When you’re running a small business, you can’t afford to spend time or money on unnecessary trial-and-error. The right email marketing tips can guide your marketing strategy so it’s strong from the get-go.
Email marketing is one of the most effective forms of digital marketing. Why? It’s easy to implement, and even small marketing teams with limited budgets can generate a return on investment (ROI) from email. But, you have to know how to do it right.
Here are 11 email marketing tips we have used to grow the customer database and generate revenue for our small business clients.
11 Tried-and-Tested Email Marketing Tips for Small Businesses
To win over prospective buyers, you must utilize email marketing for small business success. Whether email is a new venture for your business or you’re looking for areas to improve, here are 11 important factors to evaluate and implement:
- Make it easy for new subscribers to sign up
- Take advantage of email automation
- Use dynamic content
- Try different tactics to increase open rates
- Make sure your content is mobile-friendly
- Stay on brand
- Measure Your Success
- Leverage social media
- Clean up your email list
- Check your email copy for errors
- Keep your messaging simple
1. Make it Easy For New Subscribers to Sign Up
You can’t send any emails unless you have customers to contact.
Make sure email signup calls to action (CTAs) are clear throughout your website so that visitors can register for emails easily.
Also, know that customers are very selective about providing their email addresses. So, communicate how they can benefit from connecting with you. Will you send them newsletters, discounts or educational information that’s hard to find elsewhere? Be compelling by using engaging CTAs that offer value.
2. Take Advantage of Email Automation
Email automation is an intelligent way to communicate with your audience consistently. It’s sophisticated, yet easy to use. You’ll save tons of time by automating routine processes.
Here are just a few things you can do with email automation:
- Send welcome emails
You have a new subscriber - hooray! Acknowledge you received their contact information, and let them know what they can expect from you. - Send abandoned cart emails
Studies show that the average ecommerce store loses about 75% of its sales to cart abandonment. Abandoned cart emails help you reach uncertain shoppers and give them another chance to complete a sale. - Send discounts to inactive subscribers
Are there customers on your list that haven’t purchased in a while? Reignite their interest by offering a discount on something they bought before, or an item that complements that previous purchase. Broadening their buying possibilities increases the likelihood of future sales.
3. Use Dynamic Content
Sending dynamic content means your audience receives information that’s relevant to them right now – not what they wanted six months ago.
65% of marketers agree that dynamic content is the most effective personalization tactic. There’s no better way to earn customer loyalty than tailoring offers to them that target their current interests.
To help you send custom, dynamic content, try a tool like Personalize. Personalize is an AI-powered marketing tool that ranks the top interests of each contact in your database based on their digital footprint (such as recently visited pages or time on page).
Personalize identifies what each customer is most interested in so you can promote the right product at the right time. This strategy can result in at least 50% better response rates and increased revenue.
4. Try Different Tactics to Increase Open Rates
High open rates aren’t the only metric of a successful email campaign. But if customers aren’t opening your emails at all, you’re back to square one. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Write engaging subject lines
Recipients likely won’t open your emails if your subject lines are bland and uninteresting. - Avoid spam filters
Don’t allow your email to end up in the spam folder - try implementing these tips for best results:
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- Send emails only to recipients who opt-in to your list
- Send campaigns from reputable IP addresses
- Avoid overused sales words such as “buy”, “clearance” or “free”
- Provide a way for customers to opt-out or unsubscribe
- Send from a person, not a company
A personable, friendly message is often more effective than a generic one. Modify your sender name and send your subscribers a message from an actual person.
5. Make Sure Your Content is Mobile-Friendly
Mobile devices account for approximately 55% of web page views worldwide. Ensuring that your email content is easily viewable on different screen sizes is crucial.
Make sure to test your email’s mobile-friendliness on smartphones, tablets and laptops using Google Search Console.
6. Stay on Brand
Create a cohesive look and message that carries through your website, email design and all customer touchpoints. Customers feel more comfortable when they know what to expect. Staying consistent with colors, language and messaging strengthens your brand and builds trust with your contacts.
7. Measure Your Success
Einstein defined insanity as “doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” If an email marketing campaign fails, would you repeat it, hoping for better results? Probably not.
A/B testing can help you understand what exactly appeals to your customers. By measuring response rates between alternate versions of content, you can see if a particular tactic performs better than your original method.
Analyzing your results and making tweaks is the best way to make continual progress in your marketing efforts. Make sure to test only one variable at a time so you can determine what works and what doesn’t.
8. Leverage Social Media
Don’t underestimate the power of social media marketing. You can use email marketing and social media in conjunction to draw attention to your products, services and content.
Consider offering discounts on Facebook or Twitter that only your email subscribers can enjoy. Or, add subscription links on social pages and social sharing buttons on your emails. Cross-promotion is a powerful way to build a wider audience, increase engagement and improve conversions.
9. Clean Up Your Email List
Believe it or not, one of the most overlooked email marketing tips is to clean up your contact list.
We know email addresses can be hard to acquire, so this concept is difficult for some small business owners to grasp. But in the long run, it’s better to have a smaller, engaged group of customers rather than an extensive list of subscribers with no interest in what you’re offering.
Make sure you offer customers the option to unsubscribe from your list. If they’re not opening your emails, they’ll probably ignore it. But, those who click “unsubscribe” are confirming they don’t want to receive messages from you. Weeding out individuals who aren’t going to purchase from you anyway increases the quality of your remaining list.
10. Check Your Email Copy for Errors
Customers who sign up for your emails want to see and read your content. Don’t blow it with a sloppy presentation! Here are a few things to keep in mind before hitting send:
- Check for typos and grammatical errors
- Check that all your links are functional and going to the right places
- Check load speed. Large images can increase load time, so keep them between 600-800 pixels or compress them for quick opens.
11. Keep Your Messaging Simple
The final piece of our small business guide to email marketing is to keep your messaging simple. No one enjoys receiving or reading a lengthy email. Crafting shorter messages is easier for you and more enjoyable for your readers. Focus on one topic per email, use headings to call out critical information, and make it visually digestible.
Add Personalize to Your Arsenal of Marketing Tools
Email marketing strengthens customer loyalty and repeat business. The process of captivating, converting and retaining customers is a long-term process that can become more manageable with the right strategy and tools.
Dynamic, personalized content is one of the most effective strategies for email marketing. Leveraging a tool like Personalize can help you send the right products, information and offers to your customers when they want and need it most.
Check out Personalize and sign up for a complimentary 30-day trial today.
