Is Content Marketing the Toughest Email List Growth Tactic?
A recent survey suggests it is, but it’s also one of the most effective
June 14, 2017
Email is among the most powerful marketing channels available, but as brands work to grow their email lists, they’re finding that the most effective tactics can also be some of the most difficult to rely on.
A March 2017 survey of marketing professionals worldwide from digital marketing research firm Ascend2 showed 42% of respondents said content marketing is the most effective email list growth tactic, while 50% said it’s the toughest to execute.

But that doesn’t mean content marketing is innately challenging. Marketers may simply not have the time or manpower to work on it in-house.
In fact, according to separate data from digital asset management company Widen Enterprises, 43% of US creative and marketing professionals surveyed said that having enough bandwidth to create content is the top content marketing challenge.
That’s likely why less time-demanding efforts, such as social media advertising and social login, or one-and-done strategies like contests or giveaways, were considered to be more effective than challenging by marketers in the Ascend2 survey.
And despite the obstacles associated with content marketing, marketers are by no means shying away from it—or other difficult tactics. Instead, they simply outsource them to agencies that specialize in these areas.
—Maria Minsker
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