Small Business Email Marketing – How to Do it Right

No doubt you have heard about all the different ways you can increase your bottom line such as small business email marketing. Australia is no exception even though the small population makes direct mailing more affordable. As even the small cost of sending out flyers in cities such as Melbourne and Sydney would soon add up. Having a targeted email list who is eager to hear from you will produce much better results and works out cheaper in the long run. In fact that’s one of the advantages small businesses have as they can build a more personal relationship with their customers. Of course just as with any other form of marketing you need to do it right to see the results you want. This means making sure your emails get delivered, are opened, any action you want is taken and they remain subscribed.

1. Sign up for an Autoresponder
If your going to do something then you need to do it right. Which is why I recommend signing up for an autoresponder service. As they have relationships with the different companies which helps to ensure your emails get delivered. Of course you can also set it up yourself on your domain. But if you get loads of spam complaints your domain will be blacklisted. Meaning little or no email you send from it will reach an inbox.

2. Make Sure Subject Line Stands Out
Once your email is in the inbox the next step is to make sure it’s opened. The easiest way of doing this is to make sure you state a benefit. For example if your having a sale make sure to mention that in the subject line.

3. Don’t Make Multiple Offers
Once you’ve got your email opened you’re in the home stretch. So you don’t want to blow it here. Your email should contain one and only one offer. Thought of course you want to have multiply links to it. You should include one above the fold which just means it can be seen when you open the email. Then another one or two later on.

4. Don’t Bombard Your List
There are many different ways of doing small business email marketing. Australia is no exception though it’s the business your in rather than the country which will determine the best strategy for you. Though it’s generally a bad idea to constantly send out emails saying buy this as you’ll have no one left on your list. Instead you should try and send a mixture of good content along with any offers you make. Of course that might not be possible in which case a discount voucher or something similar would be fine. Basically anything which provides value without them having to spend money to get it.

5. Track Your Results
This is a really obvious thing to do but can bring great benefits. Earlier on I recommended signing up for an autoresponder another benefit of which is that it’s really easy to track your results. As it provides you with details of opt ins along with open rates. The reason that’s important is simple say you had an average open rate of 50% and then one email had a much higher open rate of 80%. You could either reuse that same subject or a similar one and your email open rate would again be above the average. Of course overtime you would work out which sort of subject lines work and get more people opening your emails. Meaning more people looking at your offers.

By implementing the above tips you’ll see better results from your small business email marking. Australia being no exception as the tips I’ve shared can be applied worldwide. Though due to the smaller population of Australia you will see better results. As most of your business will be from repeat customers anyway. Basically it boils down to having an autoresponder, making sure your emails get opened and not bombarding your list with offers. Then tracking your results so you can improve.

With the economy weakening and business slowing one of the first things small business owners do is cut expenses. Unfortunately advertising and marketing is often one of the first things to go. During slow times there is nothing more important than your marketing. Your very survival may depend on it.

During the Great Depression the companies who not only survived, but thrived were the ones who did aggressive advertising while their rivals cut back.

Take Proctor and Gamble (P&G) for example. When their competitors were taking the advice of their accountants and dropping the budget axe on their marketing, P&G actually increased their spending, despite the fact that shareholders were demanding that they cut back on advertising. Because so many companies cut spending during that era, advertising budgets were largely eliminated in many industries. These advertising cutbacks caused many customers to feel abandoned and they associated the effected brands with a lack of staying power.

Even though people were cutting back on their spending, the president of P&G at the time, Richard Deupree, knew that people were still purchasing essential household items. So Dueupree decided to do something different and he created radio programming that did not focus on the product, but rather they were sponsored by a product. The first of these shows was broadcast in 1933 and it was called “Ma Perkins.” It was sponsored by Oxydol detergent. So if you ever wondered where the term “soap opera” came from, it all started with that show and its sponsor. That program was so successful for P&G they sponsored 21 more programs and they doubled their radio advertising budget every two years during the Depression.

The businesses that not only survived, but they increased their sales during the Depression were those that acted as if nothing was different. In other words, they advertised. The most important thing you can do now to weather the storm is to increase your marketing. Start marketing more aggressively and market more creatively.

One thing to note is that during tough times, more people than ever are looking to create their own home based businesses. Perhaps you offer products or services that can help them. You can take advantage of fact and specifically target these people. You help them, and they help you.