How to play

• Discover: Each square on the card links directly to a piece of Dotdigital content, from quick-win guides and playbooks to consumer reports and on-demand webinars
• Check off your wins: Tally up how many squares you can already ‘cross off’ because you’ve read, watched, or downloaded it this year
• Challenge: Click on any remaining square that sparks your interest to discover the gems you might have missed

The year’s top marketing resources

Think of this holiday bingo card as a festive cheatsheet: our best-performing content of the year, bundled up and bow-tied to help you kick off 2026 strong. Here’s what’s waiting for you:

Insight reports

• Global benchmark report: Dotdigital’s flagship benchmark report gives marketers an at-a-glance view of global open rates, click-throughs, SMS clicks, and WhatsApp delivery performance, broken down by region and by industry
• The loyalty divide: Based on a survey of 3,000 consumers from across Australia, the UK, and the USA, Dotdigital’s consumer research report explores what truly inspires loyalty and what keeps shoppers coming back
• The ultimate marketing playbook: Drawing on insights from industry experts, the ultimate marketing playbook breaks down the biggest topics shaping marketing today and helps teams navigate them with confidence
• The secret lives of marketing teams: Built on a survey of 1,500 marketers from Australia, the UK, and the USA, this report lifts the lid on what’s really happening inside marketing teams, from evolving budgets to shifting structure
• Hitting the mark: Analyzing 100 brands around the world, Hitting the mark, Dotdigital’s longest-running annual study, shines a spotlight on marketing campaigns and gives marketers fresh inspiration for what to do next

Binge-worthy webinars

• 6 steps to refresh your email campaigns: This webinar walks you through six practical steps to breathe new life into your email campaigns, helping you engage your audience and get better results without adding to your workload
• 3 reasons why personalization is a must-have: Discover why personalization isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s essential in this session, diving into three key reasons marketers need to make it a core part of every campaign
• Dotlive: Copywriting bootcamp: Join our copywriting bootcamp to pick up practical tips from the experts and learn how to craft messaging that grabs attention, drives clicks, and converts your audience
• Cursed campaigns and marketing confessions: Marketing doesn’t always go to plan, and we’re here to share real-life campaign missteps, confessions, and lessons that will make you laugh and help you avoid the same mistakes

Actionable planning guides

• 2026 marketing calendars: Plan your year with confidence using our ultimate marketing calendars, packed with key dates and campaign ideas
• Holiday season email template lookbook: Get inspired for holiday marketing throughout the year with top campaign ideas, examples, and trends to boost your marketing impact
• Know your customers checklist: This is a quick, actionable checklist to help you understand your customers better and craft campaigns that resonate
• 10 automation flows to unlock your data: Learn how to turn your customer data into automated, high-performing campaigns that deliver results with Dotdigital’s ready-to-go templates

AI & personalization playbooks

• Putting the AI in email: Learn how AI can help you work smarter and connect better with your audience through your email campaigns
• The ultimate guide to cross-channel personalization: Find out how to create seamless, personalized experiences across every marketing channel, so your marketing always hits the mark
• The website product recommendations playbook: This is a practical guide to using product recommendations on your website to deliver personalized experiences that drive engagement, clicks, and sales

Mobile marketing cheatsheets

• 4 must-have SMS automation templates: Grab four ready-to-go automated SMS templates that save time and drive engagement; perfect for any marketer looking to get up and running fast
• What is MMS and why you should start now: Explore MMS messaging and see how adding images, video, and rich content can transform your mobile marketing campaigns
• WhatsApp marketing: Everything you need to know: Get up to speed on WhatsApp marketing, from setup to strategy, and start reaching customers where they already are
• The WhatsApp marketing playbook: Get this practical guide packed with tips, templates, and strategies to make WhatsApp a powerful part of your marketing toolkit

But there’s an opportunity to be seized here: 82% of marketers think they’re not personalizing enough, and only 23% of consumers think the marketing messages they receive are truly relevant. So, marketers know there’s some way to go to deliver the kind of messages customers really want. Brands that take the time to create a personalization strategy will be able to create the kind of marketing that cuts through the noise and delivers results.

What effective personalization actually looks like

Great personalization isn’t guesswork. It’s powered by meaningful data, unified insight, and a clear understanding of customer behavior. That’s what allows brands to produce moments that feel relevant, timely, and genuinely helpful – with relevancy being key to building customer connections. The good news is that creating successful, cross-channel, personalized campaigns doesn’t have to be overly complicated, and can actually be broken down into six key areas:

1. Relevance at every touchpoint

Every message is an opportunity to get closer to the customer, or lose them. When marketing communications are relevant, as well as personal, conversions improve across the board.

2. Email

Email is still the reigning king of marketing channels. A customer’s inbox is where they expect to find real value, tailored recommendations, helpful content, loyalty updates, and personalized offers. When done right, personalized emails see 29% higher open rates and 41% higher click rates.

3. SMS and WhatsApp

Mobile marketing channels like SMS and WhatsApp are short, direct, and high-impact. That’s why they’re perfect for reminders, stock alerts, delivery updates, or time-sensitive nudges. Personalized SMS activity can increase click-through rates by 41% and 72% of consumers have made a purchase directly after receiving a text from a brand.

4. Push notifications

Messages are strongest when they’re timely, and push notifications deliver messages directly to the palm of a customer’s hand. Push notifications can be used as a reminder triggered during browsing, a stock-running-low nudge, or a timely alert that builds urgency. And, when personalized, they can generate 59% more engagement than non-personalized push messages.

5. Social and retargeting ads

Social and retargeting ads deliver impressive results when they’re driven by real-time customer behaviors like browsing on-site products, creating wish-lists, and adding items to a cart. When aligned with genuine customer interest, retargeted users are 43% more likely to convert.

6. Website experience

Websites are often overlooked despite being one of the most valuable spaces brands own. When a site adapts to behavior, intent, and preferences, it stops acting like a static storefront and starts becoming an active part of the customer journey. Overall, personalized web experiences consistently drive higher conversion, more repeat visits, and stronger loyalty.

Creating personalized customer journeys 

Customers don’t separate channels in the way that marketers do. Their experience with a brand is an ongoing relationship. Behavioral science even shows that familiar brands activate areas of the brain linked to emotional processing, similar to how we react to seeing people we care about.

Consistency across touchpoints strengthens that relationship. When a personalized web experience is followed by a relevant SMS reminder or an email that reflects what someone browsed, it creates a smooth flow that feels natural. Brands that deliver seamless experiences see 10–15% revenue uplift on average.

The move toward predictive personalization

Predictive personalization has enhanced the experiences marketers can create, moving marketing moments from reactive to predictive and genuinely relevant.

Instead of waiting for customers to act, marketers can now anticipate behavior and meet needs proactively. Predictive analytics and AI help forecast what customers might want next, allowing you to deliver helpful content ahead of time – a strategy that has been shown to lift conversion rates by up to 20%.

This connects directly to behavior-based messaging and real-time activity: what someone browses, adds to cart, or repeatedly returns to, creates a live understanding of intent. If a customer spends time comparing running shoes, an automated email or push notification showing that product, a relevant alternative, or a timely incentive feels natural, not forced.

Over time, these behavior patterns build deep understanding. Customers who prefer sustainable products can be invited to early access to new eco-collections, and seasonal gifters can enter journeys that help them find the right items faster each year. This is how personalization becomes an adaptive system rather than a series of isolated tactics.

Measuring what matters

Getting to the predictive, adaptive stage is the goal, but every personalized experience, regardless of sophistication, only gets better when you can actually measure it. Real success is about figuring out the customer behaviors that genuinely impact your results. To discover this, you can look at the following metrics: 

• Engagement: Are people opening, clicking, or just browsing? 
• Conversions: Which personalized elements drive checkouts, recovered carts, or higher-value purchases?
• Retention and loyalty: Are customers coming back more often? Are they spending more over time? What’s changing in your churn rate and NPS (Net Promoter Score)?
• Revenue attribution: How are your personalized campaigns contributing to average order values and customer lifetime value?
• Channel performance: Where do personalized messages perform strongest? What needs rethinking?

The more crystal clear you are on these metrics, the easier it is to scale what works and ruthlessly edit what doesn’t.

Your five-point personalization action plan

Often, marketers struggle with implementing personalization tactics because they lack confidence in their data. The good news, however, is that small steps can build momentum quickly. Here are five quick and easy steps you can take to begin your personalization journey:

1. Start with a clear goal

Decide what matters most: increasing full-price sales, boosting loyalty, recovering carts, re-engaging lapsing customers, or reducing reliance on discounts. Clarity here shapes everything else.

2. Audit the data

Review what you collect, how it’s collected, and whether it’s connected to your campaigns in a meaningful way. The quality and connectivity of your data directly impact your ability to act on customer intent.

3. Review the tech

Ensure your marketing tech-stack delivers a single customer view, real-time triggers, cross-channel reach, and simple workflows that make personalization manageable. Dotdigital can help with all of this.

4. Prioritize fast wins

Focus on activities that make a big difference. Example tactics include:

• A personalized welcome journey
• SMS cart recovery
• Dynamic product recommendations
• Behavior-based segmentation

These are high-impact, low-complexity steps that deliver immediate value.

5. Choose partners that support your growth

The strongest results come from platforms and partners that help unify data, simplify workflows, and support long-term adoption. The best technology providers combine amazing software with human understanding, which helps teams test, learn, and scale efficiently.

Make every campaign count with the power of personalization

Delivering relevant personalization for your customers isn’t about perfection; it’s about progress, one touchpoint, one message, and one meaningful interaction at a time. The opportunity to rise above the noise is too significant to ignore. By getting your data in order, focusing on the metrics that matter, and acting on intent, you can build creative marketing campaigns that treat your customers as individuals and deliver serious returns.

• Explain what spam is
• Give a clear example
• Share the top 10 reasons why sending it is a bad idea for your brand and your audience

What is spam?

Spam is any email someone didn’t ask for or want. Whether you use email for work or personal reasons, you have probably seen plenty of it. As marketers, it can be tempting to send mass emails to reach more people. But that approach can do more harm than good. 

Let’s look at why.

Example of email spam

Imagine you signed up for a newsletter about productivity apps. A few weeks later, you start getting dozens of emails from unrelated companies, like fitness supplements, travel deals, or random software offers. 

These messages clutter your inbox, waste your time, and make it harder to see the emails you actually care about. This is spam, and it is exactly what you want to avoid sending as a brand.

10 reasons to avoid sending spam emails

1. It annoys potential customers

Nobody likes getting emails they didn’t sign up for. People already get hundreds of email messages every day and don’t want to waste time on irrelevant content. When you send spam, you risk frustrating the people you are trying to reach.

2. It’s against privacy laws

Sending spam can get you into serious trouble. For example, regulations such as Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) and other privacy laws are in place to protect consumers and businesses from the misuse of digital technology.

To avoid legal headaches, follow your region’s email marketing rules. By respecting privacy and being transparent, you build trust and protect your brand.

3. It’s unethical

Spamming doesn’t just break rules. It’s unfair to recipients too. It wastes their time and resources. Remember, many email users pay for their internet service based on usage or time spent online. 

So when you send your unsolicited email, you’re essentially imposing financial costs on others. This unethical practice reflects badly on the sender and can seriously damage the integrity of your brand and relationship with your customers.

4. You’ll lose customer trust

Customer trust is important for strengthening relationships, driving customer loyalty, and promoting positive word-of-mouth. But spam makes your brand feel careless or intrusive, which can lead customers to take action like:

• Unsubscribing from your emails
• Reporting your emails
• Stop engaging with you altogether

To keep the trust of your customers, always get permission before emailing someone. Tell people what they will receive and how often. When your emails are welcome, relevant, and personal, you’ll earn loyalty and better engagement.

5. Disappointing marketing results

Spam emails don’t perform well. They often end up in spam folders where no one sees them. And even if they reach inboxes, they’re unlikely to get clicks or conversions. Instead, focus on consent-based marketing.

Investing time and resources into a marketing strategy that spams people is a waste of time and effort.

6. It’s malicious

Some spam emails contain malware, unsafe links or phishing attempts. These can damage devices or steal personal data. Even if your emails are safe, being associated with spam makes people wary of your brand.

7. It’s not targeted

Spam ignores who recipients are and what they care about, which isn’t how successful email marketing works.

Instead, you should you should personalize your emails by segmenting your mailing lists and sending targeted messages. With this approach, you can deliver tailored content that resonates with your audience. When people feel understood, they are more likely to engage.

8. It lowers deliverability for genuine emails

Sending too many spam-like emails from your domain can hurt your ability to reach inboxes. Internet service providers (ISPs) monitor sending behavior closely. If they detect high volumes of unsolicited email, they may flag your domain or IP address. This can affect even your legitimate campaigns, meaning emails people have opted into might land in spam folders instead of the inbox. 

Over time, this can:

• Reduce engagement
• Make it harder to communicate with your audience
• Undermine the performance of your email marketing overall

9. It has a low ROI

Spam rarely delivers meaningful results. For example, some studies show spammers might need to send thousands of emails just to get a single click or response. That’s a huge investment of time, effort, and resources for almost no payoff. 

In contrast, campaigns carried out with a proper email marketing platform can achieve much higher engagement and ROI. 

Focusing on quality over quantity helps your emails:

• Reach the people who actually care
• Improves campaign performance
• Protects your brand’s reputation

10. It damages your brand reputation

Once people label you as a spammer, it can be very hard to recover. Spam makes your brand look careless, untrustworthy, or unprofessional. Even if the content of your emails is good, being associated with spam can leave a lasting negative impression. 

Building a strong reputation takes time, and one poorly targeted campaign can undo a lot of that effort. By focusing on ethical, permission-based email marketing, you:

• Protect your credibility
• Maintain trust with your audience
• Show that your brand values meaningful connections

Say no to spam

Spam doesn’t help anyone. It frustrates recipients, damages trust, and makes inboxes a less enjoyable place. Instead, focus on responsible email marketing that looks at sending genuine, targeted, and ethical emails your audience wants to receive.

The better approach is to create campaigns that show your customers you value them. When you build trust, tailor content to their needs, and communicate thoughtfully, you’ll see stronger engagement, better results, and a more positive brand reputation.

FAQs about spam

Q: How does spam affect email deliverability?

Spam triggers email filters in a few key ways. For instance, providers look at your:

• Sending IP
• Domain reputation
• Engagement metrics

Things like low open rates or high complaint rates can push emails into spam folders. Sending responsibly helps ensure your legitimate campaigns reach the inbox and perform as intended.

Q: Can subject lines affect whether my email lands in the inbox or spam folder?

Not necessarily. In most cases one word alone won’t make your email go to the junk folder. Major mailbox providers now rely more on sender reputation, domain/IP reputation, and how recipients engage with your emails. However, that doesn’t mean subject lines don’t matter at all.

Q: What are the hidden costs of sending spam?

Spam doesn’t just have a low ROI. It can also cost your business in less obvious ways, like platform fees, wasted team hours, and missed opportunities. Over time, these hidden costs add up and outweigh any small gains. Targeted, permission-based campaigns are a smarter investment for your time and budget.

Q: What are some best practices for ethical email marketing?

Follow these steps to stay ethical and effective:

• Always get explicit permission before sending emails
• Segment your audience so messages are relevant
• Use re-engagement campaigns for inactive subscribers instead of blasting everyone
• Give people a clear and easy way to unsubscribe

Doing this helps you avoid complaints, improve engagement, and build a stronger, more trustworthy brand.

Sure, we know targeting, automation, and personalization are essential for hitting goals, but visuals are the hook. In fact, people are 6.5 times more likely to remember your message if you show it rather than just say it.

So, take a second to look at your email template. Is it memorable? Does the design change how customers feel about your brand? 

During my research for Dotdigital’s Hitting the mark report, I was inspired by what some brands are doing (and surprised by what many weren’t doing) and I want to share that with you. 

To give you a quick hit of inspiration, I’ve rounded up the email design elements that leave a lasting impression on the reader. From countdown clocks and calls to action (CTAs) to interactive emails, here are the design features that make emails sleigh.

1. Countdown clocks

Countdown clocks grab attention, inspire urgency, and drive sales. We often see them in ecommerce emails during sales, but that isn’t the only way to use them.

Here are a few ideas to get the creative juices flowing:

• Birthday treats: Build anticipation by counting down the days until loyal customers can expect a special gift 
• Event reminders: Countdown to a reservation or event to encourage recipients to check directions or check-in details
• Shipping deadlines: Let shoppers know when the cut-off for seasonal shipping is approaching

Why does this email work?

This email from B2B brand Square Signs proves that countdown timers aren’t just for retail. By using the timer to drive competition submissions, they prioritized engagement (rewarding creativity) over a hard sell. Plus, paired with a spooky Halloween theme, it sticks in the mind.

2. Social proof 

Social proof (like reviews or star ratings) is essential for customers during the decision-making process. Customers want honest opinions from peers, not promises from brands. It all comes down to trust, and indecisive shoppers trust peers more than brands. So, try adding third-party blocks from platforms like Trustpilot or Feefo into your email campaigns to give uncertain shoppers that extra nudge.

Why does this email work?

Yes, this review block has a lot of copy, but the star rating and Trustpilot branding instantly build trust. Partnering with a recognized review platform helps to validate your message because the trust is already established between that brand and the customer.

3. Actionable CTAs

The most common CTAs we see are “shop now” and “buy now.” These are fine, but in a flooded inbox, they blend into the background. Plus, they focus on your goal, not the reader’s experience.

To create irresistible CTAs, experiment with language. If you’re in B2B or non-profit, “buy now” might not even apply, so try using phrases that focus on the value for the reader rather than the transaction:

Once you’ve settled on your language, check the design. Is it a button or a text link? Does the color pop? Is it easy to tap on a phone? All of these are essential components to create an irresistible CTA.

Why does this email work?

This example from the England Rugby Club pairs varied CTAs with relevant content. It offers chances to buy tickets while keeping the focus on engaging the audience with exclusive information. The brand knows that if fans feel part of the experience, they become more loyal, high-value supporters later.

4. Quizzes 

Another technique that stood out to me as part of my Hitting the mark research was the impressive use of fun quizzes. Beyond offering a unique experience (such as personalized product recommendations) quizzes can be a goldmine for data. They provide you with relevant insights that help build detailed customer profiles, which can, in turn, help shape future marketing decisions.

Why does this email work?

The goal here is to simply get recipients to take the quiz. Three Spirit uses a short explainer on why the reader should take it, followed by clear CTAs focused on the experience rather than the sale.

5. Videos and GIFs 

We’re living in a video-first world. People spend about 141 minutes a day on social media, much of it watching Reels and TikTok videos. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth a million. It’s an effortless way to communicate without struggling to cut your copy down.

Why does this email work?

Claridge’s Hotel in London communicates the care and dedication of its kitchen staff in this simple 20-second video that gives subscribers a unique behind-the-scenes look at the food awaiting them. I also love that they paired the video with a text explanation of the dishes, ensuring the email remains accessible to everyone.

6. Interactivity

The ultimate goal of email marketing campaigns is to drive the recipient to the next stage of engagement, but to get that engagement, you need to stop the scroll. 

Adding interactive elements to your email transforms a static message into an engaging experience. It stops subscribers from flicking past you and buys valuable time in the inbox to make an impact. By prioritizing a customer-first experience in the inbox, you’re building the kind of deep engagement that makes them want to continue their journey with you. 

Why does this email work?

This is a fully immersive experience. By letting fans explore the racecourse directly in their inbox, the reader gets exclusive insights on where to watch on race day. These customer-first experiences drive loyalty and long-term value.

7. Year in review

Spotify has proved that data can be a real conversation starter. Spotify Wrapped is a hotly anticipated moment in the calendar for brands and customers, but for Spotify, there’s a bonus benefit: it unites the community. Having a happy community of customers is key to improving average order value (AOV) and customer lifetime value (CLV), and “year in review” emails are perfect for that because they deliver memorable, shareable content. 

Why does this email work?

Paypal’s infographic style makes valuable info highly consumable. While this example is a general business overview, the CTA drives recipients to check their personalized results. It’s community building wrapped in a personalized bow.

8. Footers

Footers are often overlooked, but they deserve some TLC. In my Hitting the mark analysis, I found many brands stuck to standard, out-of-the-box footers. A thoughtfully designed footer can address blockers for customers not yet ready to buy, so when you’re building your email templates, think about the key links that will improve the customer experience.

Why does this email work?

This is an excellent example of a footer that removes barriers to conversion. Visual cues deliver essential info about delivery and store locators, while the Trustpilot rating and B Corp Certification build trust in every single send. Small touches like this have a big impact.

Bonus: Accessible design

Accessibility isn’t a “nice-to-have.” One in six adults has a disability, making accessibility a design principle you shouldn’t ignore. Despite this, the Email Markup Consortium(EMC) found that a shocking 99% of emails contain “serious” or “critical” issues.

In Hitting the mark, only 10% of brands met best-in-class accessibility standards. To get a full breakdown of how to create accessible templates in minutes, check out our latest accessibility blog, but first, let’s look at who’s getting it right. 

Why does this email work?

Zapier ticks almost every box with this email. The high contrast between the background and text makes it readable; the message remains clear even with images off (which is vital for screen readers) and the CTAs are descriptive and actionable. The only thing missing is alt text for the images, but since the copy covers the critical info, readers won’t miss out.

Ready to make your emails sleigh? 

I hope these examples sparked some ideas for your next campaign. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel; just a few tweaks to your visuals, CTAs, or adding in some interactivity can make a massive difference in how your audience connects with your brand.

That’s surprising, because email is a long-standing part of the marketing mix. And, it’s a channel that, despite being told every year it’s no longer relevant, continues to thrive. According to Litmus, for every dollar spent on email marketing, marketers can get $36–$50 in return, so it’s no wonder global email marketing revenue is projected to hit $14.5 billion by 2026.

It’s safe to say email is still the MVP of marketing channels. The inbox is where customers want to engage. It’s personal, permission-based, and gives customers control over how they interact with brands.

Marketers clearly know the value of this channel, too. Brands scored the highest in the email marketing category in our latest Hitting the mark report, and it remains the preferred channel for consumers, according to our consumer research report, the loyalty divide. But while email continues to outperform other channels, many brands still aren’t tapping its full potential, especially when it comes to email list growth and long-term engagement.

An email address is the starting point of a relationship. It’s your invitation to deliver value, build trust, and set the tone for a long-term connection. Once you’ve earned that inbox spot, you unlock the ability to retarget, nurture, and delight your customers over time.

Need to know email marketing stats

• Email was the highest-scoring category in Hitting the mark, with brands averaging 16 out of 25, a clear sign that marketers recognize its power and potential
• For every $1 spent on email marketing, 35% of marketers see $10–$36 in return, 30% see $36–$50, and 5% earn more than $50
• Global email marketing revenue is projected to reach $14.5 billion by the end of 2026, proving that the channel still generates big business
• 60% of marketers said improving CLV is their top goal, while nearly 40% are focusing on increasing purchase frequency, with email playing a central role in achieving both
• Despite email’s proven results, 22% of marketers across major markets say proving ROI is still a major roadblock to success
• Around 24% of marketers say Tuesday is their go-to day for sending campaigns, with Thursday close behind at 20%
• When asked about their main objectives, 20% of marketers said generating leads was their primary goal, followed by 17% focused on nurturing subscribers with offers or lifecycle automation
• 40% of marketers say the most exciting use of AI right now is automatic content and image generation, opening the door to faster, more personalized campaigns

Why email list growth matters

But performance that delivers results doesn’t happen by accident. To get the most from your email marketing, you need to start the relationship strong and think about how to grow your list strategically. A strong list growth strategy doesn’t just fill your database; it lays the foundation for smarter automation, richer personalization, and lasting loyalty.

Yet, in our latest Hitting the mark report, only 45% of brands had a clear list growth strategy, using tools like popovers or attention-grabbing sign-up tactics. The remaining 55% buried their sign-ups in footers or hid them behind account creation. In other words, more than half of the brands are making it harder than it should be to kickstart a relationship with prospective customers, missing out on list growth opportunities.

And that’s a problem because if subscribing isn’t easy, most visitors won’t bother, and once they leave, that connection is lost.

The benefits of a strong email list growth strategy

Making it easy and enticing to subscribe creates a reliable way to boost CLV and build long-term loyalty. Plus, a well-planned email list growth strategy arms you with everything you need to deliver smarter automation, sharper personalization, and drive sustainable revenue growth.

A strong strategy can:

• Increase CLV: Engaged subscribers buy more often, spend more per purchase, and stay loyal longer, directly improving customer lifetime value
• Capture zero- and first-party data: Easily gather the insights you need to personalize campaigns, segment audiences, and even inform your broader marketing strategy
• Build trust and transparency: Set expectations from the first interaction by being clear about data use, consent, and the value exchange
• Enable smarter automation: Trigger personalized journeys that welcome, nurture, and convert new subscribers automatically
• Improve engagement rates: Deliver tailored content that feels relevant and timely, boosting open, click, and conversion rates
• Strengthen retention and loyalty: Turn new sign-ups into long-term brand advocates through consistent, value-driven communication

How to calculate the value of an email address

If you’re wondering whether it’s worth investing in your email list growth efforts, here’s a simple exercise to help you find out: calculate how much a single email address is worth to your business. Because when you can put a number to it (even a rough one), it becomes incredibly clear how powerful your acquisition efforts can be.

The value of one address

A single email address represents a relationship, a potential sale, and a share of your brand’s long-term revenue. To estimate what that relationship is worth, start with two numbers:

• Your total email-attributed revenue from the past 12 months
• The number of active subscribers (people who actually open, click, and convert — not your total list size)

Then use this simple calculation:

Email value per address = total email revenue ÷ active subscribers

Example: $20,000 ÷ 10,000 active addresses = $2 per subscriber(per year)

It’s a simple calculation, but it’s eye-opening. Even if that number seems small, it adds up fast when you think about the lifetime of that relationship.

The lifetime value of one email address

Now, let’s think about how long a subscriber typically stays active. If you lose around 5% of your list each month, your average subscriber lifespan is roughly 20 months (1 ÷ 0.05). Multiply your per-subscriber value by that number to get their lifetime value (LTV).

Lifetime value = Email value per address × average subscriber lifespan

Example: $2 × 20 months = $40 lifetime value per subscriber

Even if a single subscriber only contributes $2 a month, over time, they could be worth $40 to your brand. This number will increase the more they engage and when they make repeat purchases.

The value of your entire list

To get an even bigger picture, multiply that lifetime value by the number of active subscribers you have.

List value = lifetime value × active subscribers

Example: $40 × 50,000 active subscribers = $2,000,000 total list value

That’s the potential of your email list, which makes it worth thinking carefully about how to fill it with highly engaged subscribers.

How to grow your email list with engaged subscribers

Your email list growth strategy is about attracting the right people and giving them a reason to stick around. When you focus on quality, intent, and value exchange, you’ll build richer lists of engaged customers who love your brand.

Here’s how to build a list full of genuinely engaged prospects:

1. Get your placement right

Your sign-up form’s location can make or break your list growth efforts. If your only option to subscribe lives in the footer of your website, then you’re relying on visitors to scroll all the way down, which most won’t.

Think about where people are most engaged; every touchpoint is a chance to encourage email list growth. With 54% of consumers discovering new brands on mobile, the experience has to be quick and easy to act on. Popovers can work well, but they’re not the only way to get noticed. Try adding multiple touchpoints on your website, like banners, sticky headers, or embedded sign-up forms, to make subscribing feel seamless.

Activewear brand Rebel Active keeps a permanent sign-up CTA in its website header, making it easy to subscribe anytime. The homepage also promotes its loyalty program, giving visitors an extra reason to join.

2. Include clear consent and privacy messaging

Trust starts the moment someone shares their email with you, and it’s key to sustainable list growth. Yet in Hitting the mark, 32% of brands didn’t communicate their privacy policy or collect proper consent.

That’s not just risky, it’s a missed opportunity to build trust and confidence in your brand. Being upfront about how you’ll use a customer’s data and linking to your privacy policy shows transparency and respect.

Beyond being a legal must-have (in compliance with GDPR, CAN-SPAM, and various US state laws), this shows customers you value their data and won’t abuse their trust. With consumer confidence in data security at an all-time low because of recent and ongoing data breaches, this reassurance goes a long way in building relationships based on trust.

Mammut keeps its privacy and consent messaging short, clear, and customer-friendly. A simple tick box at the end of the form lets subscribers know exactly what they’re opting into, while a link to more details keeps things transparent without overwhelming the experience.

3. Use smart attention-grabbing tactics

Sign-up opportunities should adapt to where the visitor is in their journey. If you’re using popovers, make them contextual.

A few popover tactics you can try are:

• Delayed scroll popovers: Let visitors explore your homepage or landing page first, then invite them to subscribe halfway down the page
• Timed triggers: Show popovers after a set time period, like 45 seconds, to reach visitors who’ve clearly engaged or haven’t bounced
• Exit-intent prompts: Offer a light-touch “stay in touch” message before someone leaves your site
• Save your basket messages: Convert browsers who aren’t ready to buy yet but want to keep in touch

Just make sure you’re not overdoing it. Use conditions to avoid showing popovers to existing contacts, to avoid turning your helpful prompt into an annoyance.

BÉIS uses a delayed popover to invite visitors to subscribe and sweetens the deal with a 25% discount. It’s a smart example of value exchange done well.

And remember, attention-grabbing doesn’t have to mean adding a popover to your site. If your website visits happen predominantly over mobile, popovers might not be ideal. Try using interactive tools like quizzes or style finders that collect valuable data in a fun, opt-in way. It’s engagement that doubles as insight.

Health and nutrition brand Free Soul knows that choosing supplements can be confusing. To help, it offers an interactive quiz that delivers personalized product recommendations and collects valuable subscriber data in a natural, engaging way.

4. Be clear, open, and value-driven

The best-performing sign-ups are built on honesty. Tell customers what you’re collecting and why you’re collecting it.

Instead of saying “Tell us your birthday,” flip it to “Get a birthday treat from us.” Make the value exchange obvious to the subscriber. For every piece of data they share, they should feel like they’re getting something better in return. This small shift builds trust, reinforces transparency, and positions your brand as one that gives more than it takes.

Grill’d makes data sharing irresistible by clearly explaining why they collect information like birthdays and favorite Aussie Rules teams, and what subscribers get in return. It’s transparent, relevant, and builds trust from the start of the relationship.

5. Weave loyalty into your sign-up experience

Loyalty isn’t the final stage of the customer journey; it should be your brand’s mindset that shows up right from the first interaction. Shoppers today expect to get something back for their engagement, and loyalty programs are a big part of that.

But according to Hitting the mark, only 22% of brands integrated loyalty or advocacy into welcome and onboarding messages, and just 9% had a fully integrated loyalty program across the entire customer journey.

If you have one, make it a feature of your sign-up experience. Position your loyalty or rewards program as a reason why visitors should subscribe. This shifts the mindset from “giving your email away” to “joining something valuable.”

GANT takes a loyalty-first approach to list growth, shifting the message from “Sign up to our emails” to “Join the club.” This subtle change makes subscribing feel like joining an exclusive community, which sparks instant engagement and long-term loyalty.

Strong lists build stronger brands

Your email list is one of your most valuable marketing assets, but only if it’s full of people who genuinely want to hear from you. Keep focusing on meaningful list growth, quality data, and transparent value exchanges, and the ROI will follow naturally. When you treat list growth as an ongoing strategy, not a one-time task, your inbox becomes one of the most powerful drivers of loyalty and revenue your brand has.

But great results don’t happen by accident. They come from smart strategy, thoughtful execution, and the right tools. Here’s how to create an email marketing campaign that actually works.

What is an email campaign?

An email campaign is a series of messages you send to your subscribers with a clear purpose like promoting a new product or keeping your audience engaged.

Each campaign should deliver value to the reader. That could mean sharing helpful content, exclusive offers, or personalized recommendations. The goal is to build stronger relationships with your audience over time, not just fill their inbox.

The benefits of email marketing campaigns

Email marketing helps you stay connected with your audience in a direct, measurable way. Unlike social media, you own your contact list and can reach people without relying on algorithms.

Here’s some of the biggest benefits:

• Reach the right people by targeting specific segments of your audience based on behavior, preferences, or location.

• Drive measurable results by tracking every open, click, and conversion to understand what’s working.

• Build loyalty with regular, relevant communication that keeps your brand top of mind and strengthens customer relationships.

• Save time with automation, making it easy to send personalized messages at scale.

How to create an effective email marketing campaign

Creating an effective campaign comes down to planning, testing, and optimizing. Follow these steps to build emails that engage your audience and deliver results.

1. Define your goals and target audience

Before you write a single line of copy, know the goals you want to achieve and who you’re talking to.

Your goals might include:

• Growing your subscriber base
• Driving sales or bookings
• Re-engaging inactive customers
• Promoting new products or events

Once you know your goals, it’s time to identify and define your target audience. Segment your email list by things like location, purchase history, or engagement level. Sending targeted, relevant messages not only boosts performance but also builds trust and reduces unsubscribes.

2. Choose your email campaign type

Different goals call for different types of email campaigns. A few common examples include:

• Welcome emails: Introduce new subscribers to your brand
• Newsletters: Share updates, insights, and helpful content
• Promotional campaigns: Highlight offers or new products
• Re-engagement emails: Win back inactive subscribers
• Transactional emails: Confirm orders or share delivery updates

Choosing the right email campaign type helps you focus your message and design content that supports your objectives.

3. Build and maintain a quality mailing list

A healthy mailing list is at the heart of every successful email campaign. It should include people who’ve opted in and genuinely want to hear from you. And as email marketers, it’s up to you to keep them engaged by delivering content that adds real value and enjoyment.

How to create an effective mailing list

1.Build your list

Add clear, simple sign-up forms to your website and promote them on your social channels. It should be simple, easy to fill out, and not require too much information. Offer something of value in return for subscribing like an exclusive guide, discount, or early access to sales.

This is also a great opportunity to collect zero-party data. This is the information your customers willingly share with you, like preferences, interests, or purchase intentions. Using this data helps you create more personalized campaigns that feel relevant and engaging from the start.

2. Keep it relevant

Use a preference center so subscribers can choose what kind of emails they want and how often they get them. This helps reduce unsubscribes and improves engagement.

3. Keep it clean

Review your list regularly. Remove inactive or invalid contacts to improve deliverability and keep your data accurate.

It’s also important you stay compliant with data regulations, both in the US and EU. You can learn more about GDPR best practices and US data regulations to make sure your email marketing stays on the right side of the law.

4. Personalization and automation

Personalization makes your emails feel human. Automation makes them efficient. Together, they help you deliver the right message to the right person at the right time.

How to personalize email campaigns

Go beyond using someone’s first name. Personalize your emails by using data like past purchases, browsing behavior, or engagement history to shape what you send. When your emails feel relevant, people are more likely to open, click, and convert.

Did you know?

While 78% of consumers think brands personalize their marketing, only 23% find it truly relevant. And at the same time, 83% of marketers know their campaigns aren’t personalized enough. 

So, the opportunity? Huge. Most brands are still missing the mark on meaningful personalization.

How to automate your campaigns

Platforms like Dotdigital make automation simple. You can set up journeys that trigger emails based on behavior like a welcome series for new subscribers or a reminder for customers who abandon their cart. Automation saves you time while keeping your customer experience consistent and timely.

5. Measuring the effectiveness of your email campaigns

One of the most important aspects of any email marketing campaign is to track, measure and analyze the results. This will allow you to understand how your campaign is performing and to make any necessary adjustments for better results in the future. 

Start with key email marketing metrics like:

• Open rate: How many people opened your email
• Click-through rate(CTR): How many people clicked a link
• Conversions: How many completed your desired action (like a purchase or signup)

If something isn’t performing, use those insights to adjust. Maybe your subject lines need more punch, or your calls-to-action could be clearer. Small tweaks can have a big impact over time.

5 best email marketing campaigns

Looking for inspiration? Here are a few examples of strong email campaigns:

1. Welcome series: Makes a great first impression with new subscribers
2. Loyalty reward emails: Surprise and delight customers with exclusive offers
3. Seasonal campaigns: Timely promotions that tap into key shopping moments
4. Reactivation emails: Re-engage subscribers who haven’t opened in a while
5. Educational series: Share tips or insights that position your brand as a trusted expert

Each of these email campaigns focuses on adding value for the reader, which is the secret to long-term success.

Start creating successful email marketing campaigns

When you define clear goals, understand your audience, and use smart tools like automation and segmentation, you’ll see stronger engagement and better results.

Email marketing is a lot more than simply sending messages, it’s about building meaningful relationships that grow your business over time.

Let’s dive into what’s new.

What’s new in campaign management 

We don’t believe in cookie-cutter experiences or generic marketing. The latest updates help you take more control over how you communicate with customers and analyze and optimize your marketing campaigns.

Say hello to WhatsApp

Dotdigital customers using WhatsApp are already seeing standout results with open rates above 90% and engagement that outperforms email. Now, WhatsApp comes with improved subscriber management, easy migrations, and built-in consent handling. Whether you’re welcoming new customers, sending offers, or sharing updates, you can now do it all in the world’s favorite messaging app.

Dotdigital customer? Take our new 30-minute WhatsApp crash course on the Dotdigital Academy.

Get conversational with two-way SMS

We’re on a mission to help marketers drive richer engagement. From speeding up sales processes to replying to questions, driving richer engagement with SMS is easy. Speak to your CSM to learn more.

Custom email reports

We’ve made reporting more customizable, so you can track what matters, your way. Build, save, and schedule reports that focus on the metrics, campaigns, and date ranges you need, with no spreadsheets or pivot tables required.

Flexible split testing

You can now test subject lines, content, or send times across your whole audience or specific segments. Then, dig into side-by-side results to get a clearer view of what really drives audience engagement.

Smarter pop-ups

We’ve reduced the time it takes to launch smart, targeted pop-ups; no more dev time, no more delays. You can now easily launch, test, and tweak pop-ups with advanced targeting such as exit intent, scroll depth, time on page, and pages visited. Plus, you have even more control, being able to instantly publish or pause campaigns to capture attention at just the right moment.

Advanced date-based segmentation

This release enhances our smart segment builder with more flexible date ranges. You can now segment based on timeframes of up to 30,000 days ago and create precise views like ‘renewal due in 3 years.’ This is ideal for brands with long purchase cycles, loyalty programs, and milestone campaigns.

Smarter ways to build with AI and the Dotdigital API

Our new MCP (Model Context Protocol) endpoints make it easier for AI tools to understand and guide you through our API. Whether you’re using the “Ask AI” agent in our developer hub or your own LLM (large language model), you’ll get the insights you need to build faster and smarter.

What’s new in commerce

We’re helping you drive growth and loyalty with a connected commerce stack that helps you refer, reward, and retain more customers.

Refer, reward, and retain with new integrations

Social Snowball isn’t just part of the Dotdigital family; we also have a slick integration automating how Shopify merchants speak to their influencers and affiliates. Plus, Yotpo, Judge.me, and Okendo integrations make it easier for you to use reviews, points, and rewards to personalize experiences across your Shopify store.

Unified web tracking for commerce platforms

If you’re using Adobe Commerce, Shopware, or WooCommerce, you can now track Events directly in your single customer view using the unified Dotdigital Tag for seamless behavioral insights across your commerce site. It also means your insights will keep running through rebrands, site rebrands, and technology migrations.

Transactional SMS for Adobe Commerce

US retailers can now keep customers in the loop with shipping and order updates, while maintaining compliance with regional transactional SMS consent requirements.

17 new verified integrations

Dotdigital now connects seamlessly with 17 additional tools, including Relay42, Talkable, Swym, Wisepops, and SearchSpring. These integrations help you sync data, trigger automations, and deliver more personalized experiences across channels.

What’s new for data teams 

Whether you’re a marketer, developer, or data analyst, this release is making it easier to connect Dotdigital to your data stack. With us, you’ll be able to get even more out of every campaign.

More ways to export data with our data firehose

Automatically push all your raw engagement data to your chosen cloud storage platform using our upgraded data firehose. We now support Google Cloud Storage and Azure Blob Storage, alongside Amazon S3 and SFTP.

New Snowflake and BigQuery integrations

Sync contacts, products, and subscription data from your data warehouse directly into Dotdigital. No more disjointed or siloed experiences, just smarter personalization.

Microsoft Dynamics Entra ID authentication

Connecting Dotdigital with Microsoft Dynamics 365 is now faster and more secure with Entra ID authentication. This update makes setup simple, improves access management, and eliminates the need for additional user licenses.

What’s new with Social Snowball by Dotdigital

Since joining the Dotdigital family, Social Snowball now offers even more. This release includes updates that help brands scale their affiliate and influencer marketing programs.

Fully integrated affiliate and referral programs

You can now launch fully automated campaigns, reward advocates instantly, and track results without the need for developer resources or complicated custom-built solutions.

Set product-level commissions

Merchants can now set up to 100 different commission amounts for specific products or variants, helping you make your influencer programs more strategic and performance-driven.

Gifting campaigns

We’ve made it a breeze to run influencer outreach programs. Merchants can automatically seed products to a group of affiliates in just a few clicks. This is perfect for launches, gifting, or social buzz campaigns.

Advanced social analytics

Social Snowball now aggregates performance data from affiliates’ Instagram and TikTok Shop posts, giving you a clear view of which influencers are driving real engagement and conversions. This lets you optimize campaigns, reward top performers, and scale your network with confidence, so you can keep turning social content into measurable business results.

Everything you need to engage smarter

As we begin to wrap up 2025, Dotdigital’s latest release gives you even smarter tools, deeper insights, and more seamless connections across every channel. From WhatsApp and data syncing to commerce integrations and influencer program enhancements, this update makes it easier than ever to engage customers, prove ROI, and deliver personalized experiences at scale. Whether you’re optimizing campaigns, connecting data, or growing loyalty, the November release sets you up for a smarter, more connected 2026.

“The times change, and if you don’t change with them, you get left behind.”

– Bradley Walsh

That quote still rings true. The way we connect with customers has evolved dramatically, but email continues to prove its staying power. Every day, billions of emails land in inboxes and despite the rise of new marketing channels, email remains the most effective way to build relationships and drive sales.

So what makes electronic direct mail (EDM) different from regular email marketing? And why should it still be a key part of your digital strategy? Let’s take a closer look at how EDM marketing works and how it can help you deliver more personalized, automated, and impactful campaigns.

So, what is Electronic Direct Mail marketing?

Electronic Direct Mail (EDM) is a form of digital marketing strategy that businesses implement to promote products to a list of potential customers (who are opted-in) via email. 

While EDM shares some similarities with traditional email marketing, it goes further in terms of automation, segmentation, and delivering personalized campaigns. If you want a deeper dive into how EDM differs from standard email marketing, check out our guide on EDM vs. email marketing.

Did you know?

Traditionally EDM marketing is associated with terms like ‘batch and blast’. This would involve sending one email out to your entire database, with no regard for individual customer preferences, interest or demographics.  Please don’t do this! 

Batch and blast most definitely falls into the ‘bad practice’ category when it comes to email marketing and can have negative impact on your overall sender reputation, which can be very hard to recover from. 

By using a secure and reputable email platform, like Dotdigital, you can easily personalize all emails at scale to make them effective for you and relevant for your customers.

How EDM campaigns work

A typical EDM campaign follows a structured flow:

• Audience segmentation: Group subscribers based on demographics, behavior, or engagement history

• Message design: Craft content tailored to each segment

• Automation setup: Use tools to schedule and trigger campaigns

• Send and monitor: Deliver emails and monitor performance metrics

• Optimization: Adjust campaigns based on results for better engagement

How to create an EDM marketing campaign?

EDM marketing campaigns are a cost-effective way to improve conversions and build brand loyalty. With consistent messaging, your EDM campaign is more likely to be top of mind for a customer while they make a purchase decision. Let’s take you through the basics of creating an EDM marketing campaign.

1. Start with your customers’ data

Building a high-performing EDM campaign starts with clean, opted-in customer data. Avoid the temptation to buy lists. Not only can this damage your brand’s reputation, it violates data privacy laws (GDPR, PDPA) and sending to inactive addresses can harm your domain’s deliverability.

Instead, you want to ensure your list is:

• Fully opted-in: every subscriber has explicitly agreed to receive your communications

• Clean and deduplicated: remove invalid or duplicate emails

• Sizable enough: aim for a baseline audience of at least 1,000 subscribers before launching campaigns for meaningful results

If you need help growing your database safely and quickly, see our guide on building an email list.

2. Segment your audience

Once the data is collected and based on your customer behavioral traits, identify the segments you need to build. These should then be funneled into your core demographic audience groups based on age, gender, interest, or location.

For example, customers who spent a certain amount over six months, or recently made a purchase, or have visited your site to look at particular products.

You can then begin planning and building out more advanced segments to ensure you’re sending targeted and relevant messages. These can be based on:

• RFM analysis tools: target customers based on recency, frequency, and monetary value
• Lead scoring: prioritize subscribers most likely to convert
• Web behavior tracking: segment users based on actions taken on your website, such as page visits, product views, or downloads

By knowing what segments you can and want to target, you can better plan your messaging and the channels you’ll send them through.

3. Personalize your emails

Personalization relies on understanding your customers’ preferences, past behavior, and engagement history. It makes your subscribers feel valued, increasing engagement and long-term loyalty. The more tailored the experience, the higher your engagement.

Examples of personalization include:

• Behavior-based offers: send a special code to a loyal customer who frequently buys tech gadgets

• Dynamic content blocks: show different products or articles based on subscriber interests

• Personalized subject lines: incorporate first names, recent purchases, or browsing history

4. Plan your campaign

Before creating your emails, you’ll need to plan the overall campaign. Planning ensures consistency and aligns your EDM campaign with business goals. 

Here’s some things to consider:

• Define your objectives: awareness, engagement, retention, or sales

• Map out the journey: determine how many emails, the timing of sends, and triggers for next steps

• Decide on automation workflows: welcome series, abandoned cart, post-purchase follow-ups

5. Create your campaign

Use an email marketing platform to build your campaigns. Modern platforms often feature drag-and-drop editors, responsive templates, and no-code automation, allowing you to create polished emails and entire customer journeys quickly. Investing in the right tools and design upfront will maximize the impact and ROI of your campaigns.

Here’s some things to consider:

• Design for mobile-first: most subscribers check emails on mobile devices

• Include clear CTAs: tell readers exactly what you want them to do next

• Use visual hierarchy: headings, images, and buttons should guide the reader naturally

• Integrate tracking pixels and UTM codes for analytics

6. Test and track your performance

Testing is critical to understanding what resonates with your audience. With privacy updates becoming more frequent and nuanced, open rates may be partially masked. Focus on click-through rates, conversions, and other engagement metrics to assess campaign success:

• A/B testing: compare subject lines, content, imagery, or send times to see which performs best

• Open & click tracking: measure engagement and optimize future campaigns

7. Customer-centric approach

Customer-centric marketing is more than just a buzzword. It should be at the heart of everything you do, every journey you create, and every message you send.

Think about your key touch points from sign-up to post-purchase and beyond. This will help you identify your existing channels and where you need to focus your efforts. It will also help you see any potential gaps for expanding your channel offering.

By taking the time to learn about the customer journey, you’ll create consistent messaging and branding across every channel.

Wrapping up: why EDM marketing is your next smart move

EDM marketing is more than just another buzzword; it’s a strategic approach that transforms how you connect with your audience. By moving beyond generic email blasts and embracing personalized, data-driven campaigns, you can foster deeper relationships and drive meaningful actions.

Whether you’re nurturing leads or re-engaging loyal customers, EDM marketing empowers you to speak directly to your audience’s needs and interests.

People are in buying mode, checking their inboxes more frequently, and looking for connection as much as discounts.

Why seasonal marketing works beyond retail

The holidays aren’t just for shopping, they’re also for reconnecting. It’s a great time to build an emotional connection with your audience to build on customer loyalty. This is a key time of year for engagement as your audience is checking inboxes, planning budgets, and reflecting on the year gone by.

In this blog, we’ll explore how B2B marketers can take a page from ecommerce’s playbook, adapting high-performing seasonal strategies to engage decision-makers, nurture leads, and make your brand top of mind during the most competitive time of the year.

Standout B2B holiday campaigns and what we can learn

Cyber Monday and Black Friday for B2B brands

Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) are often thought of as consumer-focused shopping events, but for B2B marketers, they represent a unique opportunity to engage clients, nurture leads, and accelerate sales before the end of the year. Business people are still people, they’re just at work, and it’s certainly a time where people are in the buying mood, so take advantage of that.

This campaign from writing assistant tool Grammarly shows that B2B can take part in traditional Black Friday style discounts. Offering its software with a huge 50% discount over Black Friday and Cyber Monday the campaign is sure to jump out in the inbox.

The huge discount and short window in which to redeem it encourages urgency, and thanks to the already established nature of BFCM sales, the ‘ending soon’ angle feels genuine rather than pushy.

Subject line: Cyber Savings start now! Get 50% off Grammarly Pro

Why it worked

The email is simple, but still tells you everything you need to know. BFCM is a busy time, just last year Dotdigital sent over 365 million emails on Black Friday alone, so having your main takeaway above the fold (visible immediately without scrolling) is crucial.

The campaign makes the offer clear and then talks directly to the consumer, aligning the product to hitting your goals for the next year. Finally there’s a clear, concise overview of what Grammarly offers – making it the perfect email to simply forward on to a manager or budget holder if required.

How to replicate it

Identify something extra you can provide, while a classic discount is what customers expect over BFCM, you’re not limited to this. For many B2B brands the sales cycle is longer and more complex than a one-off purchase. Instead of offering an on-the-day immediate benefit, try offering a discount or additional benefits to customers who express interest on BFCM. Create a unique sign up form to attract new leads across social media, website, and email with this unique offer and then you have a list of engaged prospects that you can continue to close over the coming weeks.

BFCM isn’t just for ecommerce, see how charity marketers provide enticing offers for BFCM here.

End of year B2B campaign ideas

The holiday season falls at the end of the calendar year, which is nostalgic by nature. This makes it a great time to do a roundup of your year and remind your audience the value you bring, and the community they’re a part of. Connect with your audience by reflecting on the year’s achievements, thanking supporters and customers, and reinforce your brand’s values. By taking a moment to acknowledge and appreciate your audience, you can leave a positive, lasting impression that goes beyond typical marketing communications.

Find an angle that makes sense for your brand. Here are some examples from different B2B brands.

Subject line: The ecommerce trends you cared about most in 2024

Why it worked

Shopify took the opportunity to roundup and reshare its most popular content from the year. Both reminding your audience of all the great content you get for subscribing and getting more eyes on valuable content. It also adds to the community feeling, subtly reminding customers that they’re part of a group of like-minded Shopify fans working towards a similar goal. Plus, social proof comes in all forms. Highlighting this ‘most popular’ content makes for a great reading list.

Subject line: Celebrate the end of the year with The Drop

Why it worked

MOO put its team center stage, sharing a blog where employees talk about the changes the brand has experienced that year. This is a nice way to add humanity and personality to your brand and build community content.

Subject line: Everything we shipped in 2024

Why it worked

Figma took the opportunity to remind customers of all the updates they released that year to show the progression and value of being a Figma user. The email also reminisces on the successful conference, Config. Overall, the campaign is full of positive energy, reminding customers of the brand’s commitment to serving its audience and providing what they need.

How to replicate it

Think about what you’re most proud of from this year and create a campaign around that. Is it product launches, events, an award win? Whatever is worthy of celebration and of interest to your audience is best here.

Pull in some user-generated content (UGC) in the form of reviews to bring the community element into your campaign. Look at ways you can make this campaign personal to the recipient, everyone loves Spotify’s annual Wrapped campaign. Perhaps you can create a personalized campaign that pulls in personal data fields such as events attended, new features used, or similar.

You can also send the campaign from a recipient’s dedicated account manager if appropriate to give it that extra relevancy. Our 2025 loyalty report found that while 78% of consumers feel brands personalize their marketing at the right level, only 23% consider those messages to be truly relevant.

A B2B approach to holiday campaigns

A happy holiday message is a simple and effective way to strengthen relationships and show appreciation to clients, partners, and collaborators. This is your digital equivalent of a holiday card, and with Dotdigital it’s completely eco friendly as our platform is carbon-neutral.

Subject line: Happy Holidays, from our work family to yours

Subject line: A wish from MOO to you

Why it worked

Unlike transactional or sales emails, a holiday greeting is personal and thoughtful, reminding recipients that your business values the relationship beyond revenue. It helps humanize your brand, foster goodwill, and keep your company top of mind as the year closes, setting a positive tone for future collaboration in the new year. Also bare in mind that not everyone celebrates the holidays and it can be sensitive for some, so give your audience the opportunity to opt out of holiday content in your preference center.

How to replicate it

These campaigns can be super simple. The Quill example shows how a heartfelt thank you can work and MOO’s simple image-led campaign with just a couple of lines of text is something you can put together quickly.

We’re all about humanizing B2B marketing, and this is a good opportunity to show the faces behind your brand. Position your message to come from someone notable like your founder or CEO, include a photo, and be sure to personalize that ‘friendly from’ name for better engagement. Segment your customers and your prospects so you can send a tailored and highly relevant message to both groups.

As this is your virtual holiday card, incorporate seasonal imagery and colors to make the design deliver on the warm and fuzzy feeling. Just remember to send this before Christmas week to avoid your email being missed as people log off from work for the holidays.

So, can B2B brands win at seasonal marketing?

Absolutely. Stake your claim in the busy holiday inboxes by offering something different, yet just as exciting. By taking on traditional sales days and tactics with a slight reposition to suit your brand, you can provide relevancy, build emotional connection, and share positive energy to round out your year and set the tone for the next.

In this blog, we’ll unwrap practical, heartfelt strategies to help your not-for-profit connect with supporters, and drive impact when it matters most.

Why holiday marketing works beyond retail

While most marketing advice for the season is geared toward ecommerce brands, not-for-profit organizations are sometimes left feeling like Kevin McCallister in Home Alone, forgotten amid the festive frenzy. We may not be able to give out free turtle doves, but we can share some ideas and advice.

Vimal Patel, Co-founder and Managing Director, Giant Digital, a not-for-profit digital agency, says:

“The holiday season is a time of generosity, reflection and hope, when supporters are most open to connecting with the causes that move them. For charities, it’s a powerful opportunity to inspire compassion and turn that goodwill into lasting impact.

Working alongside Help for Heroes on their Send Hope to a Veteran Christmas appeal, we helped enhance the digital experience to better capture the emotion of the season. Together, we tested video and static imagery, linger time and interaction history, as well as building analysis funnels to understand what truly resonated with supporters – insight that continues to inform future engagement today.

When collaboration brings together data, design and storytelling, festive campaigns become more than moments of giving, they become the start of enduring relationships. The true value of seasonal giving lies not only in generosity today, but in the connections that last long after the decorations have come down.“

Inspiring not-for-profit seasonal campaigns and the tactics behind them

How not-for-profit organizations can celebrate 11:11

11:11, also known as Singles’ Day, has become one of the biggest global shopping events of the year. It originates from China, and is now growing in popularity with many brands around the world offering discounts on November 11.

11:11 isn’t just a commercial moment; it’s also culturally known as the “make a wish” time. When people see 11:11 am on their clock, some pause and take a moment to hope for something good to happen.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation cleverly embraced the date, turning November 11 into a powerful opportunity, encouraging people not just to make a wish, but to grant one.

Why it worked

The campaign positions itself perfectly in line with the cultural moment and brings the attention straight to the children the charity supports. The email explains the connection between the numbers 11:11 and making a wish for anyone unfamiliar, and jumps into a real life story.

Including real, tangible stories to show what donations provide gives subscribers a clear understanding of exactly where their money could go and how it will help.

How to replicate it

Any charity can tap into the spirit of ‘11:11 make a wish’. With the holidays being a time for over-consumption, re-framing the moment as an opportunity to grant a wish is a clever way to engage supporters.

Singles’ Day is all about being single and treating yourself, but depending on your organization you can re-frame this to fit your mission. Here are a few ideas:

• Highlight the issues of isolation and loneliness and share how your organization helps combat this
• Talk about the value of independence and highlight how your charity supports people to find freedom and independence
• Simply encourage supporters to donate this Singles’ Day instead of buying themselves a gift

How not-for-profit organizations can drive support on Giving Tuesday

Giving Tuesday is a global movement that kicks off the charitable season each year, taking place on the Tuesday immediately following Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM). While BFCM is all about consumer spending and ecommerce deals, Giving Tuesday flips the focus from shopping to giving, encouraging individuals and organizations to support causes they care about.

For not-for-profit organizations, this makes it an ideal day to drive donations, engage supporters, and amplify your impact. With the momentum of the holiday shopping season still high, you can harness the attention and generosity of donors looking to balance the consumer frenzy with acts of kindness.

The Giving Tuesday Data Commons reported that Americans gave a staggering $3.6 billion on Giving Tuesday 2024, marking the most generous Giving Tuesday on record. Subject line: Claim your Giving Tuesday 3X match now

Subject line: Claim your Giving Tuesday 3X match now

Why it worked

This campaign from Doctors Without Borders partnered with a philanthropic fund to offer donation matching. Over Giving Tuesday, donations were triple matched. This makes supporters feel they’re getting more value for their money, mirroring holiday discounting with ecommerce stores but without the not-for-profit organization losing any money themselves. This tactic also encourages donations right away due to the limited time benefits, mimicking flash sales and fear-of-missing-out (FOMO) tactics often used in ecommerce holiday marketing.

How to replicate it

Supporters love to feel their gift goes further. Even without monetary incentives, there are creative ways to add value that benefit both your supporters and your mission.

If you can’t get a donation matching offer like Doctors Without Borders did here, look at other ways to add something extra. This could be something that doesn’t cost much, such as sending a digital holiday card to donors who donate on that day, entering them into a prize draw to win something donated by a local company, or inviting them to a future, exclusive fundraising event.

The American Red Cross used this tactic on Black Friday, offering anyone who donated over $75 on Black Friday a free hat. It’s similar to a classic ecommerce ‘spend and save’ offer where people need to hit a minimum spend to get a unique offer.

Subject line: Black Friday Gift Status: [UNCLAIMED]

How not-for-profit organizations can celebrate Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is more than just a holiday, it’s a season that naturally encourages reflection, giving back, and giving thanks. For not-for-profit marketers, it’s the perfect moment to truly connect with your supporters, thank them for their support, and strengthen relationships.

Subject line: Happy Thanksgiving

Why it worked

This Thanksgiving campaign from St Jude Children’s Research Hospital hits you right in the feels. The copy is pretty simple and to the point, while the art work from St Jude patient, Ellen, of a Thanksgiving turkey reminds the reader who they’re supporting.

The campaign also includes a block encouraging readers to share quotes and images from St Jude patients, families, and supporters. This is a great way to get your organization on the social media feeds of others. This act of advocacy from your existing supporters broadens your charity’s reach for free.

Subject line: A New Tradition of Gratitude This Thanksgiving

Why it worked

This example from Food For The Poor is another great approach to Thanksgiving. People really respond to messages of thanks from notable members of your organization, such as your CEO. This heartfelt letter-style email thanks supporters and then suggests fun activities to make the holiday more memorable.

How to replicate it

Find a campaign style that makes sense for your organization and lean into the spirit of the holiday and thank your supporters. Include subscribers who haven’t donated yet, thank them for any interaction, whether that’s liking or sharing your posts on social media, suggesting your charity to others, or donating time. Not everyone has the means to donate financially at the moment, and letting people know you appreciate whatever support they can offer will help build the relationship and keep them engaged.

Not everyone will be checking their emails on Thanksgiving, so be sure to use a cross-channel approach. Use social media and mobile messaging such as WhatsApp, SMS, and MMS to make sure your message is seen by your supporters.

A not-for-profit approach to Black Friday

Black Friday is traditionally known as the biggest shopping day of the year, dominated by discounts, deals, and consumer frenzy. While it’s primarily associated with retail, you can also leverage the attention and urgency of the day to your advantage.

Subject line: The only Black Friday deal that makes a difference for children

Why it worked

This campaign from Save the Children uses really powerful, direct language. ‘by the time black Friday ends, millions of children will go to bed hungry’ and ‘So, before you shop the discounts and deals today, make a gift that has the power to change lives.’ Black Friday is all about consumption, the day when everyone is shouting the loudest to get attention in the inbox, so being direct is necessary. This subject line grabs attention due to the blunt and powerful message and the campaign forces you to consider how you use your money and what’s really important.

How to replicate

Be bold in your messaging, especially on the big sales days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Last year Dotdigital sent 365 million emails on Black Friday alone, and it’s one of the biggest email send days in the calendar. Use your subject line and preheader to get your message in front of supporters, and deliver impact in the campaign itself. Remind people exactly who your organization helps, and include plenty of clear CTAs to capture donations.

A non-commerce approach to holiday gifting

The holiday season is all about gift buying for others. There are a few clever ways not-for-profits can tap into this style and encourage supporters to donate in place of gift buying.

Subject line: Shop gifts for animal lovers in your PJs!

Why it worked

This email campaign from Best Friends Animal Society taps into the comfort angle to get attention in the inbox, highlighting that you can get your holiday shopping done from the comfort of your couch, in your PJs.

In terms of encouraging donations, by packaging up donation amounts into tangible benefits, such as ‘bunny care package’ or ‘life saving road trip’ it helps people visualize exactly where their money is going and the impact it will have.

This approach makes it feel like a better gift, providing something tangible, rather than ‘I made a $20 donation in your name’. The email also calls out that you can send your chosen gift via an adorable e-card or printable card to further add to the gift giving experience.

Why it worked

Save the Children put its own spin on traditional gift guides. It also gives clear outcomes according to donation amounts, making it clear where your support will go. Just like the earlier Black Friday campaign, the copy is still direct and punchy, reminding people what’s important and why now matters more than ever.

The inclusion of a free bag of specialist coffee beans with donations over $150 is another example of a classic ‘spend and save’ tactic.

How to replicate it

Splitting up donation values into corresponding outcomes is a really strong way to drive donations. Even if your website isn’t set up for this kind of positioning yet for collecting the money, you can use a few examples of what different amounts, such as $50, $75, and $100 would do, in your email itself.

For a ‘spend and save’ tactic there are lots of ways to give supporters something extra when they donate above a certain amount. One low cost option is to create an asset that your supporters can post to their social media platforms, telling people they’re a ‘star supporter’ this holiday season. You can set up an automation program to email supporters this asset once they’ve donated a set amount. This is a good way of encouraging supporter advocacy and broadening your brand’s reach on social media too.

How to encourage giving over the holiday season

Holiday marketing isn’t just for retailers, it’s a powerful time for not-for-profits to stand out, tell stories that resonate, and invite action when generosity is at its peak. Relevant messaging is crucial for capturing attention and driving action.

Phil Aiston, Director of Digital Marketing at Manifesto says:

“To cut through the holiday noise, non-profits can go beyond generic appeals and embrace contextual relevance to boost engagement and donations. The key is to demonstrate a clear link between the immediate challenge and the donor’s action.

For The Salvation Army, we used weather-triggered ads in Meta Ads campaigns as part of an omni-channel Christmas campaign. When local weather conditions (rain, snow, cold) were activated, the ad copy became immediately relevant, highlighting how their services protect the homeless during severe weather. This simple innovation created a powerful amplifying effect across the campaign. When weather-triggered ads were live, the Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) was 25% higher, and the average donation was £8.78 larger.

This principle applies directly to email marketing too. Segment your list by location or past donation history to tailor subject lines and content. By making your appeal specific to the supporter’s known context, you transform a distant cause into a local, urgent call to action, driving higher engagement and conversion.“

Whether it’s re-framing commercial events like Black Friday into opportunities for good or thanking supporters on Thanksgiving, the key is to lean into the spirit of the season. By combining heartfelt storytelling, bold copy, and creative campaign ideas, you can inspire supporters to see giving not as an afterthought, but as the most meaningful holiday tradition of all.