10 Email Marketing Benefits You Need to Leverage for Your Small Business

Are you on the fence about using email marketing for your small business?

Does it feel like just another thing to add to your already jam-packed to-do list?

I get it!

As business owners, the last thing we want or need is more “busy work”. That said, email marketing is NOT one of those things!

In this post, I’m going to tell you exactly why you should care about it, and will share 10 email marketing benefits for small businesses that you can’t afford to ignore.

10 Email Marketing Benefits for Small Businesses

1. Your Email List is an Asset You Truly Own.

I hear this all the time: “But Kim, I already have thousands of social media fans and followers! Why do I need an email list too?”

Let me ask you this: How many of your posts actually make it to your followers, given each platform’s algorithm? And what would happen if your social media accounts were suddenly taken down overnight? (This isn’t an impossibility: just think about the potential ban on TikTok right now.)

I’ve said it many times before, but I’ll say it again: your email list is one of the only online assets you truly own.

If you want direct access to your customers and prospects – without having to go through a middle man or deal with a finicky algorithm – email marketing is the way to go!

Want to learn exactly how to move your social media fans and followers to your email list? And how to turn those followers into customers? Check out my workshop, How to Build Your Email List with Social Media. More on this below!

2. Email Marketing Drives More Revenue.

How many sales do you make directly from social media?

I’m guessing not a lot!

That’s because most people aren’t on social media with the intent to buy. While social media is ah-may-zing for connecting with your audience and moving them into your marketing funnel, email is where it’s at in terms of driving sales.

However, according to Oberlo, for every $1 spent on email, you can expect to get a whopping $42 back in your pocket.

That sounds pretty good to me!

3. Your Customers Check Their Email First Thing Every Morning.

Want to be top of mind for your prospects and customers?

Send email!

According to the folks at OptinMonster, 58% of people check their email first thing in the morning, as opposed to 14% who check social media first.

This is a huge opportunity to get in front of your customers and make an impression that will last throughout the entire day!

4. Your Competitors are Probably Using Email Marketing.

Don’t feel like using email marketing? Think it’s not a big deal?

According to the Content Marketing Institute, 81% of B2B marketers send email newsletters; so there’s a very high chance that your customer and clients are getting emails from your competitors.

If you want to ensure your business comes to your prospects’ minds – instead of your competitors’ – you’ll probably want to use email!

5. The Results are Easy to Measure.

Do you ever struggle to track the results of your offline marketing or social media campaigns?

Unlike some other marketing channels, email marketing results are super easy to track. Your email marketing software will give you easy access to stats like open rates, clicks and sales.

This means you can tell instantly whether a particular email is hitting its mark – or whether it requires some tweaking.

And this means you can fix what’s wrong, and start getting better results…fast.

6. Your Customers Want to Hear from You.

Graph via eMarketer

Do you think of email as a nuisance? Think your customers don’t actually want to hear from you?

According to iVend, email is the #1 way internet users want to hear from retailers.

So instead of thinking of email as a necessary evil, remember that your subscribers signed up because they want to hear from you!

7. Email May be a Better Investment Overall Than Social Media.

According to the folks at OptinMonster, email beats out social media on a number of different levels: including preferred channel for promotions, conversion rates, and ROI.

But, what I found especially interesting about their comparison is the difference in engagement rates.

According to their research, the overall engagement rate on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram is 0.58%; whereas the average open rate for email is around 23%.

While these numbers may not hold true for every business, it’s definitely something to keep in mind!

8. The Ability to Send Just the Right Message, at Just the Right Time.

If you want to be able to send super-targeted messages and offers to your customers and prospects, email is the way to go.

With proper segmenting, you can send emails based on any number of criteria, including:

• Age
• Gender
• Location
• How people have interacted with your emails in the past
• Specific interests

This is going to mean your emails are much more relevant to individual subscribers, leading to increased open rates, engagement, and of course, revenue!

9. Email Marketing Can Help You Drive Traffic to Your Website.

Having trouble getting your website or blog to rank in Google?

Not getting much traffic from sharing links on social media?

Share them via email instead!

Promote your latest offer or share your newest blog post with your subscribers, and watch the traffic come rolling in.

10. Email Marketing is #1 When it Comes to Customer Acquisition AND Retention.

Having trouble getting…or keeping…customers?

According to eMarketer, email marketing is the #1 channel for retailers when it comes to customer acquisition and retention.

In fact, 81% of those surveyed said email drives acquisition, and 80% said it aids in retention.

Compare this to the approximately half of retailers who said social media does the same!

Final Thoughts

I trust these email marketing benefits for small businesses have inspired you to really double-down on your email marketing efforts.

These benefits aren’t just theory – I see them in action every day.

I use email marketing every single day in my business, and it’s been a HUGE driver of engagement and sales for me.

I literally couldn’t run my business without it!

If you want to experience the email marketing benefits for small businesses I talked about above, but aren’t quite sure how to get there, I’ve put together two virtual trainings, just for you.

My training, List Building Made Simple: An Introduction to Email Marketing for Beginners will give you the basics of list building and how to leverage list building and email marketing to make more money; and my workshop, How to Build Your Email List with Social Media will show you how to leverage the audience you’ve already built on social media, by moving those people onto your email list.

Or, if you want to take both trainings, PLUS get access to over 50 other workshops, courses and resources, check out my Business Builder’s Academy, where you’ll get all the advice and support you need to grow your email list AND your business.

Check it out or sign up here.

So…Are you convinced of the benefits of email marketing for your small business? Why or why not? Share in the comments below!

About Author

Kim Garst

Kim Garst is a renowned marketing strategist and speaker who is trailblazing the use of artificial intelligence in digital marketing. With over 30 years of experience as an online entrepreneur, Kim helps entrepreneurs grow their business and authority online by using AI technology. She is leading the way with proven AI frameworks that help entrepreneurs build authority in their space.

She is keynote speaker and an international best-selling author of Will The Real You Please Stand Up, Show Up, Be Authentic and Prosper in Social Media.

Named by Forbes as a Top 10 Social Media Power Influencer, Kim is well-known for her skill to simplify complex technology and make the use of AI understandable for business growth. Her relatable, actionable advice helps guide new entrepreneurs to harness the power of AI to succeed in digital marketing. Kim is leading the way in combining human and technological skills to create a new model for AI-powered marketing.

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