20 Reasons Email Marketing is Important for Small Business Owners

By Megan Sullivan

Charlie’s landscaping company has recently experienced a lull in business. The phone has stopped ringing with any frequency and the jobs aren’t as robust as they used to be.

Now he is left to wonder. What can he do to drum up more business? What’s the best way to get the phone ringing once again?

If you’ve ever found yourself in a situation similar to Charlie’s you know how scary it is. For small business owners that rely on a steady stream of customers and jobs, a sudden lull can seem like a catastrophe.

However, there are ways to get your business going once again; one of the best marketing tactics for small business is email marketing.

Email marketing has many benefits, which are outlined below. But here’s a quick overview, it’s fairly cheap; it’s pretty easy, and it brings immediate results. Let’s take a look at the ways email marketing could benefit you and your small business.

20 Reasons to Use Email Marketing

1. It’s affordable.
   In the world of digital advertising, email marketing is one of the most inexpensive ways to reach a large number of customers. According to Business.com, for every $1 spent on email marketing, the return on investment is $44.
2. It’s personal.
   Email marketing is one of the best ways to personalize your message to your customers. Not only can you swap out the content to meet the needs of your customer base, but you can quickly and easily add the personal touch of the customer’s name.
3. It’s scalable.
   You can send out emails to 100 customers or potential customers, or you can send out 10. The choice is up to you and your current sales goals.
4. It’s measurable.
   Results for email marketing are easy to measure. Most of the big email marketing platforms (i.e., ConstantContact, MailChimp) have analytics built into the dashboard of your account. You’ll quickly and easily be able to see open rates, click-throughs, and may even be able to track customers from click to purchase.
5. It’s simple.
   Yes, simple without being simplistic. The email marketing platforms make creating and sending your email campaigns quick and easy. Built-in templates and recommendations for content, plus advice from a member of their marketing team makes it easy to get the message you want out to your target customers.
6. It’s easy to adjust.
   Another benefit of email marketing is that making adjustments is easy to do and also, you guessed it, relatively inexpensive. It’s not like running a display ad in the local newspaper for hundreds or thousands of dollars only to find out there was an error. Now, you can quickly and easily send out a correction or send out a new offer with a few clicks of your mouse.
7. It inspires action.
   A call-to-action is inherent in most email messages (and normally pretty obvious as well). Email has been shown to generate a response; whether you want your customers to call, visit your website, or stop by, your email message is designed to inspire action.
8. It keeps you top-of-mind.
   Let’s say Charlie wasn’t experiencing a slump in sales. He still wants to stay relevant with his customer base. Email marketing, with or without sales messaging, puts your brand and logo directly into your client’s inbox.
9. It reaches all devices, including mobile.
   Email messaging is delivered to your client via their inbox; that means, wherever and whenever they access their email, they’ll see you. Smartphones, tablets or desktops — your email message will look good on all platforms. And you only had to spend money on your message once.
10. It builds credibility.
    The biggest brands use email marketing, just like small businesses. And the end result looks the same for everyone. Put your business in the same category with the big brands of the world by using one of their tactics.
11. It builds relationships.
    The first email you send may not generate 15 sales. But it could easily generate 15 phone calls. That’s 15 opportunities to say hello and talk to potential customers one-on-one. That’s 15 opportunities to build a relationship that could bring repeat business for years to come.
12. It’s targeted marketing.
    Not all of your customers come to you for the same services or products. Use that knowledge to your advantage by sending targeted messages to generate more sales. Customers are less likely to tune out messaging that they feel is speaking directly to them and their needs.
13. It’s wanted by your customers.
    According to a survey by MarketingSherpa.com, 91 percent of people want to receive promotional emails.
14. It leads to customer acquisition.
    Another survey by McKinsey proved that email marketing is actually 40 times more likely than Facebook or Twitter to lead to customer acquisition.
15. It’s shareable.
    Email marketing can easily be forwarded by its recipients to other people they may know who might be interested. This type of viral sharing can help to grow your email list.
16. It can be automated.
    It’s easy to schedule your email marketing messages for the times you need it most. It doesn’t require you to sit at your desk and click ‘send.’ Schedule messages on the days and times that have proven to generate results for you.
17. It organizes your contacts.
    Your email provider offers more than a place to store email addresses. It can also keep track of additional customer information like addresses and phone numbers. You may even be able to add on other services that will give you more customer insights. Regardless of what you choose, you can leverage your email platform for more than just the inbox.
18. It builds buzz.
    By using email to send out sales messages, as well as announcements, you can create excitement for your business and your brand.
19. It generates website traffic.
    Even if website visits aren’t your explicit call-to-action, chances are good people who receive your email will visit your website anyway. They may be curious about your offer or just want to see more of what you’re about.
20. It’s easy to get started.
    In just a few clicks, via one of the email marketing platforms, you can be ready to send out emails. Start today, start tomorrow or start when you’re ready. But know that it’ll be easy to start your small business email marketing strategy.

Whatever reason you decide to start email marketing, it can easily end up being one of the most effective small business strategies you use.

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Originally published at QuickBooks Resource Center.