Small Businesses See Bigger Returns with Bigger Marketing Investments

Monday, November 9, 2009

By: Susan Gunelius

eMarketer reports that a new study from Hurwitz & Associates found a direct correlation between marketing investment and returns among small businesses in 2009.  With the economy still struggling, it’s easy for small businesses to cut back on marketing budgets, but it could be argued that there is no more critical time to continue investing in marketing than when the economy is faltering.  This study backs up that claim.

According to the report, 65% of small businesses that expected higher revenues in 2009 had either raised or planned to raise marketing spending.  Additionally, the study revealed that small businesses are shifting their marketing investments away from traditional media and into digital media.

The top three digital media in 2009 for small business marketing investments were:

  • Social media
  • Email newsletters
  • Search marketing

Of those small businesses in the study who reported they expected higher revenues in 2009, 46% of them used email marketing during the year.

Email marketing can be an affordable marketing tactic for small business owners, and as this report shows us, it’s helping many small businesses grow despite the economic downturn.

Here are a few tips to get you started with your own email marketing campaign:

  1. You need to be certain that you have a clear goal in mind for your email marketing campaign.
  2. Make sure that you have a great email address list filled with valid email addresses for people who are likely to be interested in your messages.
  3. Create a compelling offer that recipients can’t refuse.
  4. Write an intriguing subject line to entice recipients to open the email when they see it in their in-boxes.
  5. Take the time to ensure responses to your email are handled promptly.
  6. Track your results!

Email marketing really can be easy and affordable for small business owners to test, analyze, tweak, and try again.  Take a look at the articles below to learn more about email marketing, and then implement your own email marketing campaign!