Email marketing, like any other form of marketing, is a tool used to achieve specific goals. Those goals vary across the marketing mix: building awareness, shaping brand perception, driving engagement, or responding to a public crisis.

All of them converge at the same point, though. The goal is to leave the business in a better position than it was before. On some level, that means making money. That may sound blunt, but generating profit is what drives marketing and vice versa.

So, how do you use email marketing to actually make money?

Building Relationships

At its core, email marketing is about building a relationship between a brand and its audience. Think about your own inbox. The emails you actually read are the ones that feel like they were written for you.

If a brand speaks to me about content that matches my specific interests, I am far more likely to engage. Even though you are sending to a large list, you need to strive for a level of personalisation that makes each reader feel like they are in an audience of one. When that works, subscribers feel valued. And valued subscribers spend more.

Spotify is a strong example of this. Historically, they have been sharp about sending personalised, curated content to their audience. In the campaign below, a band's top fans were offered early access to concert tickets. Being rewarded for listening to music you already love is a compelling proposition. Those tickets sold fast.

Enticing Immediate Action

One of the clearest advantages of email marketing is the direct line it gives you to your audience. Every campaign lands in front of a specific person. That creates real opportunities if you are prepared to put the strategy in.

A reliable way to drive a quick response is loss aversion. If someone believes they can only get something within a limited window, they pay attention. This is what every sale does, whether it is Black Friday or a standard promotion. The message is simply: you can have this, but only if you act now.

With email, you can push that further. Instead of sending a generic 20% off promotion, send a 20% off offer on a pair of sneakers that matches products the subscriber has already bought. Better still, include a note that only three pairs remain in their size. That combination of relevance and scarcity converts.

Nike already does this. Subscribers can purchase certain products before the general public. Exclusive early access plants the idea that the product will not be available for long, which nudges a decision sooner rather than later.

The campaign below from Ayr is a clean, minimalist example of loss aversion done well. Bonus points for a CTA that openly acknowledges the tactic.

It's Not Just About the Money

That heading sits oddly in a piece about generating revenue, but it is a message your audience needs to hear from you if you want their long-term trust.

If every campaign you send is focused purely on driving sales, you start to look like a faceless corporation. Worse, you become a nuisance. The moment a subscriber finds you annoying, they unsubscribe.

You need to split your content. There has to be a balance between campaigns that serve your business and campaigns that serve your audience.

There are several ways to do this. Sharing useful blog articles or practical whitepapers is one approach. Rewarding long-standing subscribers with exclusive content or offers is another. Talking honestly about your CSR efforts can add a human dimension to your brand, as long as the sincerity is genuine.

The Nordstrom campaign below is a good illustration. It thanks customers for a year of their support and uses video content that puts actual employees front and centre. There is no product promotion at all, and that is exactly why it works.

Email marketing can make your business a lot of money. How much depends directly on how much effort and strategy you put into the approach.

TouchBasePro specialises in helping businesses do exactly that. Let us help you get there.