The basics of e-mail marketing
Email marketing remains one of the most effective and adaptable marketing channels that can achieve significant reach. In a world where almost everyone is active on social networks, email remains a universal means of communication. Almost every internet user has at least one email address and uses it regularly. The number of email users has continued to grow, with over 4.48 billion email users registered worldwide in 2024, sending over 347 billion emails every day. These figures make it clear that despite the variety of communication channels, emails remain a central element of digital communication.
Email marketing is proving to be effective in both the B2C and B2B segments. In the B2C segment, it maintains direct relationships with end customers. In the B2B segment, it supports business relationships between companies. Its strength lies in its high profitability for acquiring new customers and increasing sales with existing customers. The price per thousand contacts (CPM) in email marketing is usually cheaper than many other forms of advertising, making it a cost-effective tool for companies to consolidate their market position and remain competitive.
Advancing digitalisation and the availability of advanced marketing technologies have evolved the landscape of email marketing. Personalisation and automation have become key elements of successful email campaigns. Companies that create tailored content based on the behaviour and preferences of their users achieve significantly higher engagement rates. In addition, the integration of email marketing into omnichannel strategies enables a seamless and coherent user experience across different platforms and touchpoints.
The basis of e-mail marketing: customer data
An essential prerequisite for effective communication is the availability of corresponding customer data, in particular e-mail addresses. Without this data, targeted communication with existing and potential new customers is not possible. Email marketing enables a more direct and personalised approach than the wide-ranging communication on social media platforms.
The quality of the existing data pool is crucial for the success of email marketing campaigns. Data must not only be complete and error-free, but also comply with current data protection regulations. The integration and preparation of data sets from different areas of the company, such as sales, customer service, newsletter subscriptions and the online shop, requires careful scrutiny. It is essential to verify the origin of the data and ensure that its use for advertising measures is legally permissible.
Since the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the EU and similar regulations worldwide, companies must prove that they have obtained consent to use customer data for email marketing. This includes legal verification and setting up processes to obtain and manage consent and protect user privacy.
Once the legal framework has been clarified, the strategic preparation and segmentation of the data sets can begin. These measures are crucial in order to develop email campaigns that are personalised and targeted. They must fulfil the interests of the recipients and at the same time comply with data protection regulations.
Possibilities of data preparation
Careful preparation of the data pool is crucial for the effectiveness of email marketing campaigns. Correct email addresses are the foundation of every successful campaign. Invalid or incorrect addresses can ruin a well-designed marketing concept by impairing deliverability and therefore contact.
While manual verification of data quality is feasible for small amounts of data, larger databases require the use of more advanced methods. Automated tools and software solutions can help to efficiently identify and correct typical errors such as character spinning or the absence of the @ sign. They also enable in-depth analysis and cleansing of the data, which would be almost impossible to do manually.
Personalising the approach based on gender or other demographic characteristics can significantly increase the relevance and effectiveness of email campaigns. Modern data enrichment techniques, including AI-based algorithms, can augment existing data sets with missing information to enable personalised communication. These technologies can go far beyond simple gender mapping and create comprehensive customer profiles that allow for an even more targeted approach.
Maintaining the data pool also includes removing inactive contacts. Inactive subscribers who have not responded for a long time affect the performance of email campaigns. It is important to recognise them regularly and remove them from the database. This not only improves the deliverability rate, but also the overall effectiveness of the campaigns.
In addition, compliance with data protection regulations plays a central role in data processing. The use of email marketing tools that support and facilitate compliance with these regulations is essential. A clean, carefully segmented and privacy-compliant mailing list unlocks the full potential of email marketing while maintaining customer trust.
Goal of e-mail marketing
Email marketing primarily pursues two main goals: increasing sales and increasing engagement. These goals can be achieved through the use of targeted emails. This involves promoting new products and offers or encouraging interaction with content and services.
- Increasing sales: Emails are an effective tool for directly drawing attention to new products or special offers. The personalised approach based on previous purchase patterns or interests can increase relevance for the recipient and thus improve the conversion rate. Modern analysis tools and the linking of email software with shop systems allow personalised offers to be sent that are based on the individual purchasing behaviour of customers.
- Increasing engagement: Email marketing is essential for content providers and SaaS companies in order to increase interactions and strengthen brand loyalty. Targeted content, adapted to the interests and behaviour of users, expands reach and deepens user loyalty.
A comprehensive database is essential for the effective realisation of these goals. In addition to email addresses, detailed data on purchasing behaviour, interests and brand interaction is required to enable individual and effective communication.
1. Scenario
The aim is to increase sales through targeted and personalised product offers. Modern email marketing strategies use detailed data analyses to gain insights into customer behaviour. In addition to basic data such as order frequency and average order value, advanced information is also important. This includes product preferences, reactions to campaigns and engagement via various channels. Machine learning and AI tools recognise purchasing patterns and predict possible product interests. Linking email marketing with CRM and shop systems makes it possible to make customised offers based on this data that significantly increase conversion rates.
2. Scenario
Here, the strategy focuses on strengthening customer loyalty through personalised vouchers or offers, for example on the occasion of birthdays or in recognition of loyalty. The challenge is to effectively utilise relevant data such as birth dates and customer relationship anniversaries. Automated email marketing systems recognise such events and automatically send customised messages. These not only express the company’s appreciation, but also strengthen loyalty to the brand. Personalisation goes beyond simple birthday wishes and includes offers based on individual preferences and previous purchasing behaviour.
3. Scenario
The aim is to increase engagement through a direct and relevant approach with content that is of interest to the customer. The strategy depends heavily on the business model and specific customer interests:
CONTENT WEBSITES:
- Analysis of user behaviour to identify interests for specific topics, categories or authors.
- Use of email segmentation to provide users with customised content based on their preferences.
SAAS PROVIDER (SOFTWARE AS A SERVICE):
- Use of data on user behaviour to inform customers about useful functions or unused services.
- Personalised email campaigns aimed at increasing product usage and adding value for the customer.
APP-GAME PROVIDERS:
- Analysing average game time per week and player activity to understand engagement and preferences.
- Use personalised recommendations or offers based on gaming behaviour to increase engagement and encourage further purchases.
The challenge is to understand users and use this knowledge to create real value with email communications. Advanced segmentation and automated trigger-based emails are key strategies for targeting users based on their behaviour and preferences.
