Email Marketing in 2025: Strategies That Actually Work

After over 20 years in digital marketing and running Scandi Mini's email campaigns for a decade, I've seen email marketing evolve dramatically. Yet one thing remains constant: email, when done right, remains one of the most effective marketing channels available.

Here's what actually works in 2025.

Personalisation Beyond First Names

We're long past the days when adding someone's first name to an email counted as personalisation. Today's successful email marketing uses behavioural data, purchase history, and browsing patterns to create genuinely relevant experiences.

When I managed Scandi Mini's email list of over 30,000 subscribers, the campaigns that performed best weren't the ones sent to everyone—they were the highly segmented ones that spoke to specific customer interests and behaviours.

For instance, customers who browsed children's clothing but hadn't purchased received different emails than those who regularly bought homeware items. This wasn't just about different products—it was about understanding different motivations and speaking to them.

The Power of Storytelling

People don't want to be sold to constantly. They want to be engaged, informed, and entertained. The emails that generated the highest engagement for Scandi Mini weren't always the promotional ones—they were the ones that told stories.

Stories about the Scandinavian designers behind the products. Stories about how other families used our products. Stories about Scandinavian culture and traditions. These emails built relationships and trust, making promotional emails more effective when they did arrive.

Timing and Frequency: Finding Your Sweet Spot

There's no universal answer to "how often should I email my list?" It depends on your audience, your content, and your industry.

What I learned from managing a large email list: consistency matters more than frequency. Whether you email weekly or monthly, stick to a schedule. Your audience learns to expect and look forward to your emails.

And pay attention to your data. If you see increased unsubscribes or decreased engagement after increasing frequency, listen to that feedback.

Mobile-First Design is Non-Negotiable

Over 60% of emails are now opened on mobile devices. If your emails aren't optimised for mobile, you're losing more than half your audience.

This means: - Single-column layouts that work on small screens - Large, tappable buttons - Concise subject lines that don't get cut off - Images that load quickly and look good on small screens

Subject Lines That Work

After testing hundreds of subject lines, here's what I've learned:

**Curiosity beats cleverness**: "You won't believe this..." might feel clichéd, but variations on curiosity-driven subject lines consistently outperform clever wordplay.

**Specificity builds trust**: "5 ways to improve your morning routine" outperforms "Transform your mornings."

**Urgency works, but use it sparingly**: Genuine urgency (limited stock, ending sale) drives action. Fake urgency destroys trust.

**Questions engage**: "Are you making this common mistake?" invites the reader to find out.

Segmentation Strategies That Drive Results

The more you can segment your list, the more relevant your emails become. Here are segments that worked well for Scandi Mini:

- Purchase history (what they've bought before) - Browsing behaviour (what they've looked at but not purchased) - Engagement level (how often they open and click) - Geographic location (especially useful for event invitations or location-specific offers) - Customer lifecycle stage (new subscriber vs. loyal customer)

The Welcome Series: Your Most Important Emails

New subscribers are your most engaged audience. They've just raised their hand and said "I'm interested." Don't waste that moment with a generic "thanks for subscribing" email.

Create a welcome series that: - Delivers what you promised when they signed up - Tells your brand story - Sets expectations for future emails - Provides immediate value - Guides them toward their first purchase or engagement

Metrics That Actually Matter

Open rates and click rates are useful, but they don't tell the whole story. Focus on:

**Conversion rate**: Are people taking the action you want? **Revenue per email**: Especially for eCommerce **List growth rate**: Are you gaining more subscribers than you're losing? **Engagement over time**: Are subscribers staying engaged or gradually tuning out?

The AI Advantage

AI tools can now help with: - Optimising send times for individual subscribers - Predicting which subject lines will perform best - Identifying which subscribers are at risk of disengaging - Personalising content at scale

But remember: AI enhances your strategy; it doesn't replace your understanding of your audience and your brand voice.

Building Relationships, Not Just Lists

The most important lesson from my years managing email marketing: focus on building relationships, not just growing your list.

A smaller, engaged list of people who genuinely want to hear from you is infinitely more valuable than a large list of disengaged subscribers. Quality over quantity, always.

Email marketing in 2025 is about using technology and data to create genuinely personal, valuable experiences for your subscribers. Get that right, and email remains one of the most powerful tools in your marketing arsenal.