Is Email Marketing ‘Dead’? Expert Weighs In

Over the years, email marketing has proven to be an effective strategy in gaining reach, driving conversion and communicating with customers. But with emerging technologies, the approach has also been referred to as “dead.”  

According to Steffen Schebesta, CEO of North America & VP of Corporate Development of Sendinblue, this notion has been unchanged over the years. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this claim from marketers,” he explained in an exclusive interview with Spotlight.  

To counter this claim, the CEO laid down the facts – that email marketing “has historically been proven to be one of the top performing channels for marketers.”  

“This holds true to this day. Email marketing is the most profitable and cost-effective direct marketing channel, generating an average return on investment of $42 for every $1 spent,” Schebesta added.  

While email marketing remains a dominant tool in today’s business landscape, Schebesta also emphasized how the practice has evolved from “one-size-fits-all" mass mailings into a personalized form of communication.  

“Email blasts, once viewed as an acceptable form of marketing, simply became a thing of the past and has been replaced by personalized and automated campaigns,” he said. 

Because of this, businesses were forced to change their email marketing strategies, leading them to see a stronger emphasis on consumer data privacy according to the CEO.  

The email marketing veteran shared tips on how to leverage personalization in email marketing campaigns. “There are numerous segmentation tactics, including group categorization such as demographics, psychographics, geographics, behavioral data, email activity like engagement, open rates or click-through rates; as well as past purchases, personal interests, and more,” he shared. 

Schebesta also advised business owners to work with the data they already have. “For instance, if you’re selling clothes online and you know the gender of your subscribers, use that.  

Over time, try to collect more valuable data, e.g., through first and zero-party data. Experiment with different cohorts and analyze your success. There's no one size fits all in segmentation, so try to understand what works best for your audience.”