How Email Marketing Works for Small Businesses

Why Email Marketing is the Smartest Move for Your Business

When it comes to marketing, flashy trends come and go, but email marketing remains the gold standard for true business growth. In fact, as Torie Mathis shares in her insightful video, How Email Marketing Works, email might just be the holy grail of business success.

Whether you’re just getting started or you’ve hit a plateau, understanding how strategic email marketing works can explode your results.

In their very first brick-and-mortar venture, an automotive museum launched with just one car. Torie and her husband, Sean, experienced firsthand how powerful email marketing can be.

From day one, building an email list was non-negotiable. Why? Because “email marketing works,” and that’s not just a saying. It brings sales, donations, glowing testimonials, media opportunities, and a jaw-dropping return on investment up to $42 for every $1 spent!

What IS Email Marketing

At its core, email marketing is about crafting digital messages sent directly to a curated list of subscribers or potential customers. But it’s so much more than random newsletters or sales blasts.

Done right, email marketing nurtures relationships, delivers exclusive value, and guides people toward taking action, whether that’s making a purchase, signing up for an event, or simply staying engaged with your business.

Unlike social media or expensive paid ads, email is personal, direct, and affordable. Plus, it can be highly targeted and personalized to different segments of your audience, meaning the right people get the right message at the right time.

Emails That Drive Results

Not all emails are created equal. Torie outlines several core types of marketing emails you should consider:

• Sales Emails: Promote specific offers or products, always with a strong call to action.
• Newsletters: Share regular updates, stories, or tips to keep your brand top of mind.
• Announcements: Broadcast big news, product launches, or important updates.
• Lead Nurturing Emails: Provide valuable, educational content to move prospects through your sales funnel.
• Welcome Emails: Start new relationships on the right foot and set expectations.

Understanding the differences helps you ensure every message has a purpose and delivers results.

Email Marketing Toolkit

Forget Gmail or Outlook for your campaigns; professional results require a robust email marketing service provider. These platforms offer everything you need: reliable delivery, subscriber management, automation, and pre-built templates.

Better yet, many offer free plans to get you started.

Want personalized, automated journeys that run 24/7? These tools make it easy, even for beginners!

Crafting Winning Email Campaigns

Building your email strategy takes more than just hitting ‘send.’ Torie shares five crucial steps:

1. Find Your Audience: Know who you’re targeting before writing a single word.
2. Write Great Subject Lines: This is the “make or break” moment that determines if your email gets opened.
3. Make Your Content Awesome: Deliver value, keep it relevant, and make every message count.
4. Always Include a Call to Action: Clearly tell readers the next step, whether it’s a click, reply, or a share.
5. Monitor Your Results: Track open rates, click-throughs, conversions, and unsubscribes to optimize future campaigns.

Metrics (KPIs) for Success

You can’t improve what you don’t measure! Some key KPIs Torie recommends every business should track:

• Open Rate: How many subscribers actually open your email?
• Click-Through Rate: The percentage who click your links is an indicator of real engagement.
• Conversion Rate: How many take the desired action after clicking.
• Unsubscribe Rate: Gauge if your content misses the mark.
• Bounce Rate: Make sure your list stays clean and reaches real inboxes.

By monitoring these, you’ll know what’s working and what needs a tweak.

Skyrocket Your Results

There’s a reason email marketing boasts the highest ROI among all digital channels and why it worked wonders for Torie’s museum, her clients, and thousands of small businesses worldwide. It builds relationships, drives conversions, and stretches every marketing dollar.

But email marketing is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to a smart marketing strategy. Let me ask you a question: Do you know how your marketing stacks up?

Find out by taking the SMART Marketing quiz. Get customized results on how to get smarter with YOUR marketing, discover exactly where to focus, receive personalized recommendations, and unleash your business’s potential. It’s like having a personal marketing coach by your side!

And remember, you don’t need crazy tech skills, buckets of cash, or a dedicated staff to market your business; you don’t even need a lot of time.

What you need is to be smart, and email marketing is smart for your business.

If you're ready to grow your business with smart marketing you can:

1. Sign up for weekly FREE Business Bytes with CEO, Torie Mathis

2. Get a SMART Funnel and begin to automate your marketing

3. Learn Digital Marketing with a Smart Marketing Course

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: TORIE MATHIS

Torie Mathis helps entrepreneurs grow their business with Smart Marketing.  She is a best-selling author, Army veteran, international speaker + trainer, and the CEO + Creative Director at Lake Shark Media. She also teaches entrepreneurs how to get smart with digital marketing at toriemathis.com