Having a strong social presence on sites like Facebook and Twitter is a top marketing goal for small business owners in 2013. A full 70 percent of small business owners said they’d work to improve their presence on Facebook and an impressive 58 percent plan to become more active on Twitter. While social sites may be the hottest topi
c of conversation right now, email marketing campaigns are still effective for small business owners who want to get their message out and market their business.
Email Marketing Produces Results
— Although 70 percent of the respondents to the surveyed by Aweber admitted that they spend less than three hours each week on email marketing, 77 percent of those taking the survey said they saw increased revenues based on their email marketing efforts.
— Every dollar spent on email marketing generated $40 in revenue.
Doing What Works
Marketing experts, surveys and real data all point to the fact that a properly run email marketing campaign is an effective way for small business owners to reach their target audience. In order for your small business to get the most out of email marketing, you need to have a solid plan in place.
Developing a Mailing List
Your small business can’t be all things to everyone. No matter what you sell or what services you provide, focus on your primary target demographic. Concentrate your efforts on contacting the people most likely to need or use your products and services. Before you include anyone on your mailing list, get their consent by asking them to opt-in.
You Need a Good Landing Page
When an individual does a search, clicks on a link or somehow manages to wind up on your site, do whatever you can to keep them there for more than a moment. That first page should be entertaining and interesting enough to make the visitor want to take further action. You can use the opportunity to build a mailing list by offering a free newsletter or a notification of special sales for those who “like” you on Facebook.
Subject Matter of Your Emails
It’s never a good idea to sell aggressively via email. Instead, announce upcoming events, changes at your store or just offer some information that the reader might find useful to know. Let the recipient decide whether to respond.
Measurements and Benchmarks
You need a way to measure how well your efforts are working. Track your results by recording the number of opens, clicks, social shares and any other metrics important for your business, like subscriptions. Establish a benchmark for conversion rates and purchases and check your figures each month.
Make It Easy For Smartphone users
Statistics show that about 45 percent of all the people who own smartphones use them to check their email. Young people in particular do everything on their smartphones. Whether the people on your mailing list are sitting in their college psychology class or out shopping for shoes, the ability to reach them on the go is a big advantage.
Email marketing is ideal for small businesses. You have the ability to reach the people most likely to buy your products or services, and you get a chance to understand what your customers want or need. Create a good mailing list and don’t spam anyone. By devoting more time and resources toward social sites and email marketing, you’ll see an improvement in conversions.