4 Reasons Why Email Marketing is an Asset For All Small Businesses

This article is part of SWOT Team, a series on Mashable that features insights from leaders in marketing, brand-building and public relations.

Marketing has come a long way in the four-and-a-half decades since the first email was delivered.

Advances like social media and search engine marketing have left businesses with no shortage of channels to leverage in order to reach their target demographic.

Why then, in this era of real-time socially driven marketing, do businesses continue to feature email as a staple of their marketing strategy?

As recently as 2014, more than half of marketers surveyed by the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) planned to increase spending on their email channel, citing their impressive return on investment as the driving factor.

So what is it about this veteran marketing channel that keeps savvy businesses coming back for more?

1. It gives you actionable insights

One of the greatest benefits of a good email marketing program is detailed statistics about your campaign.

Compared with other marketing channels — like a billboard or television commercial — email marketing metrics provide exponentially more information regarding the success, or failure, of a marketing campaign.

Conversions from emails are clearly defined and thus easier to repeat, contrary to the vague nature of more traditional broadcast marketing techniques.

For an email marketing app, opens and clicks are standard — but you can easily dig deeper and see how long recipients spend reading your emails, as well as the devices they use to access them. Monitoring these analytics provides incredibly valuable — and actionable — insight into what’s working and what isn’t with your campaign.

2. Email forces you to be a better marketer

The foundation of a good email marketing campaign — even before content — is your recipient list.

Defining and segmenting business contacts and deciding which emails to send to whom forces small businesses to take a more focused and scientific look at their target demographics. This type of detailed analysis benefits the rest of a small business’s marketing mix as well.

A precise understanding of your audience and what makes them tick is essential to successfully targeting search terms for SEO/PPC, aligning your brand with the proper accounts on social networks, structuring your website for conversion optimization and possibly finding the proper messaging for your next radio spot.

3. It frees up time so you can run your business

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Most good things take time — some more than others.

For small businesses that operate without the resources of a large marketing department, daily life involves a cost-benefit analysis of all marketing channels.

The average Mailify client spends 20 to 40 minutes on his or her very first email campaign with us. In that time he or she is able to set up the app, import his or her data, design a template, test it and feel the rush of pressing "send."

4. Email marketing protects your bottom line

'The reality of small business marketing is that everything comes down to return on investment, and the quicker the better.'

The reality of small business marketing is that everything comes down to return on investment, and the quicker the better.

Each and every marketing dollar counts, and that’s what draws small businesses to email marketing.

It’s estimated that for every dollar spent on email marketing, the return is $44.25, according to the DMA. Though this statistic should be taken with a grain of salt, it’s not hard to see how email marketing can consistently deliver outstanding returns.

Email targets the low-hanging fruit — your database of contacts — in an attempt to either re-engage previous customers, move new leads further down the sales funnel or cross-sell to existing clients.

When you apply email to your existing relationships, you create a non-invasive method of staying at the forefront of your contacts’ minds.

5 quick email marketing tips

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Of course these are just a few of the benefits of email marketing, but it’s also important for small businesses to create a successful strategy to truly reap the benefits of the tactic. Here are some things to keep in mind when planning your next email marketing campaign.

• 1. Acknowledge mobile users: In Q3 of 2014, more than half of all emails were opened on a mobile or tablet device, Experian reports. Using mobile-responsive email templates that adapt to screen sizes ensures that your readers always have the optimal viewing experience. If they can’t quickly and easily read your email, chances are they won’t read it at all.
• 2. Segment your database: Creating separate lists and campaigns for groups of contacts based on their interests, lead/customer status and history allows you to send hyper-relevant information that recipients are more likely to engage with.
• 3. Split test: Make the most of every email sent by making sure you send the best possible email. Split test elements like the subject line, email design and content to find out what works and what doesn’t.
• 4. Personalize: Use dynamic personalization in your emails to make them feel more personal to your subscribers. Historically, personalized emails have had higher open rates and click-through rates -– sometimes boosting these numbers by as much as 40%, according to Experian.
• 5. Add value: Always remember that there is more to email marketing than sending discounts and promotions. While this is often the reason someone subscribes to an email list, too many emails could be the reason some people unsubscribe.
  Mix in informational and helpful content that adds value for your readers and establishes your brand as a thought leader.

The fact that email marketing continues to play a prominent role in small business marketing is no accident. As one of the most effective methods for small businesses to grow online, email continues to provide the prompt returns and insights that small businesses need to thrive.

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