How to Succeed at Email Marketing
Email Marketing has been around for a long time - and it’s likely that you currently have an inbox full of messages from hundreds of businesses, all eager to tell you about new products, deals, and events. It’s clear from how many emails each of us get in a day that the top companies all agree email is worthy of investing in. But what about email marketing for small businesses?
Well first of all, email marketing is one of the most cost-effective ways to market your business. A widely cited study in 2015 found that email marketing generated an average return of $38 for every $1 spent. Today, email marketing remains one of the highest-performing digital channels, with recent industry benchmarks showing returns of approximately $36–$42 for every $1 invested. Despite the rise of social media, AI-driven advertising, and new marketing platforms, email continues to deliver exceptional ROI through automation, personalization, and targeted customer engagement.
Since there are SO MANY emails being sent and received every day, it can be hard to stand out in a full inbox. Luckily, partnering with a marketing agency like ProFusion means you always have up-to-date knowledge on email marketing best practices to help you stand out.
Taking a data-driven approach ensures your campaigns actually reach your audience and drive measurable engagement.
Get Started with Email Marketing
In order to get started with Email marketing, you’re going to need a list of people to email. The best way you’re going to see real results from email is when your list is full of people who specifically asked to get emails from you. Of course, you might look through your inbox and think “Well, I don’t want emails from most of these companies, and yet they keep emailing me.” So, of course there are email lists that are full of disengaged contacts. But those disengaged contacts are REALLY unlikely to convert. And conversion is always our ultimate goal.
To build an email list of engaged contacts, try the following:
- Create a signup form on your website. We recommend either putting this in the footer so that it’s on every page, or in a pop-up, so it gets the user’s attention before they exit your site.
- If you have a brick & mortar, or are at a conference, you can have a good old-fashioned sign-up sheet. Just give people a place to put their information if they want to know more about your business.
- Use social media! If you have an engaged social media following, you can share your sign-up form on your social media channels.
Building this foundational audience works hand-in-hand with your other organic growth channels, especially if you focus on affordable SEO services to drive more targeted traffic to your sign-up forms.
But wait - I’ve heard of just buying an email list. Can’t I do that?
Physically, can you buy a list? Certainly. Lists are for sale. Should you? Absolutely not.
Purchased lists are ineffective. The people on that list don’t know you and didn’t ask for you to send them emails. They are unlikely to care about your offers, and are pretty likely to be emailed by someone they don’t know and didn’t give their information to. They can also mark you as spam.
If you send emails to a list of people whose contact info you bought, many of the emails will get identified as spam and you'll also get high unsubscribe rates. Some email spam filters will flag an email campaign if anyone with the same IP has sent spam in the past, meaning once you’re considered a spammer, your emails aren’t going to land in a lot of inboxes.
To make sure your list is full of people who won’t mark you as spam:
- Don’t use third-party lists. This includes purchased or rented mailing lists, and lists scraped from third-party sources, including public websites.
- Get Permission! Everyone on your list should have opted in to receive emails from you.
- Make sure all your emails contain an unsubscribe link.
Email content
Now that you have a list of people eagerly awaiting your emails...You just have to decide what to send them.
Email content can vary wildly from industry to industry. We like to send our blog posts out to our email list so that people can get some fun marketing advice in their inbox, even if they don’t check our blog regularly. Some companies send out information on sales and specials. Others like to announce what’s going on in the community. The best way to determine what to send is to ask “What does my target audience want?” If you can answer that and provide them with what they want in their inbox, Do it! If you need some help, give us a call.
Creating high-converting email content is much easier when it aligns with your broader digital marketing solutions so your messaging stays consistent across your website, social profiles, and inbox campaigns.
How Often to Send Emails
The next problem to conquer is how often to send emails. We send ours out once a week. But monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly...all of these are fine. The cadence really depends on how often you feel you have something to say. If you have a lot of people asking questions, and requiring more information - you’re going to want to send more frequently. But if you only have one sale a quarter, or you just don’t have that much to share - less frequently is totally fine.
We’re here to help. Whether you just need assistance in setting up your Mail Chimp account or you need us to do the copy-writing and list management, we’ve got you covered. Contact us to learn more about how you can use email marketing to promote your website and business.
Conclusion
Email marketing is a powerful way to grow and connect with your audience. It helps small businesses reach customers directly and build long term trust. A strong email list and valuable content improve engagement and conversions. Consistency and permission based marketing are key to success. When done right, email marketing delivers steady and measurable business growth.
Ready to grow your business with email marketing? Contact ProFusion Web Solutions at 402-819-9404 or [email protected] to start building your campaign today.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do small businesses benefit from email marketing?
Email marketing allows small businesses to reach customers directly, build long-term loyalty, and drive conversions at a much lower cost than traditional advertising.
Why should you never buy an email list?
Buying an email list damages your sender reputation, results in high spam complaints, and can cause email providers to block your domain entirely.
What is a good open rate for email marketing campaigns?
An average open rate across most industries ranges between 17% and 25%, depending on your target audience and sector.
How can I grow my email subscriber list legally?
You can grow your list legally by using opt-in forms on your website, offering incentives like discounts, and collecting contacts at in-person events.
How often should a small business send marketing emails?
Most small businesses succeed with a weekly or bi-weekly schedule, but the exact frequency depends on how often you have genuinely valuable content to share.
What is the best time of day to send a marketing email?
Mid-morning on Tuesdays and Thursdays generally sees the highest engagement, though testing your specific audience's behavior yields the best results.
How do I prevent my marketing emails from going to spam?
To avoid spam folders, use permission-based opt-in lists, clean out inactive subscribers regularly, and avoid deceptive subject lines.
What should be included in every marketing email?
Every email requires a clear sender name, a compelling subject line, valuable content, a single clear call-to-action, and an easy unsubscribe link.
What is the difference between an open rate and a click-through rate?
The open rate is the percentage of recipients who opened your email, while the click-through rate is the percentage who clicked a link inside it.
Do I need professional software to run email marketing campaigns?
Yes, using platforms like Mailchimp or alternative email marketing tools ensures compliance with privacy laws and provides crucial tracking metrics.