The Only Email Marketing Guide You’ll Ever Need (2024 Edition)

Looking to get started with email marketing? You’ve come to the right place!

Email is a powerful tool you can use to connect with potential customers on a regular basis, demonstrate your company’s expertise, and drive revenue for your organization.

Of course, to achieve these things you have to develop and implement an effective email marketing strategy. Otherwise your content will be ignored—or worse, anger your subscribers.

Not to worry. This guide will help you send successful email marketing campaigns. We’ll talk about the benefits of this digital marketing strategy, how to build your list, tips to craft a compelling subject line, key metrics to track, top email marketing software, and more.

Let’s get started.

Email Marketing 101

I know you’re chopping at the bit to create an effective email marketing strategy for your company. But before we dive into specific tactics, we need to build a solid foundation.

With that in mind, let’s talk about what email marketing is, why it’s important, and why your strategy matters so much in 2024.

What is Email Marketing?

Email marketing is the process of sending targeted messages to subscribers. The goal? To engage said subscribers with relevant content, build relationships with them, and make sales.

There are many email marketing messages you can send. Here are a few popular ones:

• Newsletters: Regular messages you send to keep subscribers updated on your business, share industry news, or tackle similar topics of interest to your audience.
• Promotional Emails: Messages you send to promote product launches and/or special sales. Unlike newsletters, promotional emails are usually sent at irregular intervals.
• Transactional Emails: Messages you send to facilitate customer interactions with your company. Both order confirmations and receipts fall into the transactional email category.
• Welcome Emails: Messages you send when someone joins your list. These emails help introduce subscribers to your brand and set the stage for future communications.
• Abandoned Cart Emails: Messages sent to potential customers who visit your online store and add items to their cart, but leave before they make a purchase.

It’s important to note that all of these messages should be sent with an email service provider, i.e. a specific piece of software that will allow you to send bulk messages easily and legally. We’ll talk more about this kind of software a bit later in this guide—stay tuned!

What Are the Benefits of Email Marketing?

Email is one of the best marketing channels you can use to grow your business. Don’t believe me? Here are three important benefits you’ll enjoy when you start using email:

Pinpoint Targeting

Email marketing will allow you to send alternate messages to specific groups of people.

For example, you can send different promotional emails to customers in Colorado and Florida, each promoting different types of clothing that will match the climates customers live in.

This means your marketing emails will be more personalized, which will lead to better customer relationships, higher brand authority, and ultimately, more sales.

Detailed Analytics

Email marketing will also give you access to detailed analytics.

By studying the metrics, you’ll learn what content resonates with your audience and what convinces them to buy. You can also send surveys to get direct feedback from subscribers.

This level of information can then be used to craft better marketing campaigns, improve the products and/or services you sell, and generate more revenue for your organization.

Low Business Costs

Lastly, email marketing is one of the cheapest ways to reach your target audience.

Paid ads, influencer marketing, in-person events, etc. can all do wonders for your business, assuming you use each channel the right way. But they can all cost a ton of money.

Email marketing, on the other hand, will allow you to communicate and sell to tens of thousands of people at one time. And it will probably only cost you a few hundred dollars a month*. This is one reason why email marketing produces $36 for every $1 spent, which is an incredible ROI.

*The cost of email marketing largely depends on the software you use to send messages.

Why Does Your Email Marketing Strategy Matter?

Without a solid plan in place, your email marketing efforts will fail.

Why wouldn’t they? More than 300 billion emails are sent a day. If you don’t implement an effective strategy, your emails will get lost in the shuffle, which means you’ll never reach your target audience with relevant content that builds relationships and promotes your brand. In other words, you won’t be able to enjoy the email marketing benefits mentioned above.

The question is, how do you build an email marketing strategy that achieves your goals? Simple: just follow the tips, tricks, and best practices I outline in the rest of this article.

How to Build Your Email List

Okay, you’re ready to get started with email marketing. What should you do first? It’s time to build your email list, friend. That way you have people to, you know, send emails to. Here’s how:

List Building Strategies

Opt-In Forms

Opt-in forms will allow users to sign up to your email list and receive digital communications from your business. They usually contain a few lines of text and blank spaces for potential subscribers to fill out. You can add them to your website and certain social media pages.

To create an opt-in form, choose a tool. Your website platform will probably let you create one. Tools like OptinMonster were created for this exact purpose. Most email marketing software will help you design one too, which you can then embed on your website, socials, etc.

Lead Magnets

If you want people to sign up for your email list, you’ll probably need to incentivize them. Enter the almighty lead magnet, a free item you give away in exchange for an email address. 

Your lead magnet could be an ebook, access to a free tool, a discount on a future purchase from your company, some kind of cheat sheet or checklist—or anything else that will convince your customers to sign up for your marketing emails and you are willing to give away for free.

Trust me, a lead magnet will pour rocket fuel on your email marketing strategy.

In-Person Events

You can collect email addresses at conferences, trade shows, and other in-person events too.

To make this happen, give people a chance to sign up when they stop by your booth or talk with you during network sessions. You can take the old-school route and simply write each person’s name and email address on a piece of paper. Or get fancy and use an app like JotForm.

List Building Best Practices

Make it Easy to Subscribe

No one will join your email list if they have to jump through ten hoops—even if your lead magnet is the cat’s pajamas. To build your subscriber count, make it as easy as possible to join your list. That way, your audience doesn’t have to think twice about giving you their email address.

Create Amazing Content

Relevant content will help you grow your email list, too. How so? Awesome content gets shared. When that happens, more people will be exposed to your emails and could sign up to receive future messages. Also of note, amazing content will help you keep the subscribers you already have. We’ll talk more about how to craft killer email marketing campaigns in the next section.

Remember, you need to acquire email subscribers legally and ethically. Don’t purchase lists. Don’t add people to your list without their consent. And let folks unsubscribe from your list whenever they want. These things will help your business in the long run—I guarantee it!

5 Tips to Craft Better Email Marketing Campaigns

Now that you have a list of subscribers to message, you can create must-read email campaigns. The five tips below will get you started on the right foot:

Craft a Compelling Subject Line

Your email subject line is arguably the most important part of your entire email. After all, if your subject line doesn’t pique your subscribers’ interest they won’t even open your message.

How do you write a subject line that resonates with your target audience? I have a few ideas…

• Keep it Short: Long subject lines will kill your open rates. Why? Because many of your subscribers will read your emails on their mobile devices. The longer your subject line is, the more likely it will be truncated. Write subject lines that are less than 60 characters.
• Use Personalization: In many ways, the success of your entire email marketing strategy rests on your ability to personalize your communications. Personalization can help you write better subject lines, too. Use merge tags to include subscribers’ names and/or locations in the subject lines you send, which will increase open rates.
• Try a Proven Formula: You don’t have to create subject lines by yourself. You can use proven formulas to help you craft them quickly and effectively. For example, you could ask a question in your subject line like, “Want to drive more traffic to your website?” Or use scarcity like, “Only 1 day left to score 50% off!” Or use numbers like, “10 tips to improve your email marketing efforts.” Each is proven to boost opens.

If you still can’t generate quality subject lines, try this AI tool from Close. I’ve used it myself to generate awesome subject lines that boost open rates for my marketing emails.

Write Engaging Email Content

The kind of email campaign you create will depend on the kind of company you own or work for.

For instance, an e-commerce company might send well-designed messages that promote the product they sell. A B2B SaaS company might send plain-text emails to promote blog posts.

Whatever you do, make sure your emails are personalized and contain relevant content. Put another way, only send subscribers messages they’ll want to read. And design them in a way that will engage their attention. (We’ll talk more about this in a few minutes.)

Storytelling techniques will also help you craft messages that keep subscribers reading. Inject your emails with story by giving your emails a beginning, middle, and end. For example, you can start by agitating a problem (the beginning.) Then show how this problem hurts your customers (the middle.) And finally, promote your product as a possible solution (the end.)

Before sending your next email marketing campaign ask yourself, “Is this message interesting? Does it provide value? Will it make subscribers love my brand more?” Then act accordingly.

Include a Compelling Call-to-Action (CTA)

Every email campaign should end with a call-to-action (CTA).

Your CTA could direct people to your company’s latest blog post. Or lead them to a product page where they can make a purchase. Or a sign up page where they can register for an event.

The best CTAs are clear and actionable. Make sure your subscribers know they’re supposed to click your link. And write it in a way that makes them want to click. Here are a few examples:

• Read Now
• Shop Sale
• Claim Your Discount
• Start Your Free Trial
• Discover the Difference

One more thing: most of your emails should have one CTA. Multiple CTAs will confuse your subscribers, which will cause them to do nothing. Keep it simple and minimize your CTAs.

Segment Your Email List

Segmentation is key to your email marketing strategy in 2024.

Fortunately, the email marketing tool you currently use should have this feature. (If it doesn’t, peruse the “Email Marketing Tools and Resources” section below to look for alternative options.)

If you’re brand new to email marketing, you might be wondering, “What’s email segmentation?” It’s when you divide your list into smaller groups based on shared characteristics. For example, you could segment your list based on demographic data, such as the physical location of recipients. You could also segment by interests and/or previous behavior regarding your brand.

Segmentation will help you personalize your messages and ensure every email campaign you send contains relevant content. When this happens, your email marketing efforts will improve.

Use Email Automation and Drip Campaigns

Finally, take advantage of all the tools your email service provider offers. In most cases, that means using email automation that sends drip campaigns to subscribers on autopilot.

Automation can supercharge a variety of email campaigns:

• Welcome Sequences: Welcome emails help introduce new subscribers to a brand. Welcome sequences are the same, except they use multiple emails to accomplish this.
• Nurture Campaigns: Lead nurture emails help build relationships with potential customers via quality content, discount codes, and the like. Nurture campaigns aim to turn casual prospects into paying customers, and paying customers into raving fans.
• Abandoned Cart Reminders: Abandoned cart emails trigger when a customer adds products to their online cart but leaves before buying them. They can increase sales by 20%, which will do wonders for your business if you’re in the e-commerce space.

At the end of the day, email marketing automation will help you connect with your target audience on a regular basis and generate more revenue—without increasing your workload.

How to Measure and Optimize Email Performance

Have you built a few successful email marketing campaigns?

Now you need to track performance to see if they move the needle for your business. Good news: the top metrics can be monitored directly inside your preferred email marketing tool.

Once you know what’s working and what isn’t, you can use A/B testing techniques to optimize your approach to email marketing. Let’s talk about these things in greater detail:

Key Email Marketing Metrics to Track

If you want to improve email engagement, you need to track a few metrics. That way, you know which aspects of your strategy to optimize. Here are the metrics I recommend:

• Open Rate: This metric measures the percentage of people who open an email. It can be used to track the quality of your email subject line and subscriber engagement.
• Click-Through Rate: This metric measures the percentage of people who received an email and clicked on a link. It can be used to gauge the quality of your CTAs.
• Conversion Rate: This metric measures the percentage of people who opened your email and completed the desired action. It can be used to track email marketing ROI.
• Unsubscribe Rate: This metric measures the percentage of people who unsubscribe from your email list. It can be used to gauge content quality and subscriber engagement.

A/B Testing and Email Optimization

Now that you’re tracking the metrics above you can optimize your email campaigns. The easiest way to do this is to run A/B tests on your subject lines, email content, CTAs, etc.

A/B testing compares two versions of one email so you know which will perform better.

First, build an email campaign inside your email marketing software. Then, create an alternate version that features one change. Maybe you write a different subject line. Or include a different CTA. Last but not least, send each version to a small percentage of your email list and track the results. The email that performs better can then be sent to the rest of your subscribers.

A/B testing can be used to optimize your newsletters, promotional emails, welcome emails, etc. Just as important, it will help you learn about your audience’s content preferences.

Email Deliverability and Spam Avoidance

It doesn’t matter how awesome your emails are. If they always land in your recipient’s spam folder they won’t benefit your business. So, before you go crazy with email metrics and A/B testing, focus on deliverability to make sure your messages avoid spam filters.

There are a few specific things that impact email deliverability:

• Your email service provider
• The number of emails you send
• The content inside your emails
• Your email reputation

As long as you choose a quality email marketing tool, only send emails when you have something valuable to share, work hard to create relevant content, and clean your list on a regular basis, you shouldn’t have to worry about spam folders.

Email Marketing Tools and Resources

Whew, we’ve covered a lot so far!

We’ve talked about what email marketing is and why it’s important, how to grow your email list, how to craft a must-read email marketing campaign, and how to optimize email performance.

Now, we need to talk about specific tools and resources you can use to do these things. After all, you can’t implement a successful email marketing strategy without quality software.

Here are the email service providers, design apps, and integration possibilities I suggest:

The Most Popular Email Marketing Platforms in 2024

Let’s cut to the chase: you need to invest in a reliable email service provider. Luckily, there are plenty of them available. Here’s the best email marketing software on the market:

• MailChimp: Best for new and/or growing businesses
• Constant Contact: Best for complete marketing suite features
• MailerLite: Best for brand new and/or tech-averse users
• Klaviyo: Best for creating personalized customer experiences
• Brevo: Best collection of top-level features and rock bottom prices
• HubSpot: Best for users who need built-in CRM functionality
• ConvertKit: Best for artists, bloggers, and other creators
• ActiveCampaign: Best for detailed and complex automations

The email marketing tool you choose should include must-have features and fit your budget. Register for free trials to see which platforms you like best. Then pull the trigger and send an email marketing campaign or two. You can always change tools in the future if you need to.

Email Design and Template Resources

Most email service providers include email marketing templates.

Templates will make your messages look good and save you tons of time during the email creation process. This is especially true if you’re somewhat design-challenged like me.

But what if your email marketing platform doesn’t have templates? Or you don’t like the ones that come with your platform? Don’t worry, there are other options available to you. Apps like Canva, Unlayer, and Beefree will give you the killer designs you’re looking for.

Remember to use responsive email templates, which will allow your messages to adapt to different size screens. Also, make sure your marketing emails are clear and distinguishable. It should be easy for subscribers to read your text and find your CTAs.

Important Email Marketing Integrations

Email marketing tools are important. But they aren’t the only apps your company will use to connect with, manage, and sell to customers. So, make sure your email provider integrates with:

• CRM Software: Does your marketing and sales team use a CRM to organize customer information? Invest in an email tool that integrates with your CRM of choice. That way data passes easily between the two, and you can use the analytics to improve sales. 
• Social Media Channels: Add social media icons to your email marketing campaigns, so subscribers can follow you on those channels. Some email platforms will allow you to add opt-in forms to your company’s Facebook page as well. And don’t forget to use the data in your email marketing software to craft better social media content.
• E-Commerce Platforms: If you own or manage an online store, you’ll definitely want your email marketing service to integrate with your e-commerce platform. This will help you sync product and customer data, so your marketing emails drive more revenue.

Email Marketing Compliance Details

I can’t write an ultimate guide to email marketing without talking about compliance. No, it’s not the most exciting topic in the world, but it is necessary. Let’s dive into it…

Email Marketing Laws and Regulations

Laws and regulations like CAN-SPAM in the United States, GDPR in the European Union, and similar laws around the world aim to prevent spam and give users greater control over their personal information. You need to comply with these laws when sending email campaigns.

Fortunately, compliance isn’t hard. First, get consent before you add subscribers to your list. Second, be honest with your subscribers and eliminate misleading subject lines. Third, make sure subscribers know you plan to sell them something (if this is, in fact, what you plan to do.) And fourth, let people unsubscribe from your email list at any time, and for any reason. 

Email Marketing Ethics and Best Practices

The tips I shared above will help you stay on the right side of the law. The tips I share in this section will help you stay on the right side of your subscribers.

First, respect subscriber privacy. Don’t share their personal details with others and use best practices to keep their information from falling into other peoples’ hands. Second, don’t lie to your subscribers. If you say you’re going to do something, do your best to make it happen.

Third, keep your email list up-to-date. When someone unsubscribes from your marketing emails, remove them from your list immediately. This will help you avoid spam complaints. It will also help you reduce email marketing prices because your list will be smaller. Why pay for extra subscribers who don’t want your emails? It’s much better to just part ways.

Email Marketing FAQs

What is the best email marketing service provider?

The “best” email marketing service provider is relative. Find a platform that has the features you need and a price point you can afford. Then test the solutions that meet this criteria to see which one you like best. Remember, you can always upgrade your email marketing tools in the future.

How often should I send email campaigns?

How often do your subscribers want to hear from you? Some businesses email their list every few months, while others email them every day. Start by sending two to four emails per month. Then experiment with different frequencies until you develop the optimal sending schedule. 

How can I improve my email open rates?

First, make sure your subscribers actually want to receive your emails. Give them plenty of chances to unsubscribe from your list if they don’t. Second, work on your email subject lines. The more enticing they are, the more opens you’ll receive. Third, personalize every email marketing campaign you send so that recipients feel like your messages were crafted just for them. And fourth, send your emails at the right times. (See below for more details.)

How can I increase my email click-through rates?

That’s easy: send your subscribers content they want to engage with. When they enjoy your emails they’ll be more inclined to click your links. One of the best ways to send relevant content is to segment your email list. That way each subscribers’ inbox gets content they care about.

What are the best times and days to send emails?

Like so many aspects of email marketing, the answer to this question is, “It depends…” Every subscriber base is unique and may prefer to receive emails on different days and at different times. That said, most studies find that Tuesdays and Thursdays between 9 AM and 11 AM are ideal. I encourage you to send emails at various times during the week and study the results.

What are some email marketing best practices?

Want to improve your email campaigns? Implement these best practices ASAP:

• Avoid purchasing email lists
• Use a legitimate sender’s name
• Think about your email preview text
• Personalize your email communications
• Focus on writing must-open subject lines
• Give every email you send a strong CTA
• Make it easy to unsubscribe from your list
• Boost productivity and results with email automation
• Study analytics to improve your marketing emails
• Look for creative ways to build your email list
• Clean your email list on a regular basis
• Follow all privacy laws and regulations

Boost Email Marketing Performance

There you have it, the ultimate guide to email marketing in 2024. Implement the tips, tricks, and best practices above to crush it with email in the months ahead. Doing so will help you connect with your audience on a deeper level, build trust with them, and make way more sales.

Just remember, success in this area won’t happen overnight. Your first email marketing campaign will probably stink. That’s okay! Keep at it, experiment with different approaches, and learn from your mistakes. Eventually, you’ll become an email marketing master—I promise.