In our last email marketing blog we shared the top three reasons to make email marketing a priority in your brands strategy. Studies have shown that an overwhelming percentage of consumers prefer email as a communication channel from brands.

    Email is a fantastic tool for small business marketing strategies especially because it can accommodate tight budgets and offers great ROI. Your website, social media and other channels have worked for lead generation and now youre nurturing those leads. Great, but keep in mind: email is not a one-size-fits-all tactic.

    MarketingSherpa compiled research from 1,748 American adults who want to receive company emails to find out what consumers want from brands when it comes to email marketing. While they want to keep hearing from you, almost half of the people surveyed indicated that they wanted to see some change in what ends up in their inbox.

Here are the top three things to keep in mind when creating your email strategy:

 1. Keep it short and sweet   

In the age of 140-character messages and instant gratification, its important to keep your communications concise. Especially with more and more people reading email on smartphones, optimize content to fit small screens and allow for a quick read.

Theres a lot of marketing advice floating around the internet these days but not every tip of the trade will work for your target market. Like MarketingSherpa says, make sure to optimize, test and measure. As with all marketing tactics, its trial and error in the beginning. Measure your customers behavior; see what they click and how they buy.

I can't stress enough the importance of listening to your consumer: keep an eye on their place in the purchase cycle, what they need and want, and cater your communication to what works for them. Like the age-old saying goes: the customer is always right.

2. Design emails that are relevant to your audience

Its important to know where your audience is in the purchase cycle and custom tailor your emails. Here are three things to consider when segmenting your leads to personalize emails:

Early Stage Leads

These people are new leads and may not know what your brand is all about. Theyre still in the awareness stage of the buying cycle. Education is key for this group  not about your solution necessarily, but their need. Heres where you want to make content the star player in your emails: how-to articles, whitepapers, tips, etc. are great for audience in the research stage.

Mid Stage Leads

This group is not seeing your brand for the first, second or even third time, but they are still evaluating your brand. Emails to this audience require content that builds confidence and trust in your product or service. Show how your company offers the solution to their needs through case studies, demo videos and product information, for example.

Final Stage Leads

These people know about your company and the solutions you offer; theyre almost ready to purchase. Nows the time for action and this group reacts well to promotional emails. Send time sensitive discounts, free trials or consultations, to name a few, to help them make the purchase or a re-purchase.

3. Promo on!

Almost one third of consumers want to see more promotional emails. Were not surprised! Everyone loves a deal even when it comes to B2B marketing. Great for the final stage leads. When done right, it can tip over leads that are on the fence. The key is that it could brighten someones day, not everyone.

Your customers inboxes get fuller and fuller with the more brands that add email to their strategies. Plus, people are always busy; you never want to waste their time. If you can cut through the noise while giving them what they want and need, youve found the secret sauce that will take your company further.