{"id":224100,"date":"2020-03-27T13:40:18","date_gmt":"2020-03-27T08:10:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.qcsglobal.com\/?p=224100"},"modified":"2020-04-18T17:10:28","modified_gmt":"2020-04-18T11:40:28","slug":"6-proven-local-email-marketing-ideas-for-small-businesses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/6-proven-local-email-marketing-ideas-for-small-businesses\/","title":{"rendered":"6 proven local email marketing ideas for small businesses"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Email is often underutilized by small, local businesses despite the fact that it boasts a whopping <a href=\"https:\/\/www.verticalresponse.com\/blog\/email-marketing-turns-40-heres-how-it-still-benefits-your-business\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">122 percent ROI<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 more than four times that of social media and direct mail. Whether you own or operate an auto repair shop, landscaping business, tax preparation service or other local business, here\u2019s how you can leverage the power of email to win new customers and keep them coming back.<\/p>\n<section class=\"post-contents\">\n<h2>Local email marketing ideas<\/h2>\n<p>Email marketing should promote your business, but your email strategy should also feature value-added content that motivates opens, influences clicks, fosters trust and ultimately earns sales. Try these proven email marketing strategies for local businesses.<\/p>\n<h3>1. Create an editorial calendar around events, holidays and local happenings<\/h3>\n<p>A local focus will endear your business to local customers, so map out an editorial calendar based on the holidays, events and other local happenings important to your audience. Ideas include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Promotions for community holiday shopping days:<\/strong>\u00a0Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Giving Tuesday, for example.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Special offers for annual events:<\/strong>\u00a0Consider homecoming dances, community festivals, parades and historical anniversaries.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Interesting historical facts about your city:<\/strong>\u00a0These can segue to the importance of shopping at downtown businesses.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Seasonal offers relevant to your local audience:<\/strong>\u00a0For instance, people in northeast communities need to weather the winter cold, while those in southwest communities need to beat the summer heat.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Promotions tied to local athletics:<\/strong>\u00a0A restaurant can offer a pre-game special while a spa might offer a discount based on the number of points scored by the local football team.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Local gift guides: <\/strong>Consider<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>promoting top-selling holiday gifts in your local area or the most-wanted Christmas gifts based on local feedback\u00a0\u2014 a great way to drive business to local retailers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Want more great ideas for building an editorial calendar around local happenings? Watch Season 4 of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.deluxe.com\/sbrc\/small-business-revolution?season=season-4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Small Business Revolution<\/a>, where our Deluxe colleagues help Searcy, Arkansas-based creperie and coffee shop <a href=\"https:\/\/www.deluxe.com\/sbrc\/small-business-revolution\/an-editorial-calendar-keeps-coffee-shops-plans-brewing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Savor + Sip<\/a> harness the power of local email marketing.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.verticalresponse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/editorial-calendar.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>2. Craft valuable newsletters<\/h3>\n<p>The best email newsletters are packed with valuable tips and tricks your audience can use to solve their problems, achieve their goals and improve their lives. Your newsletter lends authority to your business, establishes solidarity with your audience and fosters long-term customer loyalty. Ideas include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>How-to tips with a local focus:<\/strong>\u00a0For example, a beauty salon might feature tips about how to maintain skin health in cold, dry climates or a landscaper might send a tip about the best local source for garden soil.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Localized guides:<\/strong>\u00a0Anyone can send a guide to landscaping a home, but only a local landscaper knows which plants grow best in your community. What unique local insights can you share with your audience?<\/li>\n<li><strong>Important local announcements<\/strong>: Is the city utility rate going up? A local hardware store might offer energy-saving tips to keep costs low. Keep abreast of local news and identify relevant tie-ins that educate and help your customers as well as naturally promote your business.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>There are plenty of great <a href=\"https:\/\/www.verticalresponse.com\/blog\/75-email-newsletter-content-topics-you-can-use-asap\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">email newsletter topics<\/a>. Pick one, then apply a local focus to give your business a competitive advantage customers will love.<\/p>\n<h3>3. Promote a rewards\/loyalty program<\/h3>\n<p>Many local businesses offer rewards\/loyalty programs, and email is a fantastic way to boost enrollment. Use email marketing to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Create excitement<\/strong> for your program and detail the benefits of signing up.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ask existing customers to send referrals<\/strong> your way in return for a special discount or reward.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Send customers gifts<\/strong> on special days, such as birthdays, anniversaries, graduations and more.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You can also send reminders for customers to check their rewards account balances online and to share your program with their friends and family members on social media so they can reap the rewards, too.<\/p>\n<h3>4. Create customer spotlights and case studies<\/h3>\n<p>The proof is in the pudding, and you can use email marketing to show your audience how you\u2019ve helped local customers just like them. It\u2019s a great way to prove you understand their needs and can deliver solutions. Ideas include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Customer spotlights<\/strong> and testimonials<\/li>\n<li><strong>Case studies<\/strong> that detail exactly how you solved a common local problem<\/li>\n<li><strong>Before and after photos <\/strong>for a visual experience that highlights your capabilities<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Customer spotlights, case studies and photos help you show off what you know, which motivates customer responses.<\/p>\n<h3>5. Gain customer insights<\/h3>\n<p>Polls and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.verticalresponse.com\/features\/survey-creator\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">surveys<\/a> can help you learn more about your local audience, which can, in turn, inform future email marketing and boost ROI. Try these ideas:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Send a poll or survey<\/strong> to get customer feedback on local trends<\/li>\n<li><strong>Report the results in a follow-up email<\/strong>. Local residents will no doubt find them interesting, and it presents a perfect opportunity to promote a relevant product or service<\/li>\n<li><strong>Share the results <\/strong>with your local newspapers, radio stations, television stations, popular bloggers and other media members\u00a0\u2014 a fantastic way to get free PR<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Your polls and surveys can ask about customer behavior, favorite products and trends, or even get opinions about local hot button issues. Start by determining which questions you want to answer and if those insights will have local appeal\u00a0\u2014 and if there is a natural segue to your business. If so, you have a winning poll or survey idea. (By the way, VerticalResponse makes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.verticalresponse.com\/features\/survey-creator\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">surveying customers quick and easy<\/a>.)<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.verticalresponse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/survey.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>6. Send special offers<\/h3>\n<p>Email marketing is an easy way to send special offers to your subscribers. You can:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Send promotional emails<\/strong> with a single, time-limited discount to motivate quick sales<\/li>\n<li><strong>Include a special offer<\/strong> at the end of every email newsletter<\/li>\n<li><strong>Subtly embed references to your products and services<\/strong> throughout your email content<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Email is a great way to reach local customers with valuable content intertwined with timely, relevant promotions that drive local customers to your door.<\/p>\n<h2>How to get local subscribers<\/h2>\n<p>These are all great local email marketing ideas, but you can\u2019t implement them without a subscriber list. The good news is building one won\u2019t add a ton of work to your already busy schedule. In fact, you can automate nearly everything with email marketing tools. Here are ideas for building a local email subscriber list.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Automatically enroll customers<\/strong>, loyalty card members, callers and people who email or fill out your contact form into your list. Make sure cashiers know to collect email addresses during checkout<\/li>\n<li><strong>Invite Facebook and other social media followers<\/strong> to subscribe to your email newsletter. Sweeten the deal with an instant incentive<\/li>\n<li><strong>Add a form to your website<\/strong>, either in the sidebar, in the content or as a pop-up. Offer a discount incentive or go with a lead magnet to boost your subscription rate<\/li>\n<li><strong>Partner with other local businesses<\/strong> to create a community deals email list, or share subscribers with one another (just make sure they know they\u2019re signing up for a community-wide list that will deliver great content and offers from multiple businesses)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Check out more great ideas for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.verticalresponse.com\/blog\/105-ways-to-build-your-email-list-tips-tactics-and-best-practices\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">building an email list<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Advanced local email marketing tips<\/h2>\n<p>Once you get your feet wet, you can take advantage of these advanced strategies to get more out of your email marketing.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>A\/B split testing:<\/strong> Test multiple versions of the same email to see which performs best. Then, send the winner to your entire list.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Segment lists:<\/strong>\u00a0Most businesses have different types of customers. Segment your lists by interests or demographics to send the most relevant information and offers. Doing so can increase responses exponentially.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Automate email marketing:<\/strong>\u00a0Create a series of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.verticalresponse.com\/blog\/how-to-use-email-newsletters-to-nurture-sales\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">emails designed to nurture leads<\/a> over time, then send them on schedule with an email autoresponder program. Set it and forget it!<\/li>\n<li><strong>Measure response:<\/strong>\u00a0Use email analytics to measure open rates and clicks. Identify which emails work best, then emulate those efforts for future campaigns so you can improve your email marketing over time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Email is a powerful and affordable tool local small businesses can use to boost sales. Use these tips to connect with local customers, earn referrals, beat the competition and keep business coming through your door.<\/p>\n<div class=\"cta_paragraph_main \" style=\"background: #F37021;\">\n<div class=\"cta_paragraph_text \" style=\"color: #e2e2e2;\">\n<div class=\"cta_paragraph_title\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.verticalresponse.com\/blog\/6-proven-local-email-marketing-ideas-for-small-businesses\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Email is often underutilized by small, local businesses despite the fact that it boasts a whopping 122 percent ROI\u00a0\u2014 more than four times that of social media and direct mail. Whether you own or operate an auto repair shop, landscaping business, tax preparation service or other local business, here\u2019s how you can leverage the power [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":224101,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11,10],"tags":[18,20,19],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224100"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=224100"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224100\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":224265,"href":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224100\/revisions\/224265"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/224101"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=224100"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=224100"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=224100"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}