For more than two decades email marketing has been a talking point amongst small business circles. It may not sound very sexy, nor does it conjure the excitement or intrigue of modern buzzwords like content marketing, conversion rate optimisation or behavioural retargeting (though it plays an important role in each).
But there’s a very good reason why email marketing has maintained its place atop marketers’ to-do lists for so many years.
Surprise, surprise… It works.
Countless studies have found email marketing to be the highest performing digital channel in terms of ROI. Its ability to be delivered at a specific time and speak to customers on a personal, one-to-one level has made email a conversion goldmine for marketers across the globe.
In the realm of small business, email marketers (aka business owners) have a distinct advantage over their big-corporation counterparts. With no strict brand guidelines to adhere to or manager approvals to seek before sending, small businesses are in a position to be responsive, agile, and even experimental with their email marketing.
With email marketing tools now cheaper and more user-friendly than ever before, an amazing opportunity exists for small business owners to open their first account and start testing the waters. It doesn’t have to be fancy; the most important thing is just to get started.
How to pick the right platform
Choosing a platform for your email marketing can be overwhelming. There are literally hundreds of providers on the market, with varying levels of functionality and price. If your business is new to email marketing, chances are an entry-level platform will be more than adequate.
The mostly widely used email marketing platform at the cheaper end of town is MailChimp, largely due to its ease of use and wide range of pre-built integrations. It’s also free if you have fewer than 2,000 subscribers.
If you’re starting an online store, you may want to look at a platform tailored specifically for eCommerce businesses. In this situation, Klaviyo is a great place to start. Like MailChimp, Klaviyo’s entry-level plan is free, however you’ll need to upgrade once you exceed 100 subscribers.
Need help choosing a platform and getting started? Schedule a chat with one of our experts.
