The biggest trend in email marketing is personalization. For large companies, this means sending product and service recommendations or discounts based on recent website searches. But what if you're a small business owner that can't afford sophisticated email marketing software or a staff of five to monitor your campaign? Personalizing individual email message can be very complicated when you don't have to resources to do it properly.
But there are a few ways to make communicating with your list a little more personal - you just need to be creative and really listen to subscribers' wants and needs.
Tell Your Story
Making a connection with subscribers begins with everyone learning a little something about each other. Create an About Us page on your website that includes how you started your business, why you're passionate about it, and how you manage to keep the business going. Send email content that contains the same story to subscribers as a way to establish a friendship.
Take it one step further by asking subscribers to share their stories. Ask them to post a short description of their lives on social media pages or in an email. Ask for permission to post these descriptions on your website. Sharing stories helps you create an intimate relationship with subscribers.
Segment Your List
You may have heard this little piece of advice many times, but segmenting your list into smaller groups works - especially if you're a small business owner that doesn't have much time to analyze email and website statistics. After creating segments, determine which each segment wants or needs from you and then fill that need to the best of your ability. Whether its offering relevant content or special discount on products and services, providing what subscribers need creates a more personalized shopping experience.
Invite People to Join...
Your blog or social media page. This allows you to communicate with subscribers more often. Share ideas, advice, tips, or answer questions or concerns people have about your business. While email marketing can help establish good relationships with subscribers, you can take it to another level by providing personalized customer service, make product/service recommendations, offer product/service reviews and more on a social media platform.