Email marketing

Sending planned emails to subscribers to build relationships and drive sales.

What it means

Email marketing means sending planned, useful emails to people who have agreed to hear from you. These people are called subscribers, and the group is your email list.

The goal is to build trust over time and turn subscribers into customers.

How it works

• Build a list: people sign up through a form on your website, a free download or at checkout. This is called a permission-based list.
• Choose a tool: email platforms such as Mailchimp or Brevo let you design emails, manage your list and send to many people at once.
• Send different types of email: welcome emails, newsletters, offers, abandoned cart reminders and more. Many can be automated.
• Measure results: check click-through rate, sales and unsubscribes. Open rates are less reliable than they used to be, because Apple Mail Privacy Protection can make emails look opened even when they were not.

Every marketing email should include a clear unsubscribe link. It is good practice and is required by many email laws and providers.

A simple example

A saree shop in Surat adds a small form to its website: "Join our list and get early access to new collections." Over six months, 1,200 people sign up.

Every new subscriber gets a welcome email with a ₹200 discount code. Each Friday, the shop sends a short email showing five new sarees. Many orders come from people who first signed up months earlier.

Why it matters

Social media platforms can change their algorithms at any time, but your email list belongs to you. Email lets you reach people directly, at low cost, with personal messages.

Beginner tips

• Never buy email lists. They harm your reputation and often break the rules.
• Send a welcome email as soon as someone subscribes.
• Write clear subject lines and one main call to action per email.
• Common mistake: sending only sales offers. Mix in helpful content too.

Related: Lead magnet, CTR, CRM