You’ve got a great brand, but how can you sharpen your email marketing to help drive brand loyalty and sales? PR and branding expert Samantha Dybac weighs in.

Sam is the founder and CEO of The PR Hub, a Sydney-based public relations and strategic communications agency representing award-winning entrepreneurs, business leaders and disruptive brands. She’s worked with some of Australia’s most influential names in business, balancing a diverse roster of entrepreneurs, such as theright.fit’s Taryn Williams and FoodByUs founder Ben Lipschitz.

As a thought leader in the personal branding space, Sam has tried and tested every possible way to build a brand in today’s fast-paced market. Like most business owners, she knows connecting with your customers or clients is the key to maintaining their loyalty.

One of the ways Sam connects with her clients is through strategic email marketing. We asked Sam to share three ways any small business owner can use email marketing to help build a loyal customer base and bring in new business.

1. Build regular habits with your database

As her client list has grown, Sam has introduced efficiency into the way she communicates with her database.

“I don’t always have time to be calling all of my contacts or our clients to update them on what we’re doing at The PR Hub,” says the PR guru. “So, we have a newsletter popup on our website and we promote it on our socials too.”

Having that regular channel of communication with her audience, where she showcases her interviews from her podcast Influence Unlocked, as well as business updates, has inspired people to reach out and enquire about The PR Hub’s services.

“With an email marketing platform like Mailchimp, you can dig even deeper into what’s getting good open rates and resonating with your audience,” Sam says.

Watch: Sam’s expert email marketing tips

Post continues after Kochie’s Business Builders video.

2. Think outside the box (or inbox!)

No matter what industry your business fits into, there are countless ways to connect with your customer database through a single email. One of the most successful ways to drive direct revenue is through announcing sales, offering discount codes or vouchers for special occasions, like birthdays. But there are many other things you can try that build brand loyalty.

“If you’re in PR or media, talk about your latest wins, offer tips or analyse a campaign,” Sam says. “Let people into your world.”

Sam urges business owners to think about what value they can add when they hit customers’ inboxes. For example, she recommends sharing recipes if you own a restaurant, or inspiring your clients with lookbooks of your clothes if you’re communicating on behalf of your fashion brand.

“You can use your EDMs to promote sales, but your job is to also inspire people to be part of your brand universe,” says Sam.

To best connect with your customers, you must first understand their habits. When using advanced marketing and email automation tools like Mailchimp, you can remove the guesswork with their data-backed recommendations and services. Whether you send daily updates to your database or have more fluid communication, their features allow you to see what’s getting the clicks, leads and reads, as well as the opportunity to get AI-assisted suggestions to improve your content.

An example of how you can use Mailchimp to re-engage your customers. Image: Supplied.

3. Make your personal brand part of the marketing

As with other marketing avenues, your email marketing should leverage your unique knowledge and attributes.

“I may not always feel comfortable putting myself out there but as I advise clients, an authentic, experienced voice is highly regarded,” Sam says. “It’s hard to go past a founder or CEO as the trusted spokesperson of the business.”

While Sam’s business is built off the back of her personal brand, she recommends encouraging your team to take a role in marketing the business, finding unique ways to connect regularly with your customers.

“You don’t have to send an email with your face on it every day – just think about what thought leadership you can contribute from time to time,” says Sam. “You might be surprised by how much your customers want to be a part of your journey.”

Read more about Sam Dybac and The PR Hub here.

Visit Mailchimp to learn how their advanced email marketing and automations can help you guess less and sell more.

This article is brought to you by Kochie’s Business Builders in partnership with Mailchimp.