Email marketing is a tool for small business owners to reach current and potential customers and choosing the right application can help a company attract more sales. These services let businesses send out email campaigns, test the messages before they are sent to the masses, combine the emails with social media efforts, and track the performance of these campaigns. Choosing the right solution goes beyond simply picking an affordable platform or software.
When creating email campaigns, routine is the enemy. You should always be on the lookout for new email marketing tips that could be the secret weapon to unlocking the true potential of your emails.
Inboxes in 2021 are going to be a battlefield for marketers. Your contacts are receiving more and more email solicitations from other companies and competitors. So you’re going to have to fight for the attention you deserve.
Here are 10 email marketing tips for small businesses to help you beat the inbox competition in 2021.
Encourage sign-ups anywhere you can
Still on the topic of sign-up forms, make sure you give your customers as many chances as possible to subscribe to your emails!
One of the best email marketing tips we can give you is this: Pepper your website with email sign-up forms wherever appropriate. Include a sign-up CTA on your homepage, contact page, and your footer.
If you have an ecommerce store, be sure to provide an option on the checkout page to opt-in to emails while customers are already submitting their email addresses to complete orders.
Make your emails mobile-friendly and optimized for purchases
More than 50% of people are reading emails on their phones so make sure your emails are mobile-responsive. In 2021 there’s really no way around it. Your email design absolutely has to “respond” to the type of screen (desktop, tablet, mobile)that your reader is using and render accordingly to provide the best experience.
The last thing you want is your subscribers to have difficulties reading your emails. All it takes these days is one negative experience for a consumer to lose trust in a brand.
Thankfully, they are some email marketing tools that is drag & drop email design tool that makes it super easy for you to create professional emails that look great on any device.
Create a list segment for your most engaged customers
If you have repeat customers or subscribers who are already engaging with your emails, this is a fantastic opportunity to build brand loyalty and increase sales. These subscribers have shown a deeper level of interest in your business and these relationships should be cultivated.
A great way to do this is to create an email list specifically for these contacts. That way you can send them special offers and discounts to encourage them to make purchases through your business.
Send automated emails
If your small business still isn’t sending automated emails, then make it happen in 2021. Automated emails save you a lot of time and do wonders for growing customer relationships.
If you send a regular newsletter, set up an automated welcome email for new subscribers. This will start your relationship off on the right foot and build trust between your brand and your new contacts.
You can also set up automated emails based on a contact’s past behavior. For example, you can contact your users about their favorite products or complementary products to items they recently purchased.
Subject lines should stand out.
Subject lines are the gatekeepers to your email. Without getting too wacky, it’s important to stand out in the crowd. There’s a lot of competition for the attention of your audience so make sure you have a 7 – 15-word elevator pitch that leaves them wanting more.
Show that you care.
Your email subscribers are getting dozens, if not hundreds, of other emails every day. They are constantly being asked to start a free trial, download an e-book or follow someone on Twitter. There’s an overwhelming amount of noise in the inbox. Showing your users that you care goes a long way towards earning their trust.
Keep it As short As Possible.
You worked so hard to get an email click. Don’t throw it all away by droning on in your email. The first thing most people do when they get a very long marketing email is to delete it. Customers want marketing emails that are short, nice to look at, and applicable to them
Choosing the Right Email Service Provider.
A critical step is choosing the right email service provider for your business. You, as the business owner, will send out your emails through their servers because their servers are specifically set up for these services. If you tried to send mass emails through your regular Internet Service Provider (ISP), your campaign could be blocked, as regular ISPs are not developed for mass mailings.
Find the Right Frequency.
How frequently you send emails is a balancing act. The good news is that consumers like getting emails, just as long as they aren’t redundant. As a general rule of thumb, most businesses find it helpful to email their entire list on a monthly basis and send segmented communications on a weekly basis. According to Marketing Sherpa’s survey, 60% of the customers surveyed prefer a weekly frequency. A higher than a weekly frequency could get a higher number of unsubscribes, while with a less frequency, a business runs the risk of becoming irrelevant. However, this cannot be overemphasized: frequency depends on relevancy. The message needs to be relevant, valuable and anchored in your strategy.
Get new subscribers to add you to their list of contacts
What’s one way to increase your chances of showing up in your subscriber’s inbox? By being in their address book!
When sending out a welcome email to new subscribers, include text that asks them to add your sending email address to their contacts list. This email marketing tip will improve your deliverability because the contacts are essentially telling their email service that they want to get your emails.
Another tip for increasing your open rates for subscribers who use Gmail: Ask them to move your email from the ‘Promotions’ tab to the ‘Primary’ tab.
Encourage a friendly reply-to-you!
Email is a great medium for communicating with your audience, not to mention the perfect way to receive vital feedback from customers. It’s also an ideal way to answer questions and create a line of communication between brand and consumers. However, when an email’s reply-to address is a variation of “no-reply@brand.com,” it turns what should be a communication highway into a one-way street—eliminating the opportunity for further customer interaction. Make your “reply-to” address something friendly that will encourage customer engagement—in addition, make sure someone is actually monitoring that inbox for prompt replies.
Now use these email marketing tips for campaign success in 2021
So now you know how to launch your small business email marketing strategy. Pair it with the above email marketing tips and your email campaigns will be positioned for success in 2021.
If you’re looking for email software to create, manage, and send your small business email campaigns, check out Sendinblue, Mailchimp, Convertkit, Aweber andMailjet
Your free account lets you send up to 9000 emails per month and discover a range of features (we don’t just do email marketing, we actually have an entire sales and marketing toolbox for you to discover!)
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Further reading: How to start a successful small business blog in 2021