skip to Main Content

E-Mail Marketing for Small Businesses

By Denis Jakuc

Email marketing is the digital marketing strategy of sending emails to convert prospects into customers and to develop customers who are occasional buyers into loyal fans. Among marketers, social media and unsolicited spam email (never a good marketing strategy) have risen in popularity. Yet email remains the most effective way to turn leads into customers and turn customers into fans—for three very strong reasons:

  1. Email is the communication channel people access most. At least 99% of consumers check their email daily, something that can’t be said of any other communication channel.
  2. You own your email list and therefore control it. On any social media platform, your account, with all your fans and posts, is controlled by the platform. So, it could be suspended or deleted at any time, for any reason, without notice. Since you own your email list, no one can take those leads and customers away from you.
  3. Email has the highest return on investment (ROI). Email marketing has an ROI of 4400%! The average order value of an email is a minimum of three times higher than the average order value on social media. Finally, people who purchase products marketed through email spend 138% more than people who don’t get email offers.

If you want to make sales online, there is simply no better way than through email marketing. Here’s how to proceed.

Start building your list

To get website visitors to sign up, don’t just put an opt-in form on your home page and hope people will fill it in. You need a compelling offer—a lead magnet. This opt-in is something appealing you give away for free in exchange for the visitor’s email address. It can be anything you want that will provide value to your visitors for free:

  • The promise of special deals only available to email subscribers
  • PDFs of tips, resources, case studies, or white papers
  • A free quote or consultation
  • A free webinar
  • A self-assessment quiz
  • A link to a podcast or video
  • A coupon
  • An e-book

Hire an email service provider

These services send emails, automate scheduling, and provide services such as audience segmentation. Here are some to consider:

  • Constant Contact
  • Sendinblue
  • Drip
  • AWeber
  • ConvertKit
  • Mailchimp
  • MailerLite

Decide what type of emails to send

Certain types of e-mails have high open rates, and offers included with them generate up to six times more revenue than other email formats. These include:

  • Promotional emails with sales and special offers
  • Loyalty programs where dedicated customers can earn special discounts
  • E-newsletters providing useful information on a regular basis
  • Transactional emails providing receipts and shipping notifications.

Create valuable content

Research what your audience needs that you can provide. Answer questions, allay concerns, offer useful information. Segment your audience into target categories, based on differentiators, such as demographics and past purchase behavior. Tailoring content to these segments will increase open rates. Always include a call to action (CTA) that relates to your email topic.

Make your emails mobile friendly

People do a lot of email access on their smartphones and tablets. So, make sure your content is formatted to be readily accessible on all devices.

Establish a schedule and stick to it

This makes for consistency, but respect your readers’ preferences. The leading reason people unsubscribe from email campaigns is they’re unhappy with the frequency. Make contact more than once a month, but not more than a few times a week unless you’re providing daily updates readers have asked for.

Some research says the best day for email opens if Tuesday. The best times are during natural breaks in the day—morning break, lunch time, end of day, and when lying in bed with smartphone or tablet at night. Start collecting data to fine tune your schedule.

Track performance

Email marketing gives you the ability to learn from your readers. Tracking various metrics lets you analyze the success or your effort and make quick changes to improve performance. Small businesses should track the following:

  • Open rates—how many emails were opened versus how many were sent
  • Click-through rates—how many times links were accessed
  • Conversion rates—sales made versus emails sent
  • Referral traffic—how many site visits came from the email
  • Bounce rates—email addresses that are rejecting the emails
  • Unsubscribe rates—how many are opting out of your contact list
  • List growth rate—how frequently you’re gaining new subscribers

A few tips

  • Send a test copy to yourself first. Check for message errors, typos, broken links including CTA buttons, and how content appears on mobile devices.
  • Only email people who opt in. Don’t register people against their wished and avoid purchased email lists, which just give you high unsubscribe rates and can hurt your reputation.
  • Make it easy to subscribe. Use several CTA approaches on your site to capture contact info. Use autofill features.
  • Make it easy to unsubscribe. Not everyone is going to find your emails useful, and that’s okay. So, make unsubscribe links obvious and make the wording friendly. People who opt out may refer you, or could return later.

 

If you’d like more help with finding the right solution for housing your startup, InnovatorsLINK offers a detailed Bootcamp course where you’ll learn the details about all your options. Register here

Review the Executive Summaries associated with each course prior to attending the courses.

This Expert Summary is © InnovatorsLINK. For republishing, please contact dlangeveld@innovatorslink.com.

All About Small Business Branding

  • Your business’s brand is its unique value, or the thing that causes people to choose it over other alternatives
  • Creating a brand strategy, brand story, and brand assets
  • A branding example of a small business in Connecticut
continue

Creating a LinkedIn Business Page

By Kempton Coady

LinkedIn is like a social network for the business world. Individuals set up professional profiles to share their work experience, connect with others in their company and industry, and find ways to grow professionally.

Entrepreneurs and companies can take advantage of this resource as well, setting up a LinkedIn page for their business. Doing so allows them to share insights, grow their brand awareness, and improve communications with both employees and customers.

Anyone with a personal LinkedIn profile and verified e-mail address can follow a step-by-step guide to set up a LinkedIn page for their business. LinkedIn also has a set of recommended best practices to improve the effectiveness of the page, along with instructions on utilizing videos, blogs, and other features.

If you’d like more help with finding the right solution for housing your startup, InnovatorsLINK offers a detailed Bootcamp course where you’ll learn the details about all your options. Register here

Review the Executive Summaries associated with each course prior to attending the courses.

This Expert Summary is © InnovatorsLINK. For republishing, please contact dlangeveld@innovatorslink.com.

Putting Together a Facebook Business Page with a Business Manager

By Kempton Coady

Social media channels are an important part of getting the word out about your business, and Facebook is a juggernaut in this arena. By setting up a Facebook page for your business, you’ll be able to reach new audiences, connect with customers, extend your advertising reach, and more.

The Facebook algorithm changes constantly, but you can stay up to date through their Facebook for Business portal. This provides assistance in areas such as creating a customized marketing plan, establishing an online presence, and more. There are also specialized resources for small businesses and individual industries.

When establishing a Facebook business page, consult the company’s guide to the Facebook Business Manager. These instructions take you through the steps for establishing and maintaining multiple assets, managing permissions, tracking ads, and setting up payment methods.

If you’d like more help with finding the right solution for housing your startup, InnovatorsLINK offers a detailed Bootcamp course where you’ll learn the details about all your options. Register here

Review the Executive Summaries associated with each course prior to attending the courses.

This Expert Summary is © InnovatorsLINK. For republishing, please contact dlangeveld@innovatorslink.com.

Big Box Challenge: How Small Business Can Compete

  • Small businesses have found ways to endure despite big box stores’ edge on pricing and selection
  • Offering a better experience and good service are essential steps in remaining competitive
  • A strong online presence has become more of a necessity as well
continue

Which is More Effective: Mass or Niche Marketing

  • Your marketing strategy will determine whether you start big or start small
  • Niche marketing allows you to target a group of people who are more likely to purchase your product or service
  • Mass marketing reaches a larger audience, but does not always result in greater returns
continue