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BUSINESS EMAIL LEVELS THE PLAYING FIELD FOR MANY SMALL BUSINESSES

Business Email Delivers Results at Lower Costs

Business email is quickly evolving into a more effective communication tool, which only enhances its position as a valuable asset for any small or home business. Always an efficient and powerful way to respond to customer needs, email is becoming a more dynamic and proactive business-messaging system. Thankfully, advanced and innovative uses of email remain focused on the need to email customers upon request; permission email (no spam allowed). Great email marketing soars beyond conventional limitations when it becomes the primary link to building long-lasting relationships with your customers, prospects, or partners.
Some of the ways small companies are taking full advantage of these trends and realities are:
  • Text or HTML Newsletters that customers request through web, or in-store signup (and can easily unsubscribe or opt-out at any time).

  • Highly personalized, automatic, customer messaging that can significantly affect your company’s bottom line, such as order confirmations, billing, and targeted coupons, as well as varied product or service surveys.

  • Photo-rich e-flyers, or e-bulletins that remind a contact (who has asked to be reminded) of upcoming sales, events, catalogue highlights, or even a loved one’s birthday.

According to a survey by Jupiter Communications in 2000, the “cost per customer” of email is about three times less than that of direct mail. That said, you can easily see why small or home businesses continue to look for better, and smarter ways to communicate online.

How can your business use email? Do you create opt-in opportunities for your customers on your website? For those customers who request information (and interaction), what do you provide them? Do your communications build loyalty? In future articles, we hope to explore these questions through discussions such as “solid tips for great email newsletters” and “common mistakes in email marketing.”


For a “soup to nuts” business email resource website, we suggest the appropriately named www.everythingemail.com. This site is loaded with educational tips, terms, and links for those interested in how to use email for their small business. If you’re interested in comprehensive web marketing help, consider visiting www.marketingprofs.com.


To learn more about getting your business online, visit our Advanced Services section, email our Sales Department at services@gwi.net, or call us at 866-494-2020.

Published: gwi.netletter, Winter 2002.