Email marketing and email newsletters are the most common marketing tactics, but they are the hardest to do right. Your small business has such a large amount of content to send to its subscribers, but where is the balance between useless and overwhelming information?
Small business digital and email marketing includes broad ranges of topics, many call-to-actions and different outreach options to your intended audience. Newsletters, more often than not, miss the mark with audiences (or don’t even get opened) due to the wide range of topics and unfocused calls-to-action. Follow these small business marketing guidelines to transform your email newsletter into a lead grabbing, useful piece of content.
Do the work
Start by researching other trends in your field. Research small business marketing to learn if an e-newsletter is a good use of your time and efforts. Find examples of similar content in your field to see what’s working and what’s not. If a newsletter isn’t a piece of marketing that will reach your audience, then stop right here. Your efforts would be better used towards a larger marketing plan or outlet.
After checking out the competition you should outline your own goals. Understand what you want to accomplish with your email. What do you want to communicate with your audience that they are not already hearing on a different platform? Having a clear set of goals and reasons for using an e-newsletter will help your small business better prepare your email content marketing in the future.
Be honest
Create a description of your newsletter on the landing page or sign up page. Telling your audience how often they will be receiving a newsletter and what the content will include helps to initially lower your unsubscribe rates. If your audience knows what they are signing up for, they are more likely to open and read the entirety of the email.
We have all been added to email lists that we never intended to be on. Many of these “unwanted” lists send multiple blasts a day and overwhelm our inboxes. Don’t be that annoying company: let your audience know what they are getting and deliver on that promise.
Keep it relevant
What’s worse than receiving three emails a day from the same company? Opening an email and having no idea why it was sent to you. Your small business has a large amount of great content, but be sure not to overwhelm your readers. Start by choosing a theme for each e-newsletter. Pick certain blogs to highlight that are related and end with an attainable call-to-action (CTA). Having one common thread for each post will give your audience an actual reason to open the email.
A theme in an e-newsletter increases the chance of engagement. Pick your content specifically with a reason (CTA) for your audience to read it. A clear flow through your information will increase the chance of a follow through with your CTA. Yes, CTA (singular), not calls-to-action. Include only one CTA in each email to avoid overwhelming your audience. Your content may be concise, but your audience won’t know what you actually want them to do if you are throwing offers at them all over the place.
Be interesting
Easier said than done, right? Start with your subject line. The traditional “Newsletter from Suite 4” will push away a reader rather than pull them in. Get creative and interesting. Think about what you are most likely to open in your own inbox. A witty phrase, a direct call-to-action, or a something all together unexpected will make your readers stop when they are scanning all of their promotional emails.
After you’ve mastered the subject line, make sure your copy follows suit. Hold with the traditional rule: 80-90% educational, 10-20% promotional. Your audience doesn’t want to read your email about all of your products (they can go to your website or social page for that information). An email should be informative. Include your recent blog posts and information that is useful to your consumers. Keep the small percent of your copy saved for a CTA and promotional draw.
Stick with a format
The format of your email is equivalent to your small business branding. Keep your copy concise and to the point, and emphasize the whitespace. Whitespace will make your email more transferable between different types of devices. It will also help readers focus on the importance of the post: the content.
The formatting of your images should also be thorough. Be sure that all images have an appropriate Alt text tag. If the image does not load on a mobile device, the Alt text is all that will appear. Ensure that the message is still received across all outlets and mediums.
Email marketing is a daunting and time consuming task. You need to have an established audience, productive content, and a worthwhile call-to-action. All of these aspects come together to bring a meaningful message to an audience and will turn your leads into true customers.
Catch up on some of our related blogs:
Are you Making These Mistakes in your Email Marketing?
7 Things About Small Business Marketing you Need to Know
If you don’t have time to plan your small business email marketing, let us do it for you.