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Email marketing can be one of the most effective ways to promote your business… when it’s done right.
It’s not just about sending updates or pushing out offers. It’s about building a connection with your ideal clients, staying top of mind, and giving them a reason to keep engaging with your business.
If you’ve ever wondered how to use email marketing to benefit your business, keep reading. I’m covering:
- what email marketing is and how it works
- what to put in your emails
- common mistakes to avoid
- and how to measure whether your emails are actually working.
What is email marketing and how does it work?
Email marketing is direct marketing. You’re sending messages straight to people who have asked to hear from you. No middle person. No platform deciding whether or not you get seen.
That’s what makes it so valuable.
It works because your subscribers have already said yes. They’ve signed up to your list, meaning they’ve shown interest in what you do. That makes them warm leads (to use a marketing term) and makes email a smart way to keep that connection going.
Done well, email marketing can:
- build trust with your current and potential clients
- increase brand awareness
- drive traffic to your website
- and lead to more sales, bookings, or enquiries.
It’s also flexible. You can send newsletters, promotions, reminders, stories, tips, or anything else that’s relevant to your audience.
And in case you missed it, I’ve written about why email marketing is still relevant in 2025 over here too.
What should you include in your emails?
This is where a lot of people get stuck, but it doesn’t have to be complicated.
There are loads of ways to use email marketing to benefit your business. The key is to choose what works for you, your brand, and your ideal clients.
Here are some types of content that work well:
Newsletters
A great way to stay in touch. You can include what’s new, what’s coming up, tips, or just a little reminder you exist. The trick is to make it valuable not just a list of updates.
Promotions
If you’re running a special offer or sale, email is a great way to share it. Make it time-limited or exclusive to email subscribers, and you can even track how well it performs.
Announcements
Got a new team member? Moving locations? Launching a new service? Let people know via email. These kinds of updates keep people in the loop and show that your business is active and growing.
Client stories
Sharing testimonials or success stories shows what you do and helps build trust. It also makes your content more relatable, especially for potential clients considering working with you.
Tips and advice
This one’s especially good if you’re a service-based business. Sharing useful, relevant info shows your expertise and helps people feel more confident about engaging your services.
Invitations
Running an event, webinar, or even a local pop-up? Invite people via email. It’s more personal than social media and often gets a better response.
Basically, if it’s helpful, interesting, or relevant then it’s worth emailing about.
Avoiding common email marketing mistakes
Now, like anything marketing-related, email has its pitfalls. So here are a few things to avoid if you want your emails to actually work.
Emailing too often or not often enough
If you send emails every other day, people will tune out. But if you disappear for six months, they’ll forget you exist. Find a rhythm that works for your business. If you’re not sure how often to email, ask your audience. A quick poll can help you set the pace.
Being too spammy or irrelevant
Every email should offer something of value, not just a sales pitch. Relevance matters. This is where list segmentation and personalisation help. Most email platforms make this pretty easy.
Not mobile-friendly
Most people check their emails on their phones. So your emails need to look good on a small screen. Short paragraphs, clear headings, and buttons that are easy to click, these things matter.
No unsubscribe option
It’s not just a bad idea to leave this out, it's illegal in Australia. If people want to leave your list, let them. It builds trust and keeps your list healthy.
(You can check out the ACMA’s rules on spam here if you're curious.)
Not using an email marketing platform
If you’re still sending bulk emails from Outlook or Gmail, it’s time to stop.
Platforms like MailChimp, MailerLite, Constant Contact and ActiveCampaign give you everything you need, from automation to reporting to professional design and legal compliance (like built-in unsubscribe links).
Avoiding these mistakes means your emails are more likely to land well, get opened, and actually do what they’re meant to do.
How to measure email marketing success
Once you’re sending emails, you’ll want to know if they’re working.
The easiest way to start is by keeping an eye on these three:
Open rate
This tells you how many people opened your email. It gives you insight into how good your subject lines are and whether your audience wants to hear from you.
Click-through rate (CTR)
This shows how many people clicked on links in your email. It helps you understand if the content you’re sharing is relevant and engaging.
Unsubscribe rate
This one’s pretty straightforward. If lots of people are unsubscribing every time you send something out, it might be time to review what you're sending, how often, or who you’re sending it to.
If you’re new to email marketing, start by tracking those three. Over time, you can test and tweak to see what works best, and what doesn’t.
So, how do you use email marketing to benefit your business?
You focus on relevance. You keep it consistent. You make it easy to read, mobile-friendly, and worth the reader’s time.
You test. You tweak. And you measure.
And if you’re not quite sure where to start, or you want to make your emails part of a bigger marketing plan that’s where I come in.
I help business owners build email marketing that works. Book a coffee catch-up if you want to chat about making your email marketing happen.
