what merchandise would be most useful and valuable to your target audience. It's essential to choose items that people are likely to use regularly.
• Make sure to include your brand logo on the merchandise. This can be done through printing, engraving, or even adding a sticker.
• Promote your offer on your website, social media channels, and in-store.
• Once someone signs up for your email list, make sure to follow up with them and provide valuable content to keep them engaged.

6. Give out product samples

Providing free samples to prospective subscribers is a terrific method to entice them to join your list. Although many businesses aren’t doing it – Trust Us, it is effective. According to Arbitron and Edison Media Research, 35% of consumers who opt for a sample will purchase the sampled product in the same shopping trip.

You can choose a popular product or a new product that you want to spread the word about as your free sample. This might assist you in introducing your products to your visitors and converting more of them into paying clients.

7. Co-marketing campaigns

Partnering up with a complimentary brand for a co-marketing campaign opens the doors to a whole new audience. By collaborating on a webinar or co-authoring an ebook, you can tap into each other's expertise and provide added value to your audience. This can help you collect valuable leads and ultimately grow your email list. Reports suggest that co-marketed campaigns helped 68% of consumers make buying decisions without speaking to sales representatives.

➤ Keep the following things in mind:

• First, identify complementary brands or businesses that share your target audience and have a similar brand identity or values.
• Reach out to them, emphasizing the potential benefits for both parties. This could be a webinar, co-authored ebook, or another type of content collaboration.
• Plan and create the content for the campaign. Make sure it aligns with both brands' messaging and goals.

How to build a B2B email list using online tactics?

8. Use conversational popups

Conversational popups are a cross between a traditional welcome popup and an entertaining quiz. They're a great method to grow your list and segment your contacts based on their interests. According to Optimonk, the average conversion rate for conversational pop-ups is 15.2%, which is higher than other forms of pop-ups.

The benefits? First, you can inquire about your visitor's hobbies or the problem(s) that brought them to your website. This might assist you in identifying what your potential consumers are interested in and what products to include in customized suggestions for them.

Source : Octane AI

➤ You can also ask for their email addresses in exchange for a discount:

Ultimately, you can enhance the user experience on your website by displaying relevant product recommendations based on the answers provided by customers to your questions. This way, customers can find the products they are interested in more efficiently and effectively without having to search for them on their own.

Source : Wiser

9. Host webinars

Webinars can be used not just for educational purposes but also to sell your product. The auditory and visual features of webinars captivate your audience. This reduces distractions and influences how people receive the information you share with them. Overall, webinars provide a more thorough learning experience than blog and social media posts. Webinars enable you to interact with your audience in real-time and reply to queries as they arise. In a sentence, webinars are highly targeted.

Data Source : Luisa Zhou

➤ Here’s how to get started:

The first thing your audience will look at before subscribing to your webinar is the title. So, aim to hook your audience right away with a headline that gets attention.

Selecting the appropriate tools for your webinar to ensure a smooth experience with your business is also critical. This is important in keeping consumers focused and preventing them from losing interest due to system faults.

Source : RC

Finally, after you have settled on a topic and found the appropriate tools to use. Now is the time to spread the word out there!

How to do that?

Start by creating a dedicated landing page on your website. To pique your audience’s interest even further, you can record a short teaser video and promote it on your landing page and with your existing email subscribers and social media followers.

Source : Animoto

10. Influencer marketing

Influencers can help you increase your email list tremendously by encouraging their followers to sign up for your newsletter in exchange for special offers. As per the Digital Marketing Institute, approximately 49% of consumers trust influencer recommendations when making a purchase, and around 40% purchase the recommended product for a trial.

You may also compensate your influencers based on the number of individuals that sign up for your newsletter due to their efforts. You could also run a referral program to direct specific subscribers to your influencer's unique link. Similarly to influencer relationships intended at promoting a company or product, you should offer your influencer(s) artistic license when it comes to attracting their followers to your subscriber list. Allow your creator to relate their personal experience with your brand in their own words.

11. Use live chat

If you don't yet have live chat support agents and your live chat response rates are lacking, there is a workaround. Ask for prospects' email addresses before they submit their message so you can contact them when you return online.

According to the ApexChat study, having a live chat can increase the number of online leads by 40% on average. Visitors who start a live chat on the website are greeted by a friendly bot and encouraged to sign up for the corporate newsletter right away.

Source : woobox blog

12. Launch a paid advertising campaign

Paid advertisements never get old. They get more refined and targeted each day and remain one of the best lead-generation techniques.

You can use sponsored social ads on LinkedIn or Facebook, Quora ads, or regular old Google AdWords. The ad channel you choose is determined by your target audience's interests and behavior.

To give you real-life examples, Veeroll was able to drive 122 form submissions in two weeks using a Facebook Ad campaign that sent users to a webinar landing page. The program cost $2,500 in advertising and generated $11,000 in monthly revenue.

Source : Connectio

When you launch a paid lead generation campaign, you must first define your objectives. It's not just about the number of leads you want to generate in a specific time frame; it's also about how much you're willing to pay for each lead.

13. Case studies and hidden content

This one has been out there for a while but is still super effective. Websites commonly provide access to case studies or other hidden content when you offer them your email address. They say they will email you a link or the promised content to protect it, but they really just want your email address. Recently, marketers have been raising the ante and giving away full digital books that are downloadable! Contact information is so valuable, and it’s prevalent in the use of gated content like this.

You can choose a popular product or a new product that you want to spread the word about as your free sample. This might assist you in introducing your products to your visitors and converting more of them into paying clients.

Source : Leadpages

14. Consider a referral program

Referral programs are some of the most popular tools that b2b businesses use to build a solid and loyal customer base. And rightly so - 92% of consumers trust referrals from people they know. In addition, 77% of consumers prefer to buy a new product if friends or family recommend it.

Implementing a referral program for new signups with incentives such as discounts, redeemable store points, and special offers can encourage customers to share your brand with friends and family, ultimately increasing your email list.

15. Use exit-intent popups

Although this is a recurrent strategy, one can hardly ignore it. Exit-intent popups are one of the best ways to capture new subscribers if you own a website.

According to reports, exit popups convert at around 4% - 5% on average. Although this may not seem high, this is higher than average display ads and landing pages.

You can provide any of the incentives mentioned above, but the key here is that you want to do it right before a person is about to leave your site. You can detect this moment by employing software that monitors user activity and detects when they are going to leave.

➤ Here’s a perfect example of exit-intent popups:

Source : Omnisend

What is the easiest way to build a B2B email list?

The easiest way to build a b2b email list is to buy an email list from a vendor.

While collecting email addresses organically is ideal, you should also collaborate with a data provider. Reputable data providers can examine your existing database and create email lists that match the criteria of your prospective buyers—people who are interested in the content and communications of your brand. In addition, many providers offer customization options. You can utilize this feature to find fresh leads based on certain data attributes such as location, asset size, job title, etc.

There are a ton of email database vendors out there, so we won’t get into those. But before you purchase an email list, do your research to find trustworthy sources that will not give you spam emails.