Why I Recommend Email Marketing Every Single Time

Ask me which marketing channel I'd recommend to almost any business, and I'll almost always give the same answer: email marketing.

I know. Not the shiniest answer. But hear me out.

Why I advocate email every single time

Email marketing, to this day, is still one of the channels with the highest ROI. Why? Because it's trackable - proper digital metrics and attribution - while also being highly customisable.

You're not confined by some of the serious advertising regulations and platform rules out there.

The other reason? The database you grow is called owned data. The clue is in the name - it's data that you own. No one else can touch it. No algorithm can hide it from you. You can use it how you'd like (as long as you're GDPR compliant!). And as an extra bonus, you can use that data to power the retargeting in your ads.

"But isn't email marketing dead?"

A lot of people think email marketing isn't as powerful as it is, because a lot of emphasis gets put on the "vanity" metrics - open rate, click rate. Sure, they're helpful, and they give you an idea of what's resonating. But it goes so much deeper than that.

With the right tracking - using a CDP (customer data platform), GA (Google Analytics) and GTM (Google Tag Manager) - you can start working out:

1. Which content is influencing people to take an action that shows interest — clicking a link, booking, filling in a form, taking actions on your website.

2. Which content is actually making people purchase.

   
   

And the bonus feature? Set it up correctly, and you can start tagging your audience based on the actions they take - so your marketing gets smarter with every email you send.

So, the myth that email marketing is simple? It can be. But it can also be really powerful, giving you deeper insights than almost any other digital platform.

What email can do that social media never will

Build a community that's actually yours.

Don't get me wrong - social media is powerful. Access to millions (sometimes billions) of people with different likes, interests and behaviours. Make the right content, and it has the power to go viral and reach a huge portion of those people - which email will never do.

But with social media, you're at the mercy of the algorithm. Constantly keeping up with the latest trends. Investing serious time into community management. Bracing for the next algorithm update that changes everything you've spent the last six months learning.

With email? You're not likely to get that. You build your own community, and you share what you want, when you want. (Within reason - and being really careful with GDPR and deliverability!)

If you only sent one email a month, what should it be?

This is just my opinion, and it won't apply identically to every business and industry. But if I had one email a month, I'd use it wisely - going back to the classic 80-20 rule (the Pareto principle, if you want to impress someone at a dinner party).

80% of the email would be about the brand. The benefits. Why you? Moments of humanity and connection. With points dotted throughout to collect data from the people opening it - what do they like? What's making them click?

The other 20%? Small nudges towards purchasing. The 80% should do the hard work of making them want to click the 20%.

And as time goes on, more effort would go into making that one monthly email super personalised and relevant to each opener - which becomes possible as your data and strategy mature.

Think of it like post through your door. If someone sent you a letter every week and it was completely irrelevant to you, would you keep opening them? But if one arrived once a month, and it felt like it was written just for you - wouldn't you actually look forward to it?

That's the whole game.