Better ROI
Than Almost Everything Else
Everyone wants to talk about viral social media posts and Instagram influencers.
But the truth nobody mentions in polite company is this: email marketing generates £42 of return for every £1 spent.
That’s not hype. That’s from Statista’s annual analysis of marketing channels, and it’s been consistent for years. Your email list is still the most valuable audience you own.
The problem is that most businesses treat email like an afterthought.
They collect email addresses, then spam people with sales pitches until they all unsubscribe. No wonder email gets a bad reputation.
Here’s what actually works: email should feel personal. If you have 10,000 subscribers, good email marketing still feels like a conversation between you and the reader, not a broadcast.
The businesses getting the best results from email are doing a few specific things right.
First, they segment their audience. Your new customer needs different information than someone who bought from you two years ago. Someone who downloaded your free guide last week should hear something different from someone who bought nothing yet. When you send the right message to the right person at the right time, open rates go up and unsubscribe rates drop.
Second, they focus on value before the ask. A good email sequence builds trust first. You share useful information, insights, or entertainment. Only after you’ve proven you’re worth their inbox space do you ask for something.
Third, they test. Subject lines make a massive difference in open rates. Some wording gets 35% opens; similar copy gets 18%. The only way to know is to test. The best email marketers are constantly running A/B tests on subject lines, send times, and content structure.
Fourth, they automate the right things. You should have automated emails going out when someone first subscribes. When they abandon their shopping cart. When they haven’t opened an email in 30 days. When it’s time to remind them about your seasonal offer. Automation handles the routine while you handle the strategy and personalisation.
The businesses we see struggling with email either don’t have a system at all, or they’re using email as a battering ram instead of a tool for building relationships.
They wonder why their open rates are terrible and their unsubscribe rates are high.
Email is also one of the few channels where you truly own the relationship.
Instagram can change their algorithm overnight and kill your reach. Google can update their algorithm and tank your traffic. But your email list belongs to you. That’s incredibly valuable.
If you’re not actively building your email list and sending regular, valuable emails, you’re leaving money on the table. Not metaphorically. Literally, according to the ROI data.
Start with a simple welcome sequence for new subscribers. Add a monthly newsletter with something genuinely useful in it. Segment your list into a few basic groups. Watch your open rates and engagement improve. Then optimise from there.
