You have to meet the digital customer where they are at, and if they are not in social media or searching for information on the Internet, there’s a good chance that they are glancing at their emails.
If you think email marketing is dead, keep reading for our comprehensive guide to email marketing that will help you see its business value.
It is safe to say that email marketing has come a long way from the wild West days of spamming everyone everywhere. Now, there are plenty of guidelines for the ethical marketer to work with, both in email and other places.
Not sure where to start? This post by Amy Hall gives a quick introduction into the basics of email marketing. It is essentially a step-by-step how to. First, you need to get the right email provider. Not all email clients allow for bulk mailings, so you need one that does. Second, you need to build a list. This one has regulatory requirements that include getting the owner’s permission to send them marketing messages. Hall gives you some options on accomplishing both the gathering and permission parts of the task. Third, once you have a compliant email list, you’ll need to link it to your bulk email provider. After that, you’ll just need to write, design, and send your emails.
We marketers are all about statistics. After all, they help us to determine which tactics and techniques are working, as well as which ones aren’t.
Here, I talk about the statistical basis of using email marketing, which consistently show that email marketing works. For one thing, the ROI is huge. Just write a catchy email and distribute. For another, people really do buy things because of the emails they get. Since nearly everyone with internet access also has an email address, you can reach millions with ease. After that, I give some practical tips. For instance, you’ll want to send emails at times when people are most likely to open them. Make the email personalized, add great click through features, and use emojis for added oomph.
We marketers love our tools, and there’s a good reason for this. Sending individual emails takes a crazy amount of time, so methods of sending out bulk emails is almost as old as the medium itself. However, there are other things to think about, such as writing a compelling email and making it into something people want to read.
Here, I give you a list of 15 email marketing tools and talk about why they’re useful. First, nonprofits find Active Campaign to be a great all-round email client. AWeber does the same thing, but it also offers list-building tools. Starting out? Try Benchmark, which offers a free version for those with small email lists. Campaign Monitor and Constant Contact are intended to save you as much money and increase ROI through analytics and pruning your email list. Drip and Convert Kit are easy to use, but have fewer features. Get Response and Hubspot are both comprehensive solutions which integrate with other aspects of your marketing efforts. iContact and Keap (Infusionsoft) are both geared to the needs of small businesses. For something that’s light on features but still effective, try MailChimp or MailerLite, both of which have free plans. Finally, MailJet and Send In Blue both are geared towards large businesses that use email for both marketing and customer service.
Ready to jump in? Here is some practical advice for setting up your email campaigns.
As Amy Hall points out, your company Facebook page is a great place to collect emails for marketing campaigns. Be sure to get everyone to opt in using a compliant form. Then, she gives us a step by step guide on how to set these forms up and link them to our CRM or email client. Best of all, you can almost set them and forget them.
Both welcome emails and drip campaigns are highly effective ways of building customer relationships. In this post, Amy Hall tells us why each type of email is so important, and then teaches us how to write effective ones. Briefly, welcome emails tell customers that they are valued. And, drip emails perform a variety of functions, from keeping your brand on the forefront of the customer’s mind, to turning abandoned carts into finished sales.
One of the great things about email marketing is that it helps turn leads into customers, and customers into regular customers. But how do you generate new leads?
While public groups are generalized and open access, private Facebook groups can be used as true lead magnets for the right niche. One way to do this is by collecting emails as part of the sign-up process, and asking people to opt in to emails. Onboarding questions offer a similar opportunity but can be more targeted. Cover images can contain links that lead to landing pages, and finally, CTAs encourage next steps.
Email marketing is a more private way to reach out to people than social media is. And yet, they often go hand in hand. You can use social media to grow your email list, and vice versa.
Email is an excellent way to get more social media followers, and this post tells you how. For example, through email you can encourage customers to connect to your social media and include links in the text. Some email clients allow you to integrate social media followers into your mailing list through direct opt-ins. And of course, you can incentivize people to consume both email and social by making it fun to do so.
Your email list is your most valuable digital asset. Period. I’ve been working with businesses as a Fractional CMO for years and featured email marketing prominently in my modern digital marketing playbook Digital Threads. And here’s what I tell every client: the…
Let’s face it: for many businesses, email marketing started out as a vague idea (“We should send out a newsletter”) and was transformed into an irregular practice of “We send something whenever there’s a new promotion.” This approach isn’t a…
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Most real estate agents I talk to are either completely ignoring email marketing or doing it so poorly they might as well be. They’ll spend thousands on fancy postcards and billboard ads, then wonder why their phones aren’t ringing. Meanwhile,…
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Cold emails are one of the most misunderstood — yet most effective — tools in the modern marketer’s arsenal. Most people either send them wrong or avoid them altogether out of fear they’ll come off as spam. When done strategically,…
Most marketers know email marketing works. Even if you don’t have hard data from your own brand, you’ve probably opened and engaged with a few great promotional emails yourself. Not all emails are created equal, however. While some stand out…
Email open rate has long been considered the litmus test of email marketing effectiveness. But in today’s privacy-first digital landscape, that metric isn’t always as accurate—or as useful—as it used to be. Still, open rate remains a critical indicator of…
Email marketing remains one of the most powerful — yet misunderstood — tools in our digital marketing toolbox. As a Fractional CMO, I’ve seen firsthand how brands waste time (and money) sending emails that never convert. The good news? A…
If you’re still sending emails without video in 2026, you’re missing a key opportunity to differentiate, connect, and convert email clients. As a Fractional CMO working with brands that want measurable results, I’ve seen firsthand how powerful video can be…
As a Fractional CMO, I’ve worked with brands that obsess over their email marketing strategy—yet neglect the one category of email with the highest open rates, best deliverability, and most trust-building potential: transactional emails. You know the ones. Order confirmations,…
Regardless of the times, email remains a powerful tool for connecting with audiences and driving conversions. As a seasoned marketer, I’ve witnessed firsthand the impact of well-crafted email campaigns. The problem is that it can be easy to run out…
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Email marketing is all about keeping in better touch with your customers. The bigger and more engaged your list becomes, the more revenue that can be generated for businesses in all industries. But how can you repeatedly engage with your…
Everyone wants to glean insight from those one or two email marketing tips that can elevate your email campaigns to a new level, but sometimes that intel is hard to find. Email marketing operates like a private communications channel in…
Did you know that less than 80% of legitimate emails actually reach their final destination? Email marketing is a very promising and effective way to sell goods and services. However, you can send a lot of emails and never get…
B2B marketing automation has transformed from a nice-to-have tool into a mission-critical system for companies focused on growth in 2026. As a recognized industry authority with experience working with dozens of clients, I’ve seen how strategic automation can transform disjointed…
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Mass email marketing remains a powerful tool in a business arsenal in order to effectively reach their audience at scale. All too often, however, these types of emails wind up flagged as spam, and they never actually reach their intended…
Modern businesses can’t survive without marketing automation tools. This type of software is vital for streamlining email campaigns, allowing companies to create email contact lists, automate sending, and track analytics. By eliminating repetitive tasks, you will also be able to…
Email tracking software is essential for businesses looking to improve their email marketing campaigns, monitor sales outreach, and understand customer engagement. With the right email tracker, you can see who opens your emails, which links they click, and even how…
Crafting a successful email marketing campaign can be a challenge. Studying real-world examples can help inspire your own breakthroughs in email marketing by helping you gain insight into how leading brands captivate their audiences, drive engagement, and ultimately achieve results.…
Well-designed email marketing campaigns help you convey your message to the masses without having to spend a huge amount. Your email marketing strategy paves the way for you to engage the intended audience and promote your products or services. You…
Follow-up emails are more than just a polite reminder—they are a powerful tool that can turn potential missed opportunities into successful outcomes. If written correctly, they can set you apart and keep you front and center in a crowded inbox.…
If you are a small business, it’s safe to say that relationships are your bread and butter. After all, people love to buy goods and services from businesses and people that they know, like, and trust. Here’s the thing: those…
Email marketing continues to be one of the most powerful tools available to connect businesses and their audiences. Email marketing can also help drive sales and build lasting relationships with your audience. If email marketing campaigns do not plan carefully,…
One word— ROI. That is the biggest reason your nonprofit organization must implement an email marketing campaign right away. Nonprofits always seek the most cost-effective way to raise awareness and funds. You want to reach as many people as possible…
Most of us are familiar with B2C email marketing. This is especially true if you shop online, because websites often ask to send emails when an order is placed. Sometimes they’ll even collect emails without an order, usually in exchange…
Key Performance Indicators are the guideposts by which you design and alter your email marketing efforts, and putting an email marketing campaign into practice without developing KPIs significantly decreases your ability to achieve email marketing success. From development to evaluation…
![How to Create Your Own Powerful Email Marketing Funnel [Step-by-Step]](https://nealschaffer.com/wp-content/uploads/5786fd41-08c3-411a-94d0-eea2c1062a74-768x577.webp)
Email marketing is likely something you are familiar with, whether you use it yourself, or you open your inbox to a slew of marketing messages. The reason for this is simple: email marketing has long had and continues to have…
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Email marketing is still one of the best ways to reach customers and convince them to buy from you. However, writing a good marketing email is an art, and it all starts with the subject line. That’s what’s going to…
Email marketing has stood the test of time as one of the best marketing options available, there are few (if any) companies that have blackballed email marketing efforts. Instead, it has stood the test of time over and over and…
Since almost all marketing campaigns and social media strategies are intrusive and just suddenly pop out of nowhere, opt-in email marketing puts your business in a good light with your customers. Being intrusive and sending different unsolicited marketing campaigns can…
One thing about marketing that will likely never change is its focus on numbers. In particular, the return on investment will always be at the top of our minds. Although it’s newer than traditional media methods, email marketing is no…
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Having a website and social media accounts are both necessary to get your business noticed. To stay in touch with potential clients email blasts and newsletters are your best avenue of communication. You have a sign-up form on your website,…
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