The 5 Reasons Why Your Small Business Should Consider Email Marketing

1K

Key takeaways

• Email marketing is affordable for small businesses, most firms spend about 4% of earnings on marketing and email uses only a small portion of that budget.
• You don’t need specialised qualifications, email marketing is straightforward with a solid team and fundamental tactics.
• Initial campaign setup is modest: roughly 90 minutes to create and send a message when starting, dropping to about 45 minutes with practice.
• Use established email service providers (ESPs) to save time and streamline sending.
• Email strengthens customer relationships, over 28% of adults subscribe to newsletters to stay informed with brands.
• Email is effective and mobile-ready: 54% of marketers call it the most effective way to drive sales, 52% of consumers access email on mobile and 42% open marketed messages on mobile.

Introduction

To say that email marketing is big business is potentially the biggest understatement you can find on the web. However, just because this statement is true, that doesn’t also mean that your smaller organization can’t get in on the good times in the inbox as well. To prove that this practice isn’t just for the “big boys” in your industry, here’s the five reasons that show email marketing is right for small businesses as well.

Email Marketing Doesn’t Break the Bank

To kick things off right, John Rampton of The Next Web offers up the notion that email marketing is an affordable way to connect with the people most likely to convert on your website. Considering how tight your budget as a small business can be, assuaging these concerns can go a long way toward helping you take the first step toward a proper inbox presence.

While the numbers naturally vary from organization to organization, Rampton found in his research of the marketplace that most small businesses only put forward about four percent of their earnings toward marketing in total. Since email marketing only takes up a small portion of this figure, it’s safe to say that most campaigns are well worth the minimal expense incurred.

You Don’t Need a Degree to Win in the Inbox

Outside of being cost effective, there’s also the fact that email marketing doesn’t require a PhD to understand or comprehend. While this might be a surprising take to read on a blog that focuses on this industry, it’s also the truth of the matter. With a strong team of trusted experts leading the way, as well as a willingness to stick to fundamentally sound tactics and methods, there’s no reason why email marketing can’t be both effective and easy to understand, regardless of what type of business you conduct online.

Building a Great Campaign Isn’t a Second Job

In a similar vein, it’s also important to understand that generating quality content doesn’t require mortgaging away precious hours throughout the week. Will you spend at least some time creating optimized messages and learning about the viewing habits and patterns of your audience? Sure. However, the amount of time that goes into this process is probably a lot less than you initially expect.

Rampton notes that it really only takes about 90 minutes to create and send impactful messages when you first start out – all thanks to the rise of established and effective email service providers (ESP.) Once you’ve gotten into the swing of things, this number can fall into the 45 minute range. When matched up against the drive to and from work, or extended stays in the conference room with your colleagues, this time commitment really isn’t all that daunting in comparison.

Email Marketing Enhances Your Relationship with Consumers

As far as actual interaction with your audience goes, Business 2 Community’s Tahir Akbar explains that reaching out via the inbox is the preferred method for keeping your customers informed. As a small business, it’s imperative that your organization build meaningful relationships with these valued consumers, so why not connect with them on the platform they enjoy the most?With Akbar reporting that over 28 percent of adults subscribe to newsletters and other promotional content simply to stay informed with relevant brands – like your own – the message is crystal clear; the inbox is the place to be if you want to enhance your relationship with these members of the community.

It Flat out Works

Finally, and most importantly, is the fact that no other method for marketing offers quite the same punch as this practice. To prove this point, Steve Olenski of Forbes magazine offers up some compelling facts related to this portion of the marketing world. First up is the realization that 54 percent of marketers find email marketing to be the most effective way to drive sales back to a target site or brand.

Additionally, 52 percent of consumers access their email from mobile phones – a trend that continues to rise – with another 42 percent opening marketed messages on the same platform. With on-the-go consumerism standing as the biggest growth area on the web, having email marketing firmly entrenched in this sector of the market is definitely a healthy sign for this form of outreach.

As you can see, the list of facts, figures, and reasons that support email marketing for small businesses can go on and on ad nauseam. However, after covering the information provided here, there’s no reason to sit on the fence any longer. If you really want to generate a splash with your audience, then it’s time to consider stepping into the inbox today.

FAQ