Do small business owners really need email marketing? The short answer is yes.
Email marketing is still the most effective marketing channel for building relationships and driving revenue. In fact, if you were to ever sell your online business, the biggest asset that you own is your customer and email list.
Simple emails can be wildly effective
For my own online store, we use a simple and wildly effective method of sending emails that start conversations, entice engagement, and drive revenue. Having a truly effective email marketing strategy makes paid traffic far more profitable. I like to think of it as having a real conversation with our customers and potential customers. Every business can and should leverage email no matter who says email marketing is dead...They just are doing it wrong.
Email is like having a one-to-one conversation directly on your customers mobile devices
What makes email marketing so effective? Unlike social media, consumers are used to taking action from emails in their email inboxes. In email marketing, you control the message and call to action. You're not at the mercy of an algorithm or News Feed. But, you still need to send relevant messages so you don't go to the spam folder!
Email campaigns can go to many but feel personal at the same time
Email marketing is personal. It's a direct line of communication from you to your customer. In email marketing, you can segment your list to send hyper-targeted messages. For example, you can send an email to customers who haven't purchased a certain product that exact product directly to their inbox.
It's very powerful and many marketers have abused the channel and diminished the value of their email list by blasting coupons and deals over and over. If you are authentic and send great emails you will be rewarded over and over again.
Try these Email Marketing Campaigns with your list
Let me give a very simple example of an email marketing tactic you can use as part of a larger email strategy. It's so simple, that it will blow your mind. Every business wants to get their emails to go into the inbox and not the promotions tab. A great way to do this is to ask your email list questions.
Simple Ask Email Campaign Example:
Hey {first name},
We are working on 2 new products and want to you get your vote. Which one should we launch first?
Reply back with your vote!
A - Golf chipper
B - 64* Wedge
Thanks!
Sully
An email like this will elicit tons of customer engagement and replies. This will give you better insight on which product your customers actually want next and also show Google that your emails deserve to be in the inbox and not the promotions tab.
Plain text emails are native to the platform and are a secret weapon in our email marketing strategy. Design can be powerful, but copy, engagement, and offer are king.
Use this same tactic in your social media marketing
The great thing about asking questions to your list is to encourage customers to engage and truly feel like they are part of the brand because they are! These A/B question-style emails can also be repurposed for social media marketing.
They have been extremely effective in increasing our engagement on your social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok. More engagement means better reach, which for us helps lower our overall marketing ad costs.
Customer acquisition through paid marketing is arguably the most expensive it has ever been, but strong email marketing can reduce your CAC and increase your profit. As a business owner, it gives me more control over the business because even if ads become unprofitable I still have a healthy list I can communicate with.
Email marketing doesn't need to be expensive
Email marketing is also relatively inexpensive compared to other marketing channels. You don't need a big budget to get started with email marketing. All you need is a laptop, an internet connection, and an email service provider like Klaviyo (eCommerce), Mailchimp, or Constant Contact.
It should be one of the most cost-effective and highest ROI channels by far. If it is not, you need to take a look at your overall email marketing strategy.
Email marketing can become expensive and laborious when you focus too much time on the design. Design is an important part of branding but it often can become the focus when the message you are delivering is actually the most important part. The old days of sending an overly designed email newsletter with 10 different calls to action are dead.
Why you should ask your email list questions
To recap, ask actual questions you want to know the answers to. By doing this you show google that your emails are relevant and it increases your chance of being moved from the promotions tab to the inbox. Combine this tactic with a true 2-way conversational strategy and you will be able to drive revenue, and engagement and own an asset that will pay you for years to come.
If you're not sure if email marketing is right for your business, ask yourself this question: do you want to build better relationships with your customers and drive more revenue? If the answer is yes, email marketing is worth considering for your business.