When you run a small business, retaining customers is key to your success. Studies have shown that existing customers spend more than new customers. However, keeping them coming back for more isn’t always easy.
One effective way to keep hold of your customers is email marketing. Sending out regular emails helps to keep your brand in the customer’s mind. It also alerts them to any special offers you have and allows you to build up engagement.
If you want email marketing to work for your small business, you are going to need to build up a list. Here, you’ll discover why your small business needs to be building an email list right now.
You can get your message directly to the customer
When you post on social media, there is no guarantee your followers will see it. Sites such as Facebook rely on algorithms to display posts on a user’s newsfeed. While some will likely see it, for others it will be lost amongst a sea of other posts.
With email marketing however, your message is guaranteed to get straight to the customer. This increases the likelihood you will see results.
So, if you haven’t had many conversions from your current marketing methods, switching to email marketing can help.
Allowing you to track results
As well as increasing results, you will also be able to track the effectiveness of this marketing technique.
There are lots of tools and software out there which focus on helping you track your email marketing campaigns. You can see which subject lines get the best results, as well as which types of emails your audience prefers.
By tracking their performance, you can make speedy changes to your emails. This in turn can help you to keep your audience happy and increase the chances they will make a purchase.
It allows for personalization
One of the best things about email lists is that it allows you to offer more personalized messages. Once you have a list together, you can segment your emails. This means, sending out different emails to different types of customers.
You can also use specialist tools and software to offer recommendations to your customers. They provide product or service recommendations based on past purchases.
Customers LOVE personalization. So, if you want to build up a more personal relationship with your customers, an email list can help.
You will learn more about your audience
Email marketing lets you discover a lot about your target audience. The more you understand your audience, the more effectively you can market to them.
With an email list, you will have different segments of customers. Using analytical software and tools, you can see who your customers are, where they are based and how they interact with your emails.
You will also get to see the type of products and promotions that get the best results.
You are in charge of your list
Social media is great, but you don’t actually have control over your fans and followers. They belong to the social media site. The content you post is also subject to the social media’s policies which can change at any time.
With an email list, all of your subscribers are yours alone. This means you get to control what they see and how you deliver the message. You won’t be sidetracked by any policy changes and you generally have a lot more control over your marketing.
Subscribers are more likely to become buyers
Did you know your subscribers are more likely to become buyers than followers on social media? When somebody subscribes to your list, it means they are already interested in your business.
As you send relevant and useful content via email, it builds up a relationship with your subscribers. This in turn encourages them to make a purchase. So, if you are looking to achieve higher conversions, email marketing is key.
These are just some of the reasons why you need to be building an email list as a small business owner. When building your list, avoid paying for leads. Ideally, you will want to generate organic leads as they are much more likely to become customers.