Email marketing is often dropped to the bottom of the to do list for service businesses in favour of creating social media content. If you're a service business owner in New Zealand it's likely that you or someone you've hired spends a lot of time on social media. Social media is not optional but I've highlighted why email marketing isn't either.

You think email marketing isn’t as impactful as social media

Sorry but email marketing is the missing link for many service-based businesses. There’s plenty of statistics out there to prove it.

For example:

• 52.8% of Mailmodo survey respondents saw a 2X improvement in their email marketing ROI (return on investment) in 2023.
• 77% of marketers have seen an increase in email engagement over the last 12 months.
• Smartphone users prefer to receive brand communications via email. (HubSpot 2024)

But email only works for big businesses, e-commerce, people with bigger budgets than me…

That’s what those statistics are based on. This is just not true. Here's what is true about email marketing statistics:

Sure a significant proportion of data from those statistics are based on eCommerce and big brands. I’m not saying it’s not. But the Litmus State of Email Trends Report 2024 mentions

“While large companies use more email marketing tactics and tools than their smaller peers, it’s generally not by big margins. So, small companies shouldn’t shy away from the trends that make sense for their business.” 

Here are a few other reasons you shouldn’t overlook email marketing as a small business owner in New Zealand or Australia. 

1. There are statistics based purely on businesses like yours
2. This is an opportunity - it means that other service businesses aren’t leveraging this to its full capability
3. Some service-based businesses make up the success stories in these email marketing statistics.

Have you ever thought that perhaps email marketing contributed to why they’re big brands now?

You’re spread thinner than vegemite on your vogels toast 

Social media is probably your main focus because it’s what everyone is talking about.

If you don't have focus you'll end up spinning your wheels. Sure, being everywhere online can be great if your goal is visibility and you have a team. For small businesses focus is essential. You have limited time and resources.

Otherwise, you end up

• Ticking boxes
• Growing superficial but dead accounts
• Ignoring those who want to take things deeper.

The alternative is creating a goal that aligns with your strategy (if you don't have one I suggest starting there)

• Create tactics beneath that will move you towards that goal
• Create a SMART goal (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.)
• Reflect and measure

Otherwise, you’ll chase shiny objects and spread yourself too thin. That’s often how burnout happens.  Instead focusing on specific goals can lead to increased productivity, better results, and reduced stress. I know which one I’d choose.

What is a SMART Goal for email marketing?

Here's an example of a SMART goal for email marketing if list building is part of your strategy. Increase your email list by 10% by the end of 2024 by offering a simple, valuable incentive and promoting it consistently on LinkedIn.

Next look at the tactics (actions you take to achieve your goal like - sharing your lead magnet benefits and signup in your featured section, posts - how often, etc.).

Do you have an email marketing goal?

Email marketing strategy tip: It helps to screenshot your SMART email marketing goal and put it on your phone or somewhere you'll see it every day.

You’re trying to do too much with your email newsletters

Your emails should have one goal. For example, increasing website traffic, building trust, booking a call, selling an offer, or increasing engagement. 

Your email should have one call to action. No, that doesn’t mean one button that's hidden at the bottom of your email. It means all your links lead to one destination. If you want to book calls this would be to your Calendly link. 

Traditionally newsletters may have an introduction, a few sections with links to different blogs, and an offer at the bottom. Service businesses in New Zealand often send newsletters once a quarter or month. How about instead you split that into two, three, or more emails. 

If you want to send a newsletter and they are performing well then that’s OK. If your emails aren’t performing or you have an important piece of content or an offer then consider splitting these up into smaller emails. Too much choice can mean that someone goes to read your blog and never sees your offer hidden at the bottom of your email.

You don't enjoy email marketing

If you don't enjoy it outsource it. Some contractors can help you write emails in the beginning. These could be Tech VAs (tech-savvy or marketing virtual assistants) or other email marketing specialists that offer end-to-end services. Or if you have a bigger budget there are marketing agencies that work with New Zealand business owners.

If you do enjoy it or you're working with a provider who creates the emails for you and not getting the results you need then that's where I can help. I can help you optimize your email marketing with data-driven email strategies. A strategy is like a combination of a plan and an audit. My strategies are very detailed and include who you're writing to, what your competitors are doing, what you're doing right, and what you can improve.

You've tried email marketing and it didn’t work

Yes, do you know why that was? 

I can’t say for sure without looking at your email marketing account. But here are a few possible reasons: 

There are a lot of people out there offering email marketing services to micro businesses. They have the tech skills but they don’t have the marketing skills. So you provide the content created at a whim but without the strategy.

This is one of the reasons why I offer a detailed email marketing strategy based on your data and our combined expertise. Other people that I know can create emails cheaper than me, and you have the knowledge of your brand. But you don’t know what you don’t know about what makes email marketing.

There’s a good chance if email marketing isn’t working for you that

• you’re not emailing enough (a quarterly newsletter is not email marketing),
• your content isn’t hitting the mark, or
• you’ve got an issue behind the scenes (eg. email is going to the junk folder).
  
  

These are the email marketing challenges I tackle for you. So I don’t write your weekly newsletter and set it up for you in Mailchimp. But I do solve the problems that are holding you back with your email marketing.

How can New Zealand Business Owners Can Improve Their Email Marketing?

Improving your email marketing performance for New Zealand small business owners involves

• Focusing your efforts 
• Not chasing shiny objects
• Focus on having one goal and one call to action for each email
• Having a well-written welcome sequence
• Following a data-driven email marketing strategy

If you’re a New Zealand service business owner then you can learn more about the last two in my emails. Join Digital Chats With Tiffany for regular emails that give you a sample of my style. I share practical email marketing tips based on over a decade of working marketing for New Zealand businesses.

Tiffany Your NZ Email Marketing Strategist For Service Businesses

Hi I'm Tiffany, your email marketing strategist for service based businesses. Based in Auckland New Zealand I'm one of the few NZ email geeks for hire that offer email strategy and marketing automation for your professional services business. Turn attention into leads with a better conversion rate.