Email marketing: how to win new customers and retain them by sending emails?
Email marketing remains one of the most effective digital marketing channels to attract qualified traffic, convert prospects, and build long-term customer relationships.
When executed correctly, email marketing allows businesses to communicate directly with their audience, deliver personalized messages, and achieve one of the highest returns on investment (ROI) in marketing.
This guide explains what email marketing is, why it works, and how to use it strategically to grow your business and drive visitors to your website.
What is email marketing?
Email marketing is a digital marketing strategy that consists of sending targeted and structured emails to a list of subscribers in order to:
- Promote products or services
- Generate website traffic
- Nurture leads
- Retain customers
- Strengthen brand trust
Unlike mass emailing, professional email marketing relies on permission-based contact lists, segmentation, automation, and performance tracking.
Why email marketing is one of the most profitable channels?
Email marketing is not only cost-effective, it is also measurable, scalable, and predictable.
Key Benefits of Email Marketing
High ROI
Email marketing consistently delivers one of the best returns among digital channels.
Customer acquisition and retention
It supports both prospecting and long-term customer loyalty.
Fast deployment
Campaigns can be created, launched, and adjusted quickly.
Advanced targeting and personalization
Messages can be adapted to user behavior, interests, and lifecycle stage.
Actionable insights
Open rates, click-through rates, conversions, and unsubscribes provide valuable customer data.
Email marketing is therefore a core pillar of any commercial and digital strategy.
Read also: Cookie Consent : GDPR (Europe), CCPA (California) and LGPD (Brazil)
Why you should not send campaigns from your personal mailbox?
Although it is technically possible to send bulk emails from a standard mailbox, this practice is strongly discouraged.
- Limitations of Traditional Mailboxes
- High risk of emails landing in spam folders
- Potential damage to your domain reputation
- Daily sending limits
- No access to key performance metrics (opens, clicks, conversions)
- No automation or segmentation capabilities
- Professional email marketing requires dedicated emailing platforms designed for deliverability, compliance, and performance tracking.
GDPR and Email Marketing: a competitive advantage
The introduction of GDPR has transformed email marketing practices for the better.
Today, sending marketing emails requires:
- Explicit user consent (opt-in)
- Clear identification of the sender
- Easy unsubscribe options
Positive effects of GDPR on email marketing
- Better-qualified contact lists
- More precise targeting
- Higher engagement rates
- Increased trust and credibility
In short, GDPR encourages quality over quantity, which directly improves campaign performance.
Choosing the right type of email for your goals
Before launching a campaign, clearly define your objectives.
Common types of email marketing campaigns
- Newsletters: to inform, educate, and maintain regular contact
- Promotional campaigns: to promote offers, products, services, or events
- Transactional emails: order confirmations, account creation, delivery updates, cart abandonment
- Customer relationship emails: welcome emails, thank-you messages, onboarding sequences
- Surveys and feedback emails: to improve products and services
Each email type serves a specific role in the customer journey.
The Importance of Having a Website: 8 Reasons Why You Need a Strong Online Presence
How to build an effective email marketing strategy?
1. Build a high-quality contact list
Your performance depends on the quality of your database.
Effective ways to collect email addresses include:
- In-store or event registrations
- Website newsletter forms
- Downloadable resources (e-books, guides, webinars)
- Online contests or gated content
- Social media engagement
⚠️ Always use explicit opt-in consent.
2. Segment your audience
Segmentation significantly increases relevance and ROI.
You can segment based on:
- Customer lifecycle (prospect, customer, loyal client)
- Buyer personas (industry, role, interests, location)
- Past behavior (purchases, clicks, engagement)
Well-segmented campaigns reduce fatigue and increase conversions.
3. Use professional email marketing software
Email marketing platforms help you:
- Centralize campaign management
- Design responsive emails using templates
- Automate workflows
- Manage contact lists and segmentation
- Analyze performance in real time
Examples of Email Marketing Tools
- Sendinblue (Brevo): ideal for beginners and SMEs
- Mailjet : well-suited for transactional and e-commerce emails
These tools ensure deliverability, compliance, and scalability.
Find out more about different free email campaign management tools: Best Free Email Marketing Software Without Ads and Methods to collect more emails | The Unstoppable Techniques
How email marketing drives traffic to your website?
Email marketing is a powerful traffic acquisition channel when used strategically.
Proven Techniques
1. Include clear website links
Always guide readers toward relevant landing pages.
2. Use strong Calls-to-Action (CTA)
Examples:
“Discover the offer”
“Limited offer”
“Download the guide”
“Shop now”
“First come first served”
3. Offer exclusive content
Restrict access to premium resources through email links.
4. Personalize your emails
Personalized emails increase clicks and engagement.
5. Leverage social proof
Testimonials and customer reviews build trust and motivate action.
Ready to get started?
Are you a consultant? How we can help you with Merger Acquisition Consultant? Please hit the let’s get in touch button to contact us.
