Building an Email Marketing Strategy That Actually Works
Can We Get Your Email?
Are brands constantly asking for your email? If so, they are doing the right thing. Email marketing is one of the most powerful tools in the digital toolbox as it's direct, cost-effective, and incredibly measurable. Done right, it builds real relationships, drives traffic, and boosts sales. Plus, email allows for personalized messaging and smart audience segmentation that actually resonates. In this blog, we’ll break down the strategies and tips you need to create email campaigns that don’t just land in inboxes, but drive results.
Emails Aren’t Dead, They’re Driving Results
According to a 2023 survey, 88% of email users check their inbox multiple times a day, proof that in a fast-moving digital world, email remains one of the most powerful ways to reach your audience. Here are some reasons why:
1. Firstly, compared to social or digital, email marketing can be a more cost-effective approach. It’s also a great option for small businesses that may not have a media budget.
2. Email allows brands to reach their audience directly and personalize communication. Through segmentation, you can tailor messages to individuals based on demographics, behaviour preferences and more. Product recommendations and sending an email addressed to the recipient by name are more ways to elevate the experience.
3. As with anything in marketing, having the ability to measure against your goals and KPI is crucial to improvement and adapting. Email allows brands to see detailed analytics such as open rates, click-through rates, conversions, unsubscribe rate and more.
4. High ROI? Yes please. Due to the low cost and the ability to send relevant messages, email marketing offers one of the highest ROIS (return on investment spent) of any marketing channel.
5. In today’s world, building a relationship with your customer is very important. Regular communication with your audiences helps to build that relationship and trust over time. Email is the perfect tool for this.
6. Increased brand awareness is also a key benefit. Consistent messages keep your brand in front of the consumer and top of mind. This builds on brand recognition as well.
7. It goes beyond email metrics…through email marketing, brands often see increased website traffic. Emails and a strong CTA encourage action. You could provide resources, promote events, and purchases.
8. Last but certainly not least, your brand actually owns your email list! This is a huge advantage email has over other content-heavy channels such as social media. This means you have more control and don’t have to worry about things like algorithm changes or the platform suddenly being banned (we’re talking about you, TikTok).
The Secret Sauce Behind High-Performing Emails
Great email performance doesn’t just happen. It’s the result of smart strategy, intentional design, and a deep understanding of what drives your audience to click. In this guide, we’re breaking down the key ingredients behind high-performing emails, from building a quality list to crafting compelling content that converts.
Building a Quality Email List
Your output is only as good as your input. Building a quality list is the first step in creating an effective email marketing strategy. So, where do you start? You’ll want to look at opt-in strategies you can promote on your website or socials, such as forms and lead magnets. These can be in the form of downloadable or printed resources that provide value to your target audience. Once the leads start coming in, it is important to keep them organized and segmented. For example, if the leads were captured from your email list or an event, keep track so you can send targeted messaging to the specific audience. This can be done through tags, groups, and segmentation options through your CRM platform.
2. Catching Your Reader’s Eye
Getting your email into someone’s inbox is only half the battle, now you need them to actually open it. That starts with a compelling subject line. The goal? Spark curiosity, create urgency, or ask a question that begs to be answered. Keep it short and punchy, ideally 30–50 characters (or 4–7 words), to ensure it shows up properly on mobile devices without getting cut off. For B2B emails, even shorter subject lines (around 30 characters or less) can perform well. Don’t forget about emojis! They can be a great touch when used strategically. Bottom line: make it clear, make it interesting, and make them want to click. To make sure your subject line hits the mark, try running it through a subject line tester. These tools use real data to predict performance and help you fine-tune for maximum open rates. Subjectline.com is one of our favourites!
3. Personalization and Segmentation
As mentioned above, segmentation is a key part of organizing and deploying effective emails. It helps to increase engagement, builds trust and relationships, boosts conversions and reduces unsubscribe rates because the viewer receives more of the information they want to see and less of the information they don’t. Some examples of personalization include addressing the email recipient by name. Something like “Hey Christine, we thought you might like this article!” for example. Using someone’s name makes the email feel like it’s speaking to them and not just anyone. You can also personalize by location. An example would be “Heading to the Summit in Toronto next week? Let’s connect at Booth #215.”!”
Personalization based on user behaviour or purchase history is also a powerful way to boost loyalty and create a sense of urgency. Whether it's tailoring content to someone who recently attended a webinar, an event, or something else this approach helps your emails feel timely and relevant.
4. Designing Engaging Email Content
Now, when it comes to email, prioritize content, readability, and design. You will want to guide the reader's eye throughout the email rather than overwhelm them. Make sure to include eye-catching, high-quality imagery and avoid overly stock-type images. Always include alt text for images in case the images don’t load. A strong, clear CTA is going to help promote engagement. Use buttons instead of just links and make them stand out. Be sure to include action words such as “Watch Now” or “See What’s New”.
Emails That Convert: What to Send & Why
1. Welcome Emails
Welcome emails are usually the first direct form of communication with your audience. This is going to be your first impression. These emails often have high open rates and help to build trust and establish credibility. You will want to include a warm greeting and thank them for signing up. A brief introduction on what to expect from the emails and a little sneak peak as to what’s coming is also recommended.
2. Promotional Emails
Promotional emails are a powerful tool for driving sales and creating urgency. By segmenting your audience based on preferences and behaviour, and testing different subject lines, you can maximize impact and relevance. These campaigns work best when paired with a strong, clear call-to-action (CTA) and offer plenty of room for creativity, especially when featuring bestsellers, limited-time offers, or exciting new arrivals.
3. Nurture Emails
Nurture emails are all about building long-term relationships. With consistent, value-driven content, you can stay top of mind and earn trust, without overwhelming your audience. Think educational resources like how-to guides, expert tips, industry insights, product know-how, and even user-generated content. When done right, nurture emails turn casual readers into loyal brand advocates.
4. Abandoned Cart Emails
Abandoned cart emails are a powerful tool to recover lost sales and boost conversions. Timing is everything, ideally, the first follow-up should land in your customer’s inbox within a few hours, with a second reminder 24–48 hours later. Keep the message clear and concise, highlight the products left behind with eye-catching visuals, and consider offering a small incentive to sweeten the deal. Adding urgency, like low stock alerts or time-sensitive language, can give shoppers the extra push they need to complete their purchase.
5. Re-engagement Emails
Last but definitely not least, re-engagement emails are a smart way to win back inactive subscribers or shoppers. Start by defining what qualifies as “inactive” for your list; often 90 days without an open or click is a good benchmark. Then, craft an eye-catching subject line like “We miss you!” to spark curiosity and encourage a return. Inside the email, offer value, think exclusive discounts, a sneak peek at upcoming launches, or even a simple request for feedback to show you care about their experience.
Your Email Marketing Scorecard
Once an email is deployed, reviewing performance metrics helps to determine the success of the email and any updates or revisions that can be made next time. Some key metrics to review include:
Open Rate
This is the percentage of recipients who opened your email and show how effective your subject line, sender name, and send time are at grabbing attention. A strong open rate means your audience is curious and engaged enough to take that first step, actually opening your email. If it’s low, it might be time to tweak your approach to better resonate with your subscribers.
Open Rate = (Emails Opened / Emails Delivered) × 100
Click-Through Rate (CTR)
This is the percentage of recipients who clicked a link within your email and shows how compelling your email content is. It tells you whether readers found your message engaging enough to take action, like clicking a link to a product, article, or landing page. High CTRs indicate your messaging, design, and calls to action are doing their job.
CTR = (Total Clicks / Emails Delivered) × 100
Unsubscribe Rate
This is the percentage of people who opted out of your list after receiving an email and reflects whether your content is hitting the mark, or missing it. A spike in unsubscribes can indicate your frequency, content relevance, or tone needs adjusting. Keeping this number low is key to maintaining a healthy, engaged list.
Unsubscribe Rate = (Unsubscribes / Emails Delivered) × 100
Bounce Rate
This is the percentage of emails that couldn’t be delivered to a recipient’s inbox and is a key indicator of your list health and data quality. There are two types of bounces to keep an eye on: soft bounces (temporary issues like a full inbox) and hard bounces (permanent issues like an invalid email address). A high bounce rate can hurt your sender reputation and email deliverability, so it’s important to clean your list regularly and ensure you’re collecting accurate data from the start.
Bounce Rate = (Bounced Emails / Emails Sent) × 100
Click-to-Open Rate (Effective Rate)
This metric measures the percentage of recipients who clicked a link after opening your email. Effective rate focuses specifically on those who actually opened the email and clicked, giving you insight into how effective your content and calls-to-action are once someone is already engaged. A strong effective rate means your messaging is resonating and your content is motivating action.
Effective Rate = (Total Clicks / Unique Opens) × 100
Email Marketing: Your Secret Weapon for Business Growth
Building an email marketing strategy means more than just pressing send. It is about delivering real value to your audience or customers through personalized and targeted communications. Email marketing still remains one of the more effective and cost-effective ways for brands to build relationships, drive engagement and increase sales when done the right way. Through choosing attention-grabbing subject lines, A/B testing strategically, analyzing metrics and sending the right style of email at the correct time, it can play a large role in your businesses success. With a smart strategy, strong CRM and consistent frequency and optimization, email marketing should not be overlooked and may just become one of your most powerful tools in your tool belt.
If you would like to learn more about email marketing, mistakes to avoid, and tools you can use, get in touch with us here!