How email marketing helps build connections with your customers

Email is a chance to speak directly to your customers – your message goes straight into their inbox, right next to messages from friends and family.

This access is a privilege, but if used right, it can lead to significantly closer relationships with existing and prospective customers.

Find out how to optimise email marketing and gain access to a local network that will support you in return.

The simplest, most powerful way to reach people

London is full of talented people and exciting creative opportunities, but it's a competitive space too.

For small business owners on a budget, email is still one of the most effective marketing tools out there, beating both text messages and social media for return on investment.

This makes it a great place for focusing your marketing attention if you're short on time.

Email lets you speak directly to your customers, who will be interested in what you have to say – after all, they have opted in to receiving messages. You know who they are, so you can deliver targeted messages that encourage brand loyalty.

Email marketing is an ongoing conversation between you and the people interested in your business. For existing customers, email drives repeat business by reminding them of your value, while for prospective customers, email can be the first step towards a future relationship.

How to get started with email marketing

A great email list is full of people who want to be hearing from you. It's nice to offer people a little something for signing up to your mailing list, such as a small discount for their first purchase, or a resource such as early access to a sale or custom industry insights.

Remember the rules of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) when starting your email list. This includes making sure to secure consent for people to be on your mailing list, but also to keep their personal data safe, and only use it for what the customer signed up for.

There are lots of providers out there that can help you build and manage an email marketing list – which one to choose will depend on your business size, budget and marketing goals:

• Mailchimp is a well-known platform that does a lot of the work for you by providing templates, but it can get costly as your email list grows.

• Brevo is a good choice if you're an infrequent emailer, as this platform charges by the number of emails sent rather than the size of the list.

• Moosend is another popular choice for those just starting out, but it won't offer as many advanced features as Mailchimp.

Whatever your goals are for your mailing list, there's sure to be a provider with a plan to fit.

When it's time to create a welcome email for new subscribers, go for a short and friendly message that sets expectations for what's to come.

Will people get valuable weekly insights, or are you promising to keep a light touch? Be clear and honest.

Key points for effective campaigns

Keep it short

It's only a few words, but it matters a lot – the email subject line is the first impression that determines if someone will click or not.

Keep it friendly and compelling, and keep it short (under 10 words) to fit the screen. The same goes for the email itself – the majority of people will read it on mobile, so keep the design simple. A few lines per paragraph is plenty.

Use clear calls to action

Always include a clear call to action (CTA) – something for the reader to do after reading – such as making a purchase or clicking through to a resource.

But keep it subtle, as your email list isn't just about driving immediate sales. This is just as much about building long-term relationships.

Target emails

Segmenting the audience based on attributes like location, job title and age can also help you ensure people only get the emails most relevant to them.

A frequent customer will respond to different messages than someone who's not engaged in years, and most like a greeting on their birthday.

Well-targeted emails may require a little more effort, but the engagement rates will be a lot higher.

The London small business challenge

Engagement rates

Our inboxes are crowded and it can be hard to stand out. Engagement rates for email campaigns differ depending on your industry, but an opening rate of more than 20% is pretty good, and so is a click-through rate around 3%.

But with good customer segmentation, and some trial and error on style and messaging, it's possible to drive this up.

Email frequency

We understand that, as a small business owner, you may have limited time and energy to devote to email marketing.

With small teams juggling multiple roles, it can also be hard to dedicate the resources to build expertise.

But luckily, quality beats quantity – people will unsubscribe if they feel they're getting too many irrelevant emails.

Weekly or even monthly emails may be the ideal frequency to ensure the quality of each message, so it feels relevant and welcome. This commitment to quality helps build trust, plus there should always be an easy way to unsubscribe.

Content variety

Simply sending out product offers is unlikely to drive engagement. Mix things up with community stories, how-to guides and inspiration to help readers get more from your emails and, ultimately, feel that your messages offer value.

Try out different kinds of emails to see what gets the best engagement, and don't worry about repurposing content across platforms as most people won't see everything.

You can also offer subscribers the option of choosing which emails to receive, as some may not care for storytelling content but want to be notified about sales.

Tools and support for email marketing

Here are a few options for platforms that will help you manage your email list, along with templates, analytics, automation and other optimisation tools:

Brevo

• Good for: SMEs looking for flexible pricing and beginner-friendly tools for campaign creation.

• Free plan: up to 300 emails per day, customisable templates, text campaigns.

• Cost: the "Starter" plan is aimed at growing businesses and starts from £5.50 per month.

Moosend

• Good for: SMEs looking for affordable solutions and easy-to-use design tools.

• Free plan: no, but free trials are available.

• Cost: the "Pro" plan starts from £7 per month for an email list of 500, with custom pricing depending on size and additional services such as strategy and real-time support.

Mailchimp

• Good for: SMEs looking for an intuitive solution that enables automation and easy scaling up.

• Free plan: 1,000 emails a month to 500 contacts only; free trials for paid available.

• Cost: the "Essentials" and "Standard" plans, at £10 and £15 per month respectively, provide increasing levels of customisation and analytics as your email marketing grows more sophisticated.

Establishing your business as a local resource

For small business owners in London, email marketing can be a great way to stay in the minds of customers.

Email lets you build relationships that take the long-term view beyond direct sales. By providing resources straight into people's inboxes, you can establish your business as part of what makes London a great place to live.

Great emails are a tool for establishing yourself as a local resource and in turn this will boost brand awareness and long-term customer retention.

By offering something of value, you can tap into a deep local network of people and businesses who want to support you in return.

At Grow London Local, we are here to support you as well. Check out our offers for how to make running your small business a little easier.

Grow London Local: Support for London's small businesses

No matter where you're based in London, you'll find relevant support and guidance on business planning, sales and marketing and much more, as well as opportunities to connect with like-minded business owners. Visit Grow London Local now