Email marketing remains one of the most effective channels for small businesses, delivering an average ROI of around £30–£40 for every £1 spent. It helps build customer relationships, drive repeat sales, promote offers, and nurture leads at a relatively low cost compared to paid advertising.

The best send time depends on your audience and industry, but generally, midweek mornings (Tuesday–Thursday between 9 am and 11 am) see higher open rates. The key is to test and analyse your own audience’s engagement patterns to find the optimal timing.

Use verified sending domains, avoid spam-trigger words in subject lines, maintain a clean subscriber list, and ensure recipients have opted in. Also, include a clear unsubscribe option and authenticate your domain with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to build sender reputation.

A strong subject line, relevant and personalised content, a clear call-to-action, mobile-friendly design, and a visually clean layout are all essential. Testing (A/B testing) subject lines and CTAs also helps to improve performance over time.

Most businesses find success emailing once a week or once every two weeks, but the ideal frequency depends on your content and audience. Too few emails can lower engagement, while too many risks unsubscribes - monitor open and click-through rates to strike the right balance.