Many small business owners are, for good reason, focused on the ways they can use technology to increase their customer or client bases these days, and that usually comes with a number of different approaches. However, one that often gets overlooked, and can be pretty useful if utilized correctly, is an email list.
These days, many small businesses are wisely focused on what their social media marketing and continued website development can do to improve their companies’ standing in their local community, but cultivating an email list is also a very good idea along the same lines, according to a report from the Huffington Post. One of the best things about an email list, in terms of generating interest and customer loyalty, is that these messages can be more in-depth than what is sent over Twitter or Facebook, and provide far more information.
Like those social networks, an email list requires a consumer’s consent to sign up, but unlike those sites this can be done a number of ways, the report said. For instance, they can enroll when buying a product through a company’s website, on the site itself (through signup forms posted on at least a few pages) or in person when they visit a brick-and-mortar store. It’s important to not be pushy when trying to encourage people to sign up, and instead it might be wise to highlight the benefits of doing so.
For instance, one thing many major companies do is occasionally extend discounts of some kind exclusively for consumers who are signed up to their email lists. By doing so, they provide an incentive for new customers to sign up and encourage continued business from those who have already done so. The added value for those people may be significant, while an extra 10 or even 20 percent off might have a minimal impact on a company’s bottom line. Further, that kind of deal could make consumers more likely to rely on a small business more often for the products or services it provides.
Offering discounts may have something of a negative effect on a company’s bottom line in the short term, but at the same time, owners may be able to buoy it in other ways. This includes finding more affordable small business insurance coverage, such as less expensive policies for workers’ compensation or liability insurance. These changes can save companies thousands over the course of a year.
