Many times a day , I hear from small businesses that they feel that email marketing is not a tool that they feel is right for them. One misconception is that email marketing is old school and annoying to consumers.  They just delete the email never read it and the reasons keep on going. 

 The reality of email marketing is really much different.  59% of B2B users state that email marketing is one of their largest revenue generators and one of the best methods of customer retention. 

Here 6 of the best reasons to reconsider using email marketing ;

1.  Effective email marketing builds better relationships.   Becoming the local authority about your product and services.  Be the voice of the local coffee shop, clothing store or professional service.  Offering articles about your expertise that is not a sales pitch, offers solutions to consumers issues.  Intriguing and informative emails will engage your followers and keep them looking for more.

PRO TIP:  Local is key. Consumers are looking for local businesses that can provide the information that they need.  Don’t bombard them with just any information, take the time to think through the message you want to convey.  Is it relevant? Useful? Will it keep your readers engaged? 

2.  Marketing emails can be hyper- personalized and even targeted.    When devising email lists, you the small business owner are able to devise lists that ensure that your subscribers are only receiving emails on topics that interest them.  Email marketing makes this a much more effective method of marketing in comparison to social media posts which are often generated with a more general/generic audience in mind. 

PRO TIP: When gathering email subscribers you are able to ask them the topics that they are most interested in.  When developing your lists you can then label each list by interests. 

3. Effective email marketing keeps your brand in mind.    On average email users check their emails on average three times per day.  So, why not market to someone in a place that they frequent on a daily basis?  

PRO TIP: Balance is key when emailing your followers.  You want to email regularly so that your brand is always on their mind but not so much that they delete you.  

4.  Email marketing is relatively inexpensive.   Email marketing can be one of the most cost effective methods of marketing that you can offer.  There are several email services and even some local marketing platforms that offer email mailing systems within in their platforms.  Once established email lists are easily maintained and the cost is minimal if there is any cost at all.  Check your software before purchase for alternatives that best suit your needs.
 PRO TIP: check out local business directory for their email tools: www.shopbayofquinte.ca/packages

5.  Emails, in general :  are action-oriented. 

Emails naturally prompt responses—replying, forwarding, clicking through. By including direct calls-to-action (CTAs) with clear benefits in your messages, you can take advantage of this impulse to react and drive traffic to your site or encourage the desired conversion event.

PRO TIP: Don't be afraid to include multiple CTAs in your emails. A common mistake marketers make is stuffing as much into the message as possible and then using only one call-to-action (CTA) per email. A better tactic is to provide enough information to pique the target's interest and then include links where he can learn more. But be sure not to use too many CTAs, which can overwhelm the reader—try to keep the total below three.

6.  Email marketing is measurable and testable.

One of the great things about email marketing campaigns is the objective metrics—delivery rate, open rate and click-through rate, among others. Marketers can evaluate performance and make data-driven decisions about how and where to optimize. This is a benefit not all marketing avenues have.

Email marketing also lends itself well to A/B testing. Marketers can test several different elements, including subject line, email length and CTAs. And with the data you gather from these tests, you can make confident decisions about which approaches work and which don't.

While email marketing is a great strategy, it's important to keep in mind that if your messages aren't crafted properly, it may be all for naught. Your emails must possess the following characteristics to be effective:

• Interesting. Don't let your messages be more clutter in your recipients' inbox; make them feel fortunate to have received something informative and entertaining from you.
• Valuable. The recipients of your emails should be enthusiastic to consume the content you provide. Ask yourself, "If I received this email, would I find it valuable?" If the answer is no, then it's likely your subscribers will feel the same.
• Relevant. If your email isn't pertinent to them, prospects and buyers will quickly delete the message. And if the content is consistently irrelevant to them, they'll probably unsubscribe. Make sure the emails you send speak to the subscriber's unique pain points.
• Timely. A big part of relevancy is timeliness. Consider a prospect's location in the buyer's journey to avoid jumping into a sales pitch too early.

Marketing is one of those fields where the latest technology is assumed to be the best, but you shouldn't ignore the tried-and-true methods. "Newer" doesn't always mean "good," and "older" doesn't always equate to "bad." Email marketing may have been around for a while, but it is constantly evolving, and when used correctly, can engender brand loyalty and generate revenue.