Here at COG, we believe the number one marketing tool you should be using to promote your small business is email marketing. It’s often under-utilised but having your own mailing list gives a huge number of benefits to you and can help you to grow. Here’s just some of the benefits:
It allows you to have direct communication with your audience
While it’s great to have a big number of followers on social media – did you know that the way the algorithms work means that not every person who follows you will see everything you post.
However, if you’re emailing them directly into their inbox, every subscriber will get it every time. This direct line of communication is invaluable for sharing updates, promotions and personalised messages. Plus, you then own your subscriber list. Imagine if Instagram closed tomorrow – if that’s the only channel you have then you would lose everything.
Emails build relationships and trust
People buy from people and email really allows you to show a behind the scenes look at your business. Think of it as though your website is the shop but email marketing takes them behind the counter to see the heart of the business. By consistently delivering valuable content to your subscribers, you can establish your expertise and reliability. Regular newsletters filled with industry insights, tips and exclusive offers help to keep your audience engaged and reinforce your brand’s authority. Over time this builds loyalty, making it more likely that subscribers will choose your services over competitors.
Email marketing has a high conversion rate
Email marketing has a significantly higher conversion rate compared to other marketing channels. The average open rate for email marketing is 17% and that’s what most businesses should be aiming for as a minimum. However, you can take it much higher. In my previous business we were averaging an open rate of 45% and that’s down to creating engaging content that really speaks to your audience and using subject lines which make people feel they have to open the email.
You can personalise your messaging
One of the major advantages of a mailing list is the ability to use segmentation and tagging to tailor your messages very specifically to different audiences. For example, you might have some people tagged as previous customers and some tagged as prospects. The messaging you’ll be sending to both will be different. One knows what you can do but needs reminding that you can help them again while the other might need groundwork putting in – establishing who you are and what you do. Personalisation of emails has also been shown to lead to higher engagement rates.
It’s a cost-effective strategy
For small businesses with limited marketing budgets, email marketing is a cost-effective solution. Creating and sending emails is relatively inexpensive compared to traditional advertising methods. Moreover, there are numerous affordable email marketing tools available that offer a range of features from automation to analytics and many are free until you have reached a high number of subscribers.
You’ll stay in their minds
Finally, a mailing list helps you maintain consistent engagement with your audience. In a world where people are bombarded with information, being remembered is essential. Regular communication through emails keeps your business at the forefront of your customers’ minds, ensuring they think of you when they need the services you offer.
We know that setting up email marketing can feel overwhelming. You need to consider the platform you’ll choose, set up GDPR compliant sign up forms, create newsletter templates and landing pages and write content which you’ll then automate to welcome new subscribers. It’s a lot but the effort is well worth it. Here at COG we are email marketing experts and would love to help you in getting a mailing list set up. We know how effective this can be in helping your business to grow and we want to get you started today so get in touch!