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Email marketing for small businesses

Email is the one audience nobody can take from you.

A platform can change its rules or bury your posts overnight. An email list is yours. One short, useful email a month is enough to keep regulars coming back.

Time:
About 1 hour a month
Cost:
Free to start
InboxYour Shop3 things to do before the first freezenow41of 60 regularsopened itJoin our list

Is it worth your time?

Worth it if

  • You have repeat customers, or customers who could send you someone new.
  • Something changes each month: the menu, the stock, the season, an offer.
  • You want a way to reach people that doesn't depend on a social platform.

Skip it for now if

  • Almost nobody should skip this one. The only reason to wait is that your Google listing isn't claimed yet. Do that first, then come back.

Step one

Set it up once

Do these in order, in one sitting if you can. After that, the only work is the weekly rhythm further down.

  1. Step 1: Pick an email service

    Use a proper email service instead of your regular inbox. It handles unsubscribes for you, which the law requires, and helps keep your emails out of spam folders. Most are free or cheap for a small list.

    How to start, step by step →

  2. Step 2: Make one signup form

    Ask for a first name and an email address, nothing more. Say what people will get: “Monthly specials and first word on new arrivals.”

  3. Step 3: Put the signup where customers already are

    A sheet or a QR code at the counter, a line on invoices and receipts, a box on your home page, and a post about it once a month.

  4. Step 4: Only add people who asked

    Don't copy addresses off business cards and don't buy a list. People who never signed up mark you as spam, and that hurts every email you send afterward.

  5. Step 5: Set up a welcome email

    Have the service send it automatically: thank them, say what to expect and how often, and include your hours and your link.

What to send

One topic per email, written as if to a single regular customer.

  1. 01

    The monthly email

    Three short parts: one helpful thing, one thing that's new, and one clear next step.

    “Subject: 3 things to do before the first freeze”

  2. 02

    The slow-day email

    A short note to fill the day you most need to fill. Give a reason to come in, which doesn't have to be a discount.

  3. 03

    The seasonal reminder

    Useful, timely, and it puts your name in front of people right when they need you.

  4. 04

    The thank-you

    A few days after a job or a purchase, say thank you and include your Google review link.

Email outlines to copy →

A rhythm you can keep

About 1 hour a month
Once a month
Send one email. Put it on the calendar like payroll.
Once a week
Add the new names from the counter sheet
After each send
Look at how many people opened it and how many clicked

Mistakes to skip

  • Subject lines like “October Newsletter.” Say what's inside.
  • Three topics in one email. That's three emails.
  • Only writing when you want something.
  • Waiting until the list is big. Send to your first ten subscribers.

Do this today

Put a signup sheet or a QR code next to the register and tell the next five customers what they'll get. Ten names is a list.

Businesses that get the most from email

Each page ranks every channel for that kind of business and gives you the first jobs to do.

Read next

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Members get a private group for questions and feedback, plus members-only playbooks. $99.99 a year — about $8.33 a month.

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