As a means of communication, email is still going strong. According to research, there are 4 billion daily email users. Collectively, they send around 306 billion emails every day.
Whether it’s for marketing or personal correspondence, emails can facilitate communication. They have especially proven to be an effective tool for brands looking to reach their target audience and build relationships.
If you haven’t already, it’s time your small business tries out email marketing. It will offer a reliable form of communication with your customers. They won’t need to visit your store to connect with you because you’ll reach them on the place they frequent every day—their inbox.
In this article, we cover the advantages of email marketing for your business.
Email marketing statistics to show the power of this medium
Are you reluctant to start sending emails to your customers? Don’t be! The market is competitive today, so you must ensure you stay on top of your consumer’s mind.
Sending emails is the most cost-effective way to plug your brand to customers. This has been recognized by small businesses worldwide, therefore, the following data doesn’t surprise us:
- 64% of small businesses leverage email marketing to reach customers
- 35% of marketers send from three to five emails per week to their consumers
- 4 out 5 marketers say they’d rather give up on social media than email marketing
- Segmented campaigns can generate a 760% increase in revenue
- 91% of US adults like to get promotional emails from their favorite brands
- 99% of email users check their inbox every day
Are you now ready to develop an email marketing campaign? Don’t start without checking out the advantages of email marketing for a small business we’ll mention in our article.
Which emails should small businesses send?
Small businesses leverage email marketing to connect and nurture relationships with their existing customer base. They also use it to reach potential consumers who might need a nudge to move down the sales funnel. It’s paramount your small business keeps in touch with customers as well.
If you want to utilize email marketing, here are some emails you can send:
- Welcome emails. These emails initiate your correspondence with customers. They provide company highlights and relevant information about your small business. Welcome emails are effective in personalizing and informing the customer journey. They also have a high open rate (50%).
- Newsletters. Never miss an opportunity to remind your customers about your small business. Send newsletters to educate consumers and prospects about your brand, showcasing achievements, projects and updates.
- Review requests. Almost 35% of shoppers say they read online reviews before making a purchase. If you want to grow your customer base, ask existing shoppers to leave reviews. You can start by contacting the most satisfied customers. They can share how your products or services helped them solve a specific issue.
- Promotional emails. This type of email can promote a number of things, as long as those things bring value to consumers. You can inform readers about new blog posts, e-books, webinars or discounts.
Benefits of email marketing for a small business
Email marketing has been around for years now. Why? Because customers like hearing from their favorite brands. In fact, 49% of consumers stated they would like to receive promotional emails from companies on a weekly basis.
So, invest in an email signature generator, start preparing the content of your emails and enjoy the advantages of email marketing for a small business we mention below.
Create personalized content
Personalization is the future of marketing. Consumers seem to think that as well. According to a survey, 71% of consumers feel frustrated when a shopping experience is impersonal.
At the same time, 70% of millennials are frustrated when brands send irrelevant emails. This is where personalization comes in handy to improve your email marketing efforts.
Email marketing has advanced so much that you can now segment your customers based on their preferences. The end result is highly personalized content. It enables you to send the right emails to the right customers.
For instance, segmentation allows you to target returning customers with one email and one-time buyers with another. These two groups of customers don’t have the same characteristics, which means creating a different content for them is a must.
Aside from segmentation, you can leverage the following personalization techniques:
- Include personal details. When customers subscribe to your emails, they leave personal information such as their first and last name. You should use these details to create targeted content. Emails that include the recipient’s first name have a higher click-through rate.
- Provide product recommendations. Have you heard about banner blindness? The term refers to people’s tendency to ignore banner-like information. Over 80% of consumers suffer from banner blindness. This means they’re likely to ignore your ads. You can combat this by analyzing buying behavior and preferences to send relevant product recommendations to customers via email.
- Special offers. With email marketing, you can come up with special offers aimed at specific customer profiles. For instance, if a shopper has a history of buying sneakers, you can send them a discount for sneakers.
Adjust your content for different audiences and your emails will be engaging.
Improve sales
There are many advantages of email marketing for a small business, but the biggest one is that it can boost ecommerce sales. According to research, 59% of marketers say email is their biggest source of return on investment (ROI).
Your email marketing campaigns can promote products or services, share special offers and move customers down the sales funnel. They can also re-engage consumers who haven’t purchased from your small business in a while. This all leads to increased sales.
The last couple of years have been challenging to companies of all sizes, including small businesses. They have struggled to grow their sales and encourage customers to purchase. Email marketing, however, can help them grow their sales.
Indeed, 59% of respondents said that marketing emails influenced their purchase decisions. This means that an effective email can get people interested in your products or services, ensuring they make a purchase.
Build strong customer relationships
Customers want to have a closer relationship with their favorite brands. That’s why impersonal or irrelevant marketing campaigns put them off.
Basically, consumers like to know you’re thinking about them. They want to see you put some thought into your emails before sending them. This makes them feel like a part of your ever-extending family.
You can draw them in with effective emails. These emails should keep them up to date with the latest news about your small business. If you have a new product launch, special offer, upcoming event or behind-the-scenes content, share it with your readers via email. Even if you just want to say thank you to your loyal customers, you can use email.
Don’t be afraid to send regular newsletters. After all, customers willingly opted in to receive emails from your small business.
Here is how you can build strong customer relationship through email marketing:
- Offer high-quality content. Bring value to your subscribers. Regardless of what industry you operate in, you must offer high-quality content. The topic of the content can vary, but your customers must find it engaging and relevant.
- Get to know your audience. If you want to build strong customer relationships, you must get to know your audience. Find out its preferences, wants and needs. This will bring people closer to you. In fact, 64% of customers want brands to connect with them.
- Get personal. People are leading digital lives which can make them feel distant. That’s why most of them crave connection with others, brands included. Customers are more likely to buy from someone they know. For this reason, don’t be afraid to get personal in your emails. You can share your company’s journey or write about the people behind the brand.
There are other advantages of email marketing to consider.
Establish authority in the industry
It’s now more important than ever to establish yourself as an authority in your respective industry. Although the competition is fierce, internet users are always looking for a newcomer to share their insights with the world. You can establish that authority with your emails.
Your audience is already there—they are subscribed to your newsletter. They look forward to your next email, and your only job is to ensure you provide value to them with each newsletter. You can do that by informing them about industry trends, providing insights and statistics, offering solutions to their specific problems, etc.
All that can be included in a series of high-quality emails whose goal is to teach your readers something new. In the end, they will position you as an authority in your industry.
To establish authority with your email marketing, make sure to do the following:
- Be consistent—determine the number of emails you can send every week and ensure you deliver that number
- Send relevant content—share content that addresses customers’ pain points, provides a solution and answers their most burning questions
- Quote or link to credible sources—quote an expert or add a link to an article from a credible source
Content is your most valuable tool. Use it to develop your presence and share your expertise.
Drive traffic to your website
Let’s say your small business has a content team that produces engaging articles for your blog. How do you share those articles with your audience? Easy, you send an email.
Email marketing is a great way to encourage customers to visit your website. Whenever you publish an article worth sharing, you can add a link to it within your email. The same goes for relevant links to your website.
For instance, you can use your emails to link to products or services or invite readers to read a helpful review about your small business. Whenever they access a link, this will translate into more people visiting your website.
We also suggest including social sharing buttons in your emails as this might prompt readers to share your content with family and friends. Social media platforms can get your content in front of people who aren’t subscribed to your newsletters. If they like what they see, they’re more likely to opt in.
The bottom line is—linking to your website in your emails can drive traffic to your site. To ensure customers click on the link, you can add a call-to-action (CTA) to further encourage them.
Develop cost-effective campaigns
Traditional marketing efforts like print ads, a billboard design and event marketing are costly. Most companies, including small businesses, cannot afford them. What everyone can afford, however, are email marketing campaigns.
This marketing campaign type doesn’t require any location fees, mailing, printers or photoshoots. That is what makes them cost-effective. All you need is a skilled copywriter and a talented graphic designer. If they have experience, there’s a chance they’ll develop campaigns that convert.
Let’s be honest—budget constraints can limit marketers. There are times when they have a vision in their mind, but they can’t realize it due to limited resources. This is where email marketing comes in.
It has the potential to be more efficient (if done right) while also generating leads and revenue. Why would you spend money to deliver flyers to the mailboxes when you can reach people on their phones with zero cost?
Conclusion
Knowing the advantages of email marketing can inform your next business decision.
Rather than spending a lot of money on traditional marketing tactics, you can simply encourage your team to create high-quality email content. If it’s persuading enough, customers will come flocking to your website.
So, keep in mind that email marketing remains one of the best ways to reach and interact with your audience. Remind your customers about your brand and give them some food for thought through a series of engaging emails.
About the author
Helga Zabalkanska is a CMO at Newoldstamp (500 Startups backed) and MySignature. She has over 10 years of experience in digital marketing with data-drive approach. Helga is a startup enthusiast and SaaS lover.