Email marketing is the best way to get your business’s message out there, but it isn’t exactly easy to do from scratch. That’s why so many small businesses are turning to email marketing tools to help them manage their campaigns and boost their results. Before you dive in and start building your list, though, it’s important to know what email marketing tools are and how they can help you achieve your goals. In this article, we’ll take a look at three email marketing tools for small businesses and will help you get started on the right foot.
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The importance of email
Email marketing is still an effective way to promote a product or service, it’s also easier than ever before.
Even though social media may have taken over as king of digital marketing, email should never be overlooked.
In fact, when used properly, email has one of the highest conversion rates (measured by sales per 1,000 email opens) of any online marketing channel.
That’s where tools like MailChimp come in: They allow anyone to create and send professional-looking emails at scale with minimum hassle.
There are plenty of different tools out there but MailChimp is our go-to pick for most businesses because it’s powerful enough for large enterprises and easy enough for small companies to use too.
Not sure if email is right for your business? Here are some reasons why you need to start using it today.
Email Marketing Tools For Small Businesses: This section contains two paragraphs. The first paragraph should contain three subtopics which explain why someone would want to use these tools in their business.
The second paragraph will discuss how each tool can help accomplish those goals.
One sentence about each tool being discussed followed by an example about how that tool could be used.
This will make up each paragraph under The importance of email. As mentioned above, I’m going to talk about how these three platforms could be useful for a person starting a business who wants to learn more about them and doesn’t know much about them yet.
I’ll try to keep it as simple as possible but also provide some examples of ways they can be used in real life.
In addition, I’ll mention what type of businesses would benefit from using these tools based on my own experience working with small businesses (I’ve worked with many small businesses in my time). Here are some examples:
- MailChimp: A great place for new businesses to start because it’s easy-to-use and free until you reach 2,000 subscribers or 12,000 emails per month. It offers basic features like autoresponders, tracking, and segmentation so you can easily target your audience without having to pay extra fees.
- Squarespace: Offers both website hosting and email marketing services so if you want one central location where people can sign up for your newsletter or buy your products online then Squarespace is perfect. It has several different pricing plans depending on how much traffic your site gets per month so it’s a good option if you don’t have a lot of money to spend right away.
- ConvertKit: Another service that offers both website hosting and email marketing tools so if you want everything in one place then ConvertKit is worth checking out.
How to create an email list
When setting up your business email, consider using a third-party service like MailChimp, which offers an easy way to grow your mailing list.
When someone opts into a newsletter or marketing list hosted by MailChimp, you automatically get their email address and name. Instead of building out an email database from scratch, you can have a considerable subscriber base within days.
To keep things simple, be sure to include an unsubscribe link in each newsletter so subscribers can remove themselves from future mailings.
Don’t worry if you don’t have a large customer base right away; with time and consistency, you’ll see results! Keep track of your email campaigns to determine what’s working and what isn’t and then tweak accordingly. It may take some trial and error before you find your sweet spot.
Make it worth people’s while: There are several ways to acquire new customers via email, but remember that not all methods are created equal.
If you’re just sending random newsletters or promotional emails to people who haven’t opted in for them, chances are they won’t open those messages when they arrive in their inboxes.
But if you create content that resonates with recipients and gives them something valuable, such as tips for living well on a budget or advice on how to treat seasonal allergies without medication, you’ll gain traction.
Before embarking on any campaign strategy, make sure your content is worthy of being opened and read! Remember that e-newsletters aren’t only useful for sales: Use newsletters as another tool to strengthen relationships with existing customers too.
what are autoresponders?
Autoresponders are automated messages sent to subscribers based on their initial opt-in. It’s a handy way of sending out updates and letting contacts know you care about them enough to set up a schedule of what they’ll receive from you and when they’ll receive it.
Setting up autoresponders is a good way of nurturing your contacts and getting them engaged in your business at regular intervals.
It lets you remind them who you are without needing too much manual input for example, it can send out alerts for specific product launches or early-bird specials, if those are products or offers that you frequently include in your email marketing campaigns.
While not all email marketing tools have an autoresponder feature, most do and if yours doesn’t, you should be able to use an external tool to handle such features instead.
And remember: If someone has opted into your mailing list (by giving you their contact information), then they want to hear from you!
Don’t leave them hanging! Send something valuable and engaging right away so that you don’t lose touch with them down the line.
After all, once people unsubscribe from your list due to excessive communication (that’s usually considered anything more than once per month), it’s hard to get back in touch with them again… which means missing out on future opportunities entirely.
The best way to get customers to read my emails
Email Marketing Tools For Small Businesses: First, ask yourself, What do I want my customer to think about and/or feel when they read my email? If you don’t know, then how will you know whether you’ve achieved it?
Next, make sure that everything in your email contributes to creating that feeling or image. Get rid of any superfluous copy or design elements.
Try to keep your emails short, less than 250 words so they don’t get lost in people’s inboxes.
Use bullet points and lists instead of paragraphs whenever possible to break up all of that text (this also makes them easier to skim).
And give people time limits; set a deadline for them to respond so they have a reason to open and act on your email.
Last but not least, remember: People are busy. Make it easy for them to reply with a simple reply link at the bottom of every email you send out. Don’t force them to dig through your website or jump through hoops just to talk with you.
Another important tip is segmenting your list so that different messages go out depending on who opens an email from you.
This way, if someone doesn’t open your emails regularly, you can still get in touch with them and make sure they’re still interested in what you have to offer.
There are a number of tools that allow you to do just that, including MailChimp, Aweber and Constant Contact.
Once you’ve decided which tool will work best for you, try it out for free before committing to a paid plan.
The same goes for any other new tool or service make sure it works as promised before paying for it!
Some people may not want all of their information shared online, so be sensitive when asking people to subscribe via social media sites like Facebook or Twitter.
If there’s any doubt about whether someone wants their information shared online, don’t share it, it’s better to be safe than sorry!
How to find subscribers
Use search engines, social media and forums to find names of potential customers. Make sure you have permission before you add them to your list. Also, make sure they’re not on any email blacklist or spam filter.
If they are, contact them and ask them to remove their name from these lists so that your messages won’t be blocked.
As a last resort, you can try using some email marketing services (like Constant Contact) which allow you to send mass emails to groups of people who haven’t opted out yet.
Just keep in mind that these services charge fees for sending mass emails (usually per thousand addresses).
Don’t forget about opt-in forms at places like trade shows and conventions; collect business cards or other information from interested parties when possible.
Remember: once a person has opted in for an offer or newsletter, he/she is much more likely to continue receiving your emails because it’s an active choice rather than just being added automatically by an algorithm.
Emails templates that convert well
While you could easily create your own email template, there are so many great templates that have already been created, and it just makes sense to use them. Using templates from MailChimp is a good place to start because it integrates with your account very well.
When you send an email out using a template from MailChimp, for example, all of your recipients who are on a platform using MailChimp will see your email in their inbox.
If someone opens it on Facebook, they’ll see everything that was included in that template but if they reply to it via LinkedIn or Gmail for example, their messages will still go back to you. Knowing what platform people are on when they read or reply to an email can be incredibly valuable.
What are the best email marketing tools for small businesses?
Whether you’re running a one-person show or managing a large team, email marketing is an important part of any business.
As for what to use, there are lots of options: MailChimp, Constant Contact, Benchmark Email, iContact, and on and on.
But how do you choose? And why do you need email marketing tools in the first place? We’ve covered why before , but here’s a breakdown of each tool so you can decide which is best for your small business.
While you might think email marketing is only for big businesses, it’s actually a great strategy for all small businesses.
In fact, as long as you have an email list and a platform to send emails through, there are tons of ways to grow your business using targeted communication with your audience.
By keeping in touch with current customers and prospects through email marketing, you’ll be able to create genuine relationships that will encourage your customers to return again and again.
Here are some examples of tools that will help you implement an effective email campaign for your small business.
The two most popular services are Constant Contact and MailChimp . Both offer easy-to-use interfaces, thousands of templates to customize, advanced segmentation capabilities, integration with third party apps like Shopify , customizable drip campaigns, mobile responsiveness, social media integrations the list goes on! It’s hard to say definitively which service is better because they both have different strengths.
Email marketing metrics
Email marketing is one of the most effective marketing tactics out there. The trouble with it is that if you aren’t tracking your results and fine-tuning your list as you go, it can be hard to see what’s working and what isn’t.
Fortunately, email marketing platforms make it easy to track metrics like open rates and click throughs, which lets you know how successful your emails are at driving sales or conversions.
Once you have some data on hand, look for patterns in terms of when recipients tend to open their emails or click on links.
Being able to measure your campaign’s success is important. If you can’t accurately gauge how well you are doing, you won’t know what changes to make for future campaigns.
That will lead to a waste of time and money, or even worse you could be causing serious damage to your business’ reputation.
Track email opens with Mailchimp and click-through rates with Google Analytics. But don’t stop there!
Use post-campaign surveys from SurveyMonkey and segmentation from HubSpot (which is one of our favorite email marketing tools) to learn more about your customers after they have read your emails.
Which email marketing tool do I choose?
Email Marketing Tools For Small Businesses: When it comes to email marketing, you have a lot of options. From free services like MailChimp to premium platforms like Infusionsoft, there are many different platforms you can use to send out messages.
However, not all tools are created equal and some might be more suited for your business than others.
To decide which tool is best for your business, check out our post on deciding which email marketing platform is right for you . But in general, we recommend using a service that has:
- A/B testing capabilities : AB testing helps increase open rates by letting you test multiple subject lines and call-to-action buttons against each other so that you can find what works best for your audience.
- Segmentation capabilities : Segmentation allows you to divide up different parts of your subscriber list into groups so that you can target specific customers with specific messaging.
- Social media integration : Integrating social media into your emails gives them even more visibility since they’ll appear in subscribers’ social media feeds as well as their inboxes.
The best way to get customers to read your emails
How many emails do you get a day? In that stack of unread messages, how many are actually important to you and your life?
Do they include newsletters from friends and family, promotional emails from stores you’ve purchased from before, or business email updates like offers and sales information?
If you’re like most people, not many. In fact, less than half of all emails ever get opened.
With these kinds of statistics it’s no wonder some big companies have stopped sending out so many emails altogether.
However, as a small business owner who is focused on making more sales and keeping customers happy, ignoring email marketing can be detrimental to your success.
How to automate emails in a professional way?
Automating your emails can save you time in your business, whether you’re sending out invoices, scheduling reminders or anything else.
Here are a few of our favorite tools that can help: Boomerang for Gmail ($5/month), Zoho Campaigns (free up to 100 contacts) and HelpScout (free up to 10 contacts).
Make sure that before using any email marketing tool like these that you review their policies on unsolicited email because some may require prior consent from recipients before using them.
And for more information on best practices for emailing prospects and customers, see our post on how to automate communication without being spammy .
Best practices and tips
It’s okay to ignore best practices in email marketing considering email marketing tools for small businesses. They are there for a reason, and you should be aware of them, but it doesn’t mean you have to follow them.
Some best practices don’t work for every business, so use your own judgment when deciding whether or not to implement them.
Here are some general guidelines that you should probably follow:
Always include a call-to-action within each email; typically it will say something like click here or buy now. Use an unsubscribe link at the bottom of every email (or a separate page for subscribers who want to opt out).
Make sure your website URL is clear, prominently placed and easy to find on every page. When sending emails, always test different subject lines to see which ones get more opens.
And never forget about mobile! More than half of all emails are opened on smartphones these days, so make sure yours looks good no matter what device they’re opened on.
The same goes for links — make sure they open properly in both desktop and mobile browsers. If you do everything else right but fail here, your hard work will go to waste.
Finally, keep track of everything! Track how many people open your emails, how many click through to your site and where they go once they get there.
This information can help you figure out what works well with certain groups of people and what doesn’t.
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