Fundamentals: how email marketing works
The parts of an email programme, who sees what, and the three things every message depends on.
What you will be able to do
- Name the parts of an email programme and what each does
- Explain why list, reputation and content all matter
- Choose one goal for your next campaign
The parts
A sender (a domain and an address), a list of people who agreed to hear from you, a sending tool, and the messages themselves. Receiving mail servers and mailbox providers sit between you and the inbox and decide what to do with each message.
What every message depends on
List quality: addresses that exist and people who want the mail. Sender reputation: how providers judge your domain and address from past behaviour. Content and relevance: whether the message is what the person expected.
Weakness in any of the three lowers results, and strength in one does not rescue the others.
Two kinds of email
Marketing email is promotional or relational and needs consent or an opt-out depending on the country. Transactional email is triggered by an action (a receipt, a password reset). Keep them on separate streams so a marketing problem cannot block a critical message.
Terms used in this guide
Verify: check whether an address can receive mail. Hard bounce: a permanent delivery failure. Suppression list: addresses you must never email. Consent: a person’s recorded agreement to receive your mail.
Your output: checklist
- ☐ Write down your sending domain and address
- ☐ List the kinds of email you send and mark each marketing or transactional
- ☐ Pick one measurable goal for the next campaign
- ☐ Confirm you have a record of how each address joined