Develop an Email Marketing Plan for Your Small Business
Developing an effective email marketing program involves several strategic steps. Here’s a streamlined approach a small business entrepreneur can take:
Define Your Goals: Start by identifying what you want to achieve with your email marketing efforts. This could include increasing sales, promoting brand awareness, driving traffic to your website, or improving customer retention.
Build an Email List: Collect email addresses legally and ethically. You can use sign-up forms on your website, at your place of business, or during events. Offer incentives like discounts or exclusive content to encourage sign-ups.
Choose an Email Marketing Service: Select a service that fits your needs and budget. Popular options for small businesses include Mailchimp, Constant Contact, and Sendinblue. These services provide tools for creating emails, managing lists, and analyzing performance.
Create Engaging Content: Develop content that resonates with your audience. Include compelling subject lines, informative and concise body text, and strong calls to action. Make sure your emails are visually appealing and mobile-friendly.
Compliance and Permissions: Ensure your email marketing complies with regulations such as the CAN-SPAM Act. Always obtain explicit consent to send emails and include an easy way for recipients to unsubscribe!
Schedule and Automate: Plan your email campaigns strategically. Consider the timing and frequency of emails to avoid overwhelming your subscribers. Use automation tools to send emails at predetermined times or in response to specific actions, like a welcome email after signing up.
Analyze and Adjust: Use analytics tools provided by your email marketing service to track open rates, click-through rates, conversions, and other important metrics. Analyze this data to understand what’s working and what isn’t, and adjust your strategy accordingly.
Continuously Improve: Email marketing is not a set-it-and-forget-it tool. Continuously seek feedback, keep up with trends, and evolve your strategy to keep your campaigns fresh and effective.
By following these steps, you can create a robust email marketing program that drives engagement and contributes significantly to business goals.
Comparing FREE Email Marketing Services
It can be tough to decide which platform to choose for your business, but taking a closer look at the features and limitations of each provider is a good place to begin. One of our favorites is Mailchimp so we're comparing it to the others but look at your options to see what serves your business best.
Mailchimp vs. MailerLite
MailerLite is a simple, easy-to-use platform, but simplicity can have disadvantages. The drag-and-drop builder isn’t quite as extensive as Mailchimp’s, meaning you may have less design functionality. Though, like Mailchimp, MailerLite does have a built-in photo editor.
Mailchimp vs. Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)
Brevo offers a drag-and-drop editor with a few basic templates to choose from and a well-reviewed email plugin for WordPress users. Unlike Mailchimp, its free plan also offers a chat feature and SMS notifications. Brevo offers some free integration options. However, Mailchimp’s Free plan offers more integrations and data reporting features to help increase overall functionality.
Mailchimp vs. ConvertKit
ConvertKit’s primary audience is bloggers, podcasters, and YouTubers. It claims to be easier to use than Mailchimp, but it only offers 3 text-based email templates to choose from. It allows you to create forms and landing pages.
Mailchimp vs. HubSpot
HubSpot has a visual drag-and-drop editor that comes closest to Mailchimp’s intuitive editor. However, many added features that are free on Mailchimp require upgrades on HubSpot. Like Mailchimp, HubSpot does offer ad management as part of its free plan.
Mailchimp has a chart comparing some of the basic services each provides here.
