Are you looking for simple ways to improve the results of your email marketing campaigns? Want to know the daily habits that separate average email marketers from brilliant ones?

You’ll find some email marketing basics in this infographic.

Here’s a summary of what’s covered:

• Improve Email Marketing Communications Strategy
• Grow Your Email List
• Improve on the Templates
• Send Targeted Emails
• Track Subscriber Activity
• Design Automation Workflows
• Test and Optimise Email Communications
• Monitor and Improve Deliverability

Check out the post below for more.

 

Email marketing remains one of the most powerful tools in the digital marketer’s arsenal. But success doesn’t come from a single great campaign—it comes from consistent habits that optimise every aspect of communication. From strategy and segmentation to automation and deliverability, it’s the daily practices that add up to big results.

In this post, we’ll break down the 11 essential email marketing habits you need to build into your routine. Follow these and you’ll not only see better engagement—you’ll also increase conversions, loyalty, and return on investment.

Improve Email Marketing Communications Strategy

A strong email marketing strategy doesn’t happen by accident—it’s planned, documented, and regularly refined. Your communications need to align with business goals, connect with your audience, and maintain consistency across all touchpoints. This is your foundation, and everything else builds from here.

• Define clear goals for each campaign—whether it’s nurturing leads, increasing sales, or re-engaging lapsed users.
• Document your strategy and update it quarterly to stay aligned with your wider marketing plan.
• Establish your brand voice and tone, ensuring it carries through in every email you send.
• Plan out email types: newsletters, promos, onboarding flows, and transactional updates.

Grow Your Email List

No matter how good your emails are, you need a growing, engaged list to see results. That means actively building your list using value-driven incentives and strong signup points. List growth should be a continuous effort—not just a one-off tactic.

• Offer compelling lead magnets like discount codes, free guides, or exclusive content.
• Place signup forms in strategic locations—on your homepage, blog, and checkout page.
• Promote your list through social media, PPC campaigns, and partnerships.
• Always set clear expectations on what subscribers will receive and how often.

Improve on the Templates

Email design matters—visually appealing, mobile-optimised templates can make or break your engagement. Templates should be flexible yet consistent, using layout best practices that guide the reader’s eye and drive them toward action. Get the fundamentals right, and iterate based on results.

• Use a responsive design that displays correctly across all screen sizes.
• Keep layouts simple: header, visual, message, and a clear call to action.
• Stick to brand colours, fonts, and logo placements for consistency.
• Test different formats (e.g. one-column vs multi-column) to see what drives clicks.

Send Targeted Emails

Not every subscriber wants the same thing—so why send them the same email? Targeted emails based on user data and preferences perform significantly better. Use segmentation to ensure your emails are relevant, timely, and personalised.

• Segment your list by behaviour, purchase history, or engagement level.
• Personalise emails with names, location, or recommended products.
• Create dynamic content that changes based on user attributes.
• Build triggered emails for milestones like birthdays, anniversaries, or order updates.

Track Subscriber Activity

You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Tracking subscriber behaviour helps you identify what’s working, what’s not, and where to focus your efforts. From opens to clicks to unsubscribes, this data gives you the insight to refine every campaign.

• Monitor open rates, click-through rates, and conversions for every email.
• Use heatmaps or click maps to see which parts of your email get attention.
• Track unsubscribe and bounce rates to identify deliverability issues.
• Analyse engagement by device type and email client to tailor future sends.

Design Automation Workflows

Automation isn’t just a time-saver—it’s a conversion booster. Email workflows allow you to nurture leads and customers automatically with timely, relevant messages. From welcome sequences to post-purchase follow-ups, automation keeps your audience engaged without manual effort.

• Build welcome flows to introduce your brand and set expectations.
• Use behaviour triggers (e.g. abandoned cart) to send timely reminders.
• Automate re-engagement emails for inactive subscribers.
• Regularly audit workflows to update content and remove underperforming sequences.

Test and Optimise Email Communications

Email marketing success comes from continuous testing and learning. Don’t assume what works—test it. Optimisation is about making data-driven improvements to every element of your emails, from subject lines to send times and design.

• Run A/B tests on subject lines, CTAs, visuals, and copy.
• Test different send times to see when your audience is most responsive.
• Experiment with personalisation and layout changes to boost engagement.
• Track results and apply insights to future campaigns for incremental gains.

Monitor and Improve Deliverability

If your emails aren’t being delivered, your entire strategy falls flat. Deliverability is often overlooked, but it’s one of the most critical aspects of email marketing. Ensuring your emails land in inboxes—not spam folders—requires ongoing maintenance and attention.

• Use double opt-in to ensure you’re building a high-quality list.
• Authenticate your domain with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records.
• Regularly clean your list to remove inactive or bounced addresses.
• Avoid spammy subject lines and excessive use of images or links.

Test Frequency to Ensure You’re Sending at the Optimal Rate

Too many emails can annoy subscribers; too few, and they’ll forget you. The key is to find your optimal sending frequency—based on both your goals and your audience’s tolerance. Testing and tracking are essential to get this balance right.

• Start with a consistent schedule (e.g. once a week) and test increases gradually.
• Monitor unsubscribes and spam complaints as you adjust frequency.
• Survey your audience to ask how often they want to hear from you.
• Adjust frequency by segment: more engaged users may want more contact.

Estimate the Value of Particular List Segments

Not all subscribers are created equal. Some are more engaged, more profitable, and more likely to become brand advocates. Estimating the value of your segments helps you prioritise your efforts and allocate resources more effectively.

• Identify high-value segments based on purchase history and engagement.
• Focus retention and upsell efforts on your best customers.
• Track metrics like average order value (AOV) and customer lifetime value (CLV).
• Create VIP segments for early access, rewards, or loyalty incentives.

Purposefully Create a Business Case for More Budget and Resources

To grow your email marketing impact, you’ll likely need more tools, team members, or budget. Build a compelling case using hard data. Show how your efforts are already delivering ROI—and how more investment can multiply that success.

• Gather results: conversion rates, revenue from email, and list growth.
• Forecast potential gains from new tools or additional campaigns.
• Compare email ROI to other marketing channels to demonstrate value.
• Align your request with business goals and leadership priorities.

Conclusion

Email marketing is both an art and a science—and like anything worth mastering, it’s built on consistent habits. By focusing on the right daily and weekly practices, you can build a high-performing email channel that drives real business results.

Whether you’re just getting started or refining a mature programme, these 11 habits will give you the structure and insight you need to grow. Start small, stay consistent, and watch your performance improve with every send.