Why small businesses should be investing time into their email marketing

*This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link.*

Hey indie biz owner!

I see you. You’re a one person band, doing ALL the things in your small business. Not only are you the product maker or service provider, you’ve got to do all the other aspects of running a business too…

So let’s break it down into easy, manageable steps.

Marketing can feel like an uphill battle when all you want to do is design and deliver.

Additionally, Email Marketing is usually at the bottom of most designer's marketing pile. (If this is you, you are NOT ALONE. Most new clients/businesses I talk to are sheepish about the fact that email marketing is always at the bottom of their list.)

With this blog series, my aim is to tackle the overwhelm that product and service based businesses feel when they look at their marketing strategy ‘to do list’ and hopefully impart some wisdom that helps you feel confident in getting your business out there. Make sure to check back for plenty of small business marketing tips and info on how to build out strategies for your indie business.

So… WHY should we be building our lists and sending regular emails?

According to Statista, the number of email users in 2022 is forecast at 4.2 BILLION and that number is forecasted to jump to 4.6 billion by 2025. It has come a LONG way since it started as a way to send messages between academics and is now an integral part of nearly all business’ marketing strategies around the world.

I am constantly telling my clients that there will always be value in building your email list. Think about this for a moment… what would happen to your business and your sales if Instagram went down over night, never to return again? (For example, Facebook Armageddon, where Facebook and Instagram went down for 24 hours and the world almost imploded.) Some clients of mine jokingly say ‘never put all of your eggs in one basket’ - and when it comes to business, that’s absolutely truth!

Creating an all round business plan with multiple aspects is crucial. If you work on your email marketing strategy and Instagram goes down, you still have all the data of the people who have signed up to your list.

I would recommend having at least three social media/marketing platforms in place that all have equal amounts of work put into them, so that if one falls off the face of the earth, you have at least TWO to fall back on.

And I know, I get it… most people don’t want to send regular emails in case their subscribers leave. But I ask you this… why did those people sign up if they DIDN’T want to hear from you? Their email addresses are on your list for a reason and per GDPR guidelines, you offer them the option to unsubscribe at any time. Which I argue is only a good thing… As hard as it is to hear, you do NOT want people on your list who have no interest in what you have to say or what you have to sell. It can be easy to get hung up on the numbers but what is the point in the numbers that aren’t buying what you’re selling?

In a nutshell, here is why you should be investing time into your email marketing:

You own your subscriber data, so if any other social media platforms decide to go down, you are safe in the knowledge that you still have your audience. Just remember to regularly save your CSVs!
The subscribers on your list WANT to hear from you and are interested in what you are selling. Give them valuable content and they will look forward to your emails week after week.
Email subscribers are much more likely to take action… because they are there because they want to be. (if they weren’t, they would unsubscribe!)
They’re a lovely way to communicate. A lovely balance between an Instagram post and a blog, you can share beautiful photos, informative text AND provide them with click through links.
Make your audience feel like VIPs. With an email list, you can sell it as the insider crew, first to hear of discounts, special offers and new services/products/programmes. Those who feel like they’re getting something special will be more likely to jump at your amazing offers!

If you haven’t started on your email marketing strategy and building your lists then get on it ASAP. I use Flodesk, which is my personal favourite for ease of use, design capabilities and how flipping amazing it is at segmenting all of your audience… but that is a whole other blog post that I will be sharing with you soon!

And, if you’re not sure where to start, snag my totally FREE guide on how to set up your email welcome sequence here.