Small business owners can be reluctant to embrace email marketing. Among my time as a marketing professional, I’ve heard a few common reasons why. One is that owners of small business owners just don’t feel they have the time to embark on a full-scale email marketing campaign. When you’re operating a small business, time is certainly not something you can afford to waste. While it’s completely understandable to feel that way, you might want to change your outlook.
Consider these four reasons why your small business should be using email marketing…
1. Affordability
Email marketing in an incredibly low-cost, and in many cases free, way to reach customers and market your business. Small businesses may not have the marketing budget of a major corporation, but when you utilize email marketing, it’s as if you do.
There are resources such as MailChimp that provide very affordable email options, even for nearly non-existent marketing budgets.
2. It’s Simple
Email marketing is a simple and time-efficient way to reach a large audience quickly. Modern email service providers do most of the work for you. Even if you have no design or marketing experience, you can create an email in a matter of minutes and distribute it to hundreds or even thousands of people.
3. Emails Are Customizable
Emails are unique compared to almost all other marketing options because of how customizable they are.
As a small business owner, you have complete control over your message, making it easy to not only decide what you’ll say and how you’ll say it but also how it’s branded. This ensures you’re presenting a cohesive identity.
It’s easy to feel as if you’re speaking directly to your customers, because, in fact, you are. This sense of customized and personalized communication is often extremely appealing to readers.
Finally, email marketing can easily be integrated with other forms of marketing when the time comes.
4. Results Are Measurable
There are many marketing techniques with metrics that are difficult to measure. It’s can be a challenge to determine any direct return on your investment in many instances, but email marketing is unique in that it’s not only possible, but also extremely easy to track everything that happens. You can view what’s being sent and delivered, what’s being read, what’s being clicked on, and what’s resonating with your audience. This makes it possible to not only see if your efforts are worthwhile, but also to hone and refine your email marketing.
Being able to measure results not only makes good business sense but it’s also an important stepping stone to building relationships with customers and potential customers. By having an understanding of what’s resonating with particular customers or groups of customers, you can zero in on how to make the right impact.
