Have you noticed a large drop in your number of email subscribers over the last week or two? If so, it’s likely because Google started deleting accounts that hadn’t been used for at least two years on December 1st. While the move is a good one — unused or forgotten accounts are more likely to be compromised — it may leave B2B marketers scrambling as they watch their subscriber numbers fall.
The good news is that Google only deleted inactive accounts, so those subscribers weren’t really doing you any good. If you’ve neglected your subscriber lists for a while, now’s a great time to work on building those back up. Here are three tips for attracting new email subscribers.
Ensure Your Subscription Form is Readily Available
While you don’t have to have your subscription form pop up on every page a user visits (actually, you definitely shouldn’t do this), it should be easy to find. The sidebars of articles or at the bottom of pages are great places to place a signup box that’s easy to find, yet unobtrusive.
The newsletter sidebar in the above picture is noticeable but fits in with the page’s theme and doesn’t block any part of the article. This provides a positive user experience, making it more likely that someone will sign up if they need or want more information on the topic.
Provide Something of Value in Exchange
Email users send and receive more than 306 billion emails each day, meaning they’re absolutely inundated with messaging. Because of the staggering number of emails, an email address is precious to many people, meaning they won’t give up that information without something in return.
For many B2C companies, that means offering a discount code or something free. While this may also work for B2B marketers, consider instead offering a free demo of your product or a content asset, like a whitepaper or webinar recording, that will help your reader gain more information about a problem that’s rife within the industry. Not only are you providing your subscribers with information they can use today, but you’re also establishing yourself as a thought leader, giving them somewhere to turn when they have other questions.
Promote Your Signup on Social Media
Just because someone follows you on social media, that doesn’t mean they subscribe to your newsletter or even know you have one. Engage your followers by inviting them to join your newsletter as well. Some brands opt to use giveaway posts to encourage signups. Even though some people may unsubscribe as soon as the giveaway is over, many will stick around as long as the content is relevant to them.
The good news is that 52% of consumers prefer to communicate with brands via email over social media, so giving your followers direct access to you with a newsletter is a great way to further engage them.
Broadcast Your Messaging With Partners in the Meantime
Rebuilding a subscriber list doesn’t happen overnight, but you can ensure you’re promoting your messages to the right audience in the meantime. TechnologyAdvice has several highly engaged newsletter audiences that B2B marketers can use to reach potential customers. Not only can you sponsor a newsletter, but you can also send a customized eBlast promoting a new product launch, a content asset, or even a free demo to subscribers of that newsletter. If the reader likes what you have to offer, they may even subscribe to your own newsletter.
Learn more about TechnologyAdvice’s email marketing options and the topics our newsletters cover.
