Did you know that the average ROI for email marketing is $42 for every $1 spent!?

Email marketing is more than just sending out branded promotions. It should be based on thought leadership and establish a humanized connection. Think about the marketing emails you get like 100 times per day. Do they ever leave you wanting something more engaging?

If you’re not hitting the industry standard for ROI on your email marketing efforts then this article will give you actionable insights to refine your email marketing efforts. And if you’re just starting out with email marketing, this article has you covered.

Why A Solid Small Business Email Marketing Strategy is Crucial

With email marketing being so effective, when executed well, it can be your strongest marketing asset.

I love email marketing because it nurtures potential customers and fosters loyalty with your current customers. Consumers actually do want to hear from brands via email as long as it’s engaging.

Another reason why I love email marketing so much is that it’s not a time-sucking strategy. You can plan out your emails for the month and get them scheduled and if you’re efficient, you can do a whole month’s worth of emails in 5 hours.

Email marketing produces excellent data so it’s a great tool to get a pulse on your audience. Look at open and click-through rates to determine which messaging resonates best with your audience. Look at the days and times of day when your audience reads your emails. Gathering data from email marketing is simple and will help your frame your other digital marketing efforts.

Choosing the Right Platform

So you can’t do email marketing without a platform but the good news is that there are a lot to choose from at different price points, so you can find the one that works well with your process and aligns with your budget.

I have used a ton of email marketing platforms and I will provide my two cents on them, but I encourage you to do a Google search if there is something more specific you’re looking for.

If you’re on a budget then I recommend starting with Mailchimp. If you are wanting CRM functionality in addition to email functionality, ActiveCampaign is affordable as well.

If you really want to scale and build your email marketing program hard, my favorite platforms are HubSpot and Klaviyo. They both have great analytics and are intuitive to use. They also make it easy to segment your audience so you can deliver more personalized messaging.

Determine a Schedule

Be consistent with the emails you send to your lists so your audience knows when to expect to hear from you.

A good rule of thumb is to send each list 2 emails per week. I recommend a thought leadership email and a promotion email. As I mentioned, consumers don’t always love branded promotions. So make it enticing. Add some exclusivity. Speak about how your brand solves pain points.

Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays have the best open rates. And it’s likely you are emailing multiple time zones. So when it is 9 am on the west coast, it’s already noon on the east coast. So noon EST or later is the best time to schedule your emails.

Email Marketing Topics

Once you have a platform and a schedule, it’s time to plan out your emails. Again, I think it’s most effective to plan them for a month and schedule them out.

Here are some topics that you can leverage to communicate with your audience in a way that establishes brand trust:

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• Share all of your new blog posts
• Update your audience with industry news
• Leverage UGC and influencer-generate content to offer social proof
• Announce new products, features, etc
• Provide exclusive discount offers

Email Marketing Best Practices

To get the fantastic ROI from email marketing that I referenced at the beginning of this post, your strategy needs to be buttoned up.

I don’t know about you, but I get so many emails per day that I can’t keep up. Your emails need to stand out in your audience’s inbox and gain enthusiasm. You can do this by following these email marketing best practices:

• Create a catchy subject line that creates curiosity and a reason why your audience should open your email
• Don’t forget about the preview text, as it’s an extra opportunity to entice readers
• Continuously grow your email list with lead magnets
• Analyze your buyer personas to ensure you’re putting out emails that resonate
• Survey your current audience to see what they would like to see from the emails your brand sends out
• Analyze your email marketing data monthly and scale up on what is working best
• End each email with a CTA that encourages the reader to take an action or reply to your email
• Don’t send from a “no reply” email address so that your efforts feel personalized
• Include an email signature with your headshot so that your audience feels like they’re communicating with an actual human
• A/B test different subject lines and messaging

Let’s Wrap it Up: Power Your Email Marketing Today

There is no reason why your email marketing efforts can’t bring in $42 for every $1 spent. 

Aim to be engaging and humanized in your approach and you’ll be surprised at how quickly your audience becomes more engaged.

Pick the right platform for your brand and follow the best practices I outlined, and you’ll be engaging your audience and increasing sales in no time!

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Do you have any email marketing questions? Ask them in the comments below and I look forward to an engaging discussion!

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