Small Biz Email Marketing: Make it or Break it!

In this age of digital chaos and over-communicating, things too quickly convolute. Small business brands are constantly sending mixed-marketing messages… or worse, they don’t have a coherent message to begin with.

What are you regularly doing to stay in touch with customers that communicates your vision, mission, and authentic brand voice in a constructive and coherent way? 

Are you using email marketing? Do you have an email marketing strategy? If so, AWESOME!  When’s the last time you evaluated that strategy to make sure you are achieving your goals? Did you create goals to begin with? 🙂

“Email marketing is not dead. If you’re not using it, you’re losing,” Gary Vaynerchuk argues in his article “Email Marketing is Not Dead. Here’s Why.”

“Only 26% (of small businesses) are investing in email marketing,” says Blue Corona. This is a huge missed opportunity to keep in touch monthly, reminding customers about new products, sales, discounts and driving them to visit your establishment or online store.

If you don’t have an email campaign, where do you start?  You start by building a list. Small businesses with retail locations often forget the golden rule of marketing and advertising. They forget to ask customers for contact info and therefore have no database or means of contacting their customers after the initial sale. If you are a service business, referrals will be the greatest source of revenue you can impact with email marketing. Remember that asking for an email to add to your database is not intrusive, it shows that you want to provide extra value for their loyalty (just make sure you do offer them something special in return).

Need help? Find a company to meet your needs and simplify the process.  WPBeginner compares the top email marketing companies here.

Analyze – If you currently collect customer data and contact your customers regularly via email, evaluate the value you offer for being a part of your tribe or customer base. Special events, previews of new products or discounts for loyalty go a long way.  Saying, “Hello” and “We care about you” once per month (maximum once per week) will remind them to engage with you and encourage them to refer new customers (as long as you keep them happy).

What about social? Social media can help you keep in touch with customers and create stronger bonds. However, one drawback of relying solely on social for all your communications is that your customers’ contact information belongs to Facebook, IG or Twitter, and not you. Yes, it is a cost-effective way to share information, but nothing beats the pure gold of owning a customer database that you can email and control.

IMPORTANT: Keep social media accounts active and monitor them.  Customers HATE reaching out to you on social media with a question or concern and never hearing back from you.  Check messages daily and post content-rich information at least once a week to help them connect with your brand.

I’d love to hear what you are doing and what’s working for you!

Light Your Fire-

Theo