Acquiring quality email leads is a must if you want to get that sweet $36 ROI that email marketing brings to the table.  

Without a solid email lead generation strategy, your business will eventually run out of steam and dry up like a puddle of rainwater on a hot summer’s day.

With this in mind, I’d like to introduce you to some proven strategies you can use to generate a targeted email leads list and grow your business.

But before we get into the nuts and bolts of email lead generation, let’s define what email leads are.

What Are Email Leads?

Email leads are simply individuals who have signed up for your mailing list and are willing to receive your emails.

Email lead generation starts with a potential customer filling out a form on your website or a landing page. 

By collecting their information, you’ll be able to build a profile of your lead, which you can then use to send them relevant emails. 

However, a good email lead generation strategy extends beyond the lead capture form.

It also entails nurturing leads through the sales funnel to ultimately convert them into customers, and even brand ambassadors!

But that’s a story for another day.

In this article, I want to give you a quick rundown of proven email lead-generation strategies that you can implement in your own business today.

Let’s begin by highlighting the importance of email lead generation and the impact it can have on your business. 

Importance of Getting Quality Email Leads For Your Business 

Developing a winning email lead generation strategy is a challenging task that requires a lot of trial and error.

Fortunately, marketers are increasingly recognizing the importance of lead generation.

A survey from the Content Marketing Institute has found that 68% of B2B marketers consider generating quality leads as their top priority.

And most marketers turn to email as their top lead generation channel. 

As a matter of fact, email is the most commonly used lead generation tool (78%), followed by event marketing (73%) and content marketing (67%).

So, what makes email marketing leads such a valuable asset to a business?

Well, having a quality leads list will help you:

• Grow your following
• Expand your market share
• Increase your revenue
• Create new business opportunities
• Boost your brand’s visibility 
• Reduce cold emailing & calling, etc.

That said, let’s see how you can start building a great email lead-generation strategy for your business!

10 Ways to Use Email Marketing for Lead Generation

Now that you know the importance of getting quality email leads, it’s time to explore how you can start generating these leads for your business. 

Here are 10 email lead-generation strategies that can start implementing right away:

Pinpoint Your Target Audience

Identifying your target audience is the first step to developing a winning email lead-generation strategy. You can do that by answering the following questions:

• Which demographics are you targeting? 
• What area do they live in?
• What is their line of work?
• How much do they earn?
• Do they have any hobbies?
• What sources do they use for information?
• What is their mode of communication?

The answers to these questions will give you a better idea of who your target audience is and where to focus your efforts.

Utilize Clean and Concise Email Designs 

A well-designed email is a crucial component of lead generation. Excessive detail can distract people from the message you’re trying to convey. 

To that end, try to keep your emails short and to the point, with clean and simple designs.

Make sure to follow these best email copywriting practices when designing your emails:

• Use Plain fonts: The emails you send out shouldn’t be flashy. Make them easy to read by using plain fonts.
• Make your emails easy on the eye: Using a clean, simple template design will help you generate more leads!
• Text Formatting: Ensure that your email content is concise, well-spaced, and highlights important information. That will simplify the task of digesting it for your subscribers.
• Clear call-to-action button: Your CTA button should be clearly visible and intuitive to use.  This is especially true for readers using mobile devices.

Craft Compelling Subject Lines

Your subject line is the first thing your subscribers will see when they receive your email. 

It’s therefore important that it not only accurately reflects the email’s content but is also compelling enough to make people click. 

So, how to create an email subject line that will make your prospects click? 

Here are some guidelines that you can use to craft the best email subject lines:

• Make it short: Keep your subject lines short and to the point. Long subject lines can be a turnoff for busy people. Besides, lengthy subject lines get cut off on mobile devices.
• Use a hook: Your subject line should grab the attention of your prospects and compel them to open your email. 
• Make it clear: Subject lines should be direct and specific. They should not contain any ambiguity. 
• Make it catchy: A catchy subject line is a great way to make your emails stand out from the crowd. You can use puns, rhyming words, and other attention-grabbing techniques to do that.
• Use emotional language: Your subject line should be emotional to get people to click. You can even use emojis in email subject lines to boost your open rates. 

Make sure to follow these guidelines to craft the best email subject lines for your business.

Always Include an Eye-Catching Call-To-Action 

A marketing email without a call-to-action (CTA) button is like a love letter without a signature. 

Your CTA button should clearly indicate what you want your subscribers to do. It can be anything from clicking on a link to signing up for a newsletter.

So, how do you create an effective email CTA? 

To ensure that your CTA button will do what it is supposed to do, follow these practices:

• Make it obvious: The CTA button should be clearly visible and intuitive to use. It should also be large enough so that mobile users can click on it easily.
• Make it clear: Your CTA button should not be ambiguous. Make sure to include a clear description of what your prospects should do next.
• Keep it short: Your CTA text should consist of no more than three words. It is OK to use up to five or six – if necessary – but no more than that.
• Make your text action-oriented. Using verbiage like “Get Your Discount” or “Try for Free” will compel readers to take action.
• Create urgency: Play on your customers’ inherent fear of missing out by injecting a sense of urgency into your CTA.

You can do that by using phrases like:

• Shop Now
• 50% off Today,
• Two Spots Left, etc. 

If you need some visual help, check out these call-to-action examples for inspiration. 

Include Attractive Lead Magnets

To entice readers into giving up their email addresses, you need to give them a good reason.

The best way to do that is by using a lead magnet. 

A lead magnet is an incentive that will entice people to sign up for your newsletter. It can be anything from a free ebook to a discount code or a free trial.

In any case, the lead magnet should be something that is of value to your readers. It should address your target audience’s pain points or concerns. 

Use Social Media Channels 

Social media is a rich hunting ground for new leads. 

The benefits of using social media are twofold. In addition to getting new email leads, you will also gain new followers on these platforms. 

You can promote your free lead magnet by adding CTAs to your profiles and scheduling daily posts. Doing so will allow you to continue generating new leads on autopilot.

Here are some additional tips for building your email list with social media: 

• Update your blog posts regularly and promote them on your social media accounts to grow your audience and traffic. 
• Make it easier for people to sign up for your mailing list by adding an opt-in form to your Facebook page.
• Include click-to-tweet in your lead magnets or blog posts so subscribers can share your content within their networks. 
• Provide value to your audience by answering questions and engaging with them. That will make them feel like they are part of your community and may encourage them to subscribe to your mailing list.

Automate Your Email Marketing Efforts 

Adding email automation to the mix will maximize the impact of your marketing efforts. Automation allows you to schedule emails based on your subscribers’ behaviors and dealings with your brand.

But what exactly is email automation? How does one go about automating emails?

Email automation makes use of email software like Mailvio to send emails to your list based on certain triggers.

For example, you can send welcome emails to new subscribers as soon as they sign up. Similarly, you can also send thank you emails to customers who bought your product.

You can also re-engagement emails to your inactive subscribers, cart abandonment emails to those who didn’t complete their purchase, etc. 

These automated workflows will help you to:

• Save time
• Avoid human error
• Improve your email deliverability
• Increase the chances of a purchase
• Grow your list

While the results of an email automation campaign may vary from business to business, the benefits of automation are clear.

An email automation platform like Mailvio will also help you personalize your messages, making them more relevant and engaging.

And that leads us to the next chapter of this beginner’s guide to email marketing lead generation: 

Hyper-Personalize Your Emails

Personalization is one of the best ways to engage your customers through email marketing. You should make it a habit to send personalized emails to your subscribers.

Remember that stat about how email marketing delivers an ROI of $36 for every dollar spent? Well, personalized emails can take that ROI to a staggering 122%. Amazing, right?

This is where your email automation software can help as well. Using Mailvio, you can personalize your emails by segmenting your lists into smaller categories and targeting each category with a unique email.

For example, you can segment your list by location, age, gender, interests, income, geolocation, etc. 

You can also segment your list based on their previous purchases, which is a great way to upsell and cross-sell to your customers. 

Another great way to personalize your emails is to include your recipients’ names in the subject line.

But personalization doesn’t end there. You can also send emails to your prospects on their birthday, anniversary, or any other occasion that’s relevant to them.

You can even surprise them with an offer specifically tailored to their needs.

This will help you to build a relationship with your customers and will make them feel like they are part of your brand.

A/B Test Everything to Improve Your Open and Click-Through Rates 

A/B testing, or split testing, is a great way to improve the effectiveness of your emails. It allows you to test different variations of your emails and then select the one that performs the best.

For example, you can A/B test your subject lines for thank you emails, messages, calls to action, and more.

You can also A/B test the type of content you send, the frequency of your emails, and the timing of your emails. 

Doing so will help you improve your open and click-through rates, which will increase your chances of generating new leads.

Optimize for Mobile Devices 

Did you know that 85% of users access email via smartphones? This bit of information alone should be enough to convince you that mobile is a key part of your email marketing strategy.

Using responsive email designs will help you to provide a great email experience for your customers.

The beauty of responsive email designs is that they adapt to any device, including mobile.

You can further optimize your emails for mobile by following these tips:

• Craft subject lines that have a maximum of 30 characters
• Use bulleted lists and short paragraphs wherever possible 
• Create large CTA buttons that users can easily tap

This will help you to improve your open and click-through rates and generate a healthy leads list for your business. 

Conclusion 

By following the tips listed above, you can supercharge your email generation lead efforts beyond your expectations.

The key to a successful lead-generation email campaign lies in email automation. 

With Mailvio, you can generate leads, nurture them, and ultimately convert them into customers.

Indeed, your emails will be more effective than ever before!

We hope you enjoyed this article and learned something new that will help you generate tons of email marketing leads. 

If so, please check out our blog for more great content!