Email Marketing Basics for Local Businesses

Marketing to your customers means constant engagement with them on the key platforms that they use. Creating valuable content for your customers is a great way to stay in contact with them, even during the slow seasons, so that your business is the one they think about when they’re looking for a fun activity to do or trying to find the right service provider for their need.

This means your website needs to show up on Google and Bing when they search for terms relevant to your business, you need to engage with them on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Instagram, and send them notes, updates, promotions and friendly reminders via email marketing. According to conductor.co, “when it comes to ROI, organic search and email are rated as the best marketing channels” for 8 out of 10 people (search) for 7 out of 10 people (Email). So what does this mean? Well, it doesn’t mean that you should stop everything and just do email marketing? In fact, just the opposite.

Each social media platform that you are consistently using builds your digital footprint. By creating original content and sharing it on social media, you are leading customers to your website to engage with your business. Each post is a new experience that you are creating for your current and potential customers. Email marketing will add as an additional layer to your overall content marketing strategy. This channel gives you access to their direct email, often thought as a more intimate connection, for you to deliver your brand messaging.

Email Marketing Do’s and Don’ts

Here are a few email marketing do’s and don’ts to get you moving forward:

Choose Your Platform: With all of the email marketing platforms out there it can be difficult to figure out which on is the best. Our suggestion: Don’t send a mass email from your personal account. Do choose a mobile responsive full service program – we suggest MailChimp.
Strong Subject Lines: This is one of the most important parts of creating an eye catching email. The subject line is the first thing your client will see when it hits their inbox, so make it count! Do get to the point, make it entertaining, and customized to the email content. Don’t create long winded email titles, and make sure you spell everything correctly!
Be Intentional with Your Promotions: My mom always told me, “less is more,” and when it comes to email promotions that is essential. Do offer singular targeted promotions to your customers, and don’t send an email with multiple events, promotions and details. Your customer will get lost in the messaging. Keep it simple.
Make Your Emails Personal: The great thing about email marketing is that you can segment your lists to meet a specific demographic, event, promotion or even for different birthday months. This means you can customize your email for your client. Do make sure that your email is specific, targeted and that it feels personal. Don’t be overly personal. Clients want to feel appreciated, but not overwhelmed by how much you know about their shopping habits, personal information, etc.