E-mail marketing is a powerful tool if used correctly. You need to respect your contacts and not only provide them with information about your business, but also add value and interest. Remember, you are using e-mail marketing to enhance your relationship with your customer. Tell your story, why did you start your business? Explain to them why you are different and share details on who you have helped and how. Include videos that feature current clients talking about how you solved their business issues. Most importantly, be authentic. This applies to your Social Media postings as well. Don’t always push your product and services – demonstrate your value. Post articles that show you are leader in your industry by providing them with solutions and tips.
When sending newsletters and e-mails you need to be mindful of the frequency. Sending too many e-mails can annoy your audience. Be sure to check the reports in your e-mail program to gauge your engagement. Are your customers opening your e-mails? Are they unsubscribing? Some of these trends will indicate whether or not you are providing value and if you are sending too frequently. If your list is large, you may want to try A/B testing. Divide your list into two groups and send two different types of e-mails and see which one gets the most engagement. Another idea is to survey your customers to ask them what information they would like to receive from you.
One of the biggest obstacles small businesses face is how to grow and keep their lists. First it all goes back to the first point of providing value. If you distribute useful information your customers can use, they will continue to read your message. If you continually only focus on your business offerings and try to sell them in each e-mail, you will lose readers. Here is a useful resource from Constant Contact that outlines 10 important steps to keeping engagement with your list subscribers. The most important point when building and growing your list is to have permission to e-mail. Do not send e-mails to leads or potential customers who have not given you permission to add them to your list.
