Is Email Marketing Still Effective for Small Businesses in 2023?
Did you know that at least 4 billion people use email worldwide?
That’s the data produced by Litmus. It proves to you that email marketing is a powerhouse.
As a small business owner, you need email to attract new customers, build trust, and increase sales.
In this article, you’ll learn why you need to get started, the benefits of email marketing, and the challenges you might face. You’ll also learn how to deal with these challenges and much more.
So, without further ado, let’s dive in.
What is Email Marketing?
Email marketing refers to sending value-packed information to your subscribers via email.
Millions of businesses worldwide leverage email campaigns to improve brand awareness. They also use it as a tool to collect feedback from their customers and promote their products.
What Are the Benefits of Running Email Campaigns?
- Higher Return On Investments( ROI)
According to a report by Litmus, you’ll get a return of $36 for every dollar you spend on email campaigns. That’s higher than the ROI from social media marketing, SEO, and paid advertising.
- It has a wider outreach.
Currently, there are 4 billion email users worldwide. That’s close to 50% of the global population. What’s more?
Oberlo reported that the number of emails sent daily in 2022 was 333.2 billion. The number is still increasing; in 2024, it’s expected to hit 361.6 billion.
- It gives you full ownership.
Email marketing allows you to own your subscribers.
That gives you the freedom to do whatever you want with your audience. On the contrary, with social media channels like Instagram, you don’t own your followers. If Instagram messes with its algorithms today, you lose everything.
Furthermore, email marketing allows you to export your contacts from one service provider to another. For instance, you can move from ConvertKit to Mailchimp.
- Tailored messaging with personalization and segmentation.
When you send pink tulips to your best friend, you know their preference. You have collected some insights about your friend while you’ve been together.
Email marketing allows you to understand your customers similarly. Thus, you can personalize your messages based on what they like.
Segmentation is when you split your email list into different groups. For instance, you can segment your subscribers based on their demographics, like age, occupation, or gender.
- Testing options for optimization.
You can A/B test your email subject lines. It helps you see which ones got opened and which didn’t. Thus, you’ll understand how different subject lines click and convert.
As such, email marketing can be a great data-driven strategy to rely on.
- Quick Setup and Sending
Compared to other marketing strategies, setting up an email campaign is faster. With the right tools, you can send personalized emails to thousands of target customers in a split second.
- Reporting and real-time metrics.
When you send emails, you can track their performance. For instance, you can see which subscribers opened your emails and which did not.
What Are the Disadvantages of Email Marketing?
Just like any other marketing strategy, email campaigns also have their shortcomings. But here is the good news. As you’ll learn from this article, each challenge has a solution.
- Spam Issues
Your high-value email may jump into your recipient’s spam folder for no reason.
Why?
Because most promotional messages are considered junk by most email services, you may find that a well-intended message does not reach your target audience.
Solution: Ensure you frequently clear your list to increase the chances of your emails landing in your customer’s inbox. Furthermore, you can address this challenge by always informing subscribers to check their spam folder for goodies.
- Competition Issues
More than 300 billion emails are sent per day globally. That shows how hard it can be to cut through all that clutter and reach your potential customers.
Solution: Always craft better subject headlines than your competitors. You only want to grab your customers’ attention and compel them to open your emails.
- Design Issues
Your customers use different devices. So, they have different settings that may affect the message you send.
According to the Global Web Index, 8 of 10 internet users still depend on mobile phones. That means you may not convey your intended message to mobile phone users. In this case, only computer users will get the perfect news.
Solution: Ensure you craft responsive email designs. This means you should send templates that can fit on any device. Thus, different devices can receive the same message regardless of screen size.
What Steps Do You Need to Take?
Are you ready to learn how you can leverage email marketing? We will go through all the steps to make your email campaigns successful.
Step # 1:Increase Traffic to Your Website
You can increase your traffic by posting valuable and relevant content. Your social media channels and website should display information to help your target customers solve problems.
Another way to increase web traffic is to promote your small business offline. For instance, you can share business cards with your target market. Ensure you center your website address in bold fonts and share other details in small fonts below your business card.
This will capture your customers’ attention and encourage them to check your website.
Lastly, you can increase web traffic by building backlinks. For instance, you can pick one product you love and write a testimonial for the business’s website.
Step # 2: Entice Visitors to Sign Up
You can do this through SEO tactics, partnering with other creators, or consistently posting valuable content on your social media channels.
If you run a website, you first need an Opt-in form that allows customers to fill in their contact details.
However, future subscribers will only give you their contact information for a fee. So, you need to bribe them.
How?
Well, it’s simple. Look at the nature of your business and create a lead magnet for your target audience.
A lead magnet is an irresistible offer that attracts your target customers to your business.
Here is a list of some lead magnets you can give your website visitors in exchange for an email address.
- A cheat sheet
- A product sample
- A short e-book
- Email course
- A webinar
- An audio recording
- A quiz
- A challenge
Your lead magnet should deal with one problem. It should also be straight to the point and bring enough value for your customers to wish they had paid.
Step # 3: Send an Automated Email Series to Your New Subscribers
After getting your customers’ email addresses, you must roll up your sleeves and get to work.
And that involves sending a personalized email series. Your emails can be educational or promotional, depending on the nature of your business.
But the best thing is to be as human as possible. As your email campaigns expand, you will start using automation tools. However, this should not kill your personality and brand voice, which sets you apart.
Lastly, you need to promote your products or services subtly. Make your customers think that they made their own decision to buy your products.
What Are the Deadly Sins You Should Not Commit During Email Campaigns?
Sin #1: Sending Spammy Subject Lines
According to a study conducted in 2020 by OptinMonster, 33 percent of recipients decide whether to open an email based on the attractiveness of its subject lines.
Another study by Invesp conducted in 2021 found that 69 percent of recipients tag an email as spam soon after reading its subject line.
So, spammy email marketers are those who overpromise but underdeliver.
Instead, you should first spark the curiosity of your customers with eye-catching subject lines. Then you can give them real value in the email body.
Sin #2: Forcing Subscribers to Buy
Imagine visiting your best friend. When you enter their house, they start shoving a bowl of rice and beans toward your face shouting, “ Eat! Eat! Eat!” I don’t think you’d eat that meal.
As a marketer, you should avoid pushing your products onto your target customers. Most of them will unsubscribe from your list or ignore your message.
You must first share value with tangible results for your customers at no cost. That’s how you get them to trust your brand and buy from you.
Sin #3: Sending Emails At the Wrong Time
A study by Sendinblue found that the best email marketing results come from those who send emails between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. Other studies have concluded that the best day to send emails is Tuesday.
But as an entrepreneur, you should experiment with different times.
If your customers are stay-at-home moms, then you should send your emails in the evening and on weekends.
Trial and error is the best way to do it. Ultimately, you’ll find the time that suits your customers based on their demographics.
Wrap Up
If you’ve read this article up to this point, then you know one thing.
You know that email marketing is here to stay.
According to the words of David Newman,
“Email has an ability many channels don’t: Creating valuable personal touches-at scale.”
So, you should always focus on this powerful marketing tool. Wake up and start taking the first step to launch successful email campaigns.
Remember that subject lines that spark curiosity will take you far in your marketing endeavors. Lastly, always aim to give value to your target market through your emails. And you’ll see yourself up there with the air conditioner.