--- description: Capterra shares the do's and don’ts of email marketing for SMEs. What should companies incorporate into an effective email marketing campaign? Read more here. image: https://gdm-localsites-assets-gfprod.imgix.net/images/capterra/og_logo-e5a8c001ed0bd1bb922639230fcea71a.png?auto=format%2Cenhance%2Ccompress title: What are the do’s and don’ts of email marketing for SMEs? --- # The do’s and don’ts of email marketing Canonical: https://www.capterra.com.au/blog/3493/the-dos-and-donts-of-email-marketing-australia Published on 28/02/2023 | Written by Laura Burgess. ![The do’s and don’ts of email marketing](https://images.ctfassets.net/63bmaubptoky/5G9SynyA2a7CAcqSB6D8xI/607d6f0477b2947cdb9d39aee61d0359/dos-and-don-ts-of-email-marketing-AU-CAP-header.png) > Email marketing is a fast and cost-effective way for businesses to reach and retain more customers. In this article, Capterra shares tips on what to include and avoid when creating an effective marketing strategy. What are the do’s and don’ts of email marketing for SMEs? ----- ## Article Content Email marketing is a fast and cost-effective way for businesses to reach and retain more customers. In this article, Capterra shares tips on what to include and avoid when creating an effective marketing strategy. What are the do’s and don’ts of email marketing for SMEs?In this articleWhat is an email marketing campaign?The do’s of email marketingThe don’ts of email marketingConclusion: What are the advantages of email marketing?With over 4 billion current email users worldwide and an estimated 4.6 billion by 2025, businesses should use email marketing as a profitable way to reach much larger audiences. Email marketing tools are one of the most effective ways to engage with customers and can help businesses build brand credibility, hit target numbers and potentially boost sales. An effective email marketing plan can also help businesses leverage valuable consumer data as part of a first-party data strategy. This is particularly necessary as we have seen the phasing out of third-party cookies. Collecting first-party data via email marketing gives companies a competitive advantage as they can extract accurate information directly from customers. Marketers can then tailor email campaigns based on consumer behaviours and preferences. In this article, Capterra outlines where to start and what to consider when incorporating an email strategy into a small business marketing plan. What is an email marketing campaign?Email marketing is an important part of any digital marketing strategy and allows companies to send messages to specific customers on their subscriber lists. An email marketing campaign consists of coordinated emails, which are sent over a set period of time. They are designed to entice recipients to purchase a product or service or share their personal data. Types of email marketingThe most common types of email marketing include:Email newslettersWelcome emailsRetention emailsPromotional emails The do’s of email marketingThe following are what smaller businesses should do to start an email marketing strategy:1. Do determine who is receiving your emailsThe first thing to do when starting an email campaign is to define the audience. You can do this by conducting in-depth customer research beforehand and creating a customer persona built on the demographics, consumer behaviours and media channels where they go for information. It’s vital that customers receive emails about products or services that are relevant to their preferences and needs.Customer profiles can be built on the data gathered via email surveys, phone interviews, and interactions made on social media. CRM tools can help track and store the accumulated data and better manage customer relationships.2. Do establish your email campaign goals Every email marketing strategy should have a goal. Consider the reasons for emailing customers; is it to gain new clients, inform readers about a new product, or for brand exposure? What are your performance metric goals? You may want to grow your subscriber list or increase the clickthrough rate (CTR). Setting specific goals makes it easier to measure the results of your campaign. 3. Do make it easy for customers to sign up for your marketing emailsWhen building a list of subscribers, you will want to have genuine customers that have shown interest in your product or service. One of the best ways to build an email subscriber list with your target audience is by offering a lead magnet.A lead magnet is a freebie, special deal, or discount in return for the customer’s email address. To make it easy for customers to sign up, include a pop-up box when people enter your website or embed links to sign up within your social media posts. 4. Do select an email marketing platform Investing in email marketing software can help create an effective marketing plan. Marketing tools can analyse the results of campaigns, manage mailing and subscriber lists and report on customer data. Choosing a platform that suits your business needs, fits the budget, integrates with existing software, and is user-friendly is important. It is worth looking into the most popular email marketing tools before purchasing, reading user reviews, and trying out free trials or demonstrations. 5. Do develop a content plan and schedule emails Now that you have your email marketing goals, subscriber list and software, it’s time to create a content plan. This includes determining what type of content you will fit in your email, such as a newsletter, blog, inspirational messages, welcome emails, surveys or promotions. Next is to decide whether to send your email daily, weekly or monthly. A steady email schedule is a great way to build customer loyalty, as subscribers will know what to expect and when. Most marketing tools come with built-in scheduling options. A/B testing tools can also be used to run campaigns and test how different factors affect your email engagement.The don’ts of email marketing The following are things to avoid when creating an email marketing campaign:1. Don’t bombard your subscribersTiming is everything with an email marketing campaign. If customers feel they are receiving emails too often, they will likely send them to a spam folder. Start by emailing a few times a week and measure how many people stay subscribed. Are open rates going up or down? It’s not just content that affects these numbers but how often customers receive emails. Emails from an unknown sender feel like spam. Many recipient email accounts have built-in spam filters that catch emails with blacklisted phrases such as ‘apply now’, ‘offer expires’, and ‘congratulations’. Research the list of words automatically marked as spam, and avoid using them in your marketing emails. 2. Don’t forget to add a ‘call to action’ (CTA)Including a CTA in a marketing email can be as easy as directing customers to click a link that leads to your website or an online application. CTAs are important because they increase clickthrough rates and lead to site visitor conversion rates. Typical CTA phrases may include ‘register’, ‘sign-up’, ‘subcribe’, ‘click here for’, or ‘download’. Not adding an actionable link can add to campaign failure. 3. Don’t break Australia’s email marketing lawsWhilst email marketing is legal in Australia, the campaign must comply with the Spam Act 2003. Companies must have the recipient’s consent before sending emails, identify their business, and ensure an unsubscribe option exists to comply with the law. Even if a customer does opt out of your mailing list, creating a painless unsubscribe option is valuable for your brand’s reputation.Conclusion: What are the advantages of email marketing?After highlighting the do’s and don’ts of email marketing, it’s apparent that it’s a powerful tool if implemented correctly. Email marketing can increase traffic to your website and build on brand recognition and stronger customer relationships. Most importantly, for smaller businesses, an email marketing plan can help to optimise your time and budget. Looking for email marketing software? Check out our catalogue\! ## About the author ### Laura Burgess Laura is a Content Analyst at Capterra, researching and giving insight on tech trends to help SMEs. 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