Every few years, someone declares email marketing dead. It isn’t — it remains one of the most cost-effective channels available, largely because you own the list, unlike a social media following that a platform algorithm controls. The businesses getting poor results from email are usually making one of a few fixable mistakes.
Mistake one: treating every subscriber the same
A customer who bought last week and a visitor who signed up for a discount code six months ago shouldn’t get identical emails. Basic segmentation — by purchase history, engagement level, or signup source — consistently outperforms one-size-fits-all blasts.
Mistake two: only emailing when you want to sell something
Lists that only hear from a business during a sale tend to tune out fast. Mixing in genuinely useful content — tips, updates, behind-the-scenes — keeps subscribers engaged so the promotional emails land better when they do go out.
Mistake three: ignoring the subject line
The best email in the world does nothing if it doesn’t get opened. Subject line testing is one of the highest-leverage, lowest-effort improvements available — small changes routinely move open rates significantly.
Mistake four: no clear next step
Every email should have one obvious action for the reader to take. Multiple competing links and calls-to-action dilute the response rate.
Done well, email and SMS marketing remain some of the highest-ROI channels we run for clients — precisely because so few businesses are doing the basics right.