If you are just starting with email marketing and have no addresses in your email list, or too few to start a campaign that will be worth your while,  yet you feel like buying leads from a third party provider doesn’t suit you either, building the list from scratch is your best call. However, you'll find that you will need significantly different approach for B2B and B2C customers.

Business-to-Business tactics

Use customer details acquired by your offline sales team. If you aren’t already doing it, have your sales force get your customers’ email addresses. Returning clients will be the first to give their email addresses without asking any questions – they will understand you need it to improve communication and keep in touch with them easier.

Collect relevant information about your business customers such as: number of employees, main areas of activity and annual revenues. You will need this to segment your list and send in relevant offers. A company with 200 employees and a state-wide network of copy shops won’t be interested in your latest $300 inkjet multifunctional device, whereas a lawyer’s office with three employees will have no use for a $60,000 printing equipment that can print and bind thirty 200-page books per hour.

Telemarketing can be a great way of getting business leads. Get a list of companies from your local Chamber of Commerce, have your sales crew call them up to introduce your company and ask for contact email addresses without any further sales pitches. More companies than you would believe are going to agree to receive emails from you.

Business-to-Customer tactics

End-users are harder to convince into handing over their email addresses. They usually take all promotions with a grain of salt and you will have to convince them you aren’t going to spam them or sell their addresses. Incentives are a great way of having them join your mailing list. A free ebook, a chance to win a prize or premium content delivered only by email are good tactics.

Viral marketing can also get you quite a lot of B2C email leads. Offer your existing newsletter members the possibility to spread the word – a way to forward your content to their friends or social media group. Make sure you get their friends’ permissions before emailing them though – a recommendation cannot be considered an agreement to receive emails from you. Of course, you need to make the content interesting and unique enough to want to be shared, a viral campaign isn't easy to pull off.

Offline meetings can also be a great way to get qualified leads. Schedule a public presentation of your product and have everyone confirm attendance by email. Advertise it around local social circles, as well as printed media. Follow up with a thank you note to all attendants and request permission to email them further offers – the majority will likely agree.

Are there any other tactics you have tried or any experiences you would like to share? Hit the Comment form below.