Why small businesses need email marketing

Email marketing is a crucial component of any successful digital marketing strategy. 

I discussed this with Dr. Matthew Dunn on the Future of Email Podcast almost a year ago. One of the discussions we had was that one might argue that email marketing is even more critical to small businesses than big brands. 

Why? 

Because small businesses have limited resources, need maximum visibility, and face tough competition in their local markets.

There are three reasons I am often given as to why small businesses aren't sending emails: 

1)    They don't have the time to learn or the resources to take this on.

2)    They don't have the budget.

3)    They believe that social media is good enough. 

 Here is what more small businesses should understand about email marketing:

• Email Marketing is customer retention marketing. It is less expensive to retain a customer than it is to acquire a new one.

• Instagram won't cut it alone. While social media is excellent, you're at the mercy of algorithms. With email marketing, your potential customers will see your message on time. How often do you see posts or stories in which the content is about something that happened the day before? I see this daily, and it reminds me why email continues to be essential.

• Focus on a simple email design and a big strategy. You don't need complex emails. Simple works great! 

• Email marketing allows you to create targeted campaigns that speak directly to your customers.

• Email marketing is measurable. Knowing how people engage with and from the email can help refine your email marketing strategy for even better results.

• Your subscribers are yours. If you treat them well, they will stay on your list! 

As someone who has deeply believed in the power of email marketing for 20-plus years, I founded MochaBear Marketing to help small businesses thrive. If you still need to start your email marketing journey, now is the time. 

Today's tools in applications like Toast, Intuit Mailchimp, Constant Contact, Klaviyo, Square etc., make sending email easy, and if you need help getting started, please reach out. 

The article was originally published on LinkedIn on October 5, 2023