Engaging SMBs with Email Newsletters

Have you left your email newsletter strategy on autopilot? If so, you aren’t alone. With all the innovations in social media, interactive content, and mobile, many marketing teams are focused on what’s changing, and have taken a “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach to email marketing.

But perhaps your newsletter is worth a lot more attention than you’re giving it. Our latest survey of 312 principals of small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) shows that they strongly prefer email newsletters for keeping in touch with vendors like you — much more than by social media. Email newsletters can play a surprisingly important role in building their awareness of your offerings.

Want to find out what SMBs are looking for in your email newsletter? Join us for a thirty-minute Fastcast at 1pm Eastern on Thursday, September 7 for a discussion of our new research results, which in brief include:

Business concerns: All eyes on the P&L

What keeps SMBs up at night? SMBs rank “Managing costs” their biggest business challenge. It’s up from third place last year, replacing “Finding new customers” as the top business concern. “Boosting profitability,” “Retaining/increasing sales to current customers” and “Dealing with competition” round out the top 5. Perhaps this signals a positive change in 2017, as 2016’s top 5 included “Staying in business” and “Having enough money to pay our bills.” Those fell all the way to 8th and 10th place, suggesting a growth mindset may prevail.

The topics SMBS want most: Technology and industry news

SMBs are most likely (46%) to go online to look for news about their own industry, and to learn about technology. They are next most likely (40%) to look advice on sales and marketing. After that, they are equally likely (34%) to seek out financial planning and management advice, and content on business operations. However, the topics that SMBs want from their vendors vary by category. For example, in an email newsletter from a SaaS provider, SMBs most want technology advice and trends. They look to you for expertise first and foremost in your brand domain — such as tech, finance or marketing.

Email newsletters rate high

Email newsletters may not be flashy, but SMBs consistently rate them highly as a way to engage with their vendors. 33% rate email newsletters highly or very highly as a way to get business management tips and advice from vendors, tied for second place out of the 19 different content formats we surveyed.

SMBs most want an email newsletter from…

Their CPA and their cellphone service provider (tied at 39%). Software and hardware tech providers, office supply companies and local banks are tied for third — 34% of SMBs are interested in an email newsletter from vendors in those industries.

Combine advice and promotion

Many SMB marketers assume that SMBs only want business management advice — and no product promotion — in an email newsletter. The reality is that they want a mix. In fact, the plurality (36%) of SMBs prefer an equal mix of business management advice and product information in an email newsletter. Only 7% of SMBs want email newsletters with business management advice only. SMBs want to know how your offerings can help them achieve their business goals — so don’t be afraid to promote them.

How SMBs read email newsletters

In this age of mobile devices, the big screen still dominates. Fully 66% of SMBs receive and read email newsletters on a desktop or laptop computer, compared to 15% on a smartphone, and 11% on a tablet.

That said, email newsletter reading habits vary widely. 22% of SMBs read most of their email newsletters in full as they come in. 27% read some email newsletters in full when they come in, and the rest later. 36% of SMBs skim all email newsletters when they come in, half returning to read all, half only reading the interesting ones later. Be sure your headlines and sub-heads are as interesting and attention-grabbing as possible to turn skimmers into readers.

Register today for our fastcast on Thursday, September 7 to learn more about what SMBs value in an email newsletter from their vendors. You’ll get valuable insights to put to work right away in your SMB email marketing program.