💌 Email’s Not Dead, But It’s Definitely Had a Glow-Up
A TMM recap of “The School of Email Marketing” with Lauren and Frank from Dotdigital
This wasn’t about the perfect subject line formula or how many emojis are too many. Instead, Lauren and Frank gave us the real stuff. The kind of strategic, CRM-level thinking that helps marketing teams stop sending emails for the sake of it and start building long-term, revenue-generating relationships.
Whether you’re a team of one or heading up a department, here are 6 key takeaways to take back to your strategy sessions.
1. 🚫 Stop Thinking of Email in a Silo
Email isn’t just email anymore. It’s part of a bigger picture. Think WhatsApp, SMS, even Facebook retargeting, all fed by the same juicy data points.
Ask yourself:
→ Are we using our email data to inform other channels?
→ Could we build flows that bridge platforms instead of isolating them?
2. 🤝 Metrics = Insight, Not Illusion
Open rates and clicks are useful but they’re not the whole story. Especially now AI is meddling with preheaders and auto-clicks.
Try this:
→ Pair email data with GA4 or heatmaps to track post-click behaviour
→ Segment based on customer activity, not just open/click history
→ Reframe reporting around business outcomes, not vanity metrics
3. 🤖 The Best Email Might Be One You Don’t Manually Send
Frank said it best: “The best email is the one you don’t click send on.” Automations that feel personal always win.
Ideas to experiment with:
→ Create lifecycle-based automations (welcome, anniversaries, abandoned browse)
→ Introduce playful or brand-right copy in confirmations , like CD Baby’s legendary example
→ Test new touchpoints based on product usage or lead behaviour (not just time delays)
4. 📬 Personalisation ≠ ‘Hi [FIRST NAME]’
Personalisation in 2025 means relevance, not just a name in the subject line. It’s about timing, intent, and usefulness.
Steal this mindset:
→ Personalisation should feel invisible, like magic, not mail merge
→ Use behavioural data to surface product recommendations, loyalty stats, or smart reorder nudges
→ Make your content feel like it was made just for them (because it kinda was)
5. 💡 Test, but Properly
A/B testing isn’t about 10% of your list for 24 hours. It’s about validating hypotheses with meaningful data and giving time for real trends to show.
Guidelines to follow:
→ Run tests across whole segments, 50/50
→ Let it run across 3–4 sends (for BAU) or 1+ month (for automations)
→ Track by primary goal: not ‘which had the higher open’ but ‘which moved us toward our KPI’
6. 📈 B2B? The Rules Still Apply
B2B marketers often excuse themselves from email best practices. But, as Frank reminded us, “It’s still a human on the other end.”
Things to consider:
→ Use automations for webinar follow-ups, onboarding flows, or re-engagement nudges
→ Segment by behaviour, not just job title
→ Define success by actions like event signups, downloads, replies not just revenue
💬 Final thought: Relevance + Strategy = Trust
Ultimately, the email greats aren’t sending more. They’re sending smarter. They build for the humans on the other end. They respect the inbox. And they let strategy, not panic, guide the send button.
Ask yourself this before your next send:
👉 “What do I want the reader to do and what’s the easiest, kindest way to get them there?”
See you in your inbox 💌