If you spend more than 30 seconds on almost any major retailer’s website, you’ll probably see a pop-up asking you to sign in or to register your email address for a special promotion. Within seconds of submitting your email, you’ll be bombarded with news, deals, and coupons. You might find weeding through all of those promotional emails extremely tedious, but there’s a good reason why successful companies continue to use this strategy – it’s extremely effective.
Big companies aren’t the only ones who can benefit from strategic email marketing. Here’s why small businesses should be using email marketing too.
It’s Inexpensive
Small business owners often struggle to justify spending a chunk of their tight budget on marketing. It can feel like a risky investment with big up-front costs and no concrete guarantee that it will pay off. But email marketing is one of the few tools that small businesses have just as much access to as multinational corporations.
All you need is a nice design that’s consistent with your branding, a list of email addresses, and a way to send it.
There are some great services that can do all of this at a surprisingly affordable rate. Mailchimp, for example, charges as little as $9.99/month for access to email templates, automated services, and other marketing tools.
It’s Easy to Use
You might not be super tech-savvy, but you know how to send an email. And using a third-party service like Mailchimp or Constant Contact makes it extremely easy to schedule regular email blasts to everyone in your address book with the click of a button.
Email marketing is honestly the most hassle-free option for direct marketing, and it’s only getting easier as technology improves.
It’s Convenient for Users
In addition to being easy for you, email marketing requires very little from clients and potential customers. With smart phones and even smart watches, you literally have access to people no matter where they are or what they’re doing.
When customers have a link from you right there in their inbox, they don’t even have to go searching for it. Consistent email marketing also makes it easy for customers to come back to your site after a distraction. Unless they delete the email, they will have a reminder of who you are and what you’re offering every time they open their inbox.
It Inspires Purchases
You might think, “Sure, email marketing is easy, but don’t most people just delete those?” Surprisingly, the data says no. In fact, the Direct Marketing Association claims that 66 percent of consumers admit to making a purchase based on an email advertisement. That’s a pretty solid return on a relatively small investment.
Email marketing, especially with exclusive deals, creates the same opportunity for impulse purchasing that you find in a physical store’s checkout line. Did you go to Old Navy to buy a Kind bar? Doubtful. But hey, while you’re waiting in this line, aren’t you getting hungry? How convenient that this nice healthy snack is right in front of you!
When a consumer receives an email from your company, it functions both by keeping your brand in the forefront of their awareness and by inspiring them to take a look at your products, whether out of proactive need, or just out of boredom.
It Helps You Gather and Analyze Data
Our final plug for email marketing is that it’s actually a great tool for you to be able to gather useful data about your potential and existing clients. Email services usually offer a variety of tracking reports that can show you things like click-through and conversion rates. You can keep all of your data for various online marketing campaigns (including ads on social media) in one convenient place. This makes it easy to spot trends and analyze performance. Some email management services will even help you compare your campaign’s performance against your competitors.
There’s No Good Reason Not To
If you’re a small business owner looking to grow your business and widen your exposure, there really isn’t any reason not to be doing email marketing. The risks are low. The upfront investment is minimal. The research says it’s effective, and the potential for returns is high.
Still have questions? Feel free to reach out. We’re happy to help.
