If you’re still sending emails without video in 2025, you’re missing a key opportunity to differentiate, connect, and convert email clients. As a Fractional CMO working with brands that want measurable results, I’ve seen firsthand how powerful video can be in email campaigns. The challenge isn’t whether to use video; it’s how to do it […]

How to Use Video Email Marketing to Skyrocket Engagement and Conversions appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

As a Fractional CMO, I’ve worked with brands that obsess over their email marketing strategy—yet neglect the one category of email with the highest open rates, best deliverability, and most trust-building potential: transactional emails. You know the ones. Order confirmations, password resets, shipping updates, and subscription renewals. The kind of emails your customers expect—and often […]

The Strategic Power of Transactional Emails (And How to Use Them Right) appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

Regardless of the times, email remains a powerful tool for connecting with audiences and driving conversions. As a seasoned marketer, I’ve witnessed firsthand the impact of well-crafted email campaigns. The problem is that it can be easy to run out of email marketing ideas after awhile… Let’s fix that. As I write about in Digital […]

Creative Email Marketing Ideas for Modern Marketers appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

Email marketing might not be the trendiest tool in digital marketing—but that’s exactly why it works. While the hype cycles push you toward the latest social platform or shiny content format, the smart long-term play is investing in assets you actually own. And aside from your website, your email list is the most valuable digital […]

15 Powerful Benefits of Email Marketing That Make It a No-Brainer in 2025 appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

Email marketing is all about keeping in better touch with your customers. The bigger and more engaged your list becomes, the more revenue that can be generated for businesses in all industries. But how can you repeatedly engage with your users in an authentic, personalized, and helpful way? The answer is using a powerful feature […]

Drip Marketing Explained: How to Build High-Converting Email Campaigns That Work Automatically appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

Everyone wants to glean insight from those one or two email marketing tips that can elevate your email campaigns to a new level, but sometimes that intel is hard to find. Email marketing operates like a private communications channel in a noisy digital world. When everyone else shouts through crowded social feeds, smart marketers whisper […]

12 Email Marketing Tips the Pros Don’t Want You to Know appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

Did you know that less than 80% of legitimate emails actually reach their final destination? Email marketing is a very promising and effective way to sell goods and services. However, you can send a lot of emails and never get results if your emails aren’t delivered to recipients’ inboxes. Or, on a less drastic scale, […]

Email Deliverability Guide: 16 Best Practices to Reach More Inboxes appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

B2B marketing automation has transformed from a nice-to-have tool into a mission-critical system for companies focused on growth in 2025. As a recognized industry authority with experience working with dozens of clients, I’ve seen how strategic automation can transform disjointed marketing efforts into streamlined, revenue-generating engines. The challenge today isn’t whether to implement marketing automation—it’s […]

The 2025 B2B Marketing Automation Playbook: Data-Backed Strategies That Work appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

Email copywriting is more than just a series of words thrown together and sent out—it is a powerful tool that bridges your brand and your audience. With email marketing delivering an average ROI of $42 for every $1 spent, it’s vital to write emails that not only capture attention, but inspire action. Whether you’re a […]

Email Copywriting That Converts: 10 Definitive Tips appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

Mass email marketing remains a powerful tool in a business arsenal in order to effectively reach their audience at scale. All too often, however, these types of emails wind up flagged as spam, and they never actually reach their intended recipients. Choosing the right tools can go a long way in making sure that emails […]

Mass Email Marketing: Top 10 Free Tools and Best Practices for Bulk Emailing appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

Modern businesses can’t survive without marketing automation tools. This type of software is vital for streamlining email campaigns, allowing companies to create email contact lists, automate sending, and track analytics. By eliminating repetitive tasks, you will also be able to boost your marketing efforts. Whether you’re a large company or a small marketing team, you […]

15 Best Marketing Automation Tools to Streamline Your Strategy in 2025 appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

Email tracking software is essential for businesses looking to improve their email marketing campaigns, monitor sales outreach, and understand customer engagement. With the right email tracker, you can see who opens your emails, which links they click, and even how many times they revisit your message. In this guide, I will cover the top 15 […]

15 Best Email Tracking Software to Enhance Your Sales & Marketing appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

Crafting a successful email marketing campaign can be a challenge. Studying real-world examples can help inspire your own breakthroughs in email marketing by helping you gain insight into how leading brands captivate their audiences, drive engagement, and ultimately achieve results. In this guide, I have gathered 19 incredible email marketing examples, ranging from the first […]

19 Email Marketing Examples to Inspire Better Results appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

Well-designed email marketing campaigns help you convey your message to the masses without having to spend a huge amount. Your email marketing strategy paves the way for you to engage the intended audience and promote your products or services. You can capture quality leads for your sales funnel through these marketing emails and grow your […]

Email Blast: How to Do It Right and Best Practices appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

Follow-up emails are more than just a polite reminder—they are a powerful tool that can turn potential missed opportunities into successful outcomes. If written correctly, they can set you apart and keep you front and center in a crowded inbox. Plus, they can help you generate prompt responses, building relationships. This article will highlight key […]

How to Write Effective Follow-Up Emails appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

If you are a small business, it’s safe to say that relationships are your bread and butter. After all, people love to buy goods and services from businesses and people that they know, like, and trust.  Here’s the thing: those relationship-based sales require business owners to nurture customers. Customer acquisition becomes very relationship-focused as a […]

How to Supercharge Your Email Marketing with CRM: Best Practices and Top 10 Tools appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

Email marketing continues to be one of the most powerful tools available to connect businesses and their audiences. Email marketing can also help drive sales and build lasting relationships with your audience. If email marketing campaigns do not plan carefully, execute with precision, and continually optimize, however, those campaigns will not succeed. In this guide, […]

Mastering Email Marketing Campaigns: From Planning to Execution appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

One word— ROI. That is the biggest reason your nonprofit organization must implement an email marketing campaign right away. Nonprofits always seek the most cost-effective way to raise awareness and funds. You want to reach as many people as possible to develop long-term relationships with to support your cause. But, you must keep your expenses […]

How to Create a Strong Nonprofit Email Marketing Strategy appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

Most of us are familiar with B2C email marketing. This is especially true if you shop online, because websites often ask to send emails when an order is placed. Sometimes they’ll even collect emails without an order, usually in exchange for a coupon. After that, you’ll likely get follow-up emails about every sale, promotion, and […]

11 Best Practices for Successful B2B Email Marketing in 2025 appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

Key Performance Indicators are the guideposts by which you design and alter your email marketing efforts, and putting an email marketing campaign into practice without developing KPIs significantly decreases your ability to achieve email marketing success. From development to evaluation and subsequent alteration, I have gathered together the ins and outs of key performance indicators […]

Essential Email Marketing KPIs: 15 Metrics for Success appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

Email marketing is likely something you are familiar with, whether you use it yourself, or you open your inbox to a slew of marketing messages. The reason for this is simple: email marketing has long had and continues to have a great return on investment (ROI) rate. Although there are plenty of other types of […]

How to Create Your Own Powerful Email Marketing Funnel [Step-by-Step] appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

SMS and email marketing allow you to connect with customers in quite a personal manner. The message goes directly into your recipient’s inbox. So, it’s likely they’d pay attention to what you’re trying to communicate, whether it’s a promotion, a new product launch, an event, or anything else. Now, it may seem like a great […]

SMS and Email Marketing: Leveraging Both for Maximum Impact appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

Whether you are a startup about to start with email marketing for the first time, or an established company working out budget allocations, it’s important to understand email marketing cost. After all, it can be easy for us to pay bills and forget where the expenses are going. Unfortunately, this also allows for costs to […]

The 7 Components of – and 7 Ways to Lower – Your  Email Marketing Cost appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

Sending marketing emails at just the right time to maximize opens and click throughs can prove challenging for companies who are continually looking to optimize their marketing prowess, as there are a host of different factors at play when determining the best time to send emails as well as the best context within which to […]

Best Time to Send Marketing Emails [Latest Research] appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

As a Fractional CMO who always has to remind potential clients of the importance of email marketing, I think it is important to look at it through the lens of this question: In email marketing, what is a relationship? Your approach to email marketing should be all about developing relationships. Especially in an environment where […]

How to Build Relationships through Email Marketing appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

Especially if you’re starting out with email marketing, it’s hard to justify paying a bunch of money for something that you are unsure will pay off. After all, there are a lot of competing email marketing products out there, and each of them has different features. What works for one company or content creator might […]

15 Best Free Email Marketing Services to Check Out appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

I’ve discussed artificial intelligence and its relation to marketing as a whole, but there are certain uses that have their unique pros and cons. An AI-driven email marketing strategy is one such area, with a slew of pros that can encourage email marketers to adopt AI as a standard tool in their email marketing efforts. […]

15 Powerful Ways to Use AI in Email Marketing appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

The dynamics of e-commerce marketing have changed on a considerable level in recent years. The majority of online retailers and ecommerce businesses keep finding ways to skyrocket their revenue, customer retention, ecommerce sales, and even market share. One of the most prominent ways to achieve the same was email strategy. Now, this is not about […]

9 Killer Ecommerce Email Marketing Strategies for Maximizing ROI appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

Most e-commerce sites let a lot of sales fly out the window. Although plenty of people browse and complete their purchases, there’s also a large number of abandoned carts each day. And unlike brick-and-mortar stores, it’s easy to abandon multiple purchases per day. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce this consumer practice for your business. […]

15 Proven Abandoned Cart Email Templates To Win Back Lost Sales appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

Most marketers I know, myself included, utilize at least one AI email tool for their daily operations. This software category is perfect for marketing and sales teams, making outreach that much smoother. However, these tools are also fantastic for customer service teams, busy entrepreneurs, and just about anyone who is heavily dependent on this form […]

15 Effective AI Email Assistants to Try Out appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

One of the most cost-effective ways to market your business is through email. This has been true for a long time, and it’s one reason why even small businesses have started sending out promotional emails. Not only that, but basic email campaigns are relatively easy to plan and execute — especially with high-quality email marketing […]

Email Outreach: 15 Tips on How to Create an Effective Campaign (with Templates) appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

With so many new ways to reach customers, is email even relevant? The answer is yes. Email marketing might be one of the oldest forms of digital marketing, but it is still a powerful tool in a marketer’s toolbox. Despite strategies like social media, SEO, and PPC, it remains one of the top platforms for […]

8 Best Email Marketing Best Practices for 2025 appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

It’s been predicted that there would be an end to email one day, but so far, email is still going strong a decade after that famous prediction was made by Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook. Social media may have caught up to the spotlight when it comes to marketing, but is email marketing still critical to […]

The Top 41 Compelling Email Marketing Statistics for 2025 appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

Effective communication and networking with business individuals is a crucial marketing strategy. Emailing is a great way to achieve this. Marketing experts consider it one of the most efficient ways to communicate with people, especially in the marketing industry.  In most cases, this cold email strategy successfully gets the job done by connecting with people. […]

10 Tips for Getting Quick Responses to Your Cold Emails (with Templates) appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

Why is investing in the best email marketing software tool for your company important? I always say that you need to meet the digital user where they are, which includes meeting them via social, search engines, or email. Your choice of email marketing tool is as important as which social media marketing dashboard or SEO […]

The 18 Best Email Marketing Software Tools to Consider Investing in Today appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

Email marketing is one of the oldest forms of digital communication. In 1978, Gary Thuerk sent the first email blast to 400 recipients promoting DEC machines, which resulted in $13 million worth of sales. Since then, email marketing has become an indispensable tool in every marketer’s tool belt, and rightfully so. In this article, we’ll […]

What is Email Marketing, Why Use It, and 13 Strategies for Success appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

Whether you are a solopreneur or run a marketing department in a large company, you’ll quickly find that customers love email. While this may surprise you, especially if you get a lot of marketing emails that just go into the trash, email marketing has consistently proven itself to be highly effective. If this is true, […]

11 Email Marketing Newsletter Best Practices (with Examples) appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

Email marketing is still one of the best ways to reach customers and convince them to buy from you. However, writing a good marketing email is an art, and it all starts with the subject line. That’s what’s going to tell the customer who you are, what you do, and what you have for them.  […]

10 Top Tips To Write Convincing Email Subject Lines That Get Opened appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

Most marketers know that email marketing is highly effective. After all, even if you don’t have numbers for your brand, there’s at least personal experience: we all love to get promotional emails from our favorite brands. However, not all emails are created equal. In addition to the ever-present spam, there are many campaigns that fail […]

Email Marketing Design: 13 Best Practices to Follow appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

Email marketing can be one of the most beneficial marketing strategies for brands of all shapes and sizes…when it’s done right.  If you manage to curate an email list of engaged and interested customers, both new and existing, then email marketing gives you a direct line to their inbox. If your email list struggles to […]

7 Best Ways to Build an Email List (From Scratch) appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

Email marketing has stood the test of time as one of the best marketing options available, there are few (if any) companies that have blackballed email marketing efforts. Instead, it has stood the test of time over and over and continues to be a core marketing channel for brands and industries worldwide.  Thanks to the […]

The 10 Most Important Email Marketing Benchmarks to Know for 2025 appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

Since almost all marketing campaigns and social media strategies are intrusive and just suddenly pop out of nowhere, opt-in email marketing puts your business in a good light with your customers.  Being intrusive and sending different unsolicited marketing campaigns can do more harm than good for your business.  Sure, it’s putting your products or service […]

Opt-In Email Marketing: What is It and How to Do It the Right Way (with 7 Examples) appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

One thing about marketing that will likely never change is its focus on numbers. In particular, the return on investment will always be at the top of our minds. Although it’s newer than traditional media methods, email marketing is no exception. And everyone knows that this modality has one of the best ROIs. Nonetheless, being […]

17 Metrics to Consider for Your Email Marketing Report appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

As soon as you start typing “is email…” in the Google search bar, you immediately get two suggestions. The first one is “is email marketing dead”, and the second – “is email marketing effective”. So, apparently, the topic is controversial. But if you conduct some research, the answer to the first question becomes crystal clear: […]

Email Marketing for Small Business: A Comprehensive Guide appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

With the mainstream emergence of social media marketing platforms, some experts have jumped the gun to declare email marketing dead. This claim can’t be any further from the truth. Despite being one of the oldest forms of modern marketing, email marketing is still alive…and (pardon my French) kicking butt. But it all depends on how […]

How to Create the Perfect Content for Your Email Marketing appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

If you own a business, you have to wear many hats: sales, IT, marketing guru, etc. You likely do not have the time and resources to track every customer’s preferred method of contact, history of sales, birthday, and occupation and to remember to put these specific details into your marketing messages to them. However, with […]

What is Email Marketing Automation and How Much Can You Actually Automate? appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

Want to improve your email open rate?  However well written your emails are, if you can’t convince people to open them, your email marketing success will be limited. In this guide, we walk you through 12 ways to improve your email open rate.  Why Improve Email Open Rates? The answer to this question may seem […]

12 Ways How to Improve Your Email Open Rate appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

As one of the most effective ways to target your potential customers, there is no denying the value of email. Determining a solid email marketing strategy can be difficult, especially when you have multiple initiatives going at the same time. For your email messages to resonate with your target audience, you need a clear and […]

A Comprehensive Guide on How to Build an Email Marketing Strategy appeared first on NealSchaffer.com

Having a website and social media accounts are both necessary to get your business noticed. To stay in touch with potential clients email blasts and newsletters are your best avenue of communication. You have a sign-up form on your website, but where else can you add your subscription form to stay in touch and generate […]

How to Add an Email Subscription Facebook Sign Up Form appeared first on NealSchaffer.com