Author: Kara McCartney

As a small business owner, you’re used to wearing many hats. You serve as accountant, customer service rep, sales person, and a marketing executive — all within a 24-hour span.

And frankly, since you’re busy weaving between department lines, you need to invest in user-friendly tools that require no learning curve — particularly when it comes to marketing. Research shows that 50% of small businesses don’t have a marketing plan in place, let alone a designated marketing department. If your marketing strategy falls on your shoulders, you need easy-to-use tools to get the job done.

If you’re a small business owner, email automation should play a central role within your marketing strategy. Research shows that consumers check their email 15 times a day on average — giving you ample opportunities to get in front of new and potential customers.

If you’re a small business owner looking to develop a digital marketing strategy, email should be the first place you invest. 

How long does it take you to acquire a new customer? According to Salesforce, it takes 6-8 marketing touch points to generate a viable sales lead. And frankly, it could take longer to convert that new lead into a sale. 

As a business owner, you need to focus on gaining new leads to grow and scale your business. Unfortunately, research shows that half of small businesses don’t have a marketing plan in place, which can prevent you from attracting new customers.

Just because you’re sending a mass message doesn’t mean you can’t add a personal touch. 

Research shows that adding personalization to an email message can increase the effectiveness of your campaign. Adding personalization can increase your unique open rate by 29% while increasing your unique click rate by 41%, according to Experian. Therefore, if you aren’t putting effort into personalizing your emails, you’re doing yourself — and your business — a disservice.