Small business owners often assume that email marketing isn’t an effective marketing strategy for them and it is just for the big players.
But they’re wrong!
Email marketing is frequently cited as the most lucrative form of online marketing boasting an ROI of 4400%. And the good news is, this massive ROI isn’t just assured returns to big players but to small ones also.
Advantages of Email Marketing to Small Businesses
- Massive ROI
- Improve customer retention through constant engagement
- Reach a new target audience through an online campaign
- Helps in building brand
- Promotion of new products and services
- Analyze your customer preferences and dislikes
Email Marketing Strategy for Small Business
Let’s highlight a few factors of this strategy
- Email list building
- Types of the email you required
- Designing the content of emails
- Sending campaign and analyzing the outcome
Building the Email List
The first step for effective email marketing is to have an email list. You need to have contacts to send emails too. For that, you need to have a signup form and place it on your website and social media platforms. Be sure that users must know what they are signing up for.
Types of the Email Required
Now that you’ve started to grow your list of contacts, it’s time to decide which types of emails you want to send.
The types of emails you send will depend on the type of business you have. It’s always safe to start with a monthly email newsletter. Some other examples are
- Promotional emails for special offers or sales
- Seasonal messages (for holidays or special events)
- Loyalty programs for your most dedicated customers
- Transactional emails (eCommerce receipts, appointment notifications, etc.)
Designing the Content of Emails
Focus on writing emails that your subscribers want to read. Always ensure your campaigns include value-added content for your subscribers. Use attractive and eye-catchy images to boost the interest of your subscribers.
Send and Analyze Email Campaigns
You should always be analyzing the performance of your emails regarding your email marketing KPIs.
If you notice certain types of emails perform poorly with your audience, look for new ways to improve on the next campaign.
Small Business Email Marketing Tips
Following are few email marketing tips for small business
Quality
One of the most important things to keep in mind when doing email marketing is to keep good content. Nobody likes to be bombarded with constant promotional messages. Keep your subject line related to the topic and make it short. Keeping emails to the point helps in boosting opening rates.
Have a sign-up form
By placing a signup form on the welcome page will help you to get more subscribers rather than just having a link in your menu. Make sure you give your customers a chance to subscribe to your emails! One good move is to include email sign-up forms on your website wherever appropriate. Include a sign-up CTA on your homepage, contact page, and your footer.
Mobile-friendly emails
More than 50% of Americans are reading emails on their phones so make sure your emails are mobile-responsive. Your email design absolutely has to “respond” to the type of screen (desktop, tablet, mobile)that your reader is using and render accordingly to provide the best experience.
Make a list of engaged customers
If you have repeat customers or subscribers who are already engaging with your emails, this is a fantastic opportunity to build brand loyalty and increase sales. These subscribers have shown a deeper level of interest in your business and these relationships should be cultivated.
A great way to do this is to create a segment specifically for these contacts. That way you can send them special offers and discounts to encourage them to make purchases through your business.
Send automated emails
If your business isn’t sending automated emails, then make sure it does. Automated emails save you a lot of time and do wonders for growing customer relationships.
For example, if you send a regular newsletter, set up an automated welcome email for new subscribers. This will start your relationship off on the right foot and build trust between your brand and your new contacts.
Conclusion
Now you know that sending emails and starting with email marketing can actually boost your conversion rate, you should start implementing email marketing in your business if you haven’t yet. Not only sales but also help in increasing customer retention and increasing brand awareness.