Small, independent businesses – businesses with annual sales volume under $100 million – are looking to maximize growth in a way that provides the best ROI. At Riley & You, we believe that email marketing is one of the best ways to accomplish this for many businesses.
Part of the Plan
Before you mutter something like “but nobody reads email anymore” and move on to the next thing in your inbox, check out this data from Hubspot.com research in 2020:
- 73% of millennials prefer communications from businesses to come via email.
- 78% of marketers have seen an increase in email engagement over the last 12 months.
- 80% of business professionals believe that email marketing increases customer retention.
Email is alive and well, and for small businesses, it’s one of the best ways to engage with current and future customers. Your sales team may be the finest in the country, but they have so many other things to do – quotes, closing orders, and customer care to name a few. Regular communication with customers to find new leads or to foster the relationship is very low on the priority list – if it’s on there at all. Implementing a solid, well-planned email marketing strategy should be part of your marketing plan for engaging your customers and growing your business.
The Biggest Bang for Your Buck
We get it. Running a business is hard work. But that doesn’t change the fact that you need an integrated marketing strategy to move people through the sales funnel and to conversion. Email should be a part of that plan. Here’s why according to ConstantContact.com:
- For every $1 you spend on email marketing, you can expect an average return of $42. What other form of marketing gives you that kind of return?
- Email is used by over 4 billion people — over half of the world’s population!
- According to 80 percent of professionals, email marketing drives customer acquisition and retention. This means you can work smarter by managing the contacts you already have well.
- 60 percent of consumers say they’ve made a purchase as the result of a marketing email they received. What sales are you missing out on by not having an email marketing strategy?
The Window To Your Customer’s Soul
When you have an understanding of the impact of different advertising and engagement tools – like email marketing – then you are better equipped to spend your money more wisely. Most small businesses don’t have the time to figure out where their marketing dollars are best spent. Frankly, they usually don’t even know where to go to get that information.
At Riley & You, we regularly review our client’s email marketing reports and study open rates and interaction. If you aren’t reviewing performance and evaluating KPIs, you miss opportunities to improve. Sometimes the easiest information to gain and leverage to improve business is overlooked on a daily basis. This type of data is critical because it helps us understand how customers are interacting with the emails, marketing newsletters, and e-blasts that we manage for our clients.
This report provides us with so much information about what is of interest and brings value to their existing customers. Then we have the opportunity to evaluate and improve strategy – based on facts, not guesswork – so that future communications will better resonate with their audience.
The email marketing strategy experts at Riley & You can help you craft and implement a smarter solution for engagement with your clients. Contact us and let us help you use email marketing as an ROI winner for your business.
