As a small business owner, you may wonder why email marketing is important. Email marketing is an incredibly effective way to grow your brand and business. It’s a direct line to your customers that doesn’t rely on social media algorithms or paid advertising.
Email marketing allows you to build relationships with people who have opted-in to hear from your brand. It can turn customers into loyal advocates who will buy from you again and again. Here are six ways email marketing can benefit your brand.
1. Email Marketing Is Personal
Email marketing is one of the most personal ways to communicate with your customers. These are people who already know, and like your brand, so helpful or timely information helps them stay in the loop with your business. As long as you offer your customers value with each email you send, they are also happy to hear about any discounts or new product or service offerings you have.
Your company’s email list can reveal a treasure trove of information that will help you understand your customer base better than ever before. You can use the data you have on their interests, behavior, and purchasing habits to ensure that your emails continue to offer relevant information, products, and services in a tone of voice that fits your audience.
2. Email Marketing Is Surprisingly Cost-Effective
Email marketing is a low-cost way to reach customers, and it has a high ROI (return on investment). Email marketing campaigns can deliver $36 in returns for every $1 spent.
According to recent statistics published by OptinMonster, 59% of the consumers surveyed say marketing emails influence their purchase decisions. Of the business professionals who responded, 80% believe email marketing increases customer retention.
There are plenty of reasons why email marketing can be so effective:
- You can reach more people than ever before—millions of people are using email every day!
- It’s easy for customers to see what you have to offer because it’s all right in front of them when they open their inboxes each morning.
- It’s convenient for both parties—customers don’t have to do anything special or take time out of their days; all they need is an internet connection!
Email marketing can be done on a shoestring budget. If your list is still growing, you can use a quality email service like MailChimp, Active Campaign, or HubSpot for a low monthly fee.
3. Email Marketing Can Increase Your Revenue Per Customer
The biggest marketing expense is winning a new customer. That first sale often requires several exposures through different channels or having your product or service easy to find online at the moment someone is ready to purchase. Once you have made a sale to a customer, developing the relationship can turn a single sale into an ongoing revenue stream.
Email marketing is a simple and effective way to inform new customers about the other products and services you offer. It can also increase product satisfaction by sending purchasers crucial information right when they need it the most. For example, when they are using their new product for the first time.
4. Why Email Marketing is Important: Autoresponders
Automations make email marketing a powerful lead-generating tool. You can create a customized autoresponder to deliver a targeted email sequence to anyone who:
- Fills out a form on your website
- Downloads a free offer from your website or a landing page
- Abandons their cart before completing a purchase
- Purchases a specific product or service
- Clicks on an email but does not purchase
Depending on the funnel and email software you use, the ability to customize autoresponder sequences based on a customer’s actions is almost endless. With the growing power of machine learning and AI, the ability to respond in a timely way with tailored communications will only keep expanding.
5. Email Allows for A/B Testing and Audience Segmentation
Even the most experienced marketers are surprised by the results of testing different campaigns. Most email software providers include the ability to A/B test your email marketing subject lines, offers, and content. Especially with a larger list, A/B testing before sending to the majority of your list will dramatically increase your click rate and sales.
Segmentation is a tremendously valuable tool because you can speak to each audience in a voice and with a message they understand. Instead of sending every email to your entire list, you can tailor your campaigns to be delivered to the most interested people.
Each email should always include something of value to the recipient. It’s what you give them in exchange for their attention and what keeps them engaged with your emails. Segmenting allows you to target messages that speak to each unique group.
You can segment based on any data points that are meaningful to your business, including but not limited to:
- Customer personas
- Stage in the buying cycle
- Location
- Ages
- Product or service purchased
By segmenting these groups based on the content they want and need most from you, it’s much easier for you to provide helpful content without wasting time or energy sending irrelevant emails.
6. Opt-In Email Lists Want To Hear From You
The advantage of email marketing over other types of advertising is it is targeted toward an audience that already knows about your business and likes what you do. Subscribers who have opted-in to your list already know and like your business, which increases the chances they will take action.
Email marketing is the best way to reach out to your audience, tell them about new products or services, share information about upcoming events, and keep them updated on what’s going on with your business. You can reach out to a lot of people at once.
Email subscribers tend to stay loyal customers longer than those who haven’t opted-in (as long as you’re keeping their needs met).
Use Email Marketing To Grow Your Business
Email marketing is one of the most versatile and cost-effective ways to build relationships with your customers. It can be used for nearly any type of business, from restaurants to car dealerships to financial services companies.
Emails are easy to create, update, and send out. The smallest marketing team can regularly send emails that keep customers up-to-date about new products, services, special offers, and upcoming events.
Email marketing builds relationships with customers and prospects. It’s a cost-effective way to reach large numbers of people, create automated responses, and build your brand. If you’re not already doing it, you should try email marketing.
