Email marketing is a tried and true marketing tactic that never gets old. Virtually everyone has an email that they check every day if not every hour, making this tactic universally helpful. Whether you’re looking to get the word out about your brand or you’re looking to get specific with your target audience, email marketing is definitely something you should consider.
Here, 11 experts share their best email marketing tips for small business owners.
Utilize Your Team and Testing Tools
Nothing is worse than sending out an email campaign with a misspelling, broken link, or incorrect image. Once a campaign is sent, there’s no getting it back. Avoid sending out the “I’m sorry for that last email,” email by utilizing testing tools to make sure everything is correct before pressing send. That includes sending a test email to yourself and your team, as well as using any “preview” tools to see how a campaign will display on mobile devices.
Dr. Marc M. Batschkus, Archiware
Rely on Customer Support
We pride ourselves on our outstanding staff. We hire them, train them, and develop them. Most of our staff has been with us for an average of 10 years. We know our products in and out. So does customer support at an email marketing company. They know their product and platform much better than you do. That’s why you should rely on them to support you during your struggles. Reach out to them via live chat or their support number, and you’ll take your email marketing to a new level.
Henry Babich, Stomadent Dental Laboratory
Send Plain Text Emails
If you think about it, the majority of emails we send and receive each day are plain text. So why do eCommerce companies and brands feel the need to send an email with images? It seems foreign. Instead, small business owners should consider sending plain-text emails – especially during the COVID-19 crisis. It’s more human, and customers connect with a human.
Peter Babichenko, Sahara Case
Centralise Your Data
Import your email addresses into a centralised list. When all data and information is centralised, communication can be much more personalised and timely. Too often we see businesses with one list in their email marketing platform, with more up to date information residing in their CRM. Merge the two together to have a stronger approach to communication.
John Yardley, Threads
Don’t Pretend to Be Bigger Than You Are
You are small and that is charming, so don’t pretend to be bigger than you are. Big companies try and fail to be personable. Small businesses are lucky in that they are one and the same with the company and they are even the ones doing the emails themselves, so take advantage of how much the customer is going to appreciate the connection to you and your small team.
Stephanie Schull, Kegelbell
Get Crafty
If you’re sending out a cold email to someone, record a video of yourself on their website and embed it in the email. Make sure the thumbnail shows their home page. When they open it, they’ll see their own site staring back at them. This will immediately grab their attention, and they’ll be more likely to read your message for your effort.
Michael Norris, Youtech
Invest in Analytics
On the front end, invest in analytics. Know who’s opening your email and what they’re clicking on. Know what subject lines work and which ones don’t have an impact. On the back end, talk to your customers. Get real-world feedback on whether the email actually made a difference.
Rick DeBruhl, RickDeBruhl.com
Provide Unique Content
It’s so important to make sure that every platform and email is a unique experience so try to provide value via email that can’t be found anywhere else. This ensures that you have better engagement and content.
Gresham W. Harkless Jr., CEO Blog Nation
Be Goofy
Have. Fun. I want to receive emails that have puns in them or engaging graphics. Even a silly meme, if the topic relates. An email does not have to be the same newsletter layout every month. Take risks, be playful with your brand voice. And keep a document of subject lines from other businesses that you opened. You opened it – someone else may too.
Hana Ruzsa Alanis, Solar-Breeze
Don’t Contribute to the Noise
Never send emails because everyone is doing it. You’ll just end up in spam, like the rest. Be deliberate and send emails only if they provide substantial value to your audience. We hardly send out newsletters but when we do, people open and engage with them.
Rani Sweis, AtticSalt
Send the Same Email Twice
My favorite email marketing tip is to send the same email campaign to non-openers, but with a different subject line. This simple tip enables small business owners to spend less time building marketing campaigns, and more time thinking about attracting new customers. Just duplicate the campaign. Target the non-openers of the previous campaign. Change the subject line. And, then? Send.
Brett Farmiloe, Markitors
