If you’re not currently leveraging email marketing as a channel to grow engagement and revenue, you should consider up-leveling your growth strategy to include it. Lauren Volper is the founder of digital marketing agency Volt & Clove, an email marketing and SEO-focused firm in the Hudson Valley. 

Email marketing boasts an average open rate of 21.33% and a click-through rate of 2.62% (According to Litmus 2024). These figures might seem modest at first glance, but when compared to other marketing channels, email reigns supreme in terms of engagement and results. Social media platforms, for instance, struggle to achieve even a fraction of these rates. Aside from engagement and keeping up with the Jones (esses) here are 3 lesser-known facts to consider working into your email strategy. 

Repeat customers are far cheaper to get than new customers

Email marketing isn't just about sending promotions and sales pitches; it's about maintaining a consistent presence in your subscriber’s inbox so you stay top of mind. Studies show that consumers are more likely to remember a brand they've engaged with via email compared to those they've encountered solely on social media or through ads. In fact, according to porchgroupmedia.com, 80% of professionals believe that email marketing increases customer retention.

Customer retention is far cheaper than customer acquisition. A past customer is 9 times more likely to purchase a product from you than a new person who is just hearing about your brand (Bigcommerce.com, 2024). So what makes or breaks your customer retention and how can you leverage email marketing that is aligned with the former? 

Email marketing flows. 

Email flows vary from campaigns and blasts, as they automatically trigger based on something your customer does. Here are a few email flow examples that are proven to increase customer retention: 

Post purchase email flow - sequence of emails that trigger when the customer purchases something

Welcome flow - emails that send as a new person joins your email list

Abandoned cart flow - when your customer doesn’t complete their purchase, there is a delay, and then an email sends to their inbox reminding them to checkout

If you’re unsure how to get started with email flows, you can reach out to us here for a complimentary email audit. 

The Not-So-Fun stuff: CAN-SPAM Compliance

The CAN-SPAM Act, enforced by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), sets the rules for commercial email and establishes requirements for commercial messages. Many businesses aren’t aware of these and continue to break the rules, but that is, at a minimum, ill-advised. Since most people sign up to email lists with their personal email addresses, and most personal emails are hosted either through Gmail or Yahoo, you definitely do not want to ignore the new regulations these two major providers set in place earlier this year. You can read more about the specific updates of spam regulations that Gmail and Yahoo encroached here. 

At a high level, below are the CAN-SPAM regulations you should follow to a tee:

• Include a valid physical postal address in every email. This is automated by most Email Service Providers (ESP) these days, and chances are you had to choose a physical address to sign up for email marketing. 

• Provide recipients with a clear and conspicuous way to opt out of receiving future emails. This is also generally handled by your ESP, but you may want to take advantage of the “preferences” section of your ESP in order to let your subscribers choose which emails they want to receive. 

• Honor opt-out requests promptly and ensure they're processed within 10 business days. This should be automatic, but some ESPs don’t do this, and you can switch ESPs to one that does to avoid getting blocked from subscribers. Unsure of which Email Service Provider to enlist? You can read about how to decide here. 

• Ensure that subject lines accurately reflect the content of the email. You can’t use misleading email subject lines like “FREE JUICE” if your email content does not explicitly match your subject line. There are no “gotcha” subject lines allowed according to the CAN/SPAM guidelines and the FCC.
  
  

Failure to comply with these regulations can result in hefty fines, or worse, get you blacklisted from engaging in email marketing for good. It’s imperative that your team is familiar with CAN-SPAM requirements if you choose to approach email marketing in-house.

Email Segmentation: Why Personalization Matters

One of the most powerful tactics in your email strategy is segmentation. By dividing your email list into smaller, targeted segments based on demographics, behaviors, or preferences, you can deliver highly personalized and relevant content to each recipient. Studies have shown that segmented email campaigns result in a 760% increase in revenue, demonstrating the significant impact of personalized communication on conversion rates and customer engagement (mailmodo.com).

Personalizing your emails creates a higher-touch experience. Think of the likelihood someone will answer you shouting “HEY” versus their name. Let your subscribers know that the message is for them, and intentionally them but using dynamic fields like the first name, last time they visited your store, or the last thing they purchased. This is the difference between someone buying directly from your email and never opening any of your campaigns. 

Whether you’ve been an email series regular, or are just making this season’s debut, pocket this information and use it to your advantage – these facts hold the key to captivating your audience and seeing measurable returns.

Lauren Volper

Voltandclove.com

lauren@voltandclove.com