How many emails do you get each day? OK. Have that number? Now, how many of them do you immediately delete without opening?
If you’re like most people, those two numbers are wildly different. According to MailChimp, the average email open rate hovers around 20%.
So if only one-fifth of your audience is opening your emails, should email marketing still have a place in your small business marketing plan? Absolutely! By the numbers, email marketing is one of your best bets when it comes to ROI, earning you $44 per $1 spent, according to Campaign Monitor.
But just any old email won’t do. If you’re looking to boost your open rates and increase your conversions, here are a few best small business email practices.
Practice Email Segmentation
Sending out one email to all of your subscribers may be the quickest way to get your message out to the world. But it’s definitely not the best way.
The solution? Email segmentation. This means breaking down your target audienceinto smaller segments to offer them a tailored experience. You can segment by interests, demographics, age, gender, location — pretty much anything you can think of.
The goal, of course, is to only target those who are likely to have an interest in your product or service. If you own an outdoor supply store, for instance, email segmentation allows you to send an avid snow skier a coupon for 25% off new clamps while sending a bow hunter a coupon for a 15% discount on broadheads.
Keep It Short and Sweet
Sometimes it seems like managing our inboxes is a full-time job. The average person receives 121 emails each day, which equals just more than five per hour. If someone opens your email only to find themselves faced with a giant wall of text, your message is headed for the trash, no matter how good that text is.
Keep your emails short and sweet. Get straight to the point. Now is not the time for a lengthy sales pitch. Simply explain the action you’d like them to take — “Buy this,” “Click here,” “Sign up.” Then wish them a good day and let them get on with their life.
If you do need to get wordy, break up the text with bullet points or pictures. Also leave plenty of white space so you’re not straining your readers’ eyes.
Have a Clear Purpose
You wouldn’t spend 55 cents on a stamp to mail someone an empty envelope, so why use precious resources to send out an email when you don’t really have anything to say?
Make sure there’s a clear purpose for your email. Are you informing your recipient about a flash sale, free shipping event or new offering? Great! Are you just sending out a murky missive to remind them that you’re still in business? Not so great.
Before you hit send, make sure you know exactly what your call to action is — and make sure it’s clear to your audience, too!
Be Consistent
Consistency is key in email marketing. If your audience knows that they’re going to get an awesome email each Tuesday, they’ll be waiting for that email to come in. If you don’t deliver the email, the awesome or both, they’ll likely voice their displeasure via the unsubscribe button.
But consistency isn’t easy when you have nothing to say. This might mean that you need to plan the themes of your emails in advance, not unlike what you would do for a blog post or podcast.
Your ultimate goal is to strike a balance between “dropped off the radar” and “gratuitous spam.” Give your audience a predictable pattern of communication.
Is Your Small Business Email Marketing Effective?
Email marketing delivers a great return on investment, but it also requires a great amount of effort. When you aim for the right target, practice brevity, and remain clear and consistent throughout, the results will speak for themselves!
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