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Email marketing can feel overwhelming. There are countless email marketing trends and best practices floating around, shiny new strategies popping up every day, and software options galore. But none of that matters if you don’t have the foundations in place.

Without a solid structure, you’ll waste time, see little engagement, and struggle to improve email marketing performance. This is why understanding email strategy best practices is critical to long-term success.

If you’ve ever felt stuck, not knowing where to start or how to get results, you’re not alone. The good news? You don’t need to figure it all out at once. In this email marketing step by step guide, I'll walk you through eight essential steps to set up and run an effective email marketing strategy.

Whether you're a beginner or have an existing list, these steps will help you refine and improve your approach!

1. Brainstorm Content Ideas

One of the biggest struggles in email marketing is knowing what to send. The fear of running out of ideas stops many from starting at all. Instead of overthinking, create a content bank filled with ideas—quick tips, FAQs, personal stories, product highlights, or educational insights.

Think about what your audience needs and wants.

If you’ve been posting on social media, repurpose those topics into emails. A strong content foundation helps you stay consistent and improve email marketing performance over time.

2. Choose the Right Email Software

Many people get stuck choosing an email marketing platform. The truth? No software is perfect, and overanalysing delays progress.

There are plenty of options out there, from beginner-friendly platforms like MailerLite and Kit to more advanced tools like ActiveCampaign.

If you’re not sure which one to go with, check out Easy Email Marketing Podcast Episode 5: "The Best Email Marketing Software" here for a deep dive into choosing the right platform for you.

Whatever you choose, remember that your email strategy matters more than the tool itself. The best software won’t save a poor strategy, but a well-planned strategy can thrive on almost any platform!

3. Set Up Your Account Properly

Before sending emails, you need to set up the technical side of things. This includes:

• Authenticating your domain to improve deliverability
• Setting up Google Analytics tracking
• Integrating with e-commerce platforms or booking systems
• Creating branded templates for consistency

Skipping this step can harm your sender reputation, making it harder to improve email marketing performance. Taking a day to set up properly ensures a smooth experience down the line.

4. Build Your Email List the Right Way

Growing your email list isn’t about collecting emails—it’s about attracting the right people. Your audience won’t sign up just to "receive updates." They need a reason.

Offer an incentive, like a free guide, webinar, or exclusive content. Make sign-up forms easy to find—add them to your website, social media, and checkout pages. Avoid relying solely on pop-ups or footer forms. The easier it is to sign up, the more subscribers you'll get!

For more tips on getting those first subscribers, listen to Podcast Episode 105: "Get Your First Signups" here—it’s packed with actionable strategies to help you grow your list from day one.

5. Create a Strong Welcome Sequence

Your welcome email is your most opened email—often with 70-80% open rates. This is the best chance to introduce yourself, set expectations, and engage new subscribers.

A well-structured welcome sequence should:

• Reinforce why they signed up
• Share valuable content
• Introduce your offers
• Encourage replies to start conversations

A strong welcome series follows email marketing trends and best practices, helping you build trust from the start.

6. Commit to Consistent Sending

Consistency matters more than frequency. Whether you send weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, stick to a schedule. This keeps your audience engaged and prevents them from forgetting about you.

Your emails should balance value and sales. Don’t just send promotional content—mix in educational emails, behind-the-scenes stories, and customer testimonials. Keeping a steady flow of engaging content is one of the email strategy best practices that leads to long-term success.

7. Add Automation

Now it’s time to introduce automation into your email marketing strategy. In fact, you’ve already set up your first automation—your welcome series—where new subscribers receive a series of emails upon signing up. Automation is simply a system of "if this happens, then that happens," and most email marketing platforms offer pre-built automation templates to help you get started.

You can go as deep as you like with automation, but there are a few key ones to consider:

• Retargeting automations like abandoned cart, browse abandonment, or rebooking reminders
• Customer service automations such as post-purchase follow-ups, onboarding sequences, or client support emails
• Behaviour-based automations, like sending emails when someone views a specific page or takes a certain action

8. Use Segmentation

Segmentation takes things to the next level by creating different experiences for different groups of subscribers. For example, you wouldn’t talk to your existing customers the same way you would to non-customers. While not every email needs to be segmented, it’s essential for promotions—like ensuring you’re not promoting a course to someone who has already purchased it.

Segmentation can be as simple as:

• Labelling customers vs. non-customers
• Rewarding loyal clients with exclusive content
• Targeting subscribers based on their interests, engagement, or where they are in their journey

Segmentation applies to both campaigns (your regular emails) and automations—which is where it gets really powerful. Within automations, you can create dynamic paths:

• If a subscriber takes a certain action, they receive one email
• If they don’t take action, they get a follow-up or reminder

This level of customisation makes your email marketing more effective, engaging, and fun to work with! But remember, segmentation works best when you’ve built a strong foundation with the earlier steps—so don’t skip ahead too soon!

Take the Next Step…

Want to dive deeper into each of these steps? My free Get Started with Email Marketing course breaks it all down with nearly two hours of bite-sized video training. You’ll learn how to implement these email marketing step by step strategies, get answers to FAQs, and fill in any gaps in your approach.

No matter where you are in your email marketing journey, this course will help you improve email marketing performance and set you up for long-term success.

👉 Grab it today at yaelkeon.com/start.