K.I.S.S.
For those unfamiliar with this acronym, it means Keep It Simple Silly (although some may use Stupid, it’s not my favorite word). It can apply in many places of life, faith, and even business.
Email marketing isn’t immune, either.
Now, don’t get me wrong. With the proper budget, there are some great things you can do with all kinds of marketing. But if your budget is small or you’re taking on the marketing yourself, email marketing works well with simplicity. It is knowing how to best use that simplicity to your advantage that makes it extravagant.
Be YOU
Especially as the business owner, the business is YOU. It’s your baby, your heart and soul. If you want to attract the right customers, they need to know if they relate with you. People follow companies whom they like and can relate to. As a Christian business owner, you don’t have to use foul language in your emails if that’s not you (like me not wanting to use “stupid”). As a woman business owner, you don’t need to hide that you’re a female. The best customers are those who know what your company stands for and who is behind the name and still choose to not only buy from you but tell others about you. BONUS: If you’re a mompreneur like me, embrace it! Using a funny story in your email about your kids is merely another way to make a connection or give a great example. 
Continuous Communication
You don’t need to send an email daily or even weekly (although I recommend you send something at least once a month). You simply need to be consistent. If people know both what and when to expect an email from you, they will probably look for it AND be willing to open it. That helps your open rate percentage, keeping you in the good graces of the email service providers like Google (it also helps if they’ve added you to their contact list or marked your emails as important). If your customers have given you the gift of their email address, don’t leave them hanging or they’ll forget about you and go somewhere else.
Don’t Just Sell
With everything available at their fingertips, people no longer want to be sold to. They want to KNOW businesses, not only what they sell. That’s the beauty of emails. You can build both their trust and your expertise by providing valuable resources, telling relatable stories, and even sharing testimonials from other customers. Then, when you want to send out a sale or deal, it’s not only received better but is more likely to be transacted because they’ve gotten to know and trust your business.
Email marketing can be the simplest and most efficient way not only to reach your customers but the best way to get great referrals and repeat business. You’re also more in control of who sees your content because you’re not fighting the algorithms like social media. I like to say that social media platforms are like the popular kids at school, and email service providers are more like bouncers. The popular kids decide what’s good one day and change it the next, but a bouncer simply needs to see that you’re on the list.
If you don’t have an email marketing service, I highly recommend MailChimp. It’s grown to be an all-inclusive platform but is known best for its free email marketing tools. Want more marketing tips and advice? Take a stroll through my blog section or sign up for my weekly email and see how I do it!
Kristi Kenyon is a Christian small business owner and has been a copywriter for over a decade. She helps other small businesses connect with their customers through email campaigns and web copy. Her goal: take their customers from happy with them to raving about them. Outside of work, Kristi is a mom of two boys and has been married to a PK for almost 20 years. She enjoys a cup of coffee with a great discussion, trying new recipes, and reading.
