The Power of Email Marketing for Small Businesses
Strategies, Benefits, and Best Practices FOR SMALL BUSINESSES
Over 4 billion people send about 306 billion emails every single day! You could be missing a massive opportunity if you fail to use email as a (mostly free!) way to reach your target customers.
We know, we know. There are terrible examples of email marketing for business done wrong (a quick look at your spam folder will reveal exactly what we mean)—clickbait, phishing, glitchy content, unsolicited communication, and pop-ups all over your screen. Yuck.
Unfortunately, this kind of email content has given email marketing a bit of a mixed reputation. But successful businesses understand the importance of developing a more productive strategy.
The benefits of email marketing for small businesses
Email marketing helps you:
Gain subscribers
Boost sales and revenue
Increase brand awareness
Gain insights about your customers
Communicate effectively with your target audience
of consumers say that email is their preferred marketing channel
0
%
but only
of professional marketers consider email marketing a critical factor in their company’s success.
0
%
Why is email effective for small businesses?
Is email marketing worth it? Email is a popular tool for small businesses because it can generate a good return for minimal investment—as much as $52 for every dollar.
Short of speaking to your customers face-to-face, email is perhaps the closest you can get to direct communication.
IN THIS GUIDE:
Chapter 1:
How to do email marketing
for small businesses
1.1 Understanding email marketing for small businesses
Here are some of the email marketing basics for beginners.
What is email marketing and how does it work?
On the surface, email marketing is just what it sounds like: marketing via email. But there’s more to it than that. Successful email marketing is about building relationships with your customers and prospects, not just clogging their inboxes with unsolicited promotion of your business’ products or services.
Key components of an email marketing campaign
Here are the 5 key components of an email marketing campaign:
1. Strategy
Goals and objectives
Clearly defining your campaign goals and objectives is essential. Whether it’s generating leads, increasing sales, driving website traffic, or building brand awareness, having specific goals helps guide your campaign strategy and measure its success.
You may also be interested in: What email strategies work best for small businesses?
2. Audience
Target audience
Who are you talking to? You need to understand your audience’s demographics, preferences, and behaviors to be able to tailor your messages to their specific needs and interests.
Email list
Building and maintaining a quality email list is vital. This includes:
- Getting permission from subscribers to send them emails (opt-in)
- Managing subscriber preferences (make it easy for them to opt out if they want to)
- Ensuring data accuracy (are all email addresses valid?)
Personalization and segmentation
Personalizing means using people’s names, preferences, or past interactions in your emails to make the content more relevant to them. Segmentation means sending targeted emails to specific groups based on demographics, behaviors, or interests.
Automation and workflow
Email automation workflows take the guesswork and manual grind out of effective email communication, allowing you to send timely and personalized emails based on predefined triggers.
3. Content
Email design and layout
Your email templates need to be visually appealing and user-friendly, or there’s a high chance you’ll land up in the dreaded spam folder. A well-designed email should have a clear hierarchy, engaging visuals, balanced text-to-image ratio, and responsive design to ensure it looks good on various devices.
Compelling subject line
The subject line is your first chance to engage and entice! It should be concise, compelling, and relevant to get people to open the email you’ve spent all this time conceptualizing. Personalization, urgency, and curiosity can be effective techniques to improve open rates.
Engaging content
Crafting engaging and valuable content is crucial to keep recipients interested and encourage them to take action. The content should be informative, relevant, and personalized. Use a mix of text, images, videos, and call to action buttons to enhance engagement.
Call to action (CTA)
Including clear and prominent CTAs is essential for telling your reader what you want them to do, whether it’s making a purchase, signing up for an event, or downloading content. CTAs should be persuasive, well-placed, and accompanied by compelling copy.
4. Optimization
Testing
One of the coolest things about email is the opportunity to test various elements—such as subject lines, CTAs, or email designs. Testing allows you to understand what resonates best with your audience and refine your strategy accordingly.
Tracking and analytics
Monitoring and analyzing campaign performance helps you become a better email marketer. Key metrics to track include open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, unsubscribe rates, and overall return on investment (ROI). More on these later.
5. Compliance
Compliance and legal considerations
Be sure to comply with applicable laws and regulations, such as CAN-SPAM Act and GDPR. Include proper unsubscribe options and provide a clear privacy policy.
Take note of new authentication requirements
In early 2024, Gmail and Yahoo will implement stringent guidelines for bulk email senders, necessitating compliance with three critical requirements:
- Email authentication
- Easy unsubscribing
- Sending wanted content
Although these rules target bulk senders, they benefit all email marketers by enhancing email hygiene.
These adjustments prioritize recipient preferences and aim to curb unwanted emails, aligning with the evolving email landscape toward user-centric content.
READ MORE: Gmail & Yahoo New Email Authentication Requirements: What senders need to know
Common Email Marketing Terminology
- A/B Testing: The process of testing two or more variations of an email or its elements (subject line, content, design, etc.) to determine which performs better.
- Autoresponder: An automated email sent in response to a specific trigger or action, like the welcome email you get when you subscribe to a list or a confirmation email after buying something.
- Bounce rate: The percentage of emails that were not successfully delivered. Common reasons include an invalid email address or a full mailbox.
- Call to action (CTA): A specific prompt or button that encourages recipients to take a desired action, such as “Buy Now,” “Learn More,” or “Sign Up.”
- Click-through rate (CTR): The percentage of recipients who click on a link or call-to-action within an email out of the total number of emails delivered or sent.
- Conversion rate: The percentage of recipients who complete a desired action (such as making a purchase or filling out a form) after clicking on a link within an email.
- Drip campaign: A series of automated emails sent at predetermined intervals to guide recipients through a specific process or customer journey.
- Email automation: The use of software or tools to automate the sending of emails based on predetermined triggers, events, or actions.
- Email campaign: A coordinated series of emails sent to a specific audience for marketing or promotional purposes.
- HTML email: An email format uses HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) to create visually appealing and interactive emails with images, formatting, and multimedia elements.
- Landing page: A dedicated web page that recipients are directed to after clicking on a link within an email.
- List hygiene: The process of regularly cleaning and maintaining an email list by removing invalid, inactive, or disengaged email addresses.
- Open rate: The percentage of recipients who open an email out of the total number of emails delivered or sent.
- Opt-in: Voluntarily providing consent to receive emails from a particular sender.
- Opt-out/unsubscribe: When a recipient requests to stop receiving emails from a specific sender or unsubscribes from an email list.
- Personalization: The practice of customizing email content, such as using the recipient’s name or tailoring the message based on their preferences or past interactions.
- Plain text email: An email format that contains only text (like most day-to-day emails you send), often used for simpler or more personal communication.
- Segmentation: The process of dividing an email list into smaller, more targeted groups based on specific criteria (demographics, behaviors, interests) to deliver more personalized and relevant email content.
- Spam filter: Software or algorithms used by email service providers to identify and filter out unwanted or unsolicited emails.
- Subscriber: #Goals! An individual who has opted in or signed up to receive emails from a business or organization.
1.2 What are the 5 types of email marketing?
Below are a few examples of the types of email marketing used by small businesses.
Promotional emails: boosting sales and conversions
Promotional emails are designed to drive sales, conversions, and customer engagement. Examples include:
Announcing and promoting sales, discounts, or limited-time offers.
Building and nurturing relationships
Building and nurturing relationships with your customers is crucial for long-term business success. Here’s how email communication can support relationship-building:
When a new subscriber joins your email list, sending a welcome email is a powerful way to make a positive first impression.
Transactional emails: enhancing customer experience
Transactional emails are essential for providing information, updates, and support. Here are some examples of transactional emails:
Order confirmation when a customer completes a purchase.
Newsletters
Here at Brighter Messaging, we include newsletters in almost all our marketing packages. They’re such a great way to stay connected with your audience and keep them informed about the latest news, updates, and developments. Here’s how newsletters can benefit your business:
Include links to your website, blog posts, or specific landing pages.
Automated emails: Streamlining communication
Automated emails are a powerful tool for streamlining communication. They are triggered by specific actions or events, so you don’t need to lift a finger once the initial automation has been set up. Here are some common types of automated emails:
Re-engagement emails sent to inactive or dormant subscribers to reignite their interest in your brand.
Chapter 2:
Is email marketing good for small businesses?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of email marketing for small businesses?
2.1 Advantages of email marketing for small businesses
Email marketing offers numerous advantages for small businesses, mainly because it’s an affordable way of speaking to the people who want to hear from you most.
You may also be interested in: Is email marketing worth it?
Cost-effectiveness
Direct mailers can cost up to $1 per target. Let’s not even get into billboards in major cities (unless you have thousands of dollars a week) or television commercials, which can run into the millions! Most small businesses simply can’t afford that kind of publicity. Email marketing offers small businesses a cost-effective solution to reach a large audience, which = a high return on investment (ROI).
Direct and personalized communication
A billboard ad needs to have broad appeal, but through email, you can send tailored messages that address individual needs, preferences, and pain points. And when you deliver relevant content and personalized offers, you’re more likely to build stronger relationships, foster trust, and increase engagement with your customers.
Increased customer engagement and retention
We all know that it’s far cheaper to keep an existing customer than find a new one, and email marketing has a role to play in helping small businesses to engage and retain their customers. By providing valuable information (such as industry insights, educational resources, or case studies) and positioning yourself as an industry authority, you can strengthen customer loyalty, encourage repeat business, and increase referrals.
Targeted marketing and segmentation
One of the main advantages of email marketing is the ability to target specific segments of your audience with tailored messages. For example, if you’re a day spa and you know that your clients who are bookkeepers tend to get stressed during the tax season, you can send a timely email offer with a massage special just for them. Delivering this customized content to the right people helps small businesses improve the effectiveness of their marketing efforts and drive higher conversion rates.
Measurable results and analytics
Email marketing provides small businesses with valuable insights and measurable results. You can use email analytics to track metrics like open rates, click-through rates, conversions, and unsubscribe rates. Most importantly, you can then apply this information to help you refine your strategies, optimize your campaigns, and make data-driven decisions to improve marketing performance over time.
You may also be interested in: What are the 5 advantages of using email marketing?
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The platform you use for invoicing may have some decent contact details for your list.
2.2 Disadvantages of email marketing for small businesses
While email marketing has many benefits, it also comes with its own set of challenges for small businesses.
Potential for spam and deliverability issues
Beware the dreaded spam filter! To ensure your emails reach the intended recipient’s inbox and comply with anti-spam regulations, it is crucial to follow best practices and obtain consent from your subscribers.
Overwhelming subscribers with excessive emails
Some people are fiercely protective of their inboxes; others have thousands of unread messages. Just as important as ensuring the members of your email list have opted in to hearing from you is getting the frequency right.
How many emails should I send for email marketing?
Bombarding your audience too often or sending irrelevant messages can lead to email fatigue and high unsubscribe rates. All businesses should focus on respecting subscribers’ time, delivering quality over quantity, and striking a balance between providing valuable content without inundating subscribers’ inboxes.
Balancing automation and personalization
Automated email workflows, such as welcome sequences or abandoned cart reminders, can save time and nurture leads. But don’t let that be the only time your audience gets an email. It’s important not to sacrifice personalization in the pursuit of efficiency, so try to find the right balance to create meaningful connections.
Adapting to constantly changing email trends
The wide world of email marketing is continuously evolving, with new trends, technologies, and regulations emerging regularly. Small businesses need to stay informed and adapt to these changes to remain compliant and effective in their email marketing efforts while maintaining a competitive edge. If the thought of staying up to date gives you anxiety, consider leaving it to the professionals.
You may also be interested in: Does email marketing work for small businesses?
What should be avoided in email marketing? Email marketing tips for small business:
Here are some common email marketing pitfalls to avoid:
- Sending unsolicited emails (spam): Sending emails to people who have not explicitly opted in to receive them is considered spam and can lead to negative consequences, including legal penalties.
- Misleading subject lines or content: Avoid using deceptive subject lines or content that misrepresents the purpose of the email. This can lead to distrust and can harm your sender reputation.
- Neglecting permission and consent: Always obtain explicit permission from subscribers before adding them to your email list. This helps ensure that your recipients want to receive your emails.
- Neglecting unsubscribe requests: Provide a clear and easy way for recipients to unsubscribe from your emails, and honor those requests promptly. Failing to do so can damage your reputation and may violate email marketing laws.
- Overloading: Avoid overcrowding your email design with too much content or too many images. This can make your emails look cluttered and may result in lower engagement.
- Neglecting mobile optimization: With a significant portion of email opens happening on mobile devices, it’s crucial to ensure your emails are mobile-friendly and display properly on different screen sizes.
- Ignoring data privacy: You need to comply with relevant data privacy laws.
- Buying email lists: Purchasing or using third-party email lists without explicit consent from the individuals on the list is generally considered bad practice and can result in high bounce rates, low engagement, and potential legal issues.
- Ignoring analytics and tracking: Failing to monitor and analyze the performance of your email campaigns means missing out on valuable insights that can help you improve future campaigns.
- Neglecting personalization: Generic, one-size-fits-all emails are less effective than personalized ones. Use segmentation and personalization to send more relevant content to your subscribers.
- Neglecting testing: Not testing your emails before sending them out can lead to formatting issues, broken links, or other problems that can negatively impact your campaign’s success.
Chapter 3:
Developing an email marketing strategy
3.1 Setting goals and objectives
If you don’t know where you’re going, you’re going to have a hard time getting there! To make the most of email marketing, small businesses must start by directing email marketing campaigns toward specific, measurable outcomes, like generating new leads, improving conversion rates, and growing a subscriber list.
You may also be interested in: How to run a successful email marketing campaign
Defining clear objectives for your email campaigns
Setting goals and objectives is the first step in developing an effective email marketing strategy. Clearly defining what you want to achieve with your email campaigns allows you to align your efforts, track progress, and measure success.
When setting goals, it’s important to consider the specific outcomes you want to accomplish, such as:
- Increasing sales
- Boosting website traffic
- Enhancing customer engagement
- Building brand awareness
For example, instead of setting a goal to “improve conversation rates,” you may define the goal as: Get 20% of your subscribers to download a new piece of content within the next three months. (SMART, right?)
The specificity of that goal will give you direction for crafting the email, and the target percentage plus timeframe will make it clear whether you’ve achieved it.
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Remember to regularly evaluate and adjust your goals and objectives to ensure that your email marketing efforts remain focused and aligned with your overall business objectives.
Identifying target audience and segmentation
Identifying your target audience and effectively segmenting your email lists are essential components of a successful email marketing strategy for your small business. TBH, if you don’t understand and speak to the diverse needs, preferences, and behaviors of your audience, you’re probably just wasting everyone’s time.
Tailoring your emails to meet customers where they are—whether they are new subscribers, loyal customers, or at risk of churning—helps nurture relationships and deliver a more personalized experience. For example, you can send exclusive discounts for a particular product line to customers who have previously shown interest in that category.
SEGMENTATION IN TWO STEPS
- Create buyer personas, or customer profiles, that represent different segments of your target market. These personas should encompass demographic information, interests, pain points, and purchasing behaviors.
- Once you have defined your target audience, segment your email list based on relevant criteria such as demographics, geographic location, purchase history, engagement level, or specific interests.
You may also be interested in: What are the steps of an email campaign?
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Customer preferences and behaviors evolve, so it’s important to continually refine your segments based on data insights and feedback to ensure that your email campaigns remain targeted, engaging, and resonate with your audience.
3.2 Building and growing your email list
Successful email marketing depends on getting your message in front of the right people. To do this, you need a good marketing list. But people don’t just hand over their email addresses willy-nilly! Here are a few ways to get started:
Compile your existing contacts
Go through your contacts, pull out the business cards you gathered at industry conferences, and gather contact information for past and current customers. Remember that recipients must agree to receive your message, so you’ll need to send them an initial message asking them to opt in.
Leverage the power of your social media accounts
The goal of social media is to grab the attention of the right kind of people who would be interested in what you have to offer. Once you’ve got their interest piqued, it’s time to direct them to your signup landing form.
Don’t forget to include a link in your profile bio that leads directly to that enticing signup form. The folks who are already following you on social media are at least somewhat interested in your products or services. Now it’s up to you to transfer that interest to your mailing list.
Create effective opt-in forms and landing pages
Make it easy for people to sign up. To attract subscribers, create compelling opt-in forms and landing pages that clearly communicate the value they will receive by joining your email list. You can consider offering incentives, such as exclusive content, discounts, or freebies.
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Implement lead generation tactics
Give the people what they want! People will be happy to give up their email addresses if they can’t resist what you’re serving up. A popular lead generation tactic includes creating gated content (such as e-books or webinars) that require visitors to provide their email addresses in exchange for the content. Running contests or giveaways that require email submission can be another effective tactic.
We have a lead magnet on our site that provides value to our target audience by sharing some easy-to-implement SEO tactics.
You may also be interested in: Tips for building your email marketing list
Are you looking for some SEO quick wins?
Our free eBook “5 things your small business can do right now to improve SEO” contains five SEO tactics you can apply without significant expertise or web developer intervention.
3.3 Crafting engaging email content
Needless to say, crafting compelling and captivating email content is essential for small businesses to grab the attention of their subscribers and drive meaningful engagement. We’ve been beating on this same old drum because it’s true: the key to crafting engaging, converting email content is understanding your audience and tailoring your messaging to their needs and interests. (We’ll probably say it again, too.)
Subject lines that grab attention
“Uh-oh, your special offer is expiring in 2 hours”
“GET YOUR OFFER NOW”
Which email are you more likely to read?
The subject line of your email is the first impression you make on your subscribers, and it plays an important role in determining whether your email gets opened or ignored. To grab attention, it’s important to make your subject lines compelling, concise, and relevant to your audience.
Consider using curiosity-inducing phrases, personalized touches, or urgency-driven language to entice readers to open your email. For example, instead of “On Sale Now!” you could use something like “24% off sitewide for the next 24 hours.”
A good subject line:
- Sparks curiosity and urgency
- Is relevant to your customer’s demands, interests, pain points, and likes
- Should have elements of value and emotion
Try a free email subject line checker!
Compelling email copy and design best practices
Keep email copy concise, engaging, and relevant. Here are our top tips:
- Start with a captivating introduction that hooks your readers and clearly communicates the purpose of the email.
- Use conversational language, storytelling techniques, and persuasive language to convey your message effectively.
- Remember to focus on the benefits and value you offer to the recipient. Avoid the temptation to talk about yourself, the features of your products, or the intricate details that you think are most interesting about what you do.
- Incorporate a clear call-to-action.
- Ensure that your email design is visually appealing and easy to navigate. Use a clean layout, eye-catching images, and appropriate fonts and colors that align with your brand.
- Break your content into smaller paragraphs, bullet points, or subheadings.
Incorporating visuals and multimedia
In today’s visually driven world, video is considered the King of Content. Incorporating visuals and multimedia elements in your emails can significantly enhance engagement and convey your message more effectively. Consider including relevant images, product photos, or infographics that support your content and capture attention. For instance, if you’re a fitness brand, link to a brief workout video or an animated GIF demonstrating an exercise technique.
more clicks for emails with videos
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%
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Make sure that your emails aren’t too visually overwhelming and that the email size doesn't get too big by adding too many multimedia elements.
3.4 Optimizing email deliverability and performance
Email marketing is both an art and a science. Once you’ve established your goals, created your content, and built segmented email lists, it’s time to focus on factors that impact deliverability, experiment with different variables through A/B testing, and use data to improve the effectiveness of your email marketing campaigns.
Email service providers and deliverability factors
Choosing the right email service provider (ESP) is essential to ensure that your emails reach the intended recipients’ inboxes. Look for ESPs that have strong deliverability rates, robust spam filtering, and authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. If you don’t know what any of that means (fair), be sure to check with your provider.
Other factors that have a significant impact on deliverability:
- Maintaining a healthy sender reputation
- Avoiding spam trigger words
- Sending relevant and engaging content
For example, instead of using spammy phrases like “Get rich quick,” focus on providing valuable information or exclusive offers that genuinely benefit your subscribers.
TRIGGER WARNING!
Here are the Top 10 types of words that spam filters hate:
- Anything to do with money
- “Marketing”
- “Exclusive”
- Superlatives
- Days of the week
- Earn
- “Free”
- ALL CAPS
- Excessive punctuation
- Poor spelling and grammar
A/B testing and optimization techniques
A/B testing is a powerful strategy that allows you to experiment with different elements of your emails to identify what resonates best with your audience. Instead of revamping your email strategy, change only one variable at a time and measure how it impacts performance. Test variables like subject lines, email copy, call-to-action buttons, visuals, or send times to determine the most effective combinations.
How to A/B test emails? Try this:
- Decide which email element to test, such as creating two versions of your subject line
- Divide your audience into two. Send one group the email with one subject line; the other the second subject line.
- Measure which email performs better.
- A/B test again for another variable.
Monitoring metrics and analyzing results
The beauty of email is that it’s highly trackable, so make sure you use the data to measure the success of your campaigns.
Some key metrics to monitor include:
Click-through rates (CTR)
The percentage of recipients who click on links in your email, providing insight into the effectiveness of your content.
Conversion rate
The number of recipients who not only clicked on links but also completed the desired action, such as signing up or making a purchase.
Bounce rates
Help identify delivery issues, distinguishing between soft bounces (temporary problems) and hard bounces (invalid email addresses).
Return on investment (ROI)
Calculates the revenue generated compared to the costs of the campaign, giving a clear indication of profitability.
Analyze these metrics to identify trends, patterns, and areas for improvement. For example, if you notice low click-through rates, you may need to revise your email copy or call-to-action to make it more compelling.
CAUTION: Some metrics are more reliable than others. For example, although a lot of email platforms emphasize open rates, the data can be misleading. The only practical, automated method to count open rates is to place an image within an email. The tool then counts the number of times that image is accessed per unique user.
But some emails are read in preview without downloading images, some email clients block images, and some emails are read in mobile clients which track differently and skew results. We recommend focusing on the metrics that matter, like conversions and ROI.
Chapter 4: Email solutions for small businesses
4.1 Full-service email marketing platforms
An email marketing platform, software, or tool helps you manage your list, design an email campaign, and automate the process to save time while boosting conversions and engagement.
Our choice of email marketing service provider
Full disclaimer: we are 100% biased about to email marketing service providers and email marketing software. This is because we only use one. ActiveCampaign ticks all the boxes for small business email marketing.
Here’s why we love it:
Combines customer relationship management (CRM), email marketing, marketing automation, and machine learning
Heard of HubSpot? HubSpot is another popular top-of-the-line CRM platform that also offers sales and marketing automation features. Here’s our comparison of ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot.
ESP features and benefits for small businesses
When choosing an email service provider (ESP) for your small business, just choose ActiveCampaign (promise we’re not paid for this!). You can also do a free trial to see if it’s the one. OK, fine, it is best to do your research and find a tool that offers the right features and benefits to support your marketing efforts, so here are some features to look out for:
Custom branding
Look for easy customization options, allowing you to incorporate your brand's colors and logo into your email designs for consistent branding.
A/B testing
Split tests are one of the pillars of modern marketing. Opt for an ESP that enables you to test different subject lines, email copy, and other elements to optimize your campaigns.
Segmentation tools
Look for an ESP that allows you to divide your contact list into smaller, targeted groups for personalized messaging and improved engagement.
Drag-and-drop functionality
If you're not familiar with coding, look for a user-friendly drag-and-drop editor that enables you to create visually appealing emails without the need for technical expertise.
Responsive design
81% of emails are opened on mobile devices, so ensure that the ESP you choose automatically adapts your emails to different screen sizes, as a significant portion of email opens occur on mobile devices.
Personalization
People are 26% more likely to open personalized emails. Choose an ESP that allows you to personalize emails by dynamically inserting recipient names and other details, increasing the likelihood of higher open rates.
Integrations
Ensure that the automation features are easy to integrate with your other marketing and business platforms. For example, if you have a sales team that uses a CRM, it’ll be important that your marketing platform can access its data.
4.2 How do you use email marketing to boost your small business? Here are our top tips.
Building trust and permission-based email lists
When someone subscribes or signs up for your newsletters, they’ve given you permission to engage with them through email. With that in mind, it’s important to respect your customers’ inboxes and only enter with consent. Compliance with regulations is non-negotiable.
Permission-based email marketing is not only an ethical approach but also a legal requirement in many jurisdictions. In the US, email marketing falls under the CAN-SPAM Act, which requires obtaining permission from recipients before sending commercial emails. Implied consent can also be valid if there is an existing relationship between you and the customer.
To stay on the right side of the law and maintain best practices, there are a few key requirements to follow:
Your company name and address should be clearly stated in each email.
Establishing a consistent sending schedule
When you consistently deliver valuable content, you build a relationship with your subscribers. For example, if you send a monthly newsletter, your subscribers will come to expect your email around the same time each month. If you’re succeeding, they should be excited to see the latest updates, promotions, or insights.
Consistency not only keeps your brand top of mind but also helps you avoid being forgotten or buried in crowded inboxes. Whether you choose to send emails weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, sticking to a consistent schedule demonstrates professionalism and reliability.
But how often should you email your audience?
Well, it depends. Consider factors such as your target audience’s preferences and behaviors. It’s also worth looking at your own workload and content schedule.
As much as sticking to a schedule can be a productive tactic, you also need to ensure you have something valuable to say. High-quality, valuable content trumps quantity every time.
List segmentation and personalization
Segmentation refers to dividing your audience based on similar characteristics, which results in a 46% greater open rate and 112% higher click-through rate than generalized messages. Once you have a growing email list, segment your subscribers based on demographics, interests, or purchase behavior to allow for targeted and personalized email campaigns. You can then deliver relevant content that resonates with each group. Remember, personalization goes beyond addressing subscribers by their name—it means providing customized product recommendations, personalized offers, or tailored content based on individual preferences.
Integrating email with other marketing channels
Use your social media, content marketing, and advertising to create a multi-channel approach. Here are some ideas:
Create email remarketing campaigns to retarget subscribers who have shown interest in your products or services but haven't made a purchase yet.
Chapter 5: How small businesses can leverage the benefits of email marketing
5.1 Increasing brand awareness and visibility
A major email marketing benefit is increasing brand awareness and visibility for small businesses. Consistently delivering valuable content to your subscribers’ inboxes allows you to establish a connection with them.
Building strong relationships with subscribers
Email marketing is not just a one-sided affair where the brand does all the talking—it’s more like a dynamic conversation where the customer plays an equally important role. Instead of bombarding your subscribers with content and crossing your fingers for sales, focus on building a solid subscriber base, taking the time to understand them, and engaging in meaningful communication.
You need to be responsive to their concerns, keep them in the loop, analyze your own performance, and stay tuned to what matters to your audience. Remember, it’s a two-way street, and treating your customers as active participants in the process is the key to long-term success.
Leveraging email to drive traffic to your website
Email marketing can also drive traffic to your website and boost your online presence. Use compelling calls to action in your emails to direct subscribers to specific landing pages, blog posts, or product pages on your website.
While we’re on the topic, click here to sign up for our email list. Each month, we cover topics intended to help small business owners be strategic with their marketing efforts.
Harness the power of social sharing
Email marketing and social media can work hand-in-hand to amplify your brand’s reach. Include social media buttons and shareable content in your emails, which will help encourage subscribers to share your content with their networks. For example, a restaurant can send an email with a mouth-watering image of their special dish and include social media icons to make it easy for subscribers to share it with their friends.
Benefits of social sharing:
- Extend your reach
- Attract new audiences
- Gain more subscribers
- Increase brand exposure
- Drive organic growth
5.2 Boosting sales and conversions
Email marketing is a great sales side-kick!
Effective sales funnels and email campaigns
Strategic email campaigns can help you guide potential customers through the buyer’s journey and increase their chances of making a purchase. Let’s look at the example of someone who’s downloaded our SEO eBook.
- Someone enters their email address to download the eBook
- They receive the eBook via email
- They’re also added to our email newsletter list
- They start receiving monthly touchpoints with helpful marketing tips
- They click through and engage with our content
Ideally, when they know they could benefit from an agency’s services (partially through our content), Brighter Messaging is top of mind and they become a customer.
Recovering abandoned shopping carts
Cart abandonment is a common challenge for e-commerce businesses, but email marketing offers an opportunity to recover those lost sales. Set up automated cart abandonment emails to remind customers about the items they left behind and provide incentives to complete the purchase. For instance, an online retailer can send an email offering a limited-time discount or free shipping to entice customers to return and complete their purchase. As consumers, we all know how irresistible it can be!
Upselling and cross-selling opportunities
Email marketing allows you to capitalize on upselling and cross-selling opportunities, increasing the average order value and customer lifetime value. After a customer makes a purchase, follow up with personalized emails recommending related or complementary products. For example, a CPA firm can send an email to customers who recently requested tax preparation services to suggest a full financial planning engagement.
5.3 Enhancing customer loyalty and retention
80% of business professionals consider email a vital aspect in customer retention. Another benefit of email marketing is that it plays a crucial role in enhancing customer loyalty and retention.
Providing value through relevant content
To actually enhance customer loyalty and retention, delivering relevant and valuable content is a non-negotiable. Service-based businesses have an opportunity to shine by sharing their expertise in a way that helps subscribers recognize when they need to bring in a professional. For example, a marketing agency like Brighter Messaging can send out email newsletters with industry insights, case studies, and practical tips for improving marketing strategies.
Here are 5 tips for successful email marketing content.
Customer feedback and surveys
Actively seeking customer feedback and conducting surveys through email can be a powerful tool for enhancing customer loyalty. Sending out surveys or feedback forms can help you gather valuable insights into customer satisfaction, preferences, and areas for improvement. And acting upon this feedback and making meaningful changes based on customer input demonstrates your commitment to meeting their needs and strengthening the relationship. You can also use the information you collect to improve your email list segmentation.
Exclusive offers and rewards
Providing exclusive offers and rewards to your customers through email can drive loyalty and increase retention.
Here are some examples:
- Special discounts
- Early access to new products or services
- Personalized rewards
Chapter 6: Key takeaways and action steps for success
At its core, all marketing is about building relationships. Well-strategized email marketing can help you reach your target audiences with valuable content, and address their needs effectively. Look, it’s not a quick fix or a one-time solution. But by consistently providing value and staying engaged, you can build trust, establish meaningful connections, and hopefully be first on the list when someone is ready to make a purchase or take the desired action.
To make the most of email marketing, focus on delivering high-quality content that addresses the pain points of your target customers. Stay updated with the latest trends and techniques, always be willing to refine your strategies, and test different approaches to see what sticks.
So, as you embark on your email marketing journey, remember to stay committed, be patient, and focus on building lasting relationships. With time, dedication, and a customer-centric approach, your small business can harness the true potential of email marketing.
So, as you embark on your email marketing journey, remember to stay committed, be patient, and focus on building lasting relationships. With time, dedication, and a customer-centric approach, your small business can harness the true potential of email marketing.
Need a partner in small business email marketing?
If you need help creating and executing your small business strategy, our team would love to hear from you.
