Email can help a small business stay useful to people who have asked to hear from it. It is particularly relevant when customers buy again, need reminders or take time to choose a supplier.
It does not come with a fixed return for every pound spent. Results depend on the audience, offer, delivery and what happens after the click. Start with a modest, useful programme and measure the response.
Why email works so well
You own the list. Your Instagram followers aren’t yours, they’re Instagram’s. If the platform changes its algorithm or bans your account, those followers vanish. Your email list belongs to you. You can download it, move it, use it regardless of what any tech company decides.
You can reach an existing audience. A relevant message can bring a customer back to a project, guide or offer without relying on them seeing a social post. Delivery and attention still need to be earned.
It’s personal. An email feels one-to-one in a way a social post doesn’t. That builds a relationship Facebook simply can’t match.
Choosing a platform
You need an email marketing tool, don’t try to do this from your regular inbox. You’ll hit sending limits and end up in spam folders.
Compare tools such as Mailchimp, Brevo and MailerLite against the job you need them to do. Check their current prices, contact and send limits, automation features and how easily you can export your data. Free plans and allowances change, so use the provider’s live pricing rather than an old comparison table.
Test a signup, an unsubscribe and a message on your phone before importing a full list.
Building your list the right way
Buying an email list is a terrible idea. Those lists are full of outdated addresses, people who’ve never heard of you, and spam traps. Your emails will go straight to junk.
Instead:
Add a signup form to your website. Simple box, homepage and contact page. Name and email is enough.
Give people a reason to subscribe. “Sign up for our newsletter” is weak. “Get our free checklist of 10 things to check before your website goes live”, that’s a reason.
Keep permission clear. A website enquiry is not automatically permission for an unrelated newsletter. Use a clear signup, record what people agreed to and check the rules that apply to your audience before sending. Our follow-up guide links to the ICO’s current guidance on electronic marketing.
Use social media to drive signups. Post your signup link regularly. Share snippets of newsletter content. Use the platform you don’t own to build the asset you do.
What to actually send
This is where people get stuck. Here’s the key: don’t just send offers and promotions. Aim for roughly 70% useful content, 20% business updates, 10% direct offers.
Think about what your customers ask you about. Those questions are your content. A plumber could write about preventing frozen pipes. A web designer could share tips on taking better photos for your website. Whatever you know that customers would find useful, that’s your newsletter.
Some ideas: answer a common customer question, share a recent project, give a behind-the-scenes look at how you work, recommend a useful tool, offer a seasonal tip.
The secret is to be genuinely useful. If someone learns something from your email, they’ll open the next one.
How often to send
As often as you can produce something worth reading. For most small businesses, that’s fortnightly or monthly.
The worst frequency? Random. One email in January, silence until April, three in a row in May. Pick a schedule you can maintain. Monthly is absolutely fine, it’s infinitely better than “whenever I remember.”
Subject lines that get opened
Be specific. “How to stop your pipes freezing this winter” beats “Our November newsletter.”
Keep it short. Forty to fifty characters. Anything longer gets cut off on mobile.
Create genuine curiosity. But don’t clickbait, if the email doesn’t deliver, people stop opening.
Test personalisation carefully. A name can make a message feel relevant when the data is correct. It does not always improve response; test it against a clear subject line without a name.
A few technical bits
Use a recognisable sender name and a working unsubscribe link, and test both. Check the message on phones and desktop. Treat open rates as a rough signal: privacy features and automated activity can distort them. Follow clicks through to useful enquiries, purchases or bookings so you can judge whether the programme earns its time.
Getting started this week
Today: Sign up for Mailchimp, Brevo, or MailerLite.
This week: Add a signup form to your website. Email existing customers asking if they’d like to subscribe.
Next week: Send your first email. Keep it simple, introduce yourself, say what subscribers can expect, share one useful tip. Three hundred words is plenty.
Going forward: Pick a frequency, set a reminder, write and send. Improve as you go.
If you need help getting email set up alongside your wider digital marketing, we can sort that. And if you want to learn more about marketing on a budget, we’ve covered that too.
Frequently asked questions
Is email marketing still worth it?
It can be, particularly when customers buy again or need useful information before deciding. Start with an audience that expects your messages, a relevant reason to write and a measurable next step. Keep going when the response justifies the time and cost.
How often should a small business send emails?
Monthly or fortnightly is realistic and effective. Consistency matters more than frequency, a reliable monthly email builds more trust than sporadic bursts followed by silence.
How do I get people to subscribe?
Give them a reason beyond “sign up for our newsletter.” Offer something useful, a free checklist, a guide, exclusive tips. Add signup forms to your website, ask existing customers personally, and promote your list on social media. Never buy a list.
What should I write about?
Write about what your customers ask you about. Answer common questions, share useful tips, show your recent work. Aim for 70% useful content, 20% business updates, 10% offers.
Get in front of people who are ready to buy, book or enquire. We plan and run Google Ads, paid social and email campaigns around your customers and budget. Clear landing pages and conversion tracking show which campaigns bring useful enquiries and sales, so the next decision is based on evidence.
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