Email Marketing
Every social platform can change its algorithm, restrict your reach, or disappear entirely. Your email list can’t be taken from you. For NZ small businesses, building an email list is one of the most valuable long-term marketing investments you can make.
Why email still beats social for small business
When you post on Facebook or Instagram, maybe 5% of your followers see it. When you send an email, a well-managed list will see 30–50% open rates. The people on your email list chose to be there. They’re already interested. That’s a completely different level of engagement to someone scrolling past a sponsored post.
Email also has the highest return on investment of any digital marketing channel — consistently around $36 for every $1 spent. For a small business with a limited budget, that matters.
Building your list
The best email lists are built slowly and honestly. An offer in exchange for an email address — a useful guide, a discount, early access to something — works better than just saying “sign up for our newsletter”. Nobody needs another newsletter. They need something useful.
Where to collect email addresses: your website (a simple signup form on your homepage and at the bottom of every blog post), your point of sale, and at the end of every job or service delivery. The in-person ask is underrated — a happy customer you’ve just done good work for is very likely to say yes.
NZ email law: what you need to know
New Zealand has the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act 2007, which means you can only email people who have given you consent. Don’t buy email lists, don’t scrape contact details from websites, and always include an easy unsubscribe link in every email. Breaches can result in fines from the Department of Internal Affairs.
In practice, if someone gave you their email address as part of a business transaction or clearly opted in via a form, you’re fine. When in doubt, ask explicitly.
What to actually send
The biggest reason email lists go cold is because the owner doesn’t know what to send. The simplest approach that works: one useful thing per email. A tip. A case study. A lesson learned. Something that helps the reader with a real problem they have.
Keep subject lines under 50 characters so they display properly on mobile. Avoid subject lines that sound promotional. Ask a question, hint at something useful, or be direct about what’s inside.
Cadence: once a fortnight is plenty for most NZ small businesses. Consistent is more important than frequent. One good email every two weeks beats three mediocre ones.
Tools to use
Mailchimp has a free plan that works well for lists under 500. Klaviyo is better if you run an e-commerce store and want sophisticated segmentation. ActiveCampaign is a good mid-tier option. All are straightforward enough to use without technical knowledge.
Don’t overthink platform choice to start — pick one, set it up, and start building. You can always migrate later. The list is the asset, not the tool.
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