How to Use Email Marketing to Grow Your Business

You may feel email is old-fashioned or too crowded. But most people ignore ads. Inbox messages still get attention when done well.  “For every $1 spent on email marketing, you get back $36 in return.” (Constant Contact)

The secret is in how you use email—open rates, engagement, content, automation. In this post, I’ll show you how to build an email marketing system that grows your audience, trust, and sales.

1. Start with a strong foundation: list, promise, and segments

You cannot send emails to nobody. You need a quality list—with people who want to hear from you.

Build a list with purpose

• Use opt-ins / lead magnets (free checklist, guide, quiz, mini course).
• Place them on your blog, landing pages, social media.
• Don’t buy lists. That leads to low opens and spam complaints.

Set expectations with a “welcome promise”

• When someone signs up, tell them what they’ll receive: frequency, content type, value.
• Immediately send a welcome email that delivers your lead magnet and confirms the promise.

Segment early

• From day one, collect data: interests, business size, problems.
• Use this to send more relevant content.
• For example: a coach may ask whether someone wants help with “mindset” vs “business systems.” Each group gets slightly different content.

Segmentation improves open and engagement rates, because people receive what they care about.

2. Write emails that open—and that people click

Getting someone to open an email is half the battle. Then you want them to click.

Subject line must pull them in

• Keep it short (30–50 characters)
• Use curiosity, urgency, or specificity
• Includes relevant keywords (e.g. “Your free guide inside,” “Last day to save”)
• The word “video” in the subject can boost open rate by ~19% (porchgroupmedia)

Make content clear, helpful, and scannable

• Start with a greeting/name
• Use short paragraphs
• Use bullet lists or numbered tips
• Tell a story or show an example
• Include a clear call to action (CTA) — e.g. “Click here to download,” “Reply to this email,” “Book a call now.”

Link wisely and sparingly

• One main link per email is often enough
• Place the CTA above the fold and again at the end

Test and improve

• A/B test subject lines, send times, or preview text
• Track which lines get higher opens, then use those learnings in future emails

3. Use email sequences to nurture, not just broadcast

Broadcasts (one-off emails) are useful. But sequences or drip campaigns often produce the most value.

Welcome sequence

• 3 to 5 emails spaced over days or weeks
• Deliver your promise and gradually introduce more value and trust
• Example: Day 1 = lead magnet, Day 3 = your story, Day 5 = offer your service

Nurture / educational sequence

• Focus on teaching, solving common questions, sharing case studies
• No hard sell in every email
• Encourage replies, interactions

Re-engagement / win-back sequence

• Identify subscribers who haven’t opened or clicked in months
• Send a special “Are you still there?” email or incentive to re-activate

Automated sequences remove manual work and keep your list engaged with minimal effort.

4. Leverage analytics: open, click, engagement, conversion

Data helps you know what works and what doesn’t.

Focus on key metrics

• Open rate — how many people open your emails
• According to  Mailchimp  average open rate is around 34% (though depends on industry) 
• Click-through rate (CTR) — how many click links
• Conversion rate — how many take the desired action (download, buy, sign up)
• Unsubscribe / bounce rates

Use analytics to pivot

• If open rates drop: improve subject lines, check deliverability, clean your list
• If clicks are low: improve email content, reduce distractions, strengthen CTA
• If conversions are low: revisit landing pages, offers, audience match

Also segment analytics by group: maybe one segment responds better than others.

5. Integrate email with your broader marketing

Email doesn’t live alone. It must support and be supported by other channels.

• Use email to promote content you publish (blog, video, guides)
• Use social media or PPC ads to grow email list by offering lead magnets
• Align email content with your content strategy so your emails reinforce what you publish
• Use email to distribute exclusive offers or early access, giving subscribers extra value
• Tie email campaigns to other strategies like calls to action that convert  or your overall marketing plan 

When your channels work together, email becomes both amplifier and backbone.

Example: A simple email plan for a consultant

• Lead magnet: “5-Step Framework to Get Your First Client”
• Welcome sequence:
  • Email 1 (immediate): deliver magnet + how to use it 
  • Email 2 (day 2): talk about common mistakes 
  • Email 3 (day 4): share a success story / case study 
  • Email 4 (day 7): offer a discovery call 
• Regular emails (biweekly) with tips, stories, occasional offers
• Monitor who opens, clicks, replies, and adjust

After a month, you may find Email 2 had the highest CTR. You use that style in future messages.

Why email marketing still wins (if done well)

• Email is a first-party channel — people opt in willingly
• ROI is unbeatable 
• You control delivery (unlike social algorithms)
• You can personalize and segment deeply
• Email helps convert people who have shown interest, turning casual readers into buyers

Many skip the basics: they send inconsistent emails, ignore analytics, or never segment. That’s how email fails most marketers.

Your challenge: send one email today

Write and send one helpful email to your list. No big giveaway. Just a tip or short story related to your niche. Include a link or CTA that invites reply or action. Use two subject lines and split test. Track opens and clicks. Next week, do it again—iterating based on what worked.

You don’t need a huge list. You need a real connection. Use email to deepen relationships, not just broadcast noise. Done consistently, email marketing will grow your business from the inside out.