As a small business owner, you might be wondering: What email marketing strategies work best for my business? As we all know, the email inbox is a battleground, and only those with the best messages win! Here are some practical and proven email marketing strategy tips tailored to small businesses that will help you thrive in the competitive digital landscape.
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What are the 7 email email marketing strategies?
1. Build a strong subscriber list
If email marketing is a battle, your subscriber list is your best weapon. The foundation of any successful email marketing strategy is a robust, relevant, and engaged subscriber list. But how do you go about building one?
Here are a few strategies:
- Place sign-up forms prominently on your website. Offer an incentive, like a discount or a free resource, to encourage visitors to subscribe.
- Leverage your social media channels to promote your email list. Share the benefits of subscribing and post engaging content that directs followers to your sign-up page.
- If your business has a physical presence, collect email addresses at events, trade shows, or in-store promotions. Be transparent about how you will use their email addresses.
- Encourage your current subscribers to refer friends and family by offering incentives like discounts or exclusive content.
TOP TIP: Your sign-up form should only collect the relevant information—typically a name and an email address. No one likes filling in lengthy forms, so you could scare them away if you’re asking for their favorite flavor of ice cream and their grandfather’s fishing license number!
2. Optimize your subscribe landing page
We’ve all become wary of signing up for any old email list. You need to be transparent, clear, and enticing when crafting an email landing page. Your visitors are about to share personal information with you—explain the benefits of what you’re offering in return.
You’ll also get better email results when someone has made an educated decision to join your list as they’re more likely to pick up what you’re putting down.
Potential information to include:
- Purpose of your emails
- What your audience will get after they share their email addresses
- Types of emails you’ll be sending
- Email frequency
- Any exclusive content, special discounts, etc.
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3. Focus on quality over quantity
Don’t just bombard your subscribers with sales pitches. One of the keys to email deliverability and engagement is the quality of your email content. Forget about the number of emails you send, and focus on providing your subscribers with valuable content that they actually want to read. For example, our Brighter Messaging audience of small business owners and marketers receives actionable marketing tips and information they can use to improve their efforts.
Not sure what your subscribers are interested in? Ask them when they sign up for your email list. By doing so, you gain instant intel you can use to segment your list.
4. Personalize your emails
One-size-fits-all emails are a thing of the past. To engage your audience effectively, you need to tailor your messaging to individual preferences and behaviors. For example, if you own a small CPA firm, you can segment your email list based on the services they’ve used in the past. Those who always use your company for tax returns could benefit from an annual reminder, and those from a particular state could be interested in updates to that state’s tax laws. This personal touch can significantly boost your conversion rates.
5. Optimize for mobile
In today’s mobile-driven world, it’s essential to ensure your emails look great and function well on mobile devices and, in fact, on screens of all sizes. The last thing you want is for your audience to struggle reading your emails!
To optimize for mobile:
- Use a responsive email design that adjusts to different screen sizes
- Keep your email copy concise and scannable
- Use a single-column layout for easy reading on smaller screens
- Use an email service provider like ActiveCampaign, which creates responsive email templates by default
6. Automate your email campaigns
Small business owners and managers often wear multiple hats, and consistently sending timely and relevant emails can slip down the priority list. That’s where email automation comes in handy. You can set up automated email campaigns for various scenarios, such as:
- Welcome emails to new subscribers
- Support or tips for new customers
- Abandoned cart reminders for e-commerce businesses
- Birthday or anniversary emails with special offers
- Follow-up emails after a purchase
- Re-engaging customers who haven’t purchased in a while
Automating these processes ensures that you stay in touch with your audience without the need to stay on top of every email campaign manually. This saves you tons of valuable resources and time.
You may also be interested in: A 10-Step Guide for Creating Irresistible Email Campaigns
7. Monitor and analyze results
Remember, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to email marketing. To refine your email marketing strategy, you must regularly monitor its performance. Experiment with different tactics, learn from your successes and failures, and continuously adapt your strategy to meet the evolving needs of your audience. The beauty of email marketing is that it gives you access to key metrics, such as click-through rates, conversion rates, and unsubscribe rates. Use these insights to fine-tune your email content, timing, and frequency. For instance, if you notice that your open rates are higher on Tuesdays, consider sending your emails on that day.
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Want more small business email marketing strategy tips?
If you need further guidance creating a winning email marketing strategy that works for your business, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Brighter Messaging team. You can also subscribe to our list to get a monthly message with ideas and tips for small business digital marketing.
Read our comprehensive guide on The Power of Email Marketing for Small Businesses.
