Email marketing is essential for small businesses.  On average, 90% of people from every demographic are on email, and email marketing gives you the biggest bang for your buck.  In fact, data shows that email marketing has the greatest possibility for return on investment to the tune of 4400%!  That means for every dollar spent on email marketing, you stand to earn $44.  Over 50% of people state that marketing emails influence their buying decisions. This makes it the most effective means of digital marketing by a landslide.

Americans send 102.6 trillion emails every year. The average email subscriber receives 13 commercial emails each day.  And this is across every demographic board.  So unlike social media, it is not a stretch to say that literally everyone is using email.  It has become a normative means of communication in both the professional and personal realms.  And we use it daily, with 99% of us checking it daily with some users checking it as often as 20 times a day.  After all, with the rise of mobile use, we can all check our emails on our phone each time we hear the ping of a notification. 

More than half of us check our email before we do anything else online.  Let’s be honest, a lot of us even check our email before getting out of bed in the morning. Our email becomes the first thing we do in the morning and the last thing we do at night. 

So it is clear, no matter your target market, no matter your demographic, industry, or even budget, email marketing is the most effective way to reach your audience.

You may be thinking, “Yea, well…with social media I can get in front of millions for free!”

But the truth is you may not even get in front of your own followers for free with social media. The engagement rate for social media is less than 1%.  In fact, the engagement rate of social media is barely over one half of one percent.  Compare that to email’s average open rate of 22.86% and an average click rate of 3.71%.  Emails reach most of the people they are intended for and produce a greater return on investment. This means for small businesses that even on a small budget, you can see results from effective email marketing.

But how?

Like all inbound marketing, effective email marketing is helpful, human, and informative.  We have all received emails that seem pointless, impersonal, and a nuisance.    But effective email marketers keep the CATS equation in mind.

Content + Audience + Timely = Success

1. Content:

What you say matters.  Just like every aspect of content marketing, providing valuable content to your target market that addresses their pain points matters.  It does not matter if you get in a person’s email inbox if they do not care about what you have to say.  If your content does not provide value, simply put, your audience will dwindle as they quickly opt-out and unsubscribe.

Make sure that your marketing emails are well written and well designed by using a comprehensive email builder.  We love HubSpot here in the Superhero Lair of MPWRSource, but based upon your needs, other viable options include resources like MailChimp and Constant Contact. These resources allow you to create and personalize your own email campaigns with little to no graphic design experience.

No one wants an email that is simply a giant block of texts.  Add photos and life with simple elements to attract and engage your readers.

2. Audience

Keep in mind your buyer personas as you craft your marketing emails.  Additionally, the more personalized you can make your content, the better. Segment your contact list and provide content that will directly address each segment’s preferences and problems. You can and should also customize your emails based upon where each contact is in their buyer’s journey. Those searching for solutions will have different pain points than those already using your goods and services.

Personalize your emails with your recipient’s first and last name, versus a blanket Sir/Madam. Have your salutation reflect the relationship you are trying to establish with your audience.

Once you’ve made your email personal, make sure your text and supporting visuals engage your readers, which should include a call-to-action (CTA). A CTA makes sure that your readers know exactly why you are emailing them, such as you want them to subscribe to your podcast, use this 20% off coupon code, or register for this amazing virtual event you are putting on that will make all their wildest dreams come true.  Make your CTA easy to understand and to act upon.

Also, and we cannot stress this enough, be mindful that over half of your audience will be reading this email on their phone. You must make sure that your emails are designed for reading across all devices—desktop, tablet, and mobile.

3. Timely

Your emails not only need to provide valuable content to your target audience, but they also need to be timely.  And believe it or not, there are better times of day to send emails than others.  And while they may seem obvious upon reflection, they often are not.

Be mindful of the daily rhythms of your target market.  Emails sent during the day perform better.  In fact, emails received between 8-10 am on Thursday mornings perform the best.  Weekends are typically horrible for email blasts.  Mid-week and mid-day emails will often be your best bets.

Like most things in inbound marketing, the best way to reach your target audience is to know your target audience.  Use email marketing not just to push product or communicate service interruptions, but as a way to enrich your relationship with your customers.