Why email is alive and well
A social network can block your account, an ad account can spike in price, an algorithm can stop showing posts. An email list is the only audience you own, not the platform. The average ROI of email marketing is 30–40 rubles per ruble invested, because you’re writing to people who already know you.
Who absolutely needs email
- Online stores — abandoned carts, repeat purchases, reactivation.
- B2B and services with a long sales cycle — nurturing: from “downloaded the price list” to “signed the contract” takes weeks, and emails keep the contact.
- Online schools — the whole model runs on email sequences.
- Any business with repeat sales — bringing back an old client is 5–7 times cheaper than acquiring a new one.
How to build a list (legally)
Buying lists is a no-go: it violates the personal-data law (152-FZ), hits spam traps and gets your domain banned. Gather your own:
- A lead magnet — value in exchange for an email: a checklist, a calculator, a discount on the first order, a PDF guide.
- A checkbox at checkout — consent to the newsletter when placing an order (the box must not be pre-ticked).
- A subscription form in the blog — an article reader is already warm.
- Double opt-in — confirming the subscription by email. The list grows more slowly but stays clean: fewer spam complaints, better deliverability.
What to send: three types of emails
1. Automated sequences (the main money)
- A welcome series — 3–5 emails after subscribing: who you are, how you’re useful, what to buy first. Welcome-email open rates are 3–4 times higher than usual.
- Abandoned cart — a reminder after 1–24 hours recovers 5–15% of carts. The most profitable email in e-commerce.
- Reactivation — “we miss you” + an offer to those who haven’t bought in 3–6 months.
2. A regular newsletter
Once every 1–2 weeks: useful content, new items, cases. The 80/20 rule — 80% value, 20% selling. People tolerate selling from those who are useful the rest of the time.
3. Transactional
Order confirmations, delivery statuses. Almost everyone opens them — add product recommendations there, it’s free sales.
How to avoid spam
- Set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC on your domain — without them Gmail and Yandex throttle delivery.
- Send from a corporate domain, not free mail.
- Make the unsubscribe link visible. An unsubscribe is better than a spam complaint.
- Clean the list: addresses that haven’t opened in six months drag your reputation down.
- Warm up a new domain: start with small volumes.
Services
For a start in Russia: Unisender, Sendsay, DashaMail, NotiSend. All can do sequences, segmentation, A/B tests and cost from 0 to a couple of thousand a month on a small list. Choose by integrations with your CMS/CRM.
Takeaway
Email isn’t spam but a retention channel with the best ROI. A minimal launch: a lead magnet, a welcome sequence, an abandoned cart, an email every two weeks. We’ll connect newsletters to your site and CRM and set up the sequences — write to us.
