Small Business Corner

No matter which size of business we are discussing, how marketing dollars are allocated is a very important consideration. This is especially true for small businesses that have smaller budgets and unique needs. Every penny spent on marketing must be money well spent.

When engaging in any type of marketing campaign, small businesses need to ensure they are seeing a number of benefits all at once. Unfortunately, most small businesses do not have the budget or luxury to run several concurrent campaigns that cover all types of mediums. Return on investment is key.

Email marketing is an efficient way to ensure that small businesses can reach out to their customers, grow their customer base, and build their reputation. Best of all, managing an email campaign is easier than most people imagine.

In this article, we’ll discuss the top benefits of email marketing for small businesses. By the end, you will feel confident that email marketing is the right way to reach your goals.

Taking small business marketing to the next level

Email marketing is used by some of the largest businesses in the world. However, email marketing is not just for big brands with big budgets.

In fact, email marketing is one of the best marketing methods available for small businesses with strict budget considerations.

Ready to make the most of your small business marketing budget? Here are the top benefits of email marketing for small businesses!

1. Build strong customer relationships

Your customers like to know that you’re thinking about them. They want to be made aware of the latest that is happening in your business. Why wouldn’t you keep them up-to-date if that’s what they want?

Obviously, it is nearly impossible to reach out to all of your customers by phone. Not to mention that would be a very time-consuming task. Sending mailouts is costly and wasteful in an age when people are concerned about excess paper waste.

Email is the best way to quickly reach out with an update for your customers.

The latest product launch, your next big event, and any news about your business are all great topics for regular newsletters. If a customer has opted into receiving emails from you then you should not be shy about actually sending out emails and making contact with them.

Still not convinced email marketing is one of the best ways to reach your customers?

Consider that most people check their phone to see their email updates before they even get out of bed. What if your business could be one of the first things someone thinks about tomorrow before they have rolled out of bed? Email marketing can deliver that.

2. Develop your own unique brand

Think about some of the most recognizable brands in the world. Some brand names have become so well-known they are synonymous with the industry they operate in.

Kleenex is a great example of this. What if your small business could have a clearly identifiable brand like that?

Email marketing is a great way to develop your brand because it gives you a direct line to the email inboxes of your customers or potential customers. Regular updates give you a great opportunity to create a unique voice, style, and image for your subscribers.

What do you want your brand to be? Create a brand guide and follow it with each and every email you send. Not only is each email an opportunity to connect with your subscribers, but it is also an opportunity to further cement your unique brand identity in their minds.

3. Become an expert with expert content

As a small business owner, you are likely seen as a local or regional expert when it comes to your area of business. One way to further cement this identity in the minds of consumers is to continue positioning yourself as an expert through the use of content.

Email marketing does not have to only be about delivering coupons and sale information. In addition to emails designed to drive traffic to your business, you can use email marketing to deliver unique content that your subscribers will enjoy reading or watching.

When you use blogs or videos as a part of your email campaign, you are adding value to each and every email you send. Not only does this build your reputation as an expert but it also builds the reputation of your business communications. People will be excited to receive emails from you because they know you deliver quality content regularly.

If you already offer expert content through a blog or YouTube channel then you may want to consider offering exclusive, email-only content in order to convince people to subscribe to your email list.

Your content is one of your most valuable marketing tools and you can use it to build other areas of your marketing strategy. If people love what you do then they will sign up to see more great content. Best of all, that content gets delivered directly to them.

4. Email marketing is efficient with your time and budget

Within a small business there are time and budget constraints and, in most cases, there is simply no way around this. While buying an advertisement to play during the Super Bowl would be nice, it is not an option for most small business marketing budgets.

Even targeted direct mail campaigns that deliver flyers to the mailboxes of people near you can be costly. Between designing, printing, and mailing costs, you could spend several dollars per flyer delivery. Send out flyers to a thousand people and, suddenly, you have a very expensive campaign on your hands with no promise of results.

The time involved with shooting television commercials or recording radio ads can also eat into your bottom line. Every moment you are not focusing on your business is lost revenue or, at the very least, a lost opportunity to connect with people on a personal level.

One of the biggest benefits of email marketing for small businesses is the efficient use of time and budget.

Designing a professional email marketing campaign is not complicated nor time-consuming. Sending emails to a large number of subscribers is also very cost effective. You get direct access to the email inboxes of potential customers without having to pay the costs of direct mail.

Dollar for dollar, email marketing is one of the most cost-effective forms of marketing available to your business.

5. Build credibility as a business

One of the biggest hurdles a small business has to overcome is building credibility. Why should someone give their business to you when your name is not as recognizable as the big box store down the road?

The reason people trust big names largely boils down to marketing. They are familiar with these names so they allow these brands more trust.

By using email marketing, you are able to build credibility by staying in contact with your customers and keeping them up-to-date about your business.

The more they learn about your business and the more they hear about your business, the more they will trust your business.

Wrap up

There are countless benefits of email marketing for small businesses. Mainly, it all boils down to the fact that email marketing is incredibly cost-effective while still being able to deliver exceptional results. You can grow your business, build a brand, and set yourself up as an expert without breaking your marketing budget in one fell swoop.

Best of all, creating a stunning and effective email marketing campaign is not a time-consuming endeavor.

No matter your level of experience, you can create professional email marketing campaigns quickly. That means less time spent worrying about marketing details and more time spent working on your business to ensure it is successful.

This article originally appeared on campaignmonitor.com. View original article here.