It should come as no surprise that the largest companies are usually the most successful as well. After all, they tend to have access to a greater number of employees, customers and resources. While there is no secret formula to enjoying the recognition of the big bad corporate players, there is a way to enjoy similar reach and results with a handy tool known as email marketing. Don’t believe me? Feast your eyes on some of the ways a small business can use this powerful tool to operate like a public enterprise:

Create Targeted Email Templates
In the corporate world, identity is absolutely crucial to a company’s longevity in the market. Brand identity is equally important for a small business. Using your email templates to create targeted designs gives your marketing message the ability to engage the reader and strengthen your identity in the process. A targeted design is more than a template that appeals to the eye. It is one that makes your message easy to digest for the subscriber and speaks to the consistency of your brand.

Integrate with Social Media
On its own, email marketing can provide a small business with tremendous reach. However, that reach can be extended even further when integrated with other channels. In today’s Web 2.0-based digital era, social media is arguably the best channel to branch out to. Although email is fast from a delivery standpoint, social media gives you the potential to respond even faster, mainly because your subscribers and potential customers are spending more of their time on Facebook, Twitter and other popular networks. Though small in number, companies of all sizes are seeing positive results from mixing the social medium with their existing marketing initiatives.

Learn from Your Reports
One of the many great things about email marketing is that it gives a small business convenient access to its constantly updating technology and features. The feature that really makes the difference is a reporting system that measures your impact. By reading your reports, you can uncover strengths and weaknesses, compare campaign results and adjust your marketing strategy according to performance. You don’t need a corporate budget to get access to the data big companies use to base their business decisions, and because you are perpetually abreast of consumer behaviours and purchases, your smaller size actually enables you to react more quickly to what the market wants. Keep in mind, though, that actually putting this data to good use is more important than having convenient access to it. You must be serious about tracking your success and making the necessary efforts to improve.

Think Big and Grow
Thanks to the internet and its unlimited potential, the playing field is more level than ever when it comes to the business sector. Technology is moving fast and the more it evolves, the more smaller companies will be able to compete. Email marketing may not make your business the next Fortune 500 (at least not overnight), but it can help you garner lasting success in your market.

Author Bio:

by Denise Keller

Denise Keller is CFO and founding partner of Benchmark Email and a passionate philanthropist who has raised money for fresh water wells in Africa, grief counseling for needy children and a variety of other causes. A former accountant and an accomplished expert on enterprises, Keller showed solid business acumen at just 10 years old, when she started an arts and crafts babysitting service called “Daytime Playtime.” These days, you’ll find her detailing her newfound passion for Lean and the successes and tribulations as we make Benchmark a lean company.