The State of Email Marketing for Small Businesses

Small Business Email Marketing Survey Results

Stats At-A-Glance

We surveyed 274 small business marketers to better understand their email marketing habits and results. Below are the Stats at-a-glance, followed by the full Survey.

• Almost 1 out of 4 small businesses (24.0%) report doing no email marketing at all.

• Survey respondents were even split between B2B (49.2%) and B2C (50.8%).

• Of those that reported doing email marketing, the most important goal is:
  • Generate new customers (48.5%), Improve customer retention and loyalty (26.9%), Gather feedback/improve products and/or services (18.5%), Increase brand awareness (5.4%)

• Of those that reported doing email marketing, the biggest challenge of email marketing is:
  • Optimizing email metrics (bounce rates, open rates, deliverability, click-rates, unsubscribes) (35.7%), Finding time/resources to dedicate to email marketing efforts (22.5%), Planning and email strategy (17.1%), List building or audience segmentation (14.0%), Proving ROI of email marketing to other stakeholders (5.4%), Reporting on email marketing (1.6%)

• 70.8% of small businesses report handling email marketing internally while 26.9% report outsourcing their email marketing efforts
• 85.6% of small businesses report devoting 40 or fewer hours per week to email marketing (66.4% spend 20 or fewer hours each week)
• 69.2% report spending less than $2,000 each month (tools + salary expenses) on email marketing
• 66.7% report using a 3rd party email marketing tool (1 in 4 report not using any 3rd party email marketing tool at all)
• 44.2% report sending emails to contacts that were harvested and DID NOT opt-in to be emailed by their business
• 64.3% have an email database of 5,000 or fewer contacts (only 8% have more than 25,000 contacts in their database)
• 80% agree that growing their email subscriber base is a high priority for their business
• 20.2% report sending an email to their subscribers everyday, with 72.6% sending an email at least once per week.
• Respondents report using the following elements in their emails:
  • Images (72.1%), Links to content (49.2%), Videos (42.3%), Animated GIFs (26.2%), Personalization tokens (25.4%), Emojis (15.4%)

• Types of emails sent to subscribers:
  • Content promotion (44.6%), New product/service announcements (43.6%), Promotional offers (42.3%), Newsletter (37.7%), Request for testimonials/reviews (27.7%), Special Occasion Emails (birthdays, product anniversaries, etc.) (24.6%), Order Confirmation/Tracking Emails (23.9%), Event promotion (sale events, trade shows, webinars, conventions..) (20.8%), Abandoned Cart Reminder Emails (8.5%)

• 16.9% report not segmenting their audience in order to be able to send personalized emails (while 76.1% report doing so)
• More than 1 in 4 (27.7%) report not doing split A/B testing with their emails (63.9% do)
• 90.0% report being able to track their email marketing efforts accurately
• 82.3% report seeing success with their email marketing efforts
• The most popular type of email based on engagement is discount promotional emails, followed by content promotional emails and then product/service announcements
• 83.1% report being very likely or likely to invest more in their email marketing over the course of the next 12 months (while only 3.1% said it was unlikely or very unlikely)

Adoption Rate

Does your business do email marketing?

Only 67.9% report doing email marketing, with almost 1 out of 4 small businesses (24.0%) report doing no email marketing at all.

Primary Goal

What is the most important goal of your business’ email marketing efforts?

• Generate new customers – 48.5%
• Improve customer retention and loyalty – 26.9%
• Gather feedback/improve products and/or services – 18.5%
• Increase brand awareness – 5.4%

Biggest Challenge

What is the biggest challenge your business faces with email marketing?

• Optimizing email metrics (bounce rates, open rates, deliverability, click-rates, unsubscribes) – 35.7%
• Finding time/resources to dedicate to email marketing efforts – 22.5%
• Planning and email strategy – 17.1%
• List building or audience segmentation – 14.0%
• Proving ROI of email marketing to other stakeholders – 5.4%
• Reporting on email marketing – 1.6%

Resource Allocation

Internal vs. Outsourced

• 70.8% of small businesses report handling email marketing internally with 26.9% outsourcing their email marketing efforts

Work Hours Per Week

• 86.2% of small businesses report devoting 40 or fewer hours per week to email marketing (67.7% spend 20 or fewer hours each week)

Spend Per Month

• 69.2% report spending less than $2,000 each month (tools + salary expenses) on email marketing

Email Software Adoption Rate

Does your business pay for 3rd party tools/software to execute its email marketing strategy?

• 66.7% report using a 3rd party email marketing tool (1 in 4 report not using any 3rd party email marketing tool at all)

Cold Email Utilization Rate

Does your business send emails to harvested addresses that did not opt-in to its email subscriber list?

• 44.2% report sending emails to contacts that were harvested and DID NOT opt-in to be emailed by their business

Email Database Size

How large is your business’ email subscriber database?

• 64.3% have an email database of 5,000 or fewer contacts (only 8% have more than 25,000 contacts in their database)

Email Frequency

How often does your business send an email to its subscribers?

• Every day – 20.9%
• A few times a week – 27.1%
• About once a week – 25.6%
• A couple of times a month – 11.6%
• About once a month – 7.8%
• Less than once a month – 4.7%

Element Usage in Emails

Which of the following elements does your business include in your marketing emails?

• Images – 72.1%
• Links to content – 49.2%
• Videos – 42.3%
• Animated GIFs – 26.2%
• Personalization tokens – 25.4%
• Emojis – 15.4%

Emails Sent by Type

Which types of emails does your business send to its subscribers?

• Content promotion – 44.6%
• New product/service announcements – 43.6%
• Promotional offers – 42.3%
• Newsletter – 37.7%
• Request for testimonials/reviews – 27.7%
• Special Occasion Emails (birthdays, product anniversaries, etc.) – 24.6%
• Order Confirmation/Tracking Emails – 23.9%
• Event promotion (sale events, trade shows, webinars, conventions..) – 20.8%
• Abandoned Cart Reminder Emails – 8.5%

Audience Segmentation Rate

Does your business segment your subscribers into various audiences in order to send personalized emails?

• 16.9% report not segmenting their audience in order to be able to send personalized emails (while 76.1% report doing so)

Split A/B Testing Rate

Does your business perform split A/B testing in order to see which emails are most effective?

• More than 1 in 4 (27.7%) report not doing split A/B testing with their emails (63.9% do)

Ability to Track Email Success

Agree or disagree: Your business is able to accurate track the success of its email marketing efforts.

• Agree – 57.7%
• Somewhat agree – 32.3%
• Neither agree nor disagree – 8.5%
• Somewhat disagree – 0.8%
• Disagree – 0.8%

Email Marketing Success Rate

Agree or disagree: Your business sees success in its email marketing efforts.

• Agree – 46.9%
• Somewhat agree – 35.4%
• Neither agree nor disagree – 13.1%
• Somewhat disagree – 3.9%
• Disagree – 0.8%

Engagement by Email Type

Which types of emails see the highest level of engagement for your business?

• Discounts or Special Promotion Emails – 40.8%
• Content Promotion (New guides, blogs, downloads or videos) – 33.9%
• New Product/Service Announcement Emails – 33.1%
• Newsletter – 30.8%
• Review/Testimonial Request Emails – 29.2%
• Special Occasion Emails (birthdays, product anniversaries, etc.) – 26.2%
• Order Confirmation/Tracking Emails – 20.0%
• Event promotion (sale events, trade shows, webinars, conventions..) – 15.4%
• Abandoned Cart Reminder Emails – 6.9%

Future Investment

How likely is your company to invest more resources into email marketing within the next 12 months?

• Very Likely – 46.9%
• Likely – 36.2%
• Neither Likely nor Unlikely – 13.9%
• Unlikely – 3.1%
• Very Unlikely – 0.0%

Understand your target audiences to craft effective email marketing campaigns that resonate with their needs and generate leads for your business.

Small Business Email Marketing Guide

Introduction

With the average person receiving more than 121 emails per day, there’s a lot of competition. But with the right understanding of how to target your audience and frame effective email marketing campaigns that resonate with your audience’s needs, you can make sure your emails don’t get lost in the shuffle. In this email we’ll discuss why email marketing is so important for small businesses, how it’s effective, top objectives, examples, and email tools. Stick around to learn more about how to generate leads with your emails!

Why is email marketing so important?

Email marketing is an efficient way to consistently stay in contact with your audience, target their needs, and track results so you can continue to improve your email marketing strategies.

A good open rate for email campaigns is 17.13% on average across all industries. With the steady yearly increase of email usage and about 4.26 billion email users in 2022, there’s a lot of opportunity to generate leads through email at a relatively low cost.

Studies have shown that email marketing has a higher ROI than any other form of marketing, making it one of the most cost-effective ways to reach your target audience. With more people than ever checking their email on their phones, you can be sure that your message will be seen by potential customers. But email marketing is not just about sending out mass emails – it’s also about personalization and building relationships with your customers.

By taking the time to segment your list and craft targeted messages, you can create a real connection with your audience that will lead to conversions and sales. So don’t underestimate the power of email marketing – it just might be the key to success for your small business.

What are the primary objectives of email marketing?

Before embarking on an email marketing campaign, it is important for small business owners to understand the primary objectives of email marketing. These objectives include building relationships with customers, increasing brand awareness, and generating sales. By understanding these objectives, small business owners can create email marketing campaigns that are more likely to be successful.

Attract New Customers

In our survey results, 81.6% report seeing success with their email marketing efforts. But how? Ideally, small businesses should view email marketing as a way to cultivate relationships with their customers, rather than simply promoting their product or service.

The first step is to build a list of subscribers, which can be done by providing an opt-in form on the business website or blog. It’s important to make the form easy to find and simple to fill out, with a clear call-to-action explaining what the subscriber will receive by signing up.

Once you have a list of subscribers, you can start sending out regular newsletters, coupons, or other promotional material. The key is to provide value, rather than just selling products or services. If you can keep this in mind, you can use email marketing to attract new customers and foster relationships with existing ones in an effort to grow your small business.

Retain Existing Customers

Small businesses face a unique challenge when it comes to email marketing. They need to find a way to stand out in a crowded inbox, while also keeping their messages relevant and engaging. However, small businesses also have the advantage of being able to build strong relationships with their customers.

This personal touch can be essential for retention, as customers are more likely to do business with a company that they feel they know and trust. 80% of B2B marketers use email marketing for customer retention. In fact, many customers are happy to join email subscriber lists from businesses they love in order to receive promotions and discounts. So don’t be afraid to send out your best promos in order to retain customers.

There are a few small business email marketing best practices that can help with retention. First, it’s important to segment your list so that you’re only sending relevant messages to each customer. There’s no use in bombarding someone who isn’t interested in your product with daily emails – they’re just going to unsubscribe.

Second, make sure that your emails are personal and friendly. No one wants to feel like they’re just another number on a list, so take the time to write personalized messages.

Finally, don’t neglect your subject lines! With so many emails competing for attention, you need to make sure that yours stands out. Keep them short, sweet, and to the point.

Improve products and services by gathering feedback

In our survey, we found that 18% of small business owners’ primary goal is to gather feedback from customers and improve products—which is a great goal to have! One of the best ways to improve products and services is to gather feedback through email marketing. By sending out surveys or simply asking for customer feedback, small businesses can get valuable insights that can be used to make improvements.

Another way to use email marketing to improve products and services is to keep customers updated on new developments. By letting customers know about new products, discounts, or changes to the company, small businesses can show that they are always working to improve their offerings.

In our survey, we found that 18% of small business owners’ primary goal is to gather feedback from customers and improve products—which is a great goal to have! By taking advantage of email marketing, small businesses can make sure that their products and services are always evolving and improving.

Top 3 benefits of email marketing for small businesses:

High ROI

As a small business owner, you can use email marketing to increase your ROI in a number of ways. For example, you can use it to cultivate relationships with potential customers, build loyalty among existing clients, or announce new products or special offers. What’s more, email marketing is very cost-effective, making it an excellent choice for small businesses on a tight budget.

The average expected ROI is $42 for every $1 you spend on email marketing. With so many advantages, it’s easy to see why email marketing is one of the most powerful tools in a small business owner’s arsenal.

Increase Leads

Small business email marketing can be an extremely effective way to reach out to current and potential customers if done properly. In fact, it’s been shown that customers spend 138% more as a result of email marketing compared to consumers who don’t receive email offers. That’s a lot of leads!

Small business owners who use email marketing report higher customer satisfaction rates and increases in ROI.  Email marketing is versatile too, so you can use it for many different purposes such as promoting new products or services, providing valuable content, or even just staying in touch with your customers. Overall, small business email marketing is an incredibly powerful tool that every small business owner should be taking advantage of.

Measurable Impact

Email marketing is a great way to reach out to potential customers and build relationships that can lead to more business. But how do you know if your email marketing campaigns are really making an impact?

There are a few key metrics you can use to measure the success of your email marketing efforts:

• Open Rate: This measures how many people actually open your emails. A high open rate means that your subject lines and content are engaging and relevant to your audience.

• Click-through Rate: This measures how many people click on links in your email. A high click-through rate indicates that your recipients are interested in what you have to say and are taking action on your call-to-actions.

• Bounce Rate: This measures the percentage of emails that are undeliverable. This happens when the email cannot reach the intended recipient and is returned back to the sender. It’s important to track bounce rates and be aware of invalid email addresses in order to keep your bounce rate low.

By tracking these key metrics, you can see where your email marketing campaigns are having the most impact and where you need to make improvements.

For example, if you see a high unsubscribe rate, that could be a sign that you need to work on segmenting your list or creating more targeted content. If your open rates are low, that could mean you need to work on making your subject lines more interesting or personalizing your emails more.

Email marketing is a powerful tool for small businesses, but it’s important to measure results so you can continue to improve your campaigns and see the biggest return on investment.

It’s a Marketing Channel you Own

As a small business owner, it’s important to understand the difference between email and other channels, such as google search or social media. With email, you own your email list and data. This means that you can reach your customers directly, without worrying about changes that the medium owner (such as Google or Facebook) might make that could impact your reach.

In contrast, with search or social media, you don’t own the platform and are at the mercy of the platform owner’s algorithm updates or censorship decisions. That’s why email marketing can be more effective for small businesses – you have more control over your ability to reach your customers.

Social Media Compared to Email Marketing

Email marketing enables businesses to reach a wider audience with their message than they would be able to through social media. Social media platforms have been known to limit the reach of organic posts, making it difficult for small businesses to get their content seen by potential customers.

With email marketing, businesses can send their message directly to a customer’s inbox, increasing the likelihood that it will be seen and read. Additionally, email marketing allows businesses to track behavior such as clicks and conversions, helping them to gauge the effectiveness of their campaigns. On social media, it can be difficult to track how many people have seen or interacted with a particular post, making it harder to measure results.

Finally, email marketing is less expensive than running ads on social media, making it a more cost-effective option for small businesses looking to generate leads. If it is the case your small business is using social media to generate leads, it might be time to focus on scaling your email channel as well.

Google Search Compared to Email Marketing

While Google search may be a good platform to generate leads, there are some drawbacks to using it as your sole source of lead generation.

With email marketing, small business owners can carefully craft their message and target it to a specific audience, whereas Google search results are based on algorithms that may or may not show a small business owner’s message to the right people.

Additionally, email marketing can be highly effective in building loyalty and repeat business from customers, whereas Google search results are often one-time interactions that don’t result in lasting customer relationships.

Because you’re able to segment your list and send different messages to different groups of people, you can increase the chances that your email will be read and acted upon.

In addition, email marketing allows you to build relationships with your customers over time. With each email you send, you have an opportunity to nurture your relationship with the recipient and turn them into a lifelong customer.

Ultimately, while both Google search and social media can be effective lead generation tools, email marketing offers some distinct advantages for small businesses. If you’re looking to generate quality leads that are more likely to convert, email marketing should be a key part of your overall strategy.

What are the most challenging things about email marketing in 2022 and how can you manage them?

Small businesses face a number of daunting challenges when it comes to email marketing. For one, they have to compete with much larger businesses that have significantly more resources at their disposal.

Additionally, small businesses often lack the time and expertise necessary to create effective email marketing campaigns. However, there is hope for small businesses that are willing to learn about the tools and tricks of the trade.

With a little effort, small businesses can develop email marketing campaigns that are just as effective as those of their larger counterparts. By understanding the challenges and taking advantage of available resources, small businesses can level the playing field and reach their target audiences.

Optimizing Email Metrics

One of the most challenging aspects of email marketing is optimizing email metrics such as bounce rates, open rates, and click-through rates. There are a few ways to overcome these challenges:

Bounce Rates

Simply put, email bounce rate is the percentage of emails that are undeliverable. This can happen for a number of reasons, but the most common ones are either because the email address is invalid or because the recipient’s inbox is full. 

Hard bounces occur when the email address is invalid or the receiving email service has blocked delivery, while soft bounces happen when the inbox is full, the email is too large, or the email server is down.

Either way, both types of bounces will result in your message not being delivered. To lower your bounce rate, start by segmenting your list and using an email validation service to clean your list and remove invalid addresses.

If you don’t want to pay for a third-party service to clean your list, you can do your best to segment out any contacts that may not be a good fit for your email to make your list as targeted as possible. This could mean suppressing out based on lead status, life cycle stage, industry or anything else in your database that may make a person not a good-fit for your email.

Open Rates

Optimizing open rates can be one of the most challenging aspects of email marketing. This is because there are a number of factors that can affect open rates, including the subject line, the sender name, and the time of day that the email is sent. In addition, some email providers have strict filters that can prevent certain emails from being delivered to the inbox.

As a result, small business owners need to be vigilant in testing and monitoring their email campaigns in order to ensure that they are achieving the highest possible open rates.

Using A/B testing to test different subject lines and send times, and using an email validation service to ensure that your emails are being delivered to the inbox are good best practices to make the process easier along the way. Tools like CoSchedule’s Headline Analyzer can help small business owners create better subject lines.

Last but not least, small business owners need to make sure their emails are mobile-friendly. Over half of all emails are opened on mobile devices, so it’s essential that the email looks good and is easy to read on a small screen. Tools like Litmus’ Email Previews can help small business owners see how their emails will look on different devices.

Deliverability

Small businesses often face challenges when it comes to deliverability. This refers to how often your emails actually get delivered to your recipients’ inboxes. Small businesses typically have less control over their IP addresses and domain names, which can affect reputation and deliverability.

In addition, small businesses often lack the resources to properly monitor their email infrastructure, which can lead to deliverability issues. However, there are a few things you can do to improve deliverability.

Using a dedicated IP address for email marketing, sticking to a reputable email service provider that offers high inbox placement rates, and constantly monitoring your email infrastructure to identify and resolve any deliverability issues as quickly as possible will help improve your deliverability.

Click Rates

Click rates are a measure of how often users click on links in an email, and they can vary widely depending on factors such as the subject line, the content of the email, and the target audience.

One way to optimize click rates is to use engaging images and compelling calls to action. Images can help to grab attention and draw users into the email, while calls to action can encourage users to take action.

Finally, small business owners should segment their email list so that they are sending messages to users who are likely to be interested in them. By segmenting their list, small business owners can ensure that they are sending relevant messages to their target audience.

Unsubscribes

One of the most difficult parts is managing unsubscribe requests. When someone unsubscribes from your list, it can be tempting to simply delete their email address and move on.

However, this can lead to problems down the road, such as bounced emails or complaints from the customer. Instead, it’s important to take the time to manage unsubscribe requests properly. There are a few tips that can help make this process less challenging:

Use an email marketing service that offers built-in unsubscribe management. This will make it easier to keep track of who has unsubscribed and avoid accidentally emailing them in the future.

Don’t take it personally. It’s important to remember that not everyone will be interested in your products or services. It’s nothing personal if someone decides they don’t want to receive your emails anymore.

Make it easy to unsubscribe. Include an unsubscribe link in every email you send, and make sure it’s easy to find. This way, people who do want to unsubscribe can do so without any hassle.

By following these tips, you can make small business email marketing more manageable – even when it comes to dealing with unsubscribe requests.

Finding Time/Resources to Dedicate to Email Marketing Efforts

Email marketing can be a great way to reach out to customers and promote your small business. However, it can also be time-consuming and resource-intensive. So how can small business owners find the time and resources to dedicate towards email marketing efforts?

Outsource

One option is to outsource email marketing to a professional service or use tools to automate the process. This can be expensive, but it may be worth the investment if you don’t have the time or resources to dedicate to email marketing yourself.

Rely on Tools

One way to make it easier is to use tools like MailChimp or Constant Contact, which automate the process of sending emails and provide templates that make it easy to create professional-looking emails.

Schedule Time Each Week Internally

Another option is to set aside some time each week to work on email marketing. This may not be as effective as outsourcing or using automation tools, but it can still be a helpful way to reach out to your customers.

Planning and Email Strategy

Before embarking on an email marketing campaign, it is important to plan ahead and ask some key questions. What is the goal of the campaign? Who is the target audience? What resources are available for creating and executing the campaign? Once these questions have been answered, small businesses can begin to develop a step-by-step email marketing plan.

• If outsourcing, choose a service provider. There are a number of ESPs on the market, so it is important to select one that fits the needs of the business.

• Create an email list. This can be done by collecting names and email addresses from customers and prospects or by purchasing a list from a reputable source.

• Create compelling content that will resonate with their target audiences. 

• Design attractive emails that are easy to read and mobile-friendly.

• Monitor your campaign metrics and make adjustments as needed to ensure that their email marketing efforts are effective.

By following these steps, small businesses can set themselves up for success with their email marketing campaigns.

Top Small Business Email Marketing Tools

Campaigner

One key advantage of using Campaigner is that it makes it easy to create beautiful and professional-looking emails. With its drag-and-drop editor, you can quickly design emails that are visually appealing and eye-catching.

You can also add personalization elements such as names and photos to make your emails more engaging. Another benefit of using Campaigner is that it provides detailed analytics so you can track the performance of your campaigns. This data can help you identify what’s working well and where you need to make improvements.

However, there are also some drawbacks to using Campaigner. One downside is that it’s a subscription-based service, which means there’s a monthly fee. For small businesses on a tight budget, this may not be an ideal solution.

Additionally, Campaigner doesn’t offer any free trial or money-back guarantee, so you’ll need to commit to using the platform before knowing if it’s right for you. Overall, Campaigner is a solid email marketing tool with some impressive features. However, it’s important to carefully consider the pros and cons before making a decision about whether or not to use it for your small business.

Omnisend

Focused on eCommerce businesses, Omnisend aims to be an all-in-one email marketing automation platform with templates, personalization and other features. It also allows for the integrations of various channels, including SMS, into your workflows.

Omnisend Pros:

• Automated email campaigns can save small business owners time.
• Templates make it easy to create professional-looking emails.
• Integrations with popular ecommerce platforms make it easy to add Omnisend forms and opt-ins to existing websites.
• Is inexpensive for small businesses on a tight budget with plans starting at $15 a month.

Omnisend Cons:

• Some features, such as A/B testing and advanced segmentation, require a paid subscription.
• There have been some reports of technical difficulties with the platform.

Convertkit

Converkit is an email marketing tool that helps you automate your email campaigns and track their performance. It also offers a wide range of features, including customizable templates, automated follow-ups, and integrations with popular platforms like Shopify and WordPress.

The biggest downside of Converkit is its price tag; at $29 per month for the basic plan, it’s one of the more expensive options out there. However, if you’re serious about email marketing and willing to invest in a quality tool, Converkit may be worth the investment.

GetResponse

GetResponse is one of the most popular options out there, but it’s important to weigh the pros and cons before you make a decision.

On the plus side, GetResponse offers a wide range of features that can be helpful for small businesses. You’ll be able to create beautiful newsletters, manage your contacts, and track your results. The pricing is also reasonable, starting at $15 per month for up to 1,000 subscribers.

There are some drawbacks to consider as well. GetResponse can be difficult to use, and its customer support isn’t always responsive. Some small business owners have also reported experiencing issues with deliverability.

MailMunch

MailMunch is one option that small business owners may want to consider. It offers a number of features that can be very helpful for small businesses, such as customizable templates, a drag-and-drop editor, and autoresponders. MailMunch is also relatively affordable, with plans starting at just $10 per month.

Of course, there are some downsides to MailMunch as well. One downside is that it doesn’t offer some of the more advanced features that other email marketing tools do. Additionally, its customer support can be somewhat lacking. Overall, though, MailMunch is a solid option for small business owners who are looking for an affordable and easy-to-use email marketing tool.

Tips and Tricks to Never Skip on For Successful Email Marketing in 2022

Automation

Automation tools can help small businesses to manage their email lists, send automated emails, and track the results of their campaigns. Furthermore, automation can make it easier to personalize emails and target specific customers.

One of the most important things to consider when setting up an automated email marketing program is the customer journey. What sequence of emails do you want to send? How often should they be sent? And what call-to-action do you want each email to include? Planning out the customer journey in advance will help ensure that your automated email campaigns are successful.

There are a number of different automation tools available, so it’s important to choose one that’s right for your business. MailChimp, Constant Contact, and AWeber are all popular options. Once you’ve selected a tool, setting up your automation campaign is relatively straightforward. Simply import your contact list, create your email template, and schedule when each email should be sent. Finally, don’t forget to track the results of your campaign so that you can adjust and improve your automation program over time.

Customization / Personalization

In order to be effective, email marketing must be customized and personalized to the specific needs of the recipient. Otherwise, it runs the risk of being ignored or deleted.

There are several ways to customize and personalize email marketing communications. For instance, small businesses can segment their list of contacts by interest or demographics, and then craft tailor-made messages for each group. 

For example, when you segment your email list by industry, you are able to tailor their marketing messages to better meet the needs of their target audience. By understanding the specific challenges and concerns of each industry, you can create email content that is more relevant and engaging. As a result, you are more likely to see positive results from your email marketing campaigns.

Not only will you generate more leads and sales, but you will also build stronger relationships with your customers.You can also use data from previous interactions to make subsequent emails more relevant and engaging. Take advantage of tools like dynamic content and triggered emails to deliver a truly personalized experience.

One way to make the most of small business email marketing is to personalize messages using personalization tokens. Personalization tokens are small pieces of code that allow you to insert customer information, such as names and company names, into your emails and your email subject lines to grab attention and increase open rates. This helps to create a more customized and personal experience for your customers.

A marketing automation platform, like HubSpot, will allow you to use personalization tokens in your automated emails which can also help you to track which customers are opening and clicking through your emails. You can also use personalization tokens to insert links or data points in your CRM for each recipient. This data can be valuable in helping you to fine-tune your email marketing strategy.

When using personalization tokens, it’s important to ensure the data points you insert are accurate and already exist for your recipients in order to see success with your email marketing efforts.

By taking the time to customize and personalize your email marketing, you can ensure that messages are read and acted upon by your target audience. In doing so, you can significantly increase the number of leads generated through this important channel.

Videos

Videos are a great way to capture attention and engage your audience. In fact, including a video in an email can increase click-through rates by up to 300%. And once viewers are engaged, they’re more likely to convert into leads or customers.

There are lots of different ways you can include videos in your email marketing campaigns. For example, you could include a short intro video in your initial welcome email, or include product demonstration videos in follow-up emails. You could even create a video email newsletter and send it out on a regular basis.

There are plenty of tools and resources available to help you get started with video email marketing. For example, many email marketing platforms make it easy to embed videos directly into your emails. There are also lots of stock videos and royalty-free music tracks available online that you can use in your videos, but personalized videos are more engaging and help build trust.

Make sure that the video is short and to the point as people are more likely to watch a video that is under two minutes long than one that is longer. Plus, don’t forget to include a visually appealing thumbnail image that will grab attention in the email!

Images

As a small business owner, you may be wondering if it’s really worth taking the time to include images in your email marketing campaigns. After all, you’re probably already short on time and resources as it is. But the truth is that including images in your emails can be a highly effective way to generate leads and boost sales. Here are just a few reasons why:

For one thing, people are visual creatures and are more likely to engage with emails that contain attractive imagery. In fact, studies have shown that including images in emails can increase click-through rates by up to 42%.

Another reason to include images in your email marketing campaigns is that they can help convey important information quickly and efficiently. An image can often say more than a thousand words, so if you want to highlight a particular product or service, an image will do the job much better than text alone.

Finally, including images in your emails can help build trust and credibility with your subscribers. People are more likely to do business with companies that they feel they can trust, and including high-quality images in your emails will show potential customers that you’re serious about your business and delivering quality products or services.

So now that you know just how important images can be for small business email marketing, what are some tips for incorporating them into your campaigns? Here are a few ideas:

Use Images that are Relevant to Your Products or Services

• If you sell clothes, for example, include pictures of people wearing your clothes in natural settings. If you offer a home-cleaning service, use before-and-after photos of homes you’ve cleaned. Relevance is key when it comes to capturing people’s attention and interest.

Make Sure Your Images are High Quality

• People can tell the difference between a blurry, low-resolution photo and a crisp, professional one, so make sure you’re using quality images in your emails. There’s no need to hire a professional photographer – there are plenty of online resources where you can find high-quality stock photos (such as Unsplash.com). Just make sure the photos you use are relevant and add value to your email content.

Use Descriptive Alt Text for All Images

• Always remember to include alt text with all of the images you use in your emails. This is important for two reasons: first, because it helps ensure that your emails will still look good even if images are disabled; and second, because it helps improve the chances that your email will be found by search engines. When choosing alt text, describe the image as clearly and concisely as possible – but don’t stuff keywords! A good rule of thumb is to keep your alt text under 125 characters.

Links to Content

By including links to your content in your emails, you can increase the likelihood that recipients will click through and visit your website. There are a few things to keep in mind when including links in your emails:

• Make sure the link is relevant to the topic of your email. If it’s not, recipients are likely to ignore it.

• Use anchor text that is descriptive and easy to understand. Again, this will help recipients know what they’re clicking on and why it’s important.

• Use a call to action that stands out. You want recipients to know what you want them to do once they click on the link.

• There are several tools that can help you include links in your emails, such as LinkTrackr and AWeber. These tools can track how many people click on the links in your emails, as well as what type of anchor text and call to action is most effective. By using these tools, you can fine-tune your email marketing campaigns to be even more successful in generating leads.

Sending Timely Campaigns

By sending timely and relevant campaigns, small businesses can build relationships with potential customers and create a sense of trust and brand loyalty. However, developing an effective email marketing strategy can be challenging. Here are some tips and tools that small businesses can use to create successful email marketing campaigns:

Use Segmentation to Target Your Audience

• Segmenting your email list will allow you to send more targeted and relevant campaigns. This will help improve open rates and click-through rates, and ultimately generate more leads.

Use an Email Service Provider

• An email service provider (ESP) can help small businesses manage their contact lists, create engaging email templates, and track campaign performance.

Test, Test, Test

• Always test your email campaigns before you send them out. This includes testing the subject line, the content, the call to action, and the design. Testing will help you identify any areas that need improvement before you launch your campaign. A marketing automation platform like HubSpot will allow you to test your email as if you were one of the contacts in your database so that you can see exactly what a recipient will see.

By following these tips, small businesses can create successful email marketing campaigns that will generate leads and boost their bottom line.

Optimizing for Mobile

Today, more people than ever are accessing their email on their smartphones and tablets. In fact, studies show that over 66% of all email opens now occur on mobile devices. This means that if your emails are not optimized for mobile, they are likely being ignored by a large percentage of your audience.

So how can you make sure your email campaigns are optimized for mobile? Here are some tips:

Use a Responsive Design

• A responsive design ensures that your email will look great on any size screen, from small smartphone to large tablet.

Keep Your Subject Lines Short

• Mobile users often have limited attention spans, so make sure your subject lines are short and to the point.

Use Small Amounts of Text

• Again, less is more when it comes to mobile email marketing. Keep your messages concise and easy to read.

Use Large Call-To-Action Buttons

• Make it easy for mobile users to take action by using large call-to-action buttons that are easy to tap on small screens.

Following these tips will help ensure that your email marketing campaigns are effective and engaging on all platforms, including mobile devices.

Examples of effective small business email marketing

Now that you have all the details on what makes an effective email campaign tick, it’s time for some prime examples of small business email campaigns that shine. For these email campaigns we picked the categories that generate leads the most, so you can start somewhere with a lot of promise. Enjoy our top email campaign examples from small businesses!

Content Promotion

A content promotion email is simply an email that highlights a piece of content – typically an article or blog post – and encourages the recipient to check it out. When it comes to small business email marketing, a successful content promotion campaign is key. But what goes into a successful content promotion email? First, make sure that your email is focused on a single goal or message.

Don’t try to cram too much information into one email – keep it concise and focused. Then, your email should provide a brief overview of your blog post, including a catchy headline and a few key benefits. Finally, you’ll want to include a call-to-action (CTA) that encourages recipients to click through to read the full post.

Discount Emails

A discount email is an offer of a discount or sale on products or services, usually sent to a list of subscribers or customers. It’s important to make sure that your discount emails are well-designed and compelling in order to achieve the best results. There are a few key elements that should be included in every discount email:

A Brief But Informative Message

• You’ll need to briefly explain what the discount is and how it can be redeemed. Make sure to include any relevant details such as expiration date or minimum purchase amount.

An Enticing Image

• A well-chosen image can go a long way towards making your email more visually appealing and helping it stand out in recipients’ inboxes.

By following these tips, you can make sure that your small business discount emails are successful and engaging.

New Product / Service Emails

A new product email is a great way to let small business owners know about a new product or service that could be of benefit to them. But what should you include in a new product email? First, make sure to include some basic information about the product or service. What does it do? How does it work? What are its key features?

Be sure to also include pricing information and any special offers that may be available. And finally, make sure to include a call to action, such as a link to a website where they can learn more or purchase the product.

Retention Emails

A retention email is a type of small business email that’s specifically designed to keep customers engaged. In order to create a successful retention email, you’ll need to include some key elements:

A Strong Subject Line

• This will be the first thing your customers see, so make sure it’s something that will grab their attention.

Relevant Content

• Your email should be packed with information that’s relevant to your customers. Keep them updated on new product releases, changes to your service, or anything else that might be of interest.

Promotional Emails

The goal of a promotional email is to let potential customers or current customers know about a service or product. Common promotional emails include discounts, coupons, or access to exclusive content. It may also include other content such as product photos or videos, customer testimonials, or links to your website or blog.

The most popular type of email based on engagement is promotional emails, so it’s important not to neglect these and to ensure you’re consistent with best practices. The content needs to be well-written and relevant to the target audience.

Including images or videos can also be helpful in keeping readers engaged. As always, it’s important to have a strong call-to-action that drives recipients towards the desired goal, whether that’s signing up for a newsletter, making a purchase, or downloading a white paper.

Upsell Emails

An upsell email is an email that’s sent to a customer after they’ve already made a purchase, in an effort to convince them to buy more or upgrade to a higher-priced product.

To create a successful upsell email, there are a few things you’ll need to do. First, you need to make sure you have a strong offer. This could be a discount on a more expensive product, or it could be an exclusive offer that’s only available to customers who purchase through your upsell email.

Second, you need to create a sense of urgency by including language that encourages the customer to act now. And finally, you need to make it easy for the customer to take action by including clear instructions and links.

Referral Emails

Referral emails are designed to encourage customers to refer your business to their friends and family. To be successful, referral emails must be concise, clear, and persuasive. They should also include a strong call-to-action that makes it easy for the recipient to refer to your business.

Finally, provide an incentive for your recipients to take action – this could be a discount code, entry into a contest, or something else that’s of value to them.When crafting a referral email, small business owners should keep these elements in mind to ensure they create a successful campaign.

Conclusion

Email marketing can be a great way to connect with leads and customers. It’s important to keep your emails relevant, personal, and interesting in order to encourage opens and clicks. And don’t forget to track the results of your email campaigns so you can continue to improve their effectiveness. Are you ready to get started with email marketing? If so, use these best practices as a guide. Thanks for reading!