Email marketing remains one of the most powerful and evergreen digital channels. Social media algorithms change every day, but your email list is an asset you own – and this makes email an invaluable communication and sales tool.
According to recent industry data, email continues to generate one of the highest ROIs in digital marketing, and by 2025 more than 4.6 billion people will use email worldwide. But the real question isn’t how many people have an inbox – it’s: how many actually open the emails you send?
What Is Email Marketing?
Email marketing is a digital communication method where a business sends targeted and relevant messages to subscribers or customers to build relationships, provide value, educate, and drive conversions.
The purpose of email marketing is not just sending newsletters. The goal is to send the right message to the right person at the right time.
Your email list is an asset – it doesn’t depend on algorithms and doesn’t get lost in a noisy social feed. It’s a direct and personal channel: your message lands right into the user’s inbox.
The Three Main Types of Email Marketing
Email marketing is built on three pillars: newsletters, automated email sequences and promotional emails.
Newsletters
Newsletters are regular, value-driven emails designed to maintain the relationship and build trust. They are not primarily about selling, but about consistently showing up in the subscriber’s inbox with relevant content – such as expert insights, new blog posts, inspiration or practical tips. A good newsletter doesn’t push – it educates and helps, so subscribers willingly stay connected to the brand.
Automated Email Sequences (Autoresponder / Workflow)
Automated sequences are pre-defined emails that are triggered by specific user actions, such as subscribing, registering or making a purchase. Automation works because it sends personalised, timed messages even when you’re not manually managing campaigns. Examples include welcome emails, abandoned cart reminders or post-purchase follow-ups.
Promotional Emails
Promotional emails are targeted campaigns focused on a specific offer, discount, event or new product. These emails always drive a clear action – like purchasing or booking – and use a strong CTA with a focused message. They generate direct revenue in the short term by activating the audience around a well-defined offer.
A Successful Campaign Starts With a Successful Strategy
Although there are several types of email marketing campaigns – newsletters, automated sequences or promotional emails – they all share one foundation: the goal is to earn the customer’s trust.
Why is this so critical? Because every buying decision is built on trust.
If subscribers feel they are receiving real value, that they are being understood instead of being treated as “just another contact”, they become more open to communication and more willing to take action. Trust is the only currency that works in the digital space long term: people buy from brands they know, believe in and consistently receive value from.
Achieving this requires a thoughtful and well-planned email marketing strategy, not just sending out occasional messages. A professional email marketing agency builds systems and processes that nurture relationships, not just one-off sales. Our approach focuses on creating human-centred email marketing campaigns that don’t simply generate transactions, they build relationships and long-term brand loyalt
Email Marketing Benefits: Is It Really Worth It?
Email marketing is not just another communication channel – it is one of the most predictable and profitable investments in digital marketing.
Key Benefits of Email Marketing:
- direct communication with your audience – independent of algorithms,
- outstanding ROI – one of the highest among all digital channels,
- personalised and segmented messaging,
- automation capabilities – generates conversions even when no one is actively managing campaigns,
- measurable results – every open, click and interaction can be tracked.
According to OptinMonster’s global email marketing statistics, approximately 4.6 billion people will use email in 2025, and this number is projected to reach 4.8 billion by 2027. The research also highlights that nearly 376 billion emails are sent every day, showing how active and dominant email remains as a communication channel worldwide.
The conclusion is clear: a well-structured email marketing strategy ensures outstanding reach and stable, predictable results – long term.
What Is the Open Rate and Why Is It Important?
The open rate shows what percentage of sent emails were opened by recipients. This metric is critical because it directly indicates how compelling your subject line is and how relevant your communication is to your audience. In other words: a strong subject line opens the door to your entire email marketing campaign.
According to Hostinger’s latest analysis on email marketing trends and user behaviour, the average email open rate is 35.63%, although certain industries can exceed 40%. In e-commerce, the average open rate drops to 29.8%, while the click-through rate is just 1.7%, making it one of the lowest-performing sectors.
At the same time, more than 60% of users click on at least one link in marketing emails – clear proof that consistent communication generates real engagement and purchasing intent.
On the global email client market, Apple dominates with 51.52%, followed by Gmail with 26.72%. This highlights the importance of mobile optimisation and compatibility with Apple Mail when planning email marketing campaigns.
The same report also reveals that 90% of D2C brands and 68% of agencies regularly send newsletters, because they are an effective way to strengthen customer support, maintain communication and build long-term relationships (Litmus – Hostinger).
Personalised content is no longer optional because it is a key factor in successful email marketing campaigns. According to recent data, 57% of marketers modify email content based on the recipient’s behaviour, location or past purchases, and AI-driven tools make this personalisation even easier and more accurate (Salesforce – Hostinger).
Email Campaign Automation: What It Means and How It Works
Email marketing automation means that emails are not sent manually, but are triggered automatically based on specific events or user behaviour. These triggers can include actions such as signing up for a newsletter, adding a product to the cart, making a purchase, or becoming inactive for a certain period of time.
The process runs within an email flow, which follows a predefined logic. The flow determines:
- what triggers the process,
- the order in which emails are sent,
- what happens if the recipient does not engage.
This ensures that every subscriber receives consistent and relevant communication, without requiring manual intervention.
E-Commerce Example – Automated Sales Processes for Online Stores
Automation is especially powerful in e-commerce.
If someone adds a product to their cart but does not complete the purchase, an automated abandoned cart email is sent. After purchasing, the system can send a thank-you email, product usage tips, and later a review request or personalised product recommendation.
The entire automated email marketing flow guides the customer logically after the purchase, increasing repeat purchases and the average order value.
Service Businesses and B2B – Automated Lead Nurturing in the UK
Automation is not only useful for online stores.
For service providers and B2B companies, a popular solution is to send an educational email sequence after a user downloads a free resource or requests a quote. These emails provide value, answer questions, build trust, and include a soft CTA for the next step – such as booking a call or requesting a proposal.
Benefits of Automated Email Marketing
Automated email campaigns offer multiple advantages:
- Time-saving – once the automation is set, it keeps working long-term without manual work.
- Continuous communication – every lead receives the right information at the right time.
- Personalised content – messages adapt to user behaviour (e.g. abandoned cart, purchase, inactivity).
- Higher conversions and increased revenue – in e-commerce, up to 30–50% of revenue can come from automated flows.
- Consistency – no lost leads, no forgotten follow-ups.
- Strategic results – the right message reaches the right person at the right moment.
Automation is not just a convenience feature – it is a strategic tool that supports the sales process and drives long-term business results.
How to Build an Effective Email Marketing Strategy?
A well-performing email campaign does not start with sending; it starts with strategic preparation. The more deliberately you build it, the higher your open rate, clicks and revenue will be. The foundation of email marketing success is understanding this: you are not sending emails – you are building relationships.
1. Define the Goal and Direction
An effective email strategy always begins with defining the goal. As soon as you clarify what you want to achieve – for example launching a new product, recovering abandoned carts, generating leads (e-book, guide) or post-purchase upsell – the tone of the message, its focus and the performance metrics become clear. Once the goal is set, you know what to say and to whom. No guessing – only strategy.
2. Know Your Audience and Segment
Your list is not homogeneous: subscribers are at different stages and are interested in different things. A new subscriber needs different information than a returning buyer, and it also matters which product category or content they previously showed interest in. You can segment by buyer status, interest or behaviour (e.g. click activity, opens). Segmented campaigns deliver significantly higher open and conversion rates because the content is relevant – the power of email marketing lies in personalisation, not mass communication.
3. Create Messages That Deliver Value
Once you know whom you are speaking to, you can craft the content. A good email focuses on the user’s problem and the solution, not on what you want to “tell”. Keep it short and to the point, visually structured, and serving a single purpose: to drive the click. The focus should always be on what the reader needs to hear to take action.
4. Automate the Key Steps
When the message is ready, don’t think in terms of a series of manual campaigns – build a system. With automated processes, every key step happens without human intervention — a welcome series after subscription, abandoned-cart emails, post-purchase education or upsell. The system works even when you don’t. Email marketing drives the most revenue when consistent processes sit behind it, not occasional sends.
5. Measure, Analyse, Optimise
One of email marketing’s biggest advantages is that everything is measurable. Open rate shows how good the subject line was, click-through rate shows how strong the message was, and conversion shows whether the desired action happened. Often, a tiny change – such as a different CTA or subject line – can deliver multiples in results. The key is continuous testing, iteration and optimisation.
Do You Want a Well-Structured, Revenue-Generating Email Strategy?
If you don’t want to waste time experimenting and you want your email marketing to deliver real business results, we can help with strategy planning, building automation flows, copywriting and executing campaigns. Get in touch, and we will develop your strategy together.
Recommended Email Marketing Software for the UK Market
Choosing the right platform determines how easy it will be to manage campaigns, automate processes and scale. The overview below helps you quickly understand which tool is ideal for which type of business.
Mailchimp
Mailchimp is a user-friendly platform offering email marketing, automation and audience management in one place, making it ideal for small businesses and beginners. It also provides a free plan that allows you to manage up to 2,000 contacts and send 10,000 emails per month – a great entry point for those new to email marketing.
Brevo (Sendinblue)
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) is an all-in-one marketing platform that includes email marketing, SMS campaigns, live chat and a CRM module. It’s a particularly strong choice for service providers and small to medium-sized businesses that need multiple communication channels in one system.
ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign offers advanced automation and CRM capabilities, enabling detailed workflows, behaviour-based segmentation and even AI-assisted campaign features. It’s ideal for more complex business models. Although it has a steeper learning curve, those who invest the time gain a powerful toolkit for automating both marketing and sales processes.
Klaviyo
Klaviyo is designed specifically for e-commerce businesses: it automates both email and SMS campaigns using customer data and behavioural triggers, helping drive growth and repeat purchases. If you run an online store (e.g. Shopify or WooCommerce), Klaviyo may be the platform that delivers truly personalised communication and best-in-class e-commerce integrations.
7 Email Marketing Tips for Successful Campaign Execution
A successful email campaign is not based on luck. Every step contributes to whether the message generates opens, clicks and conversions. The seven tips below help you build an email marketing structure that provides value, builds relationships and drives measurable results.
1. Build a Strong and Relevant Email List – Legally and GDPR-Compliant
The foundation of success is always a high-quality list. Create sign-up points on your website that offer real value (coupon, e-book, free guide). Only those who are genuinely interested in your brand should join the list.
2. Use a Reliable Email Marketing Tool
For campaigns and automation, choose a professional system. In e-commerce, Klaviyo is optimised for online stores, while Brevo (Sendinblue), MailerLite or ActiveCampaign are great choices for general marketing communication. A good platform doesn’t just send emails – it provides measurement, segmentation and automation.
3. Personalisation and Segmentation – Not Everyone Should Receive the Same Message
One of the biggest advantages of email marketing is personalisation and segmentation. Statistics clearly show that segmented and personalised emails achieve higher open rates and better engagement. New subscribers should receive different content than returning buyers. Relevance increases conversions.
4. Write Compelling Subject Lines – They Determine Whether the Email Gets Opened
The subject line is the first impression. Keep it short, direct and curiosity-driven. Personal tone, a clear benefit or even a simple question can outperform aggressive sales wording.
5. Timing Matters: Send Emails When Your Audience Is Active
Open rates are strongly influenced by timing. Generally, early in the week and during morning hours perform better – but let your audience data guide your decisions.
6. Take Advantage of Automation
A well-built flow ensures that every subscriber receives the right message at the right time. In e-commerce, this can be an abandoned cart sequence or post-purchase follow-up. For service providers, it can be an educational flow or an email encouraging quote requests.
7. Test, Measure, Optimise
Open rate, click-through rate and conversion all show how relevant the message is. A single well-placed adjustment – such as a different CTA, subject line or offer – can significantly improve performance. One of the biggest advantages of email marketing is that everything is measurable. No guessing – just data. Key Metrics (KPIs)
Metric (KPI) | What It Means | How to Improve It |
Open Rate | Percentage of emails opened. | Subject line, sender name, personalisation, segmentation. |
CTR (Click-Through Rate) | Percentage of opened emails that received clicks. | Highlight CTA, fewer links, visual hierarchy. |
Conversion Rate | Percentage of clicks that resulted in the desired action (purchase / enquiry). | Stronger offer, simplified landing page, clear CTA. |
Unsubscribe Rate | How many users unsubscribe after receiving an email. | Better segmentation, lower frequency, relevant content. |
Bounce Rate | How many emails were not delivered. | Clean your list, double opt-in, remove inactive contacts. |
Revenue From Email | How much revenue the campaign or automated flow generated. | Upsell / cross-sell, offer testing, automation. |
Email Marketing Will Remain a Competitive Advantage in 2025
Statistics show that users continue to rely heavily on email platforms, and a significant portion of newsletters are opened. This confirms that email marketing still plays a key role in communication and sales in 2025. If you build your list consistently, provide value and follow a clear strategy, email will not only reach people – it will generate results.
At MDA Digital Agency, we go beyond sending newsletters. We build automated, segmented email marketing systems that generate measurable results and long-term revenue.
