Marketers say social media advertising is the most effective tactic for growing email lists, according to recent research from Ascend2.

The report was based on data from a survey of 225 marketers based in the United States (39% work for B2C firms, 36% for B2B firms, and 25% for hybrid B2C-B2B firms).

Some 45% of respondents say social media advertising is an effective tactic for growing email lists.

Content marketing ranks second (42%), followed by search engine optimization (38%), social logins/signups (36%), and contests/giveaways (34%).

Respondents say content marketing is the email list growth tactic that demands the most effort (50% say it requires a lot of skill, time, and expense); search engine optimization ranks second (45%), followed by social media advertising (37%).

Marketers say the most important objective of their email growth strategy is to increase signup conversion rates (50% cite it as a key goal).

About the report: The report was based on data from a survey of 225 marketers based in the United States (39% work for B2C firms, 36% for B2B firms, and 25% for hybrid B2C-B2B firms).