12 Ways SaaS Brands Can Build Their B2B Email List in 2022

Attracting visitors to your online presence is one thing and converting them is another. In 2022, getting a rank on Google’s first page is not enough. Your SaaS brand should be able to make the most of website traffic and turn it into a steady flow of conversions.

SaaS email marketing is one of the most effective digital marketing strategies for B2B companies. But most of them focus only on using newsletter sign-ups and calls to action (CTAs) on their blog posts and ebooks.

We will go deeper into the nuances of email marketing in the article. It will open your mind to unknown possibilities of impacting the customer journey positively. But before we delve into them, let us clarify some other aspects of SaaS email marketing.

Why do you need a B2B email list?

We cannot underestimate the importance of building an email list. You can expect an average ROI of $36 for every $1 spent on email marketing campaigns. However, there is another reason for having a B2B email list.

The B2B customer journey usually consists of more touchpoints than the B2C one.

• B2C: If a consumer wants to buy sports shoes, they will visit a few eCommerce stores, compare brands and prices, check reviews, and place an order accordingly.
• B2B: If a company wants to buy a paid content marketing plan, it can take weeks or months before a user compares alternatives, takes free trials of a few tools, and finally decides on the service.

The B2B domain lets you shorten the buyer’s journey with timely email campaigns. So you can engage the leads and persuade them to buy from your SaaS brand.

Should you buy an email list?

It may seem like a never-ending debate whether or not you should buy an email list. And we are not talking about the high costs involved in procuring a permission-based email list. There are other reasons why we recommend you should not buy a readymade list of potential leads.

Here are the four reasons why building your own B2B email list is a better idea:

• The EU General Data Protection Regulation states that you can send emails only to recipients after obtaining their consent to be a part of your email list. Businesses that do not comply with such guidelines risk severe penalties.
• If you use quality email marketing software, it is hard to get approvals for your campaigns. As a result, reputable email service providers insist that marketers use opt-in mailing lists.
• Most of your emails may be marked as spam by your email service provider.
• If your email finally reaches an inbox, there are few chances a person will open a message from an unknown sender.

Basics of SaaS email marketing

Create a Website

We know it may sound like common sense to create a website. And you may even have it ready. But our motive behind mentioning this point is to create a website that works well for your brand.

Nowadays, free templates and other tools make website creation an easy task. Unfortunately, many brands take it for granted. You should ensure the website reflects your brand identity and is not just another URL on the web!

A SaaS business does not need a large website to get started. You can create a landing page with a good CTA. Then you can continue building your website further.

Invest in the best email marketing platform

A quality email marketing platform helps you organize your email list and send emails in an organized manner.

On a broader note, the platform will also serve the purpose of drip campaigns, sequencing, and much more. So make the best use of modern-day business productivity tools to streamline workflows and increase operational efficiency.

Understand your audience

You hear every marketing ninja talk about understanding the audience on the internet. But not everyone gets it right.

It is necessary to get to know your target audience deeply. You should know what your customers want even before they know it.

Create a marketing persona representing your ideal customers. It helps you find your target audience and strike the right chord with them.

When your customers feel you understand them well, they will happily be a part of your B2B email list. Thus, you have won their trust!

Build audience segments

Audience segmentation is about the differentiation of customers based on demographics, job titles, industry, language, problems, etc. It helps you deliver a personalized experience within each email marketing journey.

Clearbit is one of the best tools to help you build audience segments. Check out its snapshot below.

Prioritize conversions

Understanding conversions also includes the ones that you lost at some point. Track data points within your customer journey that did not convert. Find out what went wrong and tweak your email marketing strategy accordingly.

12 Effective Tips to Build a B2B Email List for SaaS Brands

1. Automate behavioral triggers

You might have heard of the pirate funnel called AARRR by now. Yet, it is a step you need to practice more in your SaaS email marketing strategy.

2. Use the Double Opt-in method for email verification.

There are two types of methods available for verifying the email address of subscribers. They are known as Single Opt-in and Double Opt-in.

Single opt-in lets users submit their email address through your subscription form, and they can receive your emails without email verification. This method puts you at risk of receiving fake or spam contacts.

3. Use your NPS emails wisely.

An NPS (Net Promoter Survey) score helps SaaS brands analyze brand and product sentiment and identify room for improvement. Besides, it can also help with your segmentation strategy.

NPS emails will help you identify your detractors, passives, and promoters. Once you segment promoters, you can build referral campaigns and stand a greater chance of upselling your services to them. Plus, you may also get a higher open and click-through rate.

Please do not overuse the technique, as it can cause your subscribers to unsubscribe.

4. Work on your infrastructure

You must have the necessary reporting infrastructure and tools to measure email performance. It does not make sense to send emails if you cannot track and improve them.

Share the analytics data with the concerned teams. For example, you can relay metrics related to leads to optimize your funnels.

Besides, email marketing infrastructure also includes your naming conventions. Your naming strategy should provide clarity on everything in your system. And your CRM software should also work with the same naming conventions.

5. Host referral campaigns for subscribers

Many SaaS brands overlook referral campaigns as a way of reaching new audiences. You can run a successful campaign at different stages throughout the customer journey.

Referral campaigns help you reinitiate contact with churned and unengaged customers. It also gives you the chance to grow your product awareness in relevant communities.

Thus, referral campaigns can help build brand loyalty with a lower spend over advertising campaigns.

6. Always focus on the reader.

In 2022, it does not matter if you run well-structured or automated email marketing campaigns. If you cannot deliver engaging content for new users, you will not get the expected results. The following email marketing quote can inspire you to focus on your reader.

Create personalized emails and include success stories of your past customers. Also, include specific case studies relevant to each email list segment and user persona.

7. Nail onboarding sequences and welcome emails

Onboarding is a crucial stage of every product’s success. A well-planned onboarding can decrease customer churn, increase customer retention, and boost product adoption rates.

Email marketing is one of the best ways to ensure the successful onboarding of customers. An engaging welcome journey can increase engagement by 33%. So if you nail the onboarding sequence, the benefits will surpass your expectations.

8. Follow-up every email in your list

It is an excellent strategy to keep running a nurturing campaign for every email on your list. Do not bother if the recipients have turned cold and not opened your emails.

Remember, people provided their emails to you for a reason, and they acknowledge the existence of your brand.

You can set new goals for the colder emails. Try generating another touchpoint and increasing your brand awareness. Use behavioral triggers, nurture flows, and segmentation to your advantage.

All of the above techniques can help you grab the attention of cold subscribers again.

9. Include a CTA to Your Newsletter in Your Email Signature

Start using your email signature for content promotion. Update your email signature to include a simple call to action (CTA) that persuades people to download a guide, sign up for a webinar, or schedule a call with your sales team.

If your readers do not like your email, include a shareable link to your newsletter. So readers can pass it on to other people in their network or company. Your email signature will encourage new readers to download your content and be part of your B2B email list.

10. Utilize the Marketing Opportunities On LinkedIn

LinkedIn is not just a job portal where you upload your CV and hope to get a job. It is a channel to build and nurture professional relationships. Also, B2B brands use LinkedIn to connect with their target audience.

LinkedIn offers various premium options to get your brand’s story in front of the target audience:

• Display Advertising
• PPC Advertising
• Dynamic Advertising
• Native Advertising
• Sponsored InMail

LinkedIn also recently launched its new LinkedIn Forms. It helps brands capture emails and leads without any landing pages.

But wait a minute! Paid media campaigns are not the end of the story in LinkedIn marketing.

Professional networking remains one of the most powerful elements of LinkedIn. Ensure you are connected with more people on the platform to get your message across to a larger audience. Now, that does not mean you start adding everyone to LinkedIn.

Start strengthening your relationships with your existing connections by engaging with their content. Also, create your original content for LinkedIn. And constantly share others’ valuable content on your profile. It is always advisable to use LinkedIn automation tools to get the most out of your social media marketing efforts.

When you increase your activity on LinkedIn, more people will follow your account to stay updated with your content. Thus, you build a loyal fanbase who will be happy to be a part of your email list anytime in the future.

11. Create Joint Partnerships with other B2B Brands

The best B2B partnerships can be mutually beneficial for both brands and customers.

For example, two brands promoting a webinar is better than one. Think about potential opportunities to partner with another SaaS brand. Both of you can collaborate on the content and share the lead list. Thus, the partnership can be a success with proper planning and execution.

12. Leverage exit pop-ups and banners

Visitors do not always notice a lead magnet. So get it placed in the most prominent parts of your website.

You can leverage exit pop-ups and sidebar banners to grab the attention of new visitors. You can also use interactive banner animations to improve UX and increase engagement and conversions.

Here are two related real-life examples that show the impact of pop-ups and banners:

• Yoast used a user-friendly exit pop-up and doubled its email sign-ups. The SEO brand was able to generate over 10,000 subscribers in 30 days.
• Contently, the leading content marketing platform added banner ads to their homepage and the webinar called The 2021 Content Checklist. It got an additional 630 registrants and accounted for 49.4% of the total submissions.

Thus, you will not lose potential leads to slow landing page speed or other distracting elements.

Wrapping it up

The process of SaaS email marketing starts with understanding your customers’ pain points. If you get it right, the rest of the journey is smoother.

You can start your email marketing campaign by picking one or two of the above-listed strategies and implementing them. Continue experimenting with new approaches to find the ones that drive the best lead conversion rates.

All the best for your marketing efforts!

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