Most “email strategy” advice is overcomplicated. You really only need to answer four questions: what is email supposed to achieve, who are you sending to, what will you send, and how will you know it’s working. Here’s a framework that fits on a napkin.
Most “email strategy” advice is overcomplicated. Answer these four in order and you have a plan that fits on a napkin.
Pick the single outcome email exists to drive — sales, repeat purchases, bookings or donations. Every campaign should ladder up to it, which makes every later decision easy.
Give people a real reason to subscribe and capture them with forms wherever they meet you (see list building). Then group contacts simply — new vs. customer, by interest, or by source.
Combine automations that run forever, a regular broadcast that keeps you top of mind, and occasional campaigns that create spikes. The three together do what none can alone.
Ignore vanity metrics. Watch open rate, click rate and the action tied to your goal. Improve the weakest link and repeat.
Three kinds of email, three different jobs. Run all three and they cover the whole journey.
Welcome, nurture and cart-recovery sequences that run forever. Set up once; they work every contact automatically.
A regular newsletter that keeps you top of mind between offers and builds the trust that makes selling easy.
Occasional launches, offers and events that create spikes. See how to run one.
Track the numbers that tie to your goal — and tune out the ones that only feel good.
BrandBits covers every part of this framework: capture and segment contacts, run automations and broadcasts, and track the few metrics that matter — all built on the leads you already collect, so nothing lives in two places.