Why is email marketing still important for small businesses?

With social media & paid advertising dominating the digital landscape, it’s easy to wonder if email marketing still has a place for small businesses. The short answer? Yes!

Email remains one of the most effective ways for small businesses to connect directly with their audience, nurture meaningful relationships & encourage repeat engagement. 

Unlike social platforms, it gives you a direct line to people who have already expressed interest in your brand, a space where you can share updates, offers & insights in a way that feels personal rather than pushy.

In fact, 64% of small businesses actively use email marketing as a key part of their strategy, showing that it remains a vital channel for growth. When done well, email becomes a key part of your marketing funnel, helping your business grow while keeping communication consistent, relevant & genuinely engaging.

In the sections below, we’ll explore why email marketing works so well for small businesses & how Fable & Verse can help you make the most of this powerful channel.

1. Email builds brand awareness

For small businesses, email marketing is one of the smartest ways to get noticed & start building a connection with new customers. 

A 2025 industry overview found that 60 % of consumers prefer brands to contact them by email over other channels, showing just how much potential this channel holds. Even someone who has never heard of your brand can begin to understand who you are & what you stand for through well-crafted emails.

Email provides a space to tell your story in a personal & authentic way. You can introduce the people behind your business, share your journey so far & explain what your brand represents today. 

It is also the perfect place to showcase your products or services, highlight what makes them unique & give customers insight into how & where they are made. Simple details, such as when your business began or what customers can expect from your products, add credibility & help build trust.

Consistency is key. Each email is another opportunity to reinforce your brand identity. Using the same colours, fonts, logos, tone & messaging across emails, your website & social channels makes your brand instantly recognisable.

Over time, this combination of storytelling & consistency transforms email from a simple marketing tool into a powerful way to create meaningful connections & lasting awareness for your small business.

Email marketing can help you tell your brand’s story, introduce your team, & connect directly with your audience.

2. Email helps maintain customer relationships

   
   

Email marketing gives small businesses a simple way to nurture lasting connections with their customers. When someone subscribes to your list, they are giving you direct access to engage with them & show that you value their support.

For many, email is the go‑to place for brand news & offers: in fact, 63 % of people say they open brand emails when they are looking for discounts or deals. That makes it ideal for loyalty programmes or special offers, where subscribers receive exclusive access, early product releases or special deals. All of this can turn occasional buyers into loyal fans.

Email is also a reliable channel when you need to share important updates. Not everyone checks social media regularly, so email ensures your message lands where it matters: in the inbox of people who already care about your business. Whether it’s a last‑minute sale, a store update or a change to an event, email lets you communicate clearly & directly.

Personalisation & automation in the modern age make these connections even stronger. Tailoring content to individual subscribers & segmenting your audience makes your messages feel relevant & personal. Automation lets you deliver these messages at scale, keeping customers engaged without adding to your workload.

For small businesses, email is a powerful tool to maintain relationships, reward loyalty & encourage repeat custom, helping your brand grow & thrive.

3. Email lets you learn customer needs

One of the biggest advantages of email marketing for small businesses is that it provides real, measurable feedback. 

When you send emails, you gain insight into what your audience cares about, from subject lines & content to visuals & calls-to-action. Many email platforms let you segment your list or run simple A/B tests, helping you discover what types of messages drive engagement, clicks & conversions.

In fact, in 2024, about 59 % of companies reported running A/B tests on their email campaigns, using the results to better understand what resonates with their audience.

This feedback allows small businesses to see exactly which tones, topics & offers appeal most to their customers, tailoring future campaigns accordingly. Over time, this helps you build stronger connections with your subscribers & create content that truly meets their needs.

Email marketing lets you learn what your audience loves, from subject lines to offers, so you can tailor campaigns that truly connect.

4. Email lets you discover what works

According to 2025 insights, using A/B testing for email campaigns can increase ROI by up to 83 %, making it one of the smartest tools small businesses have to fine-tune their marketing. Email provides a low‑risk space to experiment, test different strategies & discover what truly resonates with your audience.

You might try subject lines that are straightforward, like “New hoodies are on sale now,” or something more playful, such as “Hide from the world in your new hoodie?”

Layout & design are worth testing, too. You might go for bold, image-led emails, clean minimalist styles or text-focused messages that share stories or helpful insights. Each version gives you the chance to see what really connects with your subscribers. 

The key is to test one element at a time & measure the results. Each campaign becomes an opportunity to learn, refine & optimise future emails.

Over time, this approach ensures every message performs better than the last, helping small businesses get the most from their marketing efforts, even with limited resources.

Email marketing lets small businesses test, learn, & optimise campaigns to see what truly connects & boosts ROI.

How can we help?

To sum up, is email marketing good for small businesses? Absolutely. 

It gives you a direct way to reach your audience, grow your brand identity, nurture lasting customer relationships & gain actionable insights to continuously improve your campaigns.

Don't have an email list? We can help you build one, with lead campaigns that utilise on-platform forms & dedicated lead capture landing pages.

Whether it’s building your email setup from scratch, tailoring content to your audience or tracking & analysing results, we at Fable & Verse take care of the details so you can focus on running your business.

Call us on 07799671656 to find out more.