Email newsletters for small businesses are important in the same way that any aspect of marketing is. However, the reality of the matter is time, or lack of. Like many creative elements, email newsletters take time to produce, as does curating your email list. Often these things take a back seat as running your business takes priority.
As a small business why bother with email newsletters?
Email marketing gives you a chance to connect directly with your audience, whether they’re customers or just have an interest in your business.
If you use social media to advertise your business, think about this. People like your business page so they will see your posts in their newsfeed. But, given that Facebook algorithms change often, they might not actually see your page. And then factor in best practice times and days to post … your content can get lost.
Whereas with email newsletters, you’re connecting directly to your audience. When your email drops into their inbox, you have digitally reached out to them personally to deliver something of value (hopefully it has value!)
Also, email newsletters don’t discriminate by industry or business type. ANYONE can use them and use them well if they invest some time into getting them right.
Did you know… 66% of online consumers check their email account multiple times per day? That’s a lot of people you could be targeting with email newsletters!
Let’s go back to the part about value.
The term newsletters pretty much makes us think of bragging emails showing off products and services. Sales-y emails that go straight in the e-bin. When we’re talking about newsletters, we are not talking about these types of emails.
What should you include in your newsletter emails?
- First of all, what value can you offer to your subscribers? Make them want to read the emails! After all, that’s the point of them.
- Education and information! Don’t sell your product outright but make people understand more about them. If you’re a hairdresser and want to sell your products, inform people about the ingredients, the texture, how to use it, what it smells like…
- Go off piste. If you’ve ever met someone who talks about themselves all the time, you’ll know it’s pretty boring. This applies to your emails too. Going back to our hairdresser example, share industry updates, seasonal trends, do’s and don’ts, funny hair stories…
- Demonstrate your expertise. In whatever industry you’re in, you can build trust by showing off your knowledge and experience. This resonates with audiences and has a powerful effect in turning them into loyal customers.
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Subscribe & Read Email Newsletters
You’re not only a business owner but you’re also a consumer too. You will have received email marketing in the past so you know what looks good and what doesn’t. Use this personal knowledge to influence your own email marketing.
What’s more, we recommend subscribing to newsletters. These can be a great source of content that you can use to inspire yours!
Our top 3 email newsletter recommendations for small businesses are:
But, I hate the term newsletter
Ah, we’ve got you covered on that. We know the term newsletter or email newsletter may be a bit dated, albeit an extremely well recognised phrase. There is nothing stopping you from creating what is, in fact, a newsletter but sending it out under a different guise. What about using these alternative words instead of newsletter?
- Memo
- Monthly/Weekly
- Notes
- Messages
- Diary
- Updates
The list goes on! You can be as creative as you like with these.
How often should I send a newsletter?
To answer this question, think of yourself as the person who is receiving the newsletter. Would it be totally annoying for emails to drop into your inbox 2, 3, 4 times a day? Of course, it would! On the flip side, if you don’t hear from an organisation in a while you might forget why you ever signed up.
We would recommend sending your newsletters once a week.
“61% of consumers want to see at least one email a week from brands they follow.” https://marketingsherpa.com/article/chart/how-customers-want-promo-emails
If this seems a bit much for you, as long as you make sure it’s at least once a month then you will be hitting a good average. As long as you keep in consistent touch with your audience, they should remain engaged and subscribed. Whatever you do though, don’t send more than twice a week!
A great idea with these is to schedule them so you know exactly when they are being sent. We use Mailchimp for our email marketing and they have a handy tool that allows you to schedule.
To conclude on email newsletters for small businesses
Email marketing is a great way to directly reach your subscribers. Subscribers is a key word here; they have actively joined your email newsletter list so already they want to hear from you! That should be the encouragement you need to get started with your email marketing.
If you’d like any hints and tips along the way, or to delegate it to us 😉 then get in touch with the team here
