How to Use Email Marketing to Grow Your Small Business

Email marketing consistently delivers the highest ROI of any digital marketing channel — an average of £36 for every £1 spent according to Litmus research. Yet many small businesses don't use it effectively.

Here's how to change that.

Why Email Marketing Works

• Owned channel — Unlike social media, you own your email list
• High intent — Subscribers have chosen to hear from you
• Direct communication — Lands directly in someone's inbox
• Cost-effective — Low cost per email sent
• Measurable — Open rates, click rates, and conversions all trackable

Step 1: Build Your Email List

You can only market to people who've opted in. Ethical, effective list building methods:

• Sign-up form on your website — Offer something valuable in exchange (discount, guide, checklist)
• At point of sale/service — Ask customers if they'd like to receive updates
• After delivering work — Add clients to your list when you onboard them
• Social media promotions — Drive followers to a sign-up landing page

Never buy email lists — it's spam, it's ineffective, and it can get your domain blacklisted.

Step 2: Choose an Email Platform

For small businesses, the main options are:

• Mailchimp — Free up to 500 contacts, easy to use
• Klaviyo — More powerful, better for e-commerce
• ActiveCampaign — Great automation capabilities
• ConvertKit — Popular with content creators

Step 3: Create a Welcome Sequence

Your welcome email series is the most important thing you'll send. When someone joins your list, send:

1. Immediate welcome — Thank them, deliver what you promised, tell them what to expect
2. Day 3 — Share something valuable (a guide, tip, case study)
3. Day 7 — Introduce your main services with social proof
4. Day 14 — An offer or invitation to get in touch

Step 4: Regular Newsletters

For most small businesses, a monthly newsletter is sufficient. Include:

• One genuinely useful tip or piece of advice
• A recent project or case study
• Business news or updates
• A clear call to action

Step 5: Promotional Emails

These are sent for specific campaigns:

• Seasonal offers
• New service announcements
• Event invitations
• Referral incentives

Limit promotional emails — too many and subscribers disengage.

Measuring Email Marketing Success

• Open rate: Industry average is around 20–25%. If below 15%, your subject lines need work
• Click rate: Average is 2–3%. If below 1%, your content or CTAs need improvement
• Unsubscribe rate: Should be below 0.5%. If higher, you're sending too often or the content isn't relevant

Combining Email With Your Website

Email marketing works best when it drives traffic to well-designed, conversion-optimised landing pages on your website. Talk to us about building a website that converts your email subscribers into customers.