Why Email Marketing Still Matters

Alpha Moose
a few seconds ago
3 min read

Updated: 14 hours ago

Did you know that email marketing is still one of the most powerful tools for businesses looking to connect with their audience, drive engagement, and boost sales? With over 4.6 billion email users worldwide in 2025, it’s no surprise that businesses big and small are investing in email marketing to leverage its impressive return on investment (ROI) and direct connection to customers.

Key Email Marketing Terms

Understanding the language of email marketing is crucial for running effective campaigns, so here are some of the most important terms you should know:

Contact: Any individual listed in your email database, which may include just an email address or additional details like name, phone number, or purchase history. Note: a contact is not necessarily a subscriber, as they may not have opted in or may have unsubscribed.
Email Campaign: A series of emails sent with a consistent marketing purpose, such as promoting a product, inviting users to an event, or running a contest. Campaigns usually feature a similar call-to-action and often have a deadline.
Email Body: The main content of an email, including text, images, graphics, and links. It follows the greeting and precedes the footer.
Email Client: The software or web interface used to send and receive emails, such as Gmail, Outlook, or Apple Mail.
A/B Testing: Also known as split testing, this involves sending two versions of an email to different segments of your audience to determine which performs better in terms of opens, clicks, or conversions.
Bounce Rate: The percentage of emails that were not delivered to recipients, often due to invalid addresses or server issues. Bounces can be “hard” (permanent) or “soft” (temporary).
Click-Through Rate (CTR): The percentage of recipients who clicked on a link within your email, indicating how engaging your content is.
Conversion Rate: The percentage of recipients who completed a desired action, such as making a purchase or signing up, after clicking on a link in your email.
Deliverability Rate: The percentage of emails that successfully reach users inboxes.
Drip Campaign: A sequence of automated emails sent based on user actions or a predefined schedule, designed to nurture leads or guide recipients toward a specific goal.
Dynamic Content: Personalized email content that changes based on recipient data, such as demographics or purchase history.
Email Automation: The use of software to send emails automatically based on triggers or schedules, saving time and improving relevance.
Email Service Provider (ESP): A platform used to send bulk marketing emails, such as Mailchimp or Omnisend.

Average Email Marketing Rates

As someone working hard to market your small business and connect with customers, knowing industry benchmarks can help you set realistic goals and measure success. Here are the latest average rates for key email marketing metrics:

Metric	Typical Rate/ Industry Average	Notes/Highlights
Open Rate	26.6% (all industries, 2024)	This depends greatly on the industry, but open rates can exceed 44% in highly engaged sectors!
Click-Through Rate (CTR)	1.4% (all industries, campaigns)	Some sectors, like technology and transportation, see CTRs up to 2.6%. Automated flows can reach much higher rates (4.7%+).
Conversion Rate	0.08% (all industries, campaigns)	The top 10% performers achieve 0.44%.
Bounce Rate	<2% (ideal), <1% (excellent)	If your rate is higher than this, it most likely indicates a list quality issue.
Unsubscribe Rate	<0.5% (good), <0.2% (excellent)	This reflects how well your content resonates with your contacts.

Additional Insights:

Of course, email marketing is about more than just rates and figures. There are several additional steps you can take to make sure you’re connecting with your audience:

Personalization: Tailored emails can boost open rates by 26%.
Mobile Optimization: 41% of emails are opened on phones and other devices, making mobile-friendly design essential.
Frequency: Most companies send emails 2–4 times per month. This maintains engagement without overwhelming your recipients.
Automation: Automated emails, especially for abandoned carts and post-purchase messages, generate significantly higher revenue per recipient than standard campaigns.