Email marketing is the untapped solution you need to grow your business. Great small business emails are cost effective, provide strong returns, and offer significant long-term benefits for resource-strapped small businesses. For many Atlantic Canadian small businesses, email marketing is one step toward recession proofing your business.
Cost effective
Email marketing platforms are pretty cheap with monthly fees based on a combination the number of subscribers and the number of emails you send. As a Mailchimp Partner, we use Mailchimp and most of our clients spend under $30 a month and some are able to use the free tier.
Once you have the platform chosen and setup, it is just a matter of creating your content. An effective email strategy starts with something as simple as a monthly newsletter. Each month, you offer deals and promotions, offer new products and services, support community events and activities, and employ awesome people. The content is at your fingertips. Choose three things that will interest your customers. As an example you can share your hottest new product, a profile of your cool new staff member, and an exclusive offer.
Our Ultimate Email Marketing Cheat Sheet lays it all out for you in a few easy steps. With a little time and planning, you can prepare and send an email campaign in less time than it takes to create a few social posts.
Return on investment
It is said that for every dollar spent on email marketing, you can expect an average return of $30-$40. We’ve seen these returns (and better) for local clients who nurture their subscriber lists, use automation, and take the time to design professional campaigns.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise, more people have an email address than a social media account and that applies locally, regionally, and internationally. It is also important to note that your email reach your customers – you aren’t throwing it at the wall and hoping it sticks.
60 percent of people say they’ve made a purchase as the result of a marketing email. Who hasn’t searched their email before heading out to make a purchase? Meanwhile, only 12.5% of those same people say they’d consider using the ‘buy’ button on social media. Email is also quicker and more predictable – there’s no algorithm determining if and when your customers see your email it is delivered when you want, to whom you want, and they choose if and when they open it.
Long-term benefits
Email is less intrusive, so if you’re sending useful, high-quality content your list will grow and you will hold on to existing subscribers. Email allows your customers to choose which campaigns they open and which links they click.
As you learn more about what interests your customers you can improve your content and offers. This helps you develop a deeper relationship with your customers building loyalty, growing your business with more sales, and get more people to your website.
Also, you own your subscriber list. With social media, you don’t own your contact list or even the information you post. Just think — if social media went away tomorrow, how many followers and customers would you lose access to?
If you are going to sink your time, money, and resources into marketing you should build a list you can hold onto.
