email marketing – White Orchid Insights

4 Ways to Scale your Small Business in 2024

Sarah Keates — Fri, 05 Jan 2024 17:29:32 +0000

If you own a small business, you’ll be familiar with the cyclical growing pains of trying to scale.

Many businesses start without investment, often with the founder being responsible for all business functions. Sales, product/service development, relationship management, accounts, marketing, and public relations. It’s a chicken and egg scenario that leaves a lot of brands stuck as small start-ups, not to mention burnt-out entrepreneurs.

“In the early days of WOI, I recall travelling every week – up to 40 trips per year, working till midnight was normal as were weekends and holidays. Vacations were rare (and stressful). There were times I thought of returning to the corporate world where “it” can all be someone else’s problem. I know I wasn’t the only entrepreneur that felt this way, so I looked for resources to scale the business and keep my sanity. In this January blog, here are my tips for growing your business in 2024”.
Sarah Keates, Founder, WOI.

1. Efficient systems and workflow

It can be tempting to do it all yourself, which is faster in the short term but limits growth in the long-term. While you may not yet be better to seek investment or grow your team, put in place as many systems as possible to get back time. Here are some that have worked for WOI:

Scheduling tools for social media

- There are lots to choose from depending on your social media strategy. At WOI, we create content that’s specialized to the platform. For example, long-form, thought leadership pieces for LinkedIn, video with trending audio for Instagram, interactive content for WeChat.
- Most platforms allow “fine-tuning” so that you can create different versions of the same post that will publish automatically. WOI prefers Loomly – which is reliable and easy to use. Multiple parties can contribute to the same post and when ready, simply schedule and the post will go live.
- At the end of each reporting period, it’s easy to pull analytics and see what’s performing, what’s not, and where to tweak your strategy going forward. Loomly (and most social media platforms) also give suggestions for your industry. So, you’ll never miss World Aviation Day, or Breast Cancer Awareness Month, or whichever days of importance are a priority for your brand.
- The overall benefits here are:
  - save time and resource
  - get strategic at least a quarter in advance
  - have a clear content calendar to share with stake-holders
  - have sight of analytics and what is performing well and where adjustments need to be made

2. Outsource what you can

Again, small businesses can be reluctant to outsource. Lots of agencies, virtual assistants, and freelancers can lead to disappointing outcomes. WOI recommends that you outsource your social media, public relations, and communications strategy. Packages start from just HKD7000 per month with clear KPI’s and deliverables. If you’re not able to outsource, streamline and assign days to creating content, networking with the media, and using tools for small businesses.

3. Have a vision for 2024, broken down into clear, quarterly plans

Often we see brands “on the back foot” with their public relations and marketing strategies. The bosses want coverage, the sales team needs leads, and they look to marketing to ensure this happens. First, it’s important to recognize the difference between marketing and PR. These feed into one another but are not the same area of work. Typically, they require a team of specialists or at the very least, a professional with solid experience in both areas. Marketing goes wrong when the strategy isn’t planned effectively. Here’s what we do at WOI that works for us and our clients:

Create a content calendar for the year ahead
Map out any known events, public holidays, trade shows, major events e.g. Arts Week in Hong Kong.
From here, work backwards, strategetising what digital and offline events your brand wants to play a part in / comment on.
Have your marketing team create content for these events / days.
Look for collaboration opportunities with similar / adjacent brands. Keep in mind that collaborations can take weeks to set up and agree, so again, it’s vital to plan. An example would be a giveaway among a group of brands with a similar audience.
Now, look at the gaps (there will be lots). Use these to showcase your vision, team, contribution to the industry and community you are in.
Look at building in content marketing (blogs) and email marketing (EDMs) to complement your social media strategy. Ensure all your content is “working hard” for you by ensuring it’s SEO rich.
Consider using Ai to help you while your business is still small. We would add that using Ai can save lots of time, but it’s fairly obvious what has been written by Chat GPT – so the human element will be needed if you still want to engage your audience and find your space among the competition.

4. Work your relationships

As one of our favourite podcasters, Jordan Harbinger, says – “dig the well before you get thirsty”. He is referring to maintaining your relationships before you need them for businesses purposes. It’s networking, but without it being gross and creepy. For us, this is the best part of our work at WOI – relationships. We invest a lot of time in getting to know our clients, potential clients, the media, influencers / KOLs and other stakeholders. When the time comes when you may have an opportunity to work with that person / brand – you’re not going in cold – you already know one another.

We hope this is helpful, if you enjoyed this blog, we woiuld be so grateful if you share it on social media using the links below.

Just Peachy Expands Award-Winning Wedgie-Free Girls’ Panty Briefs with New Colors

July 10, 2025 No Comments

Just Peachy, the brand disrupting the children’s underwear market, is expanding its Junior Design Award-winning Wedgie-Free Girls’ Panty Briefs with new color options, ensuring even

This 7,000-Year-Old Health System Just Fixed What My GP Couldn’t

June 26, 2025 No Comments

My Ayurvedic Awakening in Sri Lanka’s Secret Sanctuary by Sarah Keates. Sri Lanka is famous for its tea, temples, and tropical beaches, but I arrived seeking something more profound: Ayurveda, the ancient Indian wellness system known as the “science of life.” Ayurveda takes a holistic approach to health, aiming to balance mind, body, and spirit. At its heart are the three fundamental energies, or doshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. In simple terms, these doshas are like elemental personality types. Vata (air and ether) is the energy of movement – think creativity and spontaneity, but also restlessness. Pitta (fire and water) is the force of transformation – passionate and driven, though prone to intensity. Kapha (earth and water) embodies stability – caring and calm, but sometimes complacent. Each of us is born with a unique mix of these doshas, and if they fall out of balance, Ayurveda says our well-being suffers.

Raw Lily Hosts Dear Future Me at 10x Longevity – An Evening Designed to Inspire, Reflect, and Reset

June 9, 2025 No Comments

Raw Lily, Hong Kong-based retailer known for its clean, consciously sourced wellness essentials, hosted its inaugural creator and media community event, Dear Future Me, on 5 June, at 10x Longevity, Hong Kong. The intimate gathering brought together a select group of wellness-focused content creators and media professionals for a guided journey through breathwork, visualization, biohacking, and immersive connection.

How Emma went from working at McDonalds to becoming a Fashion Investor in Hong Kong

June 5, 2025 No Comments

A fashion enthusiast transitioned from a law firm desk to pursue a career in fashion retail out of passion.

Forget Bali. This Is Where Hong Kong’s Smart Travellers Are Heading in 2025

May 24, 2025 No Comments

Is Sri Lanka the new Bali? Possibly. Standing on the southern coast, looking out over tangled palms and an ocean that doesn’t seem to end, it’s hard not to draw comparisons. I don’t love pitting one destination against another, but there are parallels. Sri Lanka has the beauty, the forestry, the surf and the serenity—just without the brunch queues and Instagram itineraries. It still feels raw, genuine, and blissfully unspoilt.

Can One Voice Really Change Hong Kong’s Social Enterprise Landscape? Anushka Purohit Explains Her Mission

May 7, 2025 No Comments

I’m the only person on the list who at first glance wouldn’t ‘look’ like a Hong Konger, and that’s my power. I want to represent people from different walks of life, especially people like me who truly identify as a Hong Konger but don’t necessarily fit the traditional boxes to be considered as one. I’ve always cared about creating opportunities that don’t exist, so I hope to use this platform to make unheard voices heard.

5 Easy Ways to Improve your Email Marketing

Mellissa Wheeler — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 02:32:49 +0000

5 Easy Ways to Improve your Email Marketing

In this WOI 101, we cover a step-by-step guide to email marketing and why it is still a relevant piece of your overall marketing strategy.

Over the past decade, businesses and consumers have become overwhelmed with irrelevant messages clogging up their inbox. The tsunami of junk that enters our emails daily is a familiar issue to most of us. Email list fatigue, when subscribers stop engaging with email marketing campaigns, has been the outcome for many marketers. So, does this mean the end of the EDM?

Is email marketing still relevant?

Yes. Although businesses and consumers are overwhelmed with emails, your EDM remains an important and relevant activity in your overall strategy. The effectiveness of your email marketing will depend on the factors in this guide. Stay with us and we will share some tips on how to keep your EDM performing.

Through COVID-19, which prevented many traditional and offline marketing practices, email marketing saw a revival. As of 2021, Statista reports that there are 4.3 billion email users worldwide, giving businesses a huge potential audience. But this doesn’t mean that simply sending an email will lead to the desired outcome. Marketers need to continually adapt their approach to remain relevant and to drive sales.

How to get started with email marketing:

Build a list

The first step is to build your contact list. This can be challenging, particularly for new businesses but the golden rule remains – never purchase a mailing list. Bought lists contain low quality and fake contacts. More importantly, this activity can be deemed unethical or even illegal and could land your business in serious trouble. Therefore, our recommended method for building your mailing list is to incentivise customers to sign up with their email. A great example is the popular DJ company, Crossfader which produces a free music pack for DJs in return for their email address. Another popular method is asking customers to submit an email to access Wi-Fi. Both methods are successful and effective because they represent a clear benefit for both parties.

WOI Tip: Aim to have your audience “double opt in”. This requires users to click on an automated email after signing up. This prevents the use of fake accounts but also marks you as a high-quality source of email which reduces the likelihood of any future marketing emails being sent to spam.

Maintaining a healthy, segmented email list

We suggest that you regularly refresh and clean your email list. This means going through every 6-12 months to ensure that only genuine, healthy emails are listed. Often users may give fake emails or may block marketing emails, limiting the reach of your EDMs. It can also be useful for businesses to segment lists to engage specific groups in different types of email marketing. For example, it may not be a productive use of email marketing to send a group of students an email about an expensive wine tasting. Segmenting can be done demographically and behaviorally. Your sales team should have the required market intelligence on your customer groups to segment in a way that serves your marketing needs.

Avoid being listed as spam

If your email account is categorised as spam, your emails will never be seen. If you are emailing people you don’t know, or who are blocking your messages, then the email algorithm may determine your emails as spam. This can also be the case if users are not opening your emails as the algorithm can see that the engagement ratio is lower. Ensuring relevant, timely, useful content to users that know and engage with you and your brand is the best way to avoid being labelled as a “spam” email account. Getting this step right is challenging but vital and requires a strong strategic approach.

WOI Tip: Several companies such as https://www.mailgenius.com have spam tests you can run on your emails before you send them out to your mailing list. We recommend that every time you send a marketing email you run a spam test.

The 6-second rule

Email marketing starts with formulating the best subject line to maximize the open rate of your emails. You have 6 seconds to grab your reader’s attention and ensure they want to open your email. We have all received messages with clickbait titles, and whilst this can be a somewhat effective tool, we recommend that you avoid this approach. Not just ineffective, clickbait is damaging to your email marketing because 70% of spam filters block out emails based on the subject line. Your subject line should contain snappily written, relevant information that encourages users to engage with the email. The more opens you get, the better your engagement ratio, the more future emails will be seen. In addition to a strong subject title, your sub-header is an effective way to tempt readers to open the email.

Storytelling for impact

Now for the main body of the email. WOI recommends the following formula:

A clear, compelling story
Simple, concise language
A distinct, on-brand tone of voice

Use thoughtfully crafted, clear, short sentences with frequent paragraphs. Write for your audience, keeping the tone of the email appropriate to your reader. Ensure perfect grammar and punctuation and avoid spam words – email algorithms regularly check for and filter out emails with obvious spam content.

Achieving ROI on Your EDM

Email marketing can be an incredibly useful tool if used right. Often businesses find themselves ending up in the spam folder with unopened emails which are very ineffective. If done right, the Digital Marketing Association (https://www.ana.net) estimates that every 1USD spent on email marketing gives an average ROI of 42USD. In short, this is the formula for successful email marketing: maintain a clean, healthy mailing list in a compliant format and communicate with a clear, concise message.

We hope you enjoyed this edition of WOI 101 Marketing Tips. To access the full series of Marketing Tips visit us here: https://whiteorchidinsights.com/news/category/marketing-tips/.

Need help with your marketing, communications, or public relations? Get in touch for a free quote.