Email Marketing for Small Business
Email marketing has gotten a bit of a bad rep over the years. Large companies, specifically in the shopping and e-commerce industry, have taken advantage of the high engagement, immediacy and convenience of email marketing to spam their customers with sales gimmicks, last chance offer tactics and an endless supply of “things” to buy. Add in the fact that many companies purchase lists of email addresses, so you may receive emails you never even signed up for, and email marketing starts to seem like something you don’t want to be a part of.
There's a better way to do email.
Let me tell you: there is a better way to do email marketing. One that doesn’t spam your customers and creates high engagement based around meaningful and relevant content. I hate receiving those spammy e-commerce emails or emails I never signed up for just as much as you. And your customers are in the same boat. So don’t join in the email spam-wagon. Set yourself apart by sending content that your customers will look forward to receiving (and signed up for in the first place!)
Email generates $36 for every $1 spent.
The stats don’t lie. Email generates $36 for every $1 spent. That’s higher than any other digital channel. The reason? Email is delivered directly to the user, most likely right to their phones. There are 4 billion active email users and 99% of them check their inbox every day, with some checking 20 times per day. 58% of those people check their email first thing in the morning. On top of that, 22% of all email campaigns are opened within the first hour of sending (source).
With social media, it’s a gamble as to whether or not the algorithm is going to show your post. Sure, you can run paid ads and those can be very effective for certain types of campaigns and lead generation strategies. But when it comes to creating consistent, meaningful engagement with your customers, nothing beats email. In case you’re not convinced, 64% of small businesses use email marketing to connect with their customers and, according to a Litmus report, 4 out of 5 marketers say they’d rather give up social media than email marketing. Whoa.
So, where do you start?
And most importantly, what is it going to cost you? The good news is that there are many free or low-cost email marketing tools (we’re talking $10/month) that are perfect for small businesses just starting out. Many of these platforms are super easy to use for even the most non-digital-savvy person. If you have questions about which platform would be right for you reach out to me and we can chat through the best options for your unique needs.
Getting started with email marketing doesn’t have to be complicated. Many small businesses start out with a monthly email newsletter. This could include events, promotions, new products/services or industry news. The key is to think about what your customers care about the most. Not necessarily what you want to promote (although those two could be the same thing).
Check out my free Email Marketing Best Practices guide for help getting started or improving your email campaigns or download my free Email Campaign Checklist to make sure you never miss a step on your email campaigns again!
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