Email Marketing
4 Automated Emails Every Small Business Should Be Sending
Email is still one of the few marketing channels you actually own - no algorithm deciding who sees your message, no ad budget that runs out. The trick for a busy small business isn't sending more newsletters, it's setting up a handful of automated emails once and letting them work in the background. Here are the four we recommend starting with.
1. The welcome email
When someone signs up to your list, makes their first purchase, or books with you for the first time, that's the moment they're most interested in what you do. A short, friendly welcome email - who you are, what to expect, and one clear next step - gets opened far more than any other email you'll send. Don't waste it.
2. The enquiry follow-up
Plenty of people fill in a contact form or request a quote, then get busy and forget about it. A simple follow-up a couple of days later - "Just checking you got our quote, happy to answer any questions" - quietly wins back work that would otherwise have gone to whoever chased first.
3. The review request
Happy customers rarely leave a review unless they're asked. An automated email sent a few days after a job is finished or an order arrives, with a direct link to your Google Business Profile, is one of the easiest ways to build up the reviews that help you rank locally and win trust.
4. The win-back email
It's far cheaper to bring back a past customer than to find a new one. If someone hasn't bought or booked in a few months, a short "we've missed you" email - ideally with a reason to come back, like a seasonal offer or a reminder that their service is due - is often enough to get them back through the door.
Keep it simple
You don't need a complicated setup to get started. Most businesses can run all four of these from a standard email platform, and once they're live they carry on working every day without you lifting a finger. Start with one, see the results, then add the next.