How to start a career as an email marketing specialist

Having discussed who an Email Marketing Specialist is, what they perform, and the necessary skills and tools they require in a previous article, this post will walk you through a step-by-step process of becoming one.

1. Understand the Role of an Email Marketing Specialist

It is important to begin this step-by-step guide by explaining the role of an Email Marketing Specialist.

An email marketing specialist is responsible for designing, managing, and optimising email campaigns to drive engagement and conversions.

Their key responsibilities include:

• Developing email marketing strategies
• Writing compelling email copy
• Analysing campaign performance
• Segmenting audiences for personalised targeting
• A/B testing for continuous optimization
• Ensuring compliance with GDPR, CAN-SPAM, and other data protection laws

For additional information on these roles, please see resources these resources

2. Build Key Email Marketing Skills and Master Essential Tools

To thrive as an Email Marketing Specialist, you’ll need a blend of marketing expertise, creativity, and technical skills. Let’s break down each skill area in detail.

A. Email Design and Copywriting Skills

A great email copywriting is expected to be clear, persuasive, and engaging, hence we will begin with the essentials by mastering the basics of copywriting

• Learn Copywriting Techniques:

– Hook: Your subject line and preview text should grab attention.

-Value Proposition:  Introducing the product’s or service’s value directly in the subject line is often most effective. This strategy immediately conveys the benefit to the reader, grabs their attention, and sets the tone for the details within the email content.

-Call to Action (CTA): End your email with a clear, compelling CTA that encourages the next step.

• Practice Writing Short-Form Copy:

– Write subject lines that are short, intriguing, and optimized for mobile.

– Practice drafting CTAs that are action-oriented and specific (e.g., “Get 20% Off Today”).

Resources:

– Everybody Writes: By Ann Handley is a great book for foundational copywriting skills.

– Try free copywriting courses on platforms like Coursera and Udemy to learn persuasive techniques.

• Study Email Design Principles

A well-designed email helps guide readers through content while highlighting key information. Here is how to start:

Focus on Layout:

– Keep designs simple and clean. Avoid cluttered layouts that distract from the main message.

– Use sections effectively (e.g., headers, body, CTA) to create a clear flow.

Learn Design Basics:

– Colour Theory: Use brand-aligned colours that evoke emotions and keep designs cohesive.

– Typography: Choose readable fonts, and avoid too many font changes in a single email.

-Images and Visuals: Add relevant images that enhance the message, but don’t overwhelm the text.

Resources:

– Online tools like Canva have templates to practice email design and visuals.

– Email design courses on Skillshare, including topics like layout and colour.

B. Explore Popular Email Design & Copywriting Tools

Having practical skills with tools commonly used in email marketing will enhance your workflow and help you create polished emails.

• Master Email Design Tools like

– Canva: Great for creating custom graphics.

-Mailchimp and Klaviyo: Learn how to use their email templates and experiment with visual elements.

• Copy Editing Tools:

– Grammarly or Hemingway: Use these tools to refine your email copy.

– A/B Testing: Some platforms offer built-in A/B testing to compare subject lines and CTAs, helping you refine your copy.

Resources:

– Each of these platforms has free tutorials to help you get started with email design and testing.

c. Develop Marketing Data Analysis Skills

To succeed as an Email Marketing Specialist, building strong data analytics skills is essential. This is because regularly analysing key performance indicators (KPIs) for email campaigns, such as open rates and click-through rates (CTR), helps you understand how well your campaigns are performing and identify areas for improvement.

Understand Key Metrics

Familiarize yourself with core KPIs like open rates, CTR, bounce rates, and conversions. Each metric tells you something specific about engagement, relevance, or technical performance.

– Open Rate: Measures how many people opened your email, indicating the effectiveness of your subject lines and preview text.

-Click-Through Rate (CTR): Shows the percentage of recipients who clicked on a link within your email, helping you assess the engagement and relevance of your content and CTAs.

Learn How to Set Benchmarks

– Research average rates for your industry (often available from sources like Campaign Monitor or Mailchimp) to understand what “good” performance looks like. Setting benchmarks helps you measure progress and identify outliers.

Track Patterns Over Time

– Regularly review performance by analysing metrics week-over-week or month-over-month. Patterns can reveal audience preferences, such as specific times they’re more likely to open emails or respond to certain types of content.

Segment Data for Deeper Insights

– Break down open rates and CTRs by audience segments (e.g., new subscribers, active customers) to see how different groups respond. Segment analysis can reveal opportunities for more tailored campaigns.

Conduct A/B Testing

– Test variations of subject lines, email designs, and CTAs, then analyse which version drives higher open rates or CTRs. A/B testing is an effective way to fine-tune your approach based on data-driven insights.

Use Visualization Tools for Analysis

– Tools like Google Sheets or Data Studio help create visualizations (e.g., line charts, pivot tables) that make it easier to see trends, spot outliers, and communicate findings.

Identify Opportunities for Improvement

– For low open rates, focus on improving subject lines and send times. For low CTRs, revisit the relevance of your content and CTA placement, and consider personalization.

D. Master Marketing Automation Skills for Email Campaigns

Get comfortable with automation tools to design workflows that send personalized emails triggered by user behaviour, like welcome series or cart abandonment reminders.

Mastering these tools is essential for creating impactful, personalized email journeys that drive engagement and conversions.

• Choose an Email Automation Platform

– Start with user-friendly platforms like Mailchimp,  Klaviyo, or HubSpot. Each offers essential automation features, including workflows for welcome series, cart abandonment, and re-engagement emails.

– Explore each platform’s free resources or demos to see which one aligns best with your needs.

• Learn the Basics of Automation

-Workflows: Understand how workflows operate as a series of triggered actions based on user behaviour, such as signing up, clicking on a product, or abandoning a cart.

-Triggers and Actions: Familiarize yourself with setting up triggers (user actions) and actions (emails sent in response). For example, set a trigger for cart abandonment that sends a reminder email after 24 hours.

• Practice Building Key Workflows

-Welcome Series: Set up a sequence for new subscribers to introduce your brand, highlight top products, and encourage engagement.

-Cart Abandonment: Create a workflow that sends a gentle reminder to users who added items to their cart but didn’t complete the purchase, often including an incentive like free shipping.

-Re-Engagement: Design workflows to re-engage inactive subscribers with content that recaptures their interest or offers an exclusive discount.

• Experiment with Personalization Features

– Use dynamic content or personalization tags that pull in user details, like their name, past purchases, or browsing history. For instance, a cart abandonment email could show specific items the user left behind, making it more relevant.

– Most automation platforms allow for personalization with “if/then” conditions, where the email content adapts based on recipient data.

• Test and Optimize Your Workflows

– Run A/B tests on different email timing, subject lines, and content to see what resonates best. Measure the performance of each workflow by tracking metrics like open rates, CTRs, and conversions.

– Regularly review results and tweak workflows to improve effectiveness, like adding another touchpoint to an abandoned cart sequence or updating content in your welcome series

E. Develop Audience Segmentation Skills for Email Marketing

Learn how to segment your email list based on demographics, behaviour, or preferences for better targeting and engagement. Developing expertise in email segmentation is vital for providing more relevant and interesting material to your audience

• Understand Segmentation Fundamentals

Learn Key Segmentation Criteria: Familiarize yourself with basic segmentation categories:

Demographics: Age, gender, location, job title, etc.

Behavioural: Purchase history, website activity, email engagement (opens, clicks), etc.

Preferences: Content interests, frequency preferences, product preferences.

Choose Relevant Metrics: Define which criteria align best with your business goals. For instance, a clothing brand might focus on demographics like age and location, while a SaaS company might focus on behavioural data such as product usage.

• Leverage Your Email Platform’s Segmentation Tools

Explore Built-in Tools: Email marketing platforms like Mailchimp, HubSpot, and ActiveCampaign offer advanced segmentation capabilities. Take time to learn how to use custom filters, tags, and dynamic content features.

Set Up Conditional Content: Dynamic content allows you to personalize sections of an email based on subscriber attributes. For example, showing different products based on the subscriber’s location or past purchases.

• Collect and Organize Data for Segmentation

Gather Accurate Data: Ensure your email platform integrates with your CRM, website, and any relevant third-party tools to collect subscriber data.

Use Signup Forms for Preferences: Add fields to signup forms asking for information like industry, interests, or frequency preferences. This data will be valuable in tailoring your emails.

Create a Tagging System: Label contacts with tags based on behaviours, like “engaged,” “recent purchase,” or “high spender.” Tags make it easy to group subscribers and create relevant segments.

• Experiment with Behavioural Segmentation

Track Email Engagement: Group subscribers based on how they interact with your emails (e.g., “high clickers,” “never opened”). This lets you adjust your message frequency and content accordingly.

Use Website Activity for Triggered Emails: Set up triggers for website behaviour. For example, if a subscriber visits a specific product page multiple times, they can be segmented for a personalized follow-up email.

Target by Purchase History: Segment based on past purchases or browsing history. If someone frequently buys men’s clothing, prioritize emails highlighting new men’s items or related discounts.

• Test and Refine Segmentation Approaches

A/B Test Segments: Test various segmentation strategies to see what works best for your audience. For example, try segmenting based on gender versus product interest to see which yields higher engagement.

Analyse Engagement Metrics: Track metrics like open rate, click-through rate, and conversions for each segment. Compare the performance of different segments to identify which criteria resonate most with each group.

Iterate Based on Insights: Use your results to refine your segments. For instance, if a certain segment has lower engagement, consider refining or combining it with another group for better results.

• Build Segments Based on Customer Journeys

Map Out Customer Journey Stages: Break down the typical customer journey into stages like awareness, consideration, purchase, and loyalty. Create segments for each stage and send relevant content accordingly.

Automate Journey-Based Segments: Use automation workflows to move subscribers between journey stages based on their behaviour. For example, after a purchase, move the subscriber to a “post-purchase” segment to share product tips or upsell items.

• Continue Learning and Stay Updated

Follow Email Marketing Blogs and Resources: Email marketing blogs like Litmus, Really Good Emails, and Email on Acid share strategies and examples for segmentation.

Take Advanced Courses: Platforms like Coursera, Udemy, and HubSpot Academy offer courses on email segmentation and targeting.

F. Learn How to Analyse High-Performing Email Campaigns

Learn by example by subscribing to email newsletters from brands known for excellent email marketing. Analyse what makes their emails effective.

Break Down Design and Copy

– Study their subject lines, layouts, use of visuals, and CTAs.

– Note any use of personalization, which is often a powerful tool in email copy.

Analyse Frequency and Tone:

– Notice how often they send emails and how they vary their tone based on the type of message (e.g., promotional vs. informational).

Resources:

Resources like Really Good Emails showcase high-performing campaigns and categorize them by industry, helping you see a variety of examples.

G. Practice, Practice, Practice

Apply what you have learned by creating sample email campaigns and building a portfolio.

• Create Mock Campaigns:

– Start by designing emails for different purposes (e.g., a welcome email, product launch, or sale promotion).

– Write subject lines and preview text that you think would increase open rates.

F. Learn to Build an Email Marketing Portfolio

– Save these mock campaigns and document your design and copy decisions.

– Include variations if possible, showing how you might tweak an email for different target audiences.

Resources:

– Dribbble or Behance are great places to showcase email design portfolios.

– Platforms like Mailchimp and Klaviyo allow you to create and save drafts, which can serve as portfolio examples.

G. Seek Feedback and Refine Your Skills

Getting feedback on your work is essential for growth in design and copywriting. Share your work with peers.

– Join online communities or forums like /Copywriting or r/Email Marketing on Reddit.

– Request feedback on design choices, copy clarity, and CTA effectiveness. 

H. Study to Earn Email Marketing Certifications

Having certifications makes you stand out to companies and gives your skill set more legitimacy. Among the beneficial programs are those that explain the significance of this.

– HubSpot Email Marketing Certification: Covers core email marketing skills, from strategy to optimization.

-Mailchimp Academy: Teaches how to navigate the platform and execute successful campaigns.

– Google Analytics Certification: Helps you analyse and measure email performance.

I. Learn How to Build a Strong email marketing portfolio.

A solid portfolio is crucial to showcasing your skills and if you are just starting, you can:

– Create mock email campaigns for brands you admire.

– Offer your services to small businesses or nonprofits to gain experience.

– Include internship or freelance work where you can highlight campaign results and your role in optimizing performance.

J. Apply for jobs and internships and stay up to date on trends and best practices.

With your skills, portfolio, and certifications in hand, start applying for entry-level roles such as Email Marketing Coordinator or Marketing Assistant. These positions will help you build experience, and you can work your way up to roles like Email Marketing Manager or Marketing Automation Specialist

The digital marketing landscape is constantly evolving, and staying informed is essential. Here’s how to stay ahead:

– Follow Industry Blogs: Websites like Litmus, Mailchimp’s Blog, and Campaign Monitor provide insights on email marketing trends.

– Join Online Communities: Participate in LinkedIn or Slack groups focused on email marketing to network with peers and share best practices.

Conclusion

Becoming an Email Marketing Specialist is an exciting and rewarding career path with increasing demand. By developing the right skills, mastering essential tools, and staying up to date with the latest trends, you can carve out a successful career in this dynamic field.