Your Email Marketing Isn’t Dead — Your Relevance Is

Email marketing isn’t pushing up daisies. But your click-through rate? That’s another story. If your emails are getting ghosted like a Tinder date who used too many filters, the problem isn’t the channel — it’s you. 

Harsh? Maybe. But it’s also true. Email marketing still works like a charm — but only for brands who’ve clocked the golden rule: if you’re not relevant, you’re invisible. 

So, let’s put the whole ‘email is dead’ chat in the bin, where it belongs, and talk about what really matters. 

It’s Not the Tool; It’s How You Use It 

Your marketing emails aren’t working because they’re about as relevant as fax machines in a TikTok world. You’re sending emails to everyone, about everything, hoping something sticks. And when it doesn’t? You send more. Like that’ll help. 

Volume doesn’t make you visible. It makes you ignorable. And every irrelevant email you send is another nail in your campaign’s coffin. 

People don’t hate marketing emails. They hate bad marketing emails. Ones that talk at them, not to them. Ones that scream offers, discounts, and "ACT NOW!" like a knock-off infomercial. Ones that feel like they were written for "a customer", not this customer. 

Relevance: The Only Metric That Matters 

Think about your own inbox. You don’t wake up buzzing to read your emails, right? Unless it’s something you actually care about — something timely, useful, or, god forbid, funny. 

That’s the bar now. Not personalised. Relevant. Knowing my name and post code isn’t enough. I want to feel like you get me. Like you’re showing up with something that makes my day better, not just your sales figures. 

If your subject line still says "Check out our latest update", it’s no wonder it’s getting binned. Readers expect more — and bland intros just won’t cut through the clutter. Relevance is the difference between an email that gets opened and one that gets binned without a second glance. 

And relevance, dear marketer, is a strategic choice. Not a lucky guess. 

Email Isn’t Dead. But Lazy Marketing Is. 

There’s a reason open rates are flatlining for some brands while others are raking it in. It’s not luck. It’s not even timing. It’s effort. The winners? They’re not just churning out newsletters. They’re delivering value. Consistently. 

Meanwhile, the rest are out here sending another "Don’t miss out!" campaign like it’s still 2012. If your emails feel like a broken record, your readers will treat them like background noise. 

Worse still, if every email is just another pushy sales pitch with zero thought for the reader, don’t be surprised when they ghost you. Or worse, hit that unsubscribe button like it owes them money. 

Your CRM Should Work Harder Than You Do 

This is where most marketers go wrong: they’ve got the tools, but they’re still operating like it’s the Dark Ages of digital. All the data in the world, but they’re still blasting everyone the same thing. 

You need a CRM that actually gives a toss about marketing. Enter: UltimateCRM. Built for marketers who are fed up with tools that treat emails like afterthoughts. We made it because we were sick of CRMs that were basically glorified spreadsheets. 

With UltimateCRM, you can: 

• Spot who’s clicking, buying, snoozing or unsubscribing 

• Create segments smarter than your average marketing strategy 

• Build automated flows that react in real time to customer behaviour 

That’s not CRM. That’s marketing on autopilot — the good kind. The kind that feels like magic but is actually just solid strategy backed by tools that actually do what you need. 

Attention Is Earned, Not Expected 

You can’t just rock up in someone’s inbox like an uninvited party guest and expect a warm welcome. You’ve got to earn it. 

That means putting in the graft. Knowing what your audience cares about. Talking like a human. Ditching the corporate waffle. Saying something worth saying. And saying it at the right time. 

The best email campaigns feel like they were written just for you. Not in a creepy way. In a "blimey, that’s exactly what I needed" way. That’s when the magic happens. That’s when your emails start working. 

Spray and Pray? More Like Spray and Stay Ignored 

Look, we get it. It’s tempting to crank up the volume when performance dips. But more emails won’t fix your problem if the content’s still duller than a soggy biscuit. 

Every send you make teaches your audience something. Train them to expect quality, and they’ll keep opening. Train them to expect drivel, and your emails will be ignored on arrival. 

Instead of more, aim for better. Sharper writing. Smarter segmentation. Content that makes people feel something. Whether it’s a chuckle, a nod, or an "ooh, that’s clever". 

Don’t Just Update Your Template. Update Your Thinking. 

Marketing has changed. The inbox isn’t just a dumping ground for your sales emails. It’s where brands win hearts, minds, and wallets. 

You’ve got seconds to catch someone’s attention. If your subject line is beige, your content better be gold. If your CTA is limp, your offer better sparkle. And if your message is forgettable, you better hope your unsubscribe link is broken. 

We’re living in a marketing jungle. Only the sharp survive. If your email strategy hasn’t evolved since 2020, you’re already getting left behind. 

But Wait, There’s Hope... 

Here’s the good news: it’s fixable. You don’t need to scrap email. You just need to stop doing it badly. With the right strategy, the right tone, and the right tech, email still delivers one of the best ROIs in marketing. 

We’ve helped brands take campaigns from tumbleweed to "take my money" in weeks. And we’re not just throwing templates at the wall to see what sticks. We’re using data, behaviour, and actual human thinking to make email work the way it should. 

It’s not rocket science. It’s just good marketing. 

Real-World Wins: Email That Actually Worked 

Still not convinced? Here are a couple of examples from the trenches: 

1. The Niche Retailer That Segmented Like a Boss 
One of our clients sells premium cycling gear. Before UltimateCRM, they blasted everyone with the same seasonal promo. After switching to behaviour-based segmentation, they saw a 41% jump in conversions by sending tailored messages to road bikers vs mountain bikers. Same list. New logic. Big difference. 

2. The B2B Brand That Went Bold 
A SaaS client ditched the buttoned-up corporate tone and leaned into playful, benefit-led messaging. They didn’t just talk features. They told relatable stories and poked fun at industry pain points. Result? A 63% higher reply rate and an inbox that actually got responses instead of eye-rolls. 

Moral of the story? Personal beats perfect. And relevance wins.

Busting the Top 3 Email Marketing Myths 

Myth #1: Email is only good for retention 
Wrong. Email is brilliant for both acquiring and nurturing leads. It just needs the right hook, timing and journey. 

Myth #2: More emails = more sales 
Nope. More irrelevant emails = more unsubscribes. Frequency only works when you’re consistently useful. 

Myth #3: It’s all about the subject line 
It helps, sure. But if the content inside isn’t any good, even the best hook won’t save you. Great email = strong story + right timing + value.

What Your Audience Secretly Wants From Your Emails 

No one’s hovering over their inbox hoping for a sales pitch. But they are open to something that adds a bit of value, intrigue, or entertainment to their day. If you're in, make it worthwhile. 

Here’s what your audience won’t tell you (but their clicks will): 

They want you to be quick. Respect their time. Get to the point and tell them something useful — fast. If they need a cuppa just to get through your intro, you’ve already lost them. 

They want clarity. Spare them the waffle. A 5% discount dressed up as a groundbreaking reveal? That’s a fast track to the bin. Show them something worthwhile. Be straight, be helpful, be interesting. 

They want to feel seen. Not stalked. When emails are relevant, they feel helpful. When they’re too creepy — "Hey, noticed you looked at this exact product 3 times last week at 2:03pm" — it gets weird fast. 

They want personality. Your brand’s got one (hopefully). Let it shine. Write like a human. Be funny. Be smart. Be bold. The beige brands get binned. The brave ones get bookmarked. 

And most of all? They want emails that aren’t trying to sell to them all the time. Offer value. Teach something. Make them laugh. Help them win at work or life. Do that, and when it is time to sell, they’ll listen.

Final Word: Relevance Is King 

Still think email marketing is dead? Ask the brands pulling six figures from a well-timed sequence. Ask the businesses turning cart abandoners into superfans. Ask the marketers using UltimateCRM to do more with less. 

Email’s not dead. Your relevance might be. But that’s fixable. 

Want to sort it? We’ll show you how.

📣 Your emails deserve better. So do your customers. Book your FREE marketing consultation today, and we’ll tear into your current strategy (gently), show you what’s working, what’s not, and how to turn every email into a revenue generator. No fluff. No faff. Just results.