Email is not the most exciting topic in 2021. It is not TikTok, not Web3, not AI-generated content. It is a technology from 1971 that still delivers some of the highest returns in digital marketing.

And in a world where iOS 14 has weakened Facebook tracking, cookies are on the way out, and organic reach on social media is minimal, email looks better than ever: relatively speaking.

Why email has had a renaissance

You own the list An email list is one of the few digital marketing channels you actually control. No algorithm decides whether your message gets through. No platform change can take it from you. Subscribers asked to hear from you.

Open rates hold up well Average email open rates in most industries sit at 20–30 percent. Compare that to organic reach on Facebook (2–5 percent) or the average click-through rate on display advertising (under 0.1 percent).

Conversion rates are high People who have joined your list have shown active interest. They are already a step further along the buying process than a random visitor from social media.

What Apple is doing this autumn will affect open rate statistics

A note of caution: Apple announced in June that iOS 15 (releasing autumn 2021) will include Mail Privacy Protection, a feature that pre-loads emails and makes open rates inaccurate for Apple Mail users.

That means your open rate will look higher than it is. This is not a reason to stop doing email: it is a reason to focus more on clicks and conversions as primary success metrics rather than opens.

Fundamentals that actually work

Build the list actively A list does not grow by itself. Give website visitors a concrete reason to subscribe: a useful guide, exclusive advice, early access to something. "Sign up for our newsletter" is not a reason.

Send with a clear purpose Every send should have one primary goal. Not three news items, two promotions and a link to the blog. One thing, clearly communicated.

Write like a person The best emails read as if written by one person to another, not like a brochure distributed to thousands. Personal tone, concrete content, minimal HTML formatting.

Frequency and consistency It is better to send once a month consistently than to send ten times in March and nothing for four months. Subscribers expect a rhythm. Break it for too long and they have forgotten they signed up.

Tools for most SMBs

Mailchimp is free up to 500 contacts and works well as a starting point. Easy to use, good templates.

Klaviyo is better for e-commerce businesses wanting to connect shop data to email sends.

Campaign Monitor and ActiveCampaign are good choices for businesses wanting to set up automated sequences and more advanced segmentation.

Automation is underrated

A simple automated welcome sequence: three to five emails introducing a new subscriber to your business over two weeks, is one of the highest-converting things most SMBs can set up. It takes some work once, and works for you indefinitely.

Want to get started with email marketing or improve what you already have? Get in touch.