Top 3 Ways Small Businesses Use Email Newsletters

I love email newsletters. You love email newsletters. We all love email newsletters!But, how are small businesses actually using email newsletters to help achieve their goals?To answer that question we conducted a quick flash poll of 250 small business owners and asked the question directly to them.You can view the full press release online by clicking here.#1 Build Stronger Relationships To Encourage Repeat BusinessThis was the top answer as given by 49% of all those surveyed. We all know it’s easier to get repeat business than earn new business and email is an amazing tactic to help keep your brand in front of the consumer. After all, if they forget about you, they cannot buy from you again. But, if they are on your mailing list and get emails from you once a month, then you’re definitely a lot harder to forget. Plus, these constant touch-points help build a stronger relationship between your company and the consumer, especially when you are giving them good useful content.#2 Special Promotions or DiscountsEveryone loves a good deal, especially when that deal is a special thing just for you (… or all email newsletter subscribers). Putting a special offer directly into your customers hands is an incredibly effective way to drive sales. Since you don’t have to pay any printing fees or flyer distribution fees to your postal system, the ROI you can achieve from this type of tactic is huge. Many businesses are putting a “buy now” or “add to cart” button right in the email to make it really easy for customers to take advantage of the special promotion. We also see a lot of time sensitive discounts where a certain deal is only available today or for the next 24 hours. This encourages immediate purchases so people don’t say “I’ll come back to this later” and then forget about it.#3 New Product AnnouncementsIt’s new, it’s exciting, it’s the best thing since sliced bread, and with the click of a button you can send an email newsletter to all of your contacts.  Getting the word out about new products or services could have been challenging or costly in the past, but now with one email newsletter blast you can let everyone know right away. We have even seen a lot more businesses building hype for new products in advance of them being released, similar to how a movie trailer gets us excited about that great new flick coming out in a few months. With a well structured email that showcases a picture of the product and highlights the key features or benefits of the product, you can distribute a lot of information quickly, easily and effectively.Although these were the top 3 results from our recent poll, here in the Elite Email offices we get to see all the different creative ways businesses use their email newsletters as a key tool in their marketing mix. Sometimes a little outside the box thinking can go a long way towards keeping your audience engaged, entertained, and buying your products!