Why Email Marketing?

Make Use of What You Already Have - spark.jpg

Email is Your Most Effective Marketing Tool

Social media offer lots of ways to engage with friends and those who care about your business. If you’re already using social media and seeing positive results – stick with it; however if you're not sure if it's been worth it, here are some things to be aware of…

Some social media outlets can be very useful in promoting a business or non-profit, and in order to really see results you must:

a) Choose only the suitable social media platforms for your particular business – it’s quite likely you don’t need them all.

b) Use an appropriate social media format for your product or message – think Instagram for a project or product that is well represented visually by photos or images – think Twitter for editorials, comments and verbal interactions. An email service like Constant Contact or Mailchimp works for pretty much ANY entity.

c) Once you have decided on the right media for you, be consistent. Post regularly - but don't over do it, visitors being inundated by your presence on any platform is a major turn-off. Don't let your content become stale or of little value to your followers … you’re better off with NO presence than old irrelevant posts.

d) Be available to respond quickly (within 24 hours) to any comments questions.

e) Learn how to be professional and diplomatic if you need to defend your business from negative or incorrect comments.

All in all, the very best way to promote online is by staying in touch with the people who already know and support you – your current and past followers, customers and clients. These are the folks who can vouch for you and what you have to offer; they have already made a choice to support what you do!

Email marketing is the most effective marketing tool available to small businesses today. Consider the following:

91 percent of U.S. adults like to receive promotional emails from the companies they do business with. (MarketingSherpa)
66 percent of consumers have made a purchase based on an email marketing message they’ve received (Direct Marketing Association)
Email is almost 40 times more effective than Facebook and Twitter combined in helping your business attract new customer (McKinsey)

If you haven’t already – start an email list of your people - don’t wait!

You can sign up for free for an email marketing program like Constant Contact (the first 60 days are free) or Mailchimp (free forever up to 2,000 subscribers). Keep in mind it’s essential to use an email marketing program for these reasons:

Using an email marketing service gives you access to in-depth reporting to see key metrics like emails sent, opened, who opened, who clicked through, and which links they clicked on. You’re also able to see important details like spam reports, bounces, and opt-outs.
This will allow you to see what’s working and identify opportunities to make improvements, or identify potential issues that could put your business at risk.
Another mistake is failing to offer an easy way to unsubscribe. This can not only damage your reputation as a business, but can also put you at risk of violating email laws, which require an unsubscribe link in every message you send out.
If you are using your personal email account to send out bulk emails, you could already be in violation of some important laws like Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act (CAN-SPAM) and the Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL).
Email marketing services are responsible for ensuring that your emails are compliant with these legislations. You don’t have the time or resources to stay up-to-date with the latest email laws and regulations. They provide the tools you need to follow the laws, and let you know when there’s a change that could impact your business.