An owned channel
Email reaches people directly, you own the list (unlike social followers), and it is one of the most measurable channels. It works across the whole journey: welcoming new subscribers, nurturing leads, confirming purchases, onboarding customers and winning back lapsed ones.
Types of email
- Marketing (commercial) email: newsletters, promotions, announcements. Subject to marketing email laws and must offer an unsubscribe option.
- Transactional email: receipts, password resets, shipping updates. Triggered by a user’s action and focused on that transaction. Keep promotional content in them minimal, or they may be treated as marketing.
- Automated lifecycle email: welcome series, onboarding, abandoned cart, re-engagement, triggered by behaviour or time.
Permission is the foundation
Successful email marketing is built on people who chose to hear from you. Buying or renting lists breaks the rules of most email service providers, often breaks the law, and damages deliverability because those addresses never asked for your mail.
Key takeaways
- Email is an owned, measurable channel that serves the whole customer journey.
- Marketing, transactional and automated lifecycle emails have different rules and purposes.
- Permission is the foundation; never buy or rent lists.
Practice: Map your email program
- List every email your business sends today.
- Label each as marketing, transactional or automated lifecycle.
- Note which journey stage each serves and any gaps.
Go further: Check that every marketing email includes a working unsubscribe link.