SMBs Agree: Email is Tops For Content September 16, 2019, | Posted by erin

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When it comes to email marketing, large brands and corporations have long seen the benefit--but it can be harder for small and medium businesses (SMBs) to fully understand the value that email provides, even now. A recent study conducted by Ascend2 for SharpSpring, however, gives some important context: when it comes to distributing content for your audience, SMBs agree that email comes out on top. Site Impact has long touted the benefits of email for content marketing distribution, and this study just shows more evidence of it.

 

Content is vital for SMBs

Content marketing is a vital method for SMBs to get information about their products and services to prospects; it’s a more labor-intensive method, of course, but it has the benefit of being less costly than ad buys--whether that’s radio, TV, search, or display. Product reviews, videos, demonstrations, and articles about benefits are great material to help prospects make the decision to buy. But the question becomes: how do you get the content to the masses? According to the study by SharpSpring, SMBs are increasingly turning to email marketing for that job, since it puts the content directly in front of prospects. 77% of small and medium businesses questioned for the study said that their email campaigns drive content and form the backbone of their content distribution strategies. The poll, which spoke to 145 marketing influencers at companies with 500 or fewer employees, shows that the method is starting to gain traction, and for very good reasons.

 

Email delivers content

Email is a great format for content marketing for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that it puts the content right in front of your prospects’ eyes. Whether the content is a webinar, blog post, infographic, or ebook, email is a venue that people trust, and they’re much more willing to take the time to examine something they get sent through that channel than almost any other channel available. Certainly it’s more trusted than Social Media, reflected in the study’s findings that only 53% of the same decision makers consider it a worthwhile content marketing distribution system. Greater than 60% of the marketers surveyed either have an email-based content strategy or are currently developing one, while 25% were discussing developing an email strategy. Email isn’t just trusted, either; it allows a ready method for prospects to engage with the content several times without having to bookmark or share the content in question--they can just open the email again and access the content they want a refresher on.

 

Email as a content distribution method for small and medium businesses makes good sense: it’s affordable--especially compared to many other channels like paid ads for search, TV, and radio--and trusted by prospective customers. It is also great because one expenditure gives you many chances to connect with the prospect: they can read the email, and absorb the contents, as many times as they want without having to track it down or find it again. More and more SMBs are getting onboard with using email this way, and it’s no surprise why: with a great ROI and a low cost to get started, it’s flexible to just about any budget. Contact Site Impact to learn how we help you use email marketing to get the word out about your products and services.