10 Email Marketing Ideas For Small Business

When it comes to marketing your small business, email is a powerful tool.

Not only is it affordable, but when used consistently, it can be highly effective in growing an engaged list of raving fans ready to buy and refer your small business.

There are many different ways to use email to market your small business, build relationships with your customers, and increase your sales. And today’s email marketing tools, like Mailvio, make it easier than ever for any small business owner to send email broadcasts, set up email marketing campaigns, and even use email automation to help them reach their business goals.

But sometimes, coming up with ideas of what to send, what to say, and what will work best is the most difficult part. What should be included in your business email content?

Here are 10 of the best email marketing ideas for small businesses and some email marketing strategy tips to get you started and to keep you going in your email marketing journey.

10 Best Small Business Email Ideas

1. A Newsletter

A newsletter is a great way for small businesses to stay in touch with their customers and keep them up-to-date on what’s going on with their business. In your newsletter, you’ll want to include information about new products or services, special promotions, or anything else that would be of interest to your email recipients.

And if you’re just dipping your toes into email marketing, this is the best email for small business owners to start with.

It is best to pick a schedule that you can stick with, but you’ll want to send it frequently enough, so you stay top-of-mind, so no less than once a month. If your business has more frequent changes or updates, more often may be better.

What are some sending options?

Weekly Newsletter

Weekly is a good option if you have a steady stream of new content. For example, Automotive Museum Guide has a weekly email newsletter it sends without fail every single week. Each week it highlights 3 museums, keeping its format consistent and predictable.

Seasonal Newsletter

A seasonal newsletter can be sent more frequently during the hot season and less frequently during slower times. During the Spring season, one of our local botanical gardens, Gibbs Gardens, sends out a weekly email highlighting what is blooming that week; however, in the off-season, it is only about once a month; just enough to touch base.

Monthly Newsletter

A monthly newsletter is the most popular and is an easy schedule to keep to for small business email marketers. Sean sends out a monthly newsletter to his Miles Through Time subscriber list, but he does add additional broadcasts as needed when he has changes to the museum, new cars or exhibits, or events coming up.

Daily Newsletter

Then there are the die-hard email marketers that go for the daily email. Marketer Seth Godin is famous for his daily email that he has been sending for decades.

The key here is consistency. Pick a minimum of what works for you and stick to it.

2. Welcome Email Sequence

A welcome sequence is a series of automated emails that are sent out to new subscribers. It’s a great way to introduce them to your company and build a relationship with them from the start.

This automated email campaign can be a game-changer for onboarding new subscribers and customers. In this automated series, each new subscriber gets the same email or series of emails sent out in order. The series can be a single email to dozens of emails, and the best part is you only have to set it up and do the work once. Your new subscribers and new buyers can each get their own welcome sequence.

For new subscribers

A series of automated emails welcoming your new email subscribers can be easily set up in your email marketing platform, like Constant Contact or Kartra. These emails will automatically drip out to your subscriber’s inbox after then sign up. These emails will introduce your business, give them expectations as a subscriber, and allows them to feel welcomed to the “family.”

When Sean created his welcome sequence for Miles Through Time, he got fewer unsubscribes overall; more email opens, higher click-through rates, and more responses when he asked for volunteers, donations, or announced events. Subscribers were more connected and more actively involved.

For new customers

You can also create an automated sequence for new customers. This sequence can thank them for their purchase, set product or service expectations, answer FAQs and give instructions for questions, feedback, or support.

This simple sequence can make customers feel cared for and supported and can increase customer satisfaction and repeat business.

These are two must-have email campaigns for small business owners.

3. Editorial Calendar

An editorial calendar can help you plan and organize your email marketing content so that it is timely and relevant. This will make it easier for you to create consistent, quality content that your email subscribers will appreciate. Your content calendar takes into account key seasonal and holiday times, as well as customer cycles.

Seasonal and Holiday Content

At the heart of a successful content calendar for email marketing are strategies for creating relevant, engaging content that resonates with your target audience. This might include using seasonal themes in your messaging, such as highlighting new products or promotions during the holiday season or highlighting special offers at the end of each season.

Customer Cycles

Another key factor in developing a successful content calendar for email marketing is to plan ahead and track your customer cycles. This can help you align your marketing efforts with the buying cycles of your customers, ensuring that you are targeting the right audiences at the right times with relevant messaging and offers.

Additionally, tracking these cycles will also help you identify opportunities to upsell or cross-sell products as customers move through their lifecycle stages.

4. Reward Customer Loyalty

One reason that email marketing works so well for building customer loyalty is that it gives you the opportunity to directly interact with customers on a one-to-one basis.

Unlike other marketing channels, such as social media or traditional advertising, email allows you to speak directly to individual customers about their interests and preferences. This provides a valuable insight into what they care about most, helping you provide content and offers that are tailored specifically for them.

Exclusive Deals and Coupons

Show your appreciation for your loyal customers by offering them exclusive deals or coupons. This will encourage them to continue doing business with you and make them more likely to stay a subscriber.

Subscriber Specials and Sneak Peeks

Try offering subscriber-only specials or giving your subscribers a sneak peek at new products or services. By showing your customers that you appreciate their business, you can help create a lasting relationship.

Giveaways and Contests

Giveaways and contests are an effective way to engage customers and encourage them to sign up for your mailing list, helping you grow your business in the process.

5. Promotional Offers

As a small business, you can benefit from email marketing by sending promotional emails that highlight your products or services. Promotional emails are a great way to showcase your products or services and offer discounts or coupons to encourage people to buy and are best when used in conjunction with a mix of other email types.

More Than Another Sales Email

By framing different promotional emails highlighting different ways, you can promote sales, new products, top sellers, limited editions, free shipping, and more without it feeling repetitive and overly promotional.

Scarcity & FOMO

By using scarcity and creating a sense of urgency with FOMO (fear of missing out), you can encourage customers to take action and buy your products.

Coupons

You can also offer coupons or discounts to entice customers to purchase from you, but be careful with overusing this strategy as it can train your customers to always wait for a deal.

Back In Stock

If you have products that are out of stock, you can let customers know when they will be back in stock so they can buy them as soon as they are available.

By using these promotional email marketing ideas, you can increase sales and boost your business.

6. Connect Through Email

Email is a powerful tool for connecting with your subscribers and building relationships with them. Whether you are using social media, hosting events, or engaging in re-engagement campaigns, there are many ways to leverage email marketing to benefit your business.

Use Social Media

One effective way to use email marketing is by incorporating social media into your email campaigns. You can use social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to promote your brand and engage with existing customers.

Additionally, you can use these channels as a way to drive traffic back to your website or landing pages, where you can generate leads and conversions from interested prospects.

RELATED: Choose the Best Social Media Channel For Your Business

Connect Through Events

Another great email marketing strategy for small businesses is to share events that help build community around your brand. Events can be a great way to generate interest and excitement around your products or services, as well as get valuable feedback from your customers.

You can use email marketing to promote these events to local customers, reaching out to current subscribers and inviting them to attend.

Follow up Emails

If a customer has purchased something from your business recently, you might want to send them an offer or discount as a thank-you for their past purchases. You could also provide them with helpful information about how to get the most out of their purchase, such as how-to guides or video tutorials.

Reengaging with Subscribers

Reengaging with forgotten email subscribers is another effective way to use email marketing for your small business. This can include sending targeted emails that are designed to bring back inactive users and encourage them to interact with your brand again.

By focusing on the interests, behaviors, and needs of your customers, you can create personalized email campaigns that will resonate with them and help you boost engagement and ROI.

7. Ask

Email marketing is a powerful tool for small businesses looking to engage and connect with their customers. One of the best ways to do this is by asking your subscribers for feedback, reviews, referrals, or asking them questions.

Ask for Feedback

By soliciting feedback from your customers with a follow-up email, you can gain valuable insight into their needs and preferences. This information can then be used to create targeted messaging that resonates with your audience and drives engagement and conversions.

Ask for Reviews

Similarly, requesting reviews from satisfied customers can help you build trust and credibility with new prospects. Getting positive testimonials and social proof can also encourage other people to purchase your products or services. Remember, if you want more reviews, you have to ask for more reviews, so bake this right into your email marketing strategy.

Ask for Referrals

Asking for referrals is another great way to grow your customer base through email marketing. By leveraging your existing customer base, you can tap into new networks and reach potential clients who may not have been aware of your business otherwise.

Ask Questions

Asking questions is another powerful way to engage with your subscribers and build relationships. By engaging in two-way communication with your audience, you can learn more about their needs and interests, which can help you tailor future email campaigns to better meet their needs.

With the right approach and tools, using requests in your email marketing can be an incredibly effective way for small businesses to grow and connect with their customers.

8. Share Content

Share interesting or valuable content with your subscribers that they may not find elsewhere. This could include blog posts, articles, interviews, or videos. It helps to share valuable and interesting content alongside your marketing emails, so your subscribers stay engaged and stick around.

Share Blog Posts and Articles

As a small business owner, you can use email marketing to share your latest blog posts with your subscriber list. This is a great way to keep your customers updated on what’s happening with your business and promote new products or services.

When creating an email to promote a blog post, be sure to use a catchy subject line and a link to the post so that your subscribers can easily access it. You can also include a brief description of the post to give your subscribers an idea of what it’s about.

Sharing Guest Posts and Interviews

If you’ve been featured in a guest post or interview, you can share this content with your subscribers as part of your email strategy. This is a great way to build exposure for your business and show your customers that you’re an expert in your field.

When sharing a guest post or interview, be sure to include a link to the original article so that your subscribers can read it in full. You can also include a sappy subject line and a brief description of the content to give your subscribers an idea of what it’s about.

Sharing Media

Email marketing is also a great way to share videos, podcasts, and other forms of media with your subscribers. This is a great way to keep your customers updated on what’s happening with your business and promote new products or services, and keeps your subscribers engaged.

When sharing media through email, be sure to include a link to the original content so that your subscribers can easily access it. You can also include a brief description of the content to give your subscribers an idea of what it’s about.

With the right sharing strategy, email marketing can be a powerful tool for growing your business and building lasting relationships with your customers.

9. Personalize

One of the most effective ways to personalize and connect with your customers is by sending birthday and anniversary emails to your subscribers. These types of messages can help you build stronger relationships with your customers while also providing valuable information or offers that they may be interested in.

Birthday and Anniversary Emails

To get started with email marketing campaigns for birthdays and anniversaries, you’ll need to create an automated workflow using an email marketing platform like MailChimp or Kartra.

This will allow you to easily send out birthday or anniversary emails on the dates that correspond to each customer’s individual profile records in your database.

By incorporating a birthday and anniversary email marketing campaign into your small business strategy, you can deepen your relationships with your customers and make more sales.

10. Brag A Little

Use your email marketing campaigns to brag a little about your business by including positive customer interactions in your emails. This is a great way to show potential customers that your business is reputable and trustworthy and can be extremely persuasive in convincing someone to do business with you.

Share reviews

Share reviews from satisfied customers to help show prospective customers that your product or service is valuable. It can help them make a decision about whether to try it out.

Share case studies

Share case studies of how your product or service has helped other businesses succeed. This helps show potential clients that your product or service can deliver results, and it gives them concrete examples to look at when making their decision to buy.

Share testimonials

Share testimonials from your happy customers. This helps show prospective customers that real people have had great experiences with your product or service, and it can help them make a decision about whether to try it out.

Spotlight customers

Spotlight customers who are using your product or service in interesting or unique ways. This helps show potential buyers that your product or service is being used in a variety of different ways, and it can help them make a decision about whether to try it out.

The Best Email Marketing Ideas Help Small Businesses Succeed

By incorporating these email marketing ideas into your business strategy, you can reach more customers, build stronger relationships with them, and increase sales over time.

Be sure to pick several of these to try in your future campaigns.

Tips for Email Marketing Strategy

As you can see, email marketing allows small businesses to reach a large audience with minimal effort and expense, and it can be a great tool for engaging with subscribers and driving sales.

However, email marketing can be challenging, especially for new small businesses. It can be difficult to stand out in a crowded inbox, and it can take time and effort to create quality content that will engage your subscribers.

Here are some email marketing tips for developing a successful email marketing strategy for your own business.

Email Marketing Tips for Small Businesses

1. Focus on quality content.

To engage your subscribers and ensure that they continue to open your emails, it’s important to focus on creating high-quality content that is relevant and engaging. This means experimenting with different types of content, such as articles, videos, images, and more.

It’s also important to keep your subscribers in mind when developing your email marketing strategy – write in a tone and style that will resonate with them and elicit a positive reaction.

2. Build relationships with your subscribers.

In order for your email marketing efforts to be successful, you need to engage with your subscribers on an individual level – don’t just treat them as numbers or statistics. Instead, try to build meaningful relationships by communicating directly with them through your emails.

This can be done by responding to their comments and questions, providing personalized content, and showing that you’re interested in their experiences with your product or service.

3. Be consistent.

One of the most important aspects of a good email marketing strategy is consistency – if you’re not consistent with your emailing schedule, it will be difficult to maintain a strong relationship with your subscribers.

Make sure to send out regular emails, even if it’s just a short update or message. Additionally, try to stick to a set schedule so that your subscribers know when they can expect to hear from you.

4. Use calls-to-action

Your emails should always include some sort of call-to-action (CTA) in order to drive sales and engagement. For example, you could include a link to your product or service, ask subscribers to sign up for an upcoming webinar or event, offer them a free trial, or simply encourage them to share their experiences with your business on social media or with friends and family members.

Get started with email marketing campaigns for your small business

By following these marketing tips, using some of the email marketing ideas for small business owners, and putting in the time and effort to develop a strong email marketing strategy, you can use this amazing tool to engage with your subscribers and grow your business.

With consistency and quality content sprinkled with a little email automation, you can build long-lasting relationships with your customers and truly make the most of email marketing as a small business owner.

Want to learn more about email marketing for your small business? Click here.