Email marketing is the practice of using email as a direct communication channel to build relationships with an audience, nurture leads through a sales funnel, and retain or re-engage customers — typically via broadcast campaigns (newsletters, promotions, and announcements sent to the full subscriber list) and automated behavioral sequences triggered by specific subscriber actions (welcome series, post-purchase follow-up, cart abandonment). Email consistently delivers the highest marketing ROI of any digital channel: the Data & Marketing Association reported an average $36 return per $1 spent in 2023. This performance reflects two structural advantages: the audience has opted in to receive messages, reducing acquisition cost to near zero, and email is channel-owner controlled — unlike social media, where algorithm changes can reduce organic reach to single-digit percentages of followers overnight. Effective email marketing depends on list health, strong subject lines, mobile-optimized design, and consistent compliance with CAN-SPAM, CASL, and GDPR requirements.
Glossary entry
