As a business owner, you want to spend your marketing time in the most efficient way possible. Every second you waste licking stamps costs money, while you could be doing something else far more productive. Email marketing, when done properly, can be like turning on a money faucet.

It’s cheap

The most popular email marketing platforms begin their service tiers at under $20/month. Most charge per the amount of contacts you have in your database, starting at around 500 contacts, with higher amounts of contacts costing more. Many allow you to email your contacts as often as you want, so you can send an email every week without worry.

For comparison, if you were to send just one postcard to 500 contacts, at USPS bulk rate you would pay around 24 cents each (not including the cost of the postcard and printing), for a total of $120. There’s no trackable open or click rate from postcards, nor is there a way for the receiver to unsubscribe.

It’s effective

Depending on your industry, average email open rates hover around 20%, with a click rate of around 2.7%. If you maintain your list well and keep it fresh, you can get better than average results with minimal effort. In fact, according to a recent survey Acsend2, email is the most effective and least difficult digital marketing tactic in the toolbox (as compared to blogs, seo, social media, content marketing, ppc, and more).

Think about your audience. These are real people who have either already bought something from you or are interested in what you have to say (otherwise they wouldn’t have signed up for your list). You’re not taking out a billboard in hopes that someone sees your ad; you’re delivering your message directly to those who want it.

It’s easy

The most effective emails are short and sweet. You don’t have to write a novel, because nobody’s going to read it, especially on their phone. According to a 2013 survey on email opens by environment, 41% opened their email on mobile (a number that increased 30% over two years, and is growing). Users want to get the info quickly and move on.

You can plan out your email marketing strategy well in advance, and pre-schedule all your emails to go out on specific days. This way, you have plenty of time to design and approve compelling email graphics, make coupon codes, and plan for a rush of orders.

Making the choice to start using email marketing is an easy one. Deciding where to get started and how to plan for your first email is something to think through. If you need help, be sure to contact Ventura for professional assistance with your email marketing campaign.