Small Business Email Newsletter Tips: Getting Started

Email marketing is still a highly effective way to promote your small business and build your customer base. In fact, a recent survey by Focus Market Research revealed that email delivers greater ROI than any other marketing channel! So how do you get started with small business email marketing? We’ve put together some tips after the jump.Sending out a regular newsletter is a great way to get into it, but the idea can seem overwhelming at first, given that you've got a business to run. However, with a little planning the process can be a smooth one, and here are 5 tips to consider before you publish your small business's email newsletter:

1. Think about your small business email marketing goals: All of your marketing efforts will yield the best results if you start with a plan. Ask yourself why you want to start an email newsletter. Is it to attract new clients? Sell more to existing customers? Display your expertise in your industry? Or is it something else? Every aspect of your email marketing should be focused on enhancing your results in this area. For example, if the goal of your email newsletter is to sell more to your current customers, make sure all the content speaks to their needs.

2. Determine your content: Once you've decided on your goals, you'll need to find content to include in your email newsletters. You can plan your content around product launches, holidays or special promotions. Your website and blog may also contain a wealth of content that you can repurpose in your email newsletters. Another good strategy is to answer some of your customers' most frequently asked questions in your email newsletter. Just remember that all your content should provide your readers with value.

3. Determine your mailing schedule. How often should you communicate? The truth is that most businesses could email their lists more frequently without it affecting their unsubscribe rates. Once a month is the bare minimum, because if you wait too long between messages, your subscribers may forget who you are or why they subscribed to your list. Play around with your mailing schedule to see when you get the highest open rates and least unsubscribes. From there, stick to a regular mailing schedule, so subscribers will come to expect your messages at a certain time.

4. Allocate resources. Wouldn't it be great if your small business email marketing took care of itself? While there are tools that can automate parts of this process, you'll still need the time and resources to ensure your messages get produced. One way to make this easier is to assign tasks to your team members. For example, find a writer to produce content and a techie to format and send your email newsletter. A dedicated team can ensure that you maintain a regular publication schedule and enhance your email marketing ROI.

5. Choose an email marketing platform. There are many email marketing solutions on the market, which can make it hard to determine which one is right for your business. You may want one that offers flexible design options, so your emails will match your branding. You should also look for a system that makes it easy to upload content, send your messages to different segments of your list, check your analytics and share your email newsletters with your social networks.

Also remember to check your analytics every time you send out a message. This will tell you how many people are opening your messages and clicking through to your site. You'll quickly learn what content your subscribers find the most engaging, which promos are doing the best and when you get the most unsubscribes.

Next Steps

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