If you’re a small or midsize business, your email list isn’t just a marketing tool. It’s an owned audience—one that doesn’t disappear with an algorithm change or get throttled by ad spend. But as inboxes get noisier and customer expectations get higher, lazy email strategies don’t just underperform—they backfire.
At Daggett Consulting Co., we’ve seen email outperform almost every other channel—but only when it’s treated like the revenue engine it is. That starts with smart segmentation, intentional design, and consistent upkeep.
Email Still Wins on ROI
Email continues to deliver the best return in digital marketing, with an average ROI of $36 for every $1 spent (Litmus, 2024). But those numbers aren’t guaranteed. They come from sending the right message, to the right person, at the right time.
That’s where segmentation matters most.
How We Segment: Three Smart Data Points
We’re not big believers in over-engineered personas or overcomplicated workflows. For most SMBs, segmentation is most powerful when it’s behavioral.
- Did they browse your products but not buy?
- Did they attend your webinar but never follow up?
- Did they click a CTA in your last newsletter?
That tells us what they care about and what they might be ready for next.
Beyond that, we recommend a simple three-prong segmentation model. Capture just three key data points that let us:
- Infer who the person is
- Identify where they are in the funnel
- Adjust messaging to match
That’s often all it takes to move someone forward.
Design: Match Format to Context
Your email shouldn’t look like a newsletter if it’s trying to close a sale—and it shouldn’t read like a cold pitch if it’s a brand update.
At DCC, we tailor format by audience:
- B2B sales outreach should feel like a one-to-one message. Plain text, personal, no fluff.
- ECommerce and B2C need to catch the eye. Responsive HTML layouts, dynamic product blocks, maybe a GIF or a short-form video if it adds value.
We build everything mobile-first, because over 70% of emails are opened on mobile (HubSpot, 2024). And we test across devices—not just browsers.
Keep the List Clean Without Killing the Brand
List hygiene doesn’t mean “delete half your list.” It means respecting your audience and maintaining deliverability.
We recommend simple workflows to:
- Remove hard bounces automatically
- Suppress disengaged users over time
- Pause aggressive sales outreach if the brand is doing nurture work
This isn’t just technical hygiene—it’s strategic. If you bombard a prospect too early, it makes your company look disjointed. We take a thoughtful approach that balances sales goals with customer readiness.
The Sequences That Drive Results
We build a range of automated email sequences for our SMB clients, including:
- Product onboarding or education
- Upcoming webinars and events
- Re-engagement flows for stale contacts
- Abandoned cart reminders
- Promotional offer alerts
- Recurring newsletters that actually get read
Each one is tied to a specific moment in the customer journey—and designed to move them closer to action, not just add to their inbox clutter.
Final Thought
Email still works. But only when it’s done with intention.
That means segmenting smart, designing based on context, keeping your list clean, and building sequences that feel like they were written for the person reading them.
At Daggett Consulting Co., we don’t over-automate or underthink. We help SMBs turn email into the highest-performing part of their funnel—without burning out their audience in the process.
