Direct email marketing is a powerful, cost-effective and simple way to build strong relationships with your customers. It allows you to interact with all your customers at one time and at anytime you decide. Once they get to know and trust you, they will buy your product or service again and again. Developing an effective small business email marketing campaign involves advanced email marketing tools, polished communication skills and many other factors, but the following tips can give you a great start.
Start with the Basics
Effective email marketing for small business starts with list management. If you prefer a low-cost option, you can simply use an Excel spreadsheet, but an email database management system such as Aweber is cost-effective and fairly simple, and it even allows you to create and send newsletters. Aweber has many tutorials that make it easier to use and learn. Once you’ve determined how to create and distribute your material, you can start building your list.
Don’t Wait, Communicate
One of the worst email marketing mistakes you can make is to not communicate with subscribers right away. Establishing relationships with potential customers as soon as possible suggests professionalism, and your subscribers will be especially impressed if you send them valuable links, information or even media downloads. You can boost your email’s visual appeal with a custom-branded template, but plain text can get through most spam filters easily.
Automation Keeps It Simple
An autoresponder is a great email marketing solution that enables you to create your messages in advance and send them automatically at a later date. Another great option is that you can send one time broadcast messages to your list sending promotions, upcoming sales, and business updates all on auto pilot. When your list operates on auto pilot, you only have to set your system up once, and you won’t need to hire someone to manage subscriptions or schedules. Automation takes most of the work out of email marketing for small business, so you can spend the extra time focusing on other important business matters.
Strength In Numbers: Partner Up
Successful email marketing for small business often includes partnerships with companies that sell related products or services. This strategy can produce thousands of new subscribers, and many companies are more than happy to join forces and help others succeed. By including your link in their newsletter, your partners can actually help you market your list.