81% of small businesses count on email marketing as their top tool for snagging new customers. Why? Because it delivers results that are, frankly, too good to ignore.
However, there's a catch—email marketing tactics used by big, multi-national corporations often miss the mark for the small, locally-focussed shopfronts. Mass blasting your message across the globe might earn you a few clicks and perhaps some curiosity, but it likely won't translate into the regular patronage for a coffee shop in the suburbs of Cleveland or a boutique in downtown Austin.
What these businesses need isn't just broad strokes but a detailed, localized approach that speaks directly to the community it serves. This is where local email marketing comes into play, offering a tailor-made approach that hits closer to home—literally.
Imagine being the first name that pops up when someone thinks, "Where can I get the best coffee or unique gifts around here?" That’s the power of local email marketing—transforming you into the community's hot spot. Intrigued? Keep reading to find out how to make this a reality.
How does local email marketing differ?
Local email marketing refines your approach to focus on a specific geographic audience. This strategy aims to build stronger connections and increase in-person interactions by targeting individuals who are more likely to visit your store, attend your events, or use your services. In contrast, traditional email marketing often involves sending a generic message to a broad audience across various regions. Here are a few other differences.
| Aspect | Local Email Marketing | Traditional Email Marketing |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Targets a specific local demographic | Broad, often national audience |
| Engagement Strategy | Tailored messages that cater to local events, needs, and interests | Generic messages sent to a large list regardless of location |
| Objective | Strengthen local connections, increase in-person visits | Maximize reach across various regions |
| Personalization | High; messages designed for specific local conditions and preferences | Low; uniform messages that do not account for regional differences |
| Examples | Promoting local events like a salsa night in Miami or a snow clearance sale in Minnesota | Sending uniform promotional emails about a nationwide sale, regardless of local relevance |
The perks of keeping it local
Should you zoom in on the local scene with your email marketing efforts? Well, let us spill the digital beans:
Cost-effective: Unlike broadscale digital campaigns that can eat into your budget with less measurable impact, local email marketing allows for more controlled and direct expenditure with clearer returns.
Strengthened community ties: When you focus locally, you become part of the fabric of your community. This can lead to increased support from local consumers who prefer to shop locally and support their own.
Swift action: When someone nearby decides to take up your offer, they're just a short walk or drive away. This geographical convenience often translates to faster decision-making and action.
Enhanced trust: There's an inherent trust that comes with being a local business. People see your store, they might know your staff, and they recognize you as part of their everyday lives. This familiarity builds credibility and loyalty.
How to start your local email marketing journey
Ready to get your local email marketing engine revving? Here's how to kickstart your journey:
Step 1: Build a local email list
Before you can send out those perfectly crafted emails, you need a list of eager recipients. Here's how to fuel your email list-building efforts:
Online:
Optimize your website for sign-ups: Ensure your website has multiple touchpoints where visitors can subscribe. This could be through pop-up forms, dedicated landing pages, or during the checkout process. Consider using enticing incentives like discounts or exclusive content as a sweetener for signing up.
Utilize social media platforms: Encourage followers to subscribe to your emails via social media posts or stories. Leverage platforms like Instagram and Facebook that allow direct integration of sign-up forms.
Offline:
In-store sign-ups: Place QR codes on receipts, tables, or near the cash register. These codes can link directly to a sign-up page, making it easy for customers to connect with you digitally while they're physically in your store. Ensure your QR codes are powered by generators known for their reliability and sterling reviews to minimize any data security and technical issues.
Community events: Get involved in community events or host your own to collect emails in person. Offer a prize draw where entering an email address is a ticket to win, making sure you clearly communicate that participants will also be subscribing to your mailing list.
Step 2: Segment and conquer
Local doesn't mean homogenous. It's essential to recognize the diverse needs and interests within your local community. By segmenting your email list, you can tailor your messages to specific groups—like young families, sports enthusiasts, or foodies—making your emails more relevant and engaging.
Step 3: Create captivating, community-centric content
Your content should scream local charm and utility. If you're a café in Nashville, why not share a post about the best local spots for live music? Or, if you're a florist in Portland, offer tips on arranging native flowers. It's all about weaving your brand into the local narrative, making your business a go-to resource, not just another inbox intruder.
Step 4: Test your emails
Before going all-in on a campaign, do a test run. Send out a batch of emails to a small segment of your audience to gauge the reaction. Use A/B testing to refine subject lines, content, and calls to action. This methodical approach can save you from grand-scale mishaps and help pinpoint what truly resonates with your local crowd.
Advanced local email marketing strategies
Ready to get the local email marketing show on the road? Here are some ingenious strategies to ensure your emails not only get opened but also get your customers into your store:
Create community buzz
Local email marketing should feel like a neighbourhood conversation, not a corporate broadcast. Share stories of local heroes or business leaders in community events alongside your promotions. Encourage participation by hosting competitions or polls—"Help us name our new product!" or "Vote for your favorite design!" This turns your emails into a two-way interaction, fostering a community spirit and keeping your readers engaged and looking forward to your emails.
Incorporate local testimonials and case studies
Nothing builds trust like seeing fellow locals vouching for your business. Include testimonials and case studies from local customers to reinforce the quality of your offerings and the trustworthiness of your brand. This could be as simple as including a quote from a satisfied customer in your area or a case study on how your services helped a local business thrive.
Capitalize on local events and holidays
Use any upcoming local festivals or public holiday events as a springboard for your email content. For instance, if you're a bookstore, send out an email about a reading challenge during National Book Month. Or if there's a local music festival, promote accessories or fashion tips for festival-goers if you're a boutique. This strategy connects your brand with local happenings, making your business a part of your customer's community lifestyle.
Create engaging content
Local doesn't mean limited—especially when it comes to content. Power up your email campaigns by embedding rich media like videos, interactive maps, or even music playlists that celebrate local artists. You can use dynamic mapping tools like Google Maps or incorporate interactive demonstration platforms like Supademo to direct your subscribers to your store or through a complex event setup. It's all about creating an engaging journey that not only enhances the email experience but also strategically steers your audience exactly where you want them—straight to your doorstep.
Another great way to make your emails more engaging is by using AMP-powered interactive emails. These allow you to embed interactive elements like multi-step forms, polls, surveys, and even games within your email that the recipients can fill and interact with within their inbox. If you like the idea of that, check out Mailmodo which allows you to create and send these emails without writing a single line of code.
Create and send AMP emails without coding in minutes
Utilize automation to stay on top of mind
Automation can save you time while still delivering a personalized experience. Here are some automated emails to set up:
Welcome emails: Set up an automated series of welcome emails for new subscribers with information about your location, hours, and what they can expect from your business.
Birthday and anniversary emails: Automate birthday or anniversary greetings with a special offer or discount. This personal touch can significantly boost customer retention and satisfaction.
Feedback emails: Consider incorporating NPS survey tools into these greetings to gather valuable feedback and measure the effectiveness of your efforts.
Re-engagement campaigns: Automatically send a special offer or a "we miss you" message to customers who haven't engaged with your business or visited your location in a while.
Partner up with local influencers
Partnering with influencers can significantly amplify the reach and effectiveness of your local email marketing strategies. Influencers who resonate with your local community can create authentic and relatable content that promotes your brand.
By integrating influencer content into your email campaigns, you create a more dynamic and engaging experience for your subscribers. Furthermore, utilizing influencer marketing analytics software allows you to track the performance of these campaigns, ensuring that your efforts are driving the desired results. This combination enhances your local presence and builds stronger connections with your audience through trusted voices in the community.
Best practices to follow
Catapult your local email marketing strategy from ho-hum to holy-smokes by implementing these tips that will leave your competitors far behind:
Optimize for mobiles
With the majority of emails opened on mobile devices, your email campaigns need to look good on small screens. Ensure your design is responsive and your content is easily digestible at a glance. Nobody likes pinching and zooming to read about the latest special at their favorite local eatery.
Practise resource smoothening
Small, locally-focused businesses don't always have the luxury of bottomless marketing budgets. That's why it's vital to make every penny and every minute count. Resource smoothening is an effective strategy for achieving this efficiency.
According to experts at ResourceGuru, the smoothing technique involves rearranging your crew and their tasks to prioritize those that drive your campaign forward, sidelining the less crucial ones. The result? A smoother workflow that ensures your projects cruise across the finish line on schedule without the dreaded resource peaks and valleys.
Have a multi-channel approach
Make your email campaigns part of a larger local marketing strategy. Integrate your email marketing with social media campaigns, local SEO, and even on-the-ground activities like community events or sponsorships. Utilize tools like OneUp for effortless bulk posting on platforms like Google My Business and other key social channels, ensuring your message resonates consistently across all mediums.
Imagine the impact when your emails and social posts work in harmony, echoing the same promotion or event, strengthening your local presence, and enhancing customer loyalty. It's synergy in action, turning each touchpoint into a conversion opportunity.
Put AI to use
AI tools can now serve as your inbox's assistant, chiseling down those daunting response times while ramping up engagement. With bots like these by your side, you can automate mundane tasks like sorting emails and scheduling follow-ups and watch as your productivity skyrockets, leaving more room for creativity.
Consistently measure and adapt
What's the point of deploying strategies if you're not checking the scoreboard? Employ analytics tools to track the effectiveness of your email campaigns. Watch those open rates, click-throughs, and conversions closely. They'll tell you what works and what needs tweaking. Then, adjust and evolve based on hard data, sharpening your strategy to stay on the cutting edge.
Harness the power of community
Think of local email marketing as more than a sales pitch—it's your ticket to becoming a staple in the daily digital digest of your community. It's about being so in sync with your locals that your emails would be missed if they stopped arriving. Whether you're a corner café, a boutique, or a service provider, going local gives you a powerful channel to turn subscribers into visitors, visitors into customers, and customers into advocates. So, why wait? The local crowd is eager to hear from you.
