EMAIL LIST GROWTH TRENDS - Ascend2

EMAIL LISTGROWTH TRENDSSurvey Summary ReportResearch Series Conducted inPartnership with LeadingMarketing Solution Providers

TABLE OF CONTENTS3.Email List Growth Trends4.Strategic Objectives5.Rating Strategic Success6.Critical Challenges7.Sales Cycle Encountered8.Objectives Versus Challenges9.Tactical Effectiveness10. How Effectiveness is Changing11. Effort Required to Perform12. Tactical Resources Used13. Effectiveness Versus Effort14. About Ascend215. Research Partner ProgramsMethodologyAscend2 benchmarks theperformance of popular digitalmarketing strategies and tacticsusing a standardizedquestionnaire and a proprietary3-Minute Survey format.This survey was fielded to a panelof research subscribers andmarketing influencers for oneweek beginning March 1, 2017.2

EMAIL LIST GROWTH TRENDSEmail is consistently one of the highest convertingmarketing channels available.But what strategies and tactics are marketers using toincrease the number of those receiving their email?To find out, Ascend2 and our Research Partners fieldedthe Email List Growth Trends Survey. We thank themarketing influencers responding to this survey forsharing their valuable insights with us, and you.The data in this edition of the study titled the Email ListGrowth Trends Survey Summary Report represent theaverage of all market segments responding to thesurvey. Specific segments from the survey are reportedon separately and exclusively by our participatingResearch Partners.This research has been produced for your use. Put it towork in your own marketing strategy. Clip the charts andwrite about them in your blog or post them on socialmedia. Please share this research credited as published.Enjoy!Survey Respondents & ProfilesN 255Number of EmployeesMore than 50050 to 500Fewer than 5046%36%18%Role in the CompanyOwner / Partner / CXOVP / Director / ManagerNon-Management32%56%12%Primary Marketing ChannelB2B Business-to-Business 36%B2C Business-to-Consumer 39%B2B and B2C Equally25%3

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVESIncreasing the rate at which visitors opt-in to receive email is an importantobjective for more than half (55%) of marketing influencers. This rate ofconversion is often driven by the level of relevancy and/or value of thecontent offered, an important objective for (52%) of marketing influencers.Email List Growth Trends Survey, Ascend2 and Research Partners, March 20174

RATING STRATEGIC SUCCESSA total of 82% of marketing influencers consider their email list growthstrategy successful to some extent with three-out-of-ten of the total (31%)referring to it as best-in-class. The remaining 18% are still struggling toachieve the important objectives of their strategy.Email List Growth Trends Survey, Ascend2 and Research Partners, March 20175

CRITICAL CHALLENGESIncreasing sign-up conversion rates and improving content relevancy/valueare not only most important objectives, but for 46% and 45% of marketinginfluencers respectively, they are also critical challenges to achieving emaillist growth success.Email List Growth Trends Survey, Ascend2 and Research Partners, March 20176

SALES CYCLE ENCOUNTEREDRegardless of the type of sales cycle encountered, it is imperative thatan achievable strategy for the continuous growth of a quality emaillist is applied.Email List Growth Trends Survey, Ascend2 and Research Partners, March 20177

OBJECTIVES VERSUS CHALLENGESAnalyzing the importance of objectives in comparison to the challenge ofachieving them provides a unique perspective on developing a successfulemail list growth strategy .Email List Growth Trends Survey, Ascend2 and Research Partners, March 20178

TACTICAL EFFECTIVENESSSocial media advertising, content marketing and SEO are effective email listgrowth tactics used by the most marketing influencers. Adding sociallogin/sign-up capabilities to web forms has become an effective method formaking the opt-in process simpler and easier for email list subscribers.Email List Growth Trends Survey, Ascend2 and Research Partners, March 20179

HOW EFFECTIVENESS IS CHANGINGThe trend shows an increase in the effectiveness of email list growth tacticsfor nearly nine-out-of-ten marketing influencers (89%). This trend is likelydue to the increasing maturity of both email marketing experience andtechnology. Regrettably, effectiveness is decreasing for the remaining 11%.Email List Growth Trends Survey, Ascend2 and Research Partners, March 201710

EFFORT REQUIRED TO PERFORMThe skill, time and expense required to perform tactics is an importantconsideration when developing a plan to achieve email list growthobjectives. Creating and distributing relevant content of value to the targetaudience is a tactic requiring significant effort for half (50%) of marketers.Email List Growth Trends Survey, Ascend2 and Research Partners, March 201711

TACTICAL RESOURCES USEDTo perform content marketing and other tactics requiring significanteffort, 85% of companies are outsourcing all or part of their email listgrowth strategy to gain capabilities and skills not available in-house.Only 15% are relying on in-house resources only.Email List Growth Trends Survey, Ascend2 and Research Partners, March 201712

EFFECTIVENESS VERSUS EFFORTTactics that are much more effective than they are difficult to perform(social media advertising, social login/sign-up, and contests and giveaways,for example), are more likely to be included in a successful email list growthstrategy and less likely to require outsourcing to a specialist.Email List Growth Trends Survey, Ascend2 and Research Partners, March 201713

Research-Based Marketingfor Marketing Solution ProvidersMarketing technology and data companies, and digitalmarketing agencies, partner with Ascend2 to reliablygenerate demand and supplement marketing contentfor their firms. Our Research Partner Programs aretransparent – focusing on your brand and the interestsof your target audience.Learn more about us at Ascend2.comBelow are just a few of the leading marketing solutionproviders that Partner with us on research-basedmarketing programs.As a marketing technology ordata company, or digitalmarketing agency, yourprospective customers aremarketing influencers with aninterest in the facts aboutimproving marketingperformance.Research-Based DemandGeneration is a process wedeveloped to generate leadsusing factual content of interestto your target customers, andnurture those leads to marketingqualified status in the name ofyour brand.14

Research Partner ProgramsResearch Partner Programs rapidly deliver factual contentand a guaranteed number of leads to marketing solutionproviders, in two simple steps:1. Choose marketing topics of interest to your audience. A new marketing topic is surveyed every month2. Choose an exclusive data segment for each topic. Successful Strategy Benchmarks Leadership Benchmarks B2B Benchmarks B2C Benchmarks Enterprise Benchmarks SMB Benchmarks Agency Benchmarks Complex Sale Benchmarks And more!Learn more about Ascend2 Research-Based Marketing bycalling 800-762-1595 extension 703 or visit Ascend2.com.This Survey Summary Report ispart of a monthly research seriesconducted in partnership withmarketing solution providers.You may adapt, copy, distributeand transmit this work. However,you must attribute the work asproduced by Ascend2 and itsResearch Partners but not in anyway that suggests that theyendorse you or your use of thework.When you share this content,please provide a link back tohttp://ascend2.com15

Email List Growth Trends Survey, Ascend2 and Research Partners, March 2017 10. EFFORT REQUIRED TO PERFORM The skill, time and expense required to perform tactics is an important consideration when developing a plan to achieve email list growth objectives. Creating and distributing relevant content of value to the target