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Craft Effective Email Campaigns

Email Marketing · Module 13

← Fundamentals of Digital Marketing - Google

Index

#	Section
1
2
3
4
5

1. Introduction to Email Marketing

Why Email Marketing?

Cost-effective way to build loyalty and boost engagement. Owned channel—you control the audience list (unlike social media algorithms). Reaches customers on mobile, tablet, and desktop.

Set SMART Goals

Use the framework from SMART Goals Framework:

Criterion	Apply to Email
Specific	Single purpose, e.g. drive more website visitors
Measurable	Track opens, clicks, sales (e.g. 100 sales in 2 weeks)
Achievable	Match list size; 100 emails → 200 sales may be unrealistic
Relevant	Align with business goals
Time-bound	Realistic deadlines

Building Your Contact List

Ask for email addresses. Examples: sign-up at checkout, in-store, on website (pop-ups, lead magnets, content upgrades), at events. Grow through valuable content and offers. Never buy email lists—it damages deliverability and violates most regulations.

Subscriber Etiquette

Practice	Benefit
Double opt-in	Reduces fake signups; ensures valid addresses. Required in some countries (e.g. Germany, Luxembourg, Norway). Check GDPR.
Unsubscribe option	Legal in many regions; keeps list active; respects preferences. One-click unsubscribe now required by Gmail and Yahoo.
Regular cadence	Protects sender reputation; avoids spam flags
List hygiene	Regularly remove hard bounces and long-term inactive subscribers

Email Platforms

Platform	Best For
Mailchimp	Small businesses; ease of use; free tier
Klaviyo	E-commerce; deep Shopify/WooCommerce integration; AI-powered
Brevo (Sendinblue)	Budget-friendly; includes SMS and chat
HubSpot	Full CRM + marketing suite; B2B
ConvertKit (Kit)	Creators and newsletters
ActiveCampaign	Advanced automation and segmentation

Targeting and Automation

Approach	Use
Welcome series	Personalise with name; introduce business; quick poll on interests. 3–5 email sequence.
Segmented offers	Cat owners → cat offers; dog owners → dog offers
Behaviour-triggered	Cart abandonment, browse abandonment, post-purchase, re-engagement
Seasonal content	Spring grooming tips; winter coat discounts

2. Creating Email Content

Crafting Great Emails

Element	Best Practice
Subject line	Make them want to open; first impression with “From” and subject. Keep under 50 characters for mobile.
Preview text	The snippet after the subject line—use it to complement, not repeat, the subject.
Content	Concise; compelling content at top; short paragraphs; link for more
Tone	Consistent brand voice; email can be more casual and friendly
Links	CTAs, “Get 25% off”, “Learn more”; logo → homepage; social icons
Design	Buttons over text links; bold for key offers

Personalisation

Tag	Use
[First Name]	“Hi Jane!”
[City/Region]	“Exclusive offers for London customers!”
[Product Purchased]	“How are you finding your flea treatment?”
Dynamic content blocks	Show different content sections to different segments within the same email

Ensure personalisation supports GDPR: collect only needed data, explicit consent, allow updates/removal.

Visual Best Practices

Rule	Notes
60:40 text-to-image	Avoid spam filters; slightly more text than images
Optimise for mobile	320–480px width; compress images (<1MB); test on small screens
Alt text	Describe images for accessibility
Dark/light mode	Check readability in both; test before sending

Using AI for Emails

Use the T-C-R-E-I framework from 3. Using AI for Content Creation. AI can generate subject line variations, draft email copy, and suggest send times. Always review AI output for accuracy and brand voice.

Email Essentials

Footer: Unsubscribe link (one-click), physical address (CAN-SPAM requirement), contact info, social links, preference management centre. Supports compliance and trust.

3. Managing Successful Campaigns

A/B Testing

Element	Action
Method	Two versions, one varying element; send to halves or 25%/25%/50% (test halves, winner to remainder)
What to test	Subject lines, send times, CTAs, images, content length, personalisation
Measure	Open rate, click rate, conversion rate—depending on what you’re testing

Landing Pages

Principle	Description
Relevant	Link to the page that matches email content—not just the homepage
Reliable	Works on mobile, laptop, tablet
Accessible	Clear fonts, contrast, alt text, keyboard/screen reader support
Fast	Quick loading; optimised images

Segmentation Examples

Segment	Benefit
Location	Event emails for local customers
Purchase history	Cross-sell and upsell based on what they’ve bought
Engagement level	Re-engage inactive subscribers; reward active ones
Lifecycle stage	Different content for new vs. loyal customers

Key Automation Flows

Flow	Trigger	Goal
Welcome series	New subscriber	Introduce brand, set expectations, first offer
Cart abandonment	Added to cart, didn’t purchase	Recover lost sales (send within 1 hour, follow up at 24h and 72h)
Browse abandonment	Viewed products, didn’t add to cart	Remind and encourage
Post-purchase	Completed purchase	Thank, cross-sell, request review
Win-back	Inactive for 60–90 days	Re-engage or clean list

4. Measuring Success

Key Metrics

Metric	Formula	What It Shows
Open rate	Opens ÷ delivered	Subject line effectiveness
CTR	Clicks ÷ sent	Overall engagement; typically 2–5%
CTOR	Clicks ÷ opened	Content effectiveness
Conversion rate	Completed action ÷ delivered	Revenue impact
Bounce rate	Undelivered ÷ sent	List quality
Unsubscribe rate	Unsubscribes ÷ delivered	Content relevance; < 0.5% is healthy
Revenue per email	Revenue ÷ emails sent	Direct financial impact

Bounce Types

Type	Cause	Action
Soft	Full inbox, size limit	Retry; remove after 3 consecutive soft bounces
Hard	Blocked or invalid address	Remove immediately

Deliverability Best Practices

Authenticate your domain (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
Use double opt-in
Maintain list hygiene (remove bounces and inactive)
Monitor sender reputation
Avoid spam trigger words in subject lines
Comply with one-click unsubscribe requirements

5. Checklists

Email Audit

Open product/service emails; note relevance and engagement
Identify why some don’t resonate
Use effective examples as inspiration

Email Creation

Define topic and targeted message
Write subject line (< 50 chars) and preview text
Note 1–2 products/services and how they relate
List helpful links (product, blog)
Test in mobile preview and dark mode

Automation Setup

Set up welcome series (3–5 emails)
Create cart abandonment flow (1h, 24h, 72h)
Plan post-purchase follow-up (thank you, review request, cross-sell)
Configure win-back sequence for inactive subscribers

Deliverability

Verify SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are configured
Enable double opt-in
Enable one-click unsubscribe
Schedule regular list cleaning (monthly)

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