What Do Email Marketing Specialists Actually Do: Strategy for Success

Table of Contents
  • Template item

“Email marketing? Oh, that’s just about sending a few newsletters, right?” Many leaders and marketers underestimate the complexity of email marketing—and that’s where businesses lose out on its true potential. 

An effective email strategy is about crafting meaningful, personalized experiences that guide customers through their journey and drive revenue. With an email marketing specialist, this job becomes much easier.

Today, we’ll go beyond the inbox and discuss what does an email marketing specialist do. You’ll learn how they combine strategy and data to deliver impactful campaigns that increase conversions and create brand loyalty.

Email marketing specialists align email marketing efforts with strategy

An email marketing specialist wears many hats during the strategy phase, with their first priority being to establish clear goals. In other words, every email must have a purpose depending on your business goals. They also define the target audience by segmenting your email list based on behavior, preferences, or demographics.

Another critical task is determining the key metrics to measure success. Think: open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates. Consider them as indicators of how well the campaign strategy is performing.

Let’s take a seasonal sales campaign as an example. An email marketing specialist would:

  • Analyze past seasonal campaigns to identify patterns.
  • Segment the audience into groups such as loyal customers, first-time buyers, and inactive subscribers.
  • Craft a series of emails with different offers and messages for each group.

How to implement

For Leaders: Your role is to set the vision, so sit down with your specialist to align your business goals. Want to increase repeat purchases? Share customer buying behavior and product performance insights. Need to tackle abandoned carts? Discuss incentives like discounts or free shipping to sweeten the deal. 

For Specialists: Dive into customer insights and past campaign performance to refine your approach and let data guide your decisions. Analyze what resonates with your audience, from subject lines to email timing. Then, tailor the strategy to include elements like personalization or dynamic content to make each email count.

Email marketers turn internal insights into targeted campaigns

Email marketers are specialists in turning raw data into impactful communication. They segment audiences based on demographics, preferences, and behaviors, ensuring the right message reaches the right person at the right time. 

For example, a specialist might create a nurture sequence tailored to new subscribers, introducing them to your brand’s story while subtly guiding them toward their first purchase. Or identify frequent purchasers for loyalty program promotions.

Personalization is key to their work. By analyzing behavioral data—such as previous purchases or email click-through rates—email marketers craft tailored messages that resonate with specific audience segments. These messages go beyond generic newsletters, delivering value through curated content, exclusive offers, or timely updates that feel relevant to the recipient.

The result? Higher open rates, better click-through rates, and increased conversions.

How to implement

For Leaders: Invest in tools that provide advanced customer segmentation and analytics capabilities. Klaviyo or HubSpot, for instance, are built to integrate with your customer database and offer robust data analysis and automation features. Your team can use these tools to dig deeper into customer behaviors and preferences, paving the way for more targeted and effective marketing campaigns.

Equally important is ensuring your organization's systems are connected. Without this alignment, your email marketers are working with one hand tied behind their back. Sync your CRM, ecommerce platform, and email marketing software to create a unified view of customer activity. 

For Specialists: As an email marketer, your first priority should be understanding your audience. Build detailed personas using data points like purchase history, engagement trends, and browsing behavior. For instance, a persona for bargain hunters might focus on discounts and sales, while high-end buyers might crave exclusivity and premium offers.

Next, build campaigns that feel personal and relevant. If a segment has a habit of abandoning carts, create an automated series with incentives to close the sale. Alternatively, if click-through data shows interest in a particular product category, use that insight to feature relevant items in upcoming campaigns.

Finally, test and iterate. Use A/B testing to refine subject lines, CTAs, and content formats. By analyzing what works best for each segment, you can continuously optimize your campaigns for better results.

Email marketing specialists balance design, copy, and timing

Another key email marketing specialist responsibility is crafting visually striking emails that grab attention and align perfectly with the brand’s identity. Think: layouts, colors, and images that are not just pretty but also clear and user-friendly.

Then comes the copy. A great email goes beyond looking good—it must also say the right thing. Specialists write subject lines that beg to be opened, CTAs that drive clicks, and messaging that makes readers feel like the email was written just for them. 

And timing ties it all together. Specialists analyze audience behavior to determine the best times to send emails. They also experiment with testing send times, segment audiences based on time zones or habits, and refine strategies based on email marketing data insights.

How to implement

For Leaders: Encourage a culture of experimentation and data-driven decision-making. Empower your email marketing specialists to run A/B tests on key email elements like CTAs and layouts. These tests will help them identify what resonates most with audiences and continuously refine their approach.

Next, provide access to advanced email marketing tools, such as platforms with automation and analytics capabilities (e.g., Mailchimp, Klaviyo, or HubSpot). These tools can simplify segmentation, automate drip campaigns, and offer valuable insights into crucial email marketing metrics.

For Specialists: Here, success begins with thoughtful preparation. Before hitting "send," follow a thorough checklist. This should include:

  • Testing mobile responsiveness to ensure the email looks great on all devices.
  • Verifying links to ensure they direct recipients to the intended destination.
  • Reviewing the copy for clarity, tone, and spelling errors.
  • Confirming that email personalization (e.g., recipient names or segmented offers) works as intended.

We recommend taking time to learn from your past campaigns. If a certain subject line style consistently drives open rates, lean into that. If a design element gets more clicks, replicate it. And of course, keep a close eye on industry trends and consumer preferences. As inboxes become increasingly crowded, staying ahead means embracing innovative tactics like interactive emails or hyper-personalized messaging. 

The more innovative you are, the better your chances of standing out.

Email marketing specialists streamline and scale complex campaigns through automations

Designing automated workflows tailored to specific triggers or behaviors is necessary for a seamless and personalized customer experience. Email marketing specialists use advanced tools like HubSpot or Mailchimp to simplify email marketing automation.

For instance, they might create:

  • Welcome sequences: A series of emails to introduce new subscribers to the brand, share valuable content, or offer a special discount.
  • Re-engagement campaigns: Targeted messages to reignite interest among inactive subscribers with irresistible offers or exclusive content.
  • Post-purchase follow-ups: Emails that go beyond a simple "thank you," offering product tips, suggesting complementary items, or nudging repeat purchases.

These automated workflows make sure customers receive the right message at the perfect moment. And email marketers don’t stop at building these systems—they’re also constantly analyzing performance data to take appropriate remedial action and improve metrics.

How to implement

For Leaders: Set your specialists up for success by investing in robust email automation platforms. These tools enable them to design sophisticated workflows with features like segmentation, dynamic content, and advanced analytics.

Note that automation isn’t a "set-it-and-forget-it" solution—it needs ongoing attention. Allocate time and resources so your marketing team members can refine strategies and adapt to performance insights. Also, encourage specialists to stay ahead of industry trends and explore new platform features for an effective email marketing campaign.

For Specialists: Start by mapping out the customer journey and identifying key stages where automation can make an impact. For example, a new subscriber might trigger a welcome sequence, while an abandoned cart could initiate a recovery campaign.

Design workflows tailored to these moments and use A/B testing to experiment with different subject lines or CTA buttons to see what resonates best. You must also regularly analyze performance metrics—and then use these insights to optimize workflows so that they remain effective and aligned with changing customer preferences.

Email marketing specialists continuously optimize marketing campaigns and channels

Email marketing metrics serve as a roadmap for understanding what’s working and what’s not, and an email marketing specialist focused on analyzing them to optimize campaigns. For example, if open rates are low, they might test new subject lines or send times to improve engagement. Similarly, if CTRs are underperforming, they can experiment with different calls-to-action, content formats, or email designs.

The work doesn’t stop at metrics, though. Email marketing specialists also segment audiences to create more personalized and targeted campaigns. They may tailor emails based on customer behaviors, preferences, or purchase histories to ensure messaging resonates on a deeper level.

Beyond crafting individual campaigns, specialists keep an eye on the bigger picture. They manage automated workflows (think: cart abandonment reminders, post-purchase follow-ups) to nurture customer relationships over time. Continuous optimization ensures your brand's email marketing efforts remain relevant and effective even as customer behaviors evolve.

How to implement

For Leaders: Regular check-ins with your specialist are a must. Use these sessions to dig into analytics and align on broader goals, such as boosting customer retention or driving upsells. And discuss things beyond metrics—focus your conversations on enhancing strategies and setting priorities, too.

Lastly, make sure your specialist has the right tools to thrive as well. Think: marketing automation platforms with robust analytics and A/B testing capabilities features. With the right resources, it's easier for them to experiment, iterate, and optimize.

For Specialists: Tap into insights from sales and customer service teams. If customer service reports recurring pain points, use that knowledge to write emails that directly address those issues. Sales feedback on what messaging resonates with leads can also help refine your campaigns.

And as you may have guessed, you'll need to regularly A/B test email elements to identify what works best. Use those insights to fuel a continuous improvement loop, ensuring each campaign outperforms the last.

Email marketing specialists drive email marketing campaign ROI

Email marketing specialists ensure campaigns are not just well-crafted but also strategically aligned with your company goals. 

Instead of focusing solely on short-term metrics, they design campaigns that contribute to long-term objectives like customer retention, revenue growth, or brand loyalty. Consequently, they require a deep understanding of how email fits into the larger marketing ecosystem. For instance, they might synchronize email campaigns with product launches, seasonal promotions, or broader content marketing initiatives to amplify their impact. 

By keeping the bigger picture in focus, specialists ensure email marketing drives sustainable results and meaningful ROI.

Collaboration is another key aspect of their work. Specialists regularly engage with other departments—such as sales, product, or customer service—to ensure email messaging supports company-wide objectives. For example, an email campaign promoting a new feature might reflect input from the product team, while customer feedback might inform personalization strategies.

How to implement

For Leaders: Integrate email into your overall marketing strategy rather than treating it as a standalone channel. Involve them in strategic planning sessions to ensure their campaigns align with company goals. For example, if boosting lifetime customer value is a priority, collaborate on campaigns that encourage repeat purchases or deepen engagement.

Having access to tools like CRMs or shared project management tools can help them work seamlessly with sales and customer service as well, to ensure everyone is on the same page.

For Specialists: Make cross-functional collaboration a priority. Build strong relationships with teams like sales and product to understand their objectives and ensure your campaigns support them. For instance, if the sales team is focused on specific leads, you could create nurture sequences that address common pain points or objections.

You also shouldn't be stuck on email-specific metrics alone. While open and click-through rates matter, shift your focus to broader KPIs like revenue growth or market share.

Why MarketerHire is the best place to find on-demand email marketers

MarketerHire takes the headache out of hiring email marketing professionals by connecting you with a curated network of proven specialists. Whether you need to design advanced automation or create personalized campaigns that truly resonate, we’ll match you with experts who understand your goals and deliver measurable results.

What sets MarketerHire apart? Speed and precision. Forget the long, tedious hiring process—our platform matches you with the right talent in as little as 48 hours, unlike traditional hiring methods. Plus, our flexible contracts mean you can scale your digital marketing team up or down as your needs evolve. 

Ready to elevate your email marketing strategy? Partner with a top-tier specialist through MarketerHire today and achieve impactful results.

Rana BanoRana Bano
Rana is part B2B content writer, part Ryan Reynolds, and Oprah Winfrey (aspiring for the last two). She uses these parts to help SaaS brands like Shopify, HubSpot, Semrush, and Forbes tell their story, aiming to encourage user engagement and drive organic traffic.
Hire Marketers

Table of Contents

“Email marketing? Oh, that’s just about sending a few newsletters, right?” Many leaders and marketers underestimate the complexity of email marketing—and that’s where businesses lose out on its true potential. 

An effective email strategy is about crafting meaningful, personalized experiences that guide customers through their journey and drive revenue. With an email marketing specialist, this job becomes much easier.

Today, we’ll go beyond the inbox and discuss what does an email marketing specialist do. You’ll learn how they combine strategy and data to deliver impactful campaigns that increase conversions and create brand loyalty.

Email marketing specialists align email marketing efforts with strategy

An email marketing specialist wears many hats during the strategy phase, with their first priority being to establish clear goals. In other words, every email must have a purpose depending on your business goals. They also define the target audience by segmenting your email list based on behavior, preferences, or demographics.

Another critical task is determining the key metrics to measure success. Think: open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates. Consider them as indicators of how well the campaign strategy is performing.

Let’s take a seasonal sales campaign as an example. An email marketing specialist would:

  • Analyze past seasonal campaigns to identify patterns.
  • Segment the audience into groups such as loyal customers, first-time buyers, and inactive subscribers.
  • Craft a series of emails with different offers and messages for each group.

How to implement

For Leaders: Your role is to set the vision, so sit down with your specialist to align your business goals. Want to increase repeat purchases? Share customer buying behavior and product performance insights. Need to tackle abandoned carts? Discuss incentives like discounts or free shipping to sweeten the deal. 

For Specialists: Dive into customer insights and past campaign performance to refine your approach and let data guide your decisions. Analyze what resonates with your audience, from subject lines to email timing. Then, tailor the strategy to include elements like personalization or dynamic content to make each email count.

Email marketers turn internal insights into targeted campaigns

Email marketers are specialists in turning raw data into impactful communication. They segment audiences based on demographics, preferences, and behaviors, ensuring the right message reaches the right person at the right time. 

For example, a specialist might create a nurture sequence tailored to new subscribers, introducing them to your brand’s story while subtly guiding them toward their first purchase. Or identify frequent purchasers for loyalty program promotions.

Personalization is key to their work. By analyzing behavioral data—such as previous purchases or email click-through rates—email marketers craft tailored messages that resonate with specific audience segments. These messages go beyond generic newsletters, delivering value through curated content, exclusive offers, or timely updates that feel relevant to the recipient.

The result? Higher open rates, better click-through rates, and increased conversions.

How to implement

For Leaders: Invest in tools that provide advanced customer segmentation and analytics capabilities. Klaviyo or HubSpot, for instance, are built to integrate with your customer database and offer robust data analysis and automation features. Your team can use these tools to dig deeper into customer behaviors and preferences, paving the way for more targeted and effective marketing campaigns.

Equally important is ensuring your organization's systems are connected. Without this alignment, your email marketers are working with one hand tied behind their back. Sync your CRM, ecommerce platform, and email marketing software to create a unified view of customer activity. 

For Specialists: As an email marketer, your first priority should be understanding your audience. Build detailed personas using data points like purchase history, engagement trends, and browsing behavior. For instance, a persona for bargain hunters might focus on discounts and sales, while high-end buyers might crave exclusivity and premium offers.

Next, build campaigns that feel personal and relevant. If a segment has a habit of abandoning carts, create an automated series with incentives to close the sale. Alternatively, if click-through data shows interest in a particular product category, use that insight to feature relevant items in upcoming campaigns.

Finally, test and iterate. Use A/B testing to refine subject lines, CTAs, and content formats. By analyzing what works best for each segment, you can continuously optimize your campaigns for better results.

Email marketing specialists balance design, copy, and timing

Another key email marketing specialist responsibility is crafting visually striking emails that grab attention and align perfectly with the brand’s identity. Think: layouts, colors, and images that are not just pretty but also clear and user-friendly.

Then comes the copy. A great email goes beyond looking good—it must also say the right thing. Specialists write subject lines that beg to be opened, CTAs that drive clicks, and messaging that makes readers feel like the email was written just for them. 

And timing ties it all together. Specialists analyze audience behavior to determine the best times to send emails. They also experiment with testing send times, segment audiences based on time zones or habits, and refine strategies based on email marketing data insights.

How to implement

For Leaders: Encourage a culture of experimentation and data-driven decision-making. Empower your email marketing specialists to run A/B tests on key email elements like CTAs and layouts. These tests will help them identify what resonates most with audiences and continuously refine their approach.

Next, provide access to advanced email marketing tools, such as platforms with automation and analytics capabilities (e.g., Mailchimp, Klaviyo, or HubSpot). These tools can simplify segmentation, automate drip campaigns, and offer valuable insights into crucial email marketing metrics.

For Specialists: Here, success begins with thoughtful preparation. Before hitting "send," follow a thorough checklist. This should include:

  • Testing mobile responsiveness to ensure the email looks great on all devices.
  • Verifying links to ensure they direct recipients to the intended destination.
  • Reviewing the copy for clarity, tone, and spelling errors.
  • Confirming that email personalization (e.g., recipient names or segmented offers) works as intended.

We recommend taking time to learn from your past campaigns. If a certain subject line style consistently drives open rates, lean into that. If a design element gets more clicks, replicate it. And of course, keep a close eye on industry trends and consumer preferences. As inboxes become increasingly crowded, staying ahead means embracing innovative tactics like interactive emails or hyper-personalized messaging. 

The more innovative you are, the better your chances of standing out.

Email marketing specialists streamline and scale complex campaigns through automations

Designing automated workflows tailored to specific triggers or behaviors is necessary for a seamless and personalized customer experience. Email marketing specialists use advanced tools like HubSpot or Mailchimp to simplify email marketing automation.

For instance, they might create:

  • Welcome sequences: A series of emails to introduce new subscribers to the brand, share valuable content, or offer a special discount.
  • Re-engagement campaigns: Targeted messages to reignite interest among inactive subscribers with irresistible offers or exclusive content.
  • Post-purchase follow-ups: Emails that go beyond a simple "thank you," offering product tips, suggesting complementary items, or nudging repeat purchases.

These automated workflows make sure customers receive the right message at the perfect moment. And email marketers don’t stop at building these systems—they’re also constantly analyzing performance data to take appropriate remedial action and improve metrics.

How to implement

For Leaders: Set your specialists up for success by investing in robust email automation platforms. These tools enable them to design sophisticated workflows with features like segmentation, dynamic content, and advanced analytics.

Note that automation isn’t a "set-it-and-forget-it" solution—it needs ongoing attention. Allocate time and resources so your marketing team members can refine strategies and adapt to performance insights. Also, encourage specialists to stay ahead of industry trends and explore new platform features for an effective email marketing campaign.

For Specialists: Start by mapping out the customer journey and identifying key stages where automation can make an impact. For example, a new subscriber might trigger a welcome sequence, while an abandoned cart could initiate a recovery campaign.

Design workflows tailored to these moments and use A/B testing to experiment with different subject lines or CTA buttons to see what resonates best. You must also regularly analyze performance metrics—and then use these insights to optimize workflows so that they remain effective and aligned with changing customer preferences.

Email marketing specialists continuously optimize marketing campaigns and channels

Email marketing metrics serve as a roadmap for understanding what’s working and what’s not, and an email marketing specialist focused on analyzing them to optimize campaigns. For example, if open rates are low, they might test new subject lines or send times to improve engagement. Similarly, if CTRs are underperforming, they can experiment with different calls-to-action, content formats, or email designs.

The work doesn’t stop at metrics, though. Email marketing specialists also segment audiences to create more personalized and targeted campaigns. They may tailor emails based on customer behaviors, preferences, or purchase histories to ensure messaging resonates on a deeper level.

Beyond crafting individual campaigns, specialists keep an eye on the bigger picture. They manage automated workflows (think: cart abandonment reminders, post-purchase follow-ups) to nurture customer relationships over time. Continuous optimization ensures your brand's email marketing efforts remain relevant and effective even as customer behaviors evolve.

How to implement

For Leaders: Regular check-ins with your specialist are a must. Use these sessions to dig into analytics and align on broader goals, such as boosting customer retention or driving upsells. And discuss things beyond metrics—focus your conversations on enhancing strategies and setting priorities, too.

Lastly, make sure your specialist has the right tools to thrive as well. Think: marketing automation platforms with robust analytics and A/B testing capabilities features. With the right resources, it's easier for them to experiment, iterate, and optimize.

For Specialists: Tap into insights from sales and customer service teams. If customer service reports recurring pain points, use that knowledge to write emails that directly address those issues. Sales feedback on what messaging resonates with leads can also help refine your campaigns.

And as you may have guessed, you'll need to regularly A/B test email elements to identify what works best. Use those insights to fuel a continuous improvement loop, ensuring each campaign outperforms the last.

Email marketing specialists drive email marketing campaign ROI

Email marketing specialists ensure campaigns are not just well-crafted but also strategically aligned with your company goals. 

Instead of focusing solely on short-term metrics, they design campaigns that contribute to long-term objectives like customer retention, revenue growth, or brand loyalty. Consequently, they require a deep understanding of how email fits into the larger marketing ecosystem. For instance, they might synchronize email campaigns with product launches, seasonal promotions, or broader content marketing initiatives to amplify their impact. 

By keeping the bigger picture in focus, specialists ensure email marketing drives sustainable results and meaningful ROI.

Collaboration is another key aspect of their work. Specialists regularly engage with other departments—such as sales, product, or customer service—to ensure email messaging supports company-wide objectives. For example, an email campaign promoting a new feature might reflect input from the product team, while customer feedback might inform personalization strategies.

How to implement

For Leaders: Integrate email into your overall marketing strategy rather than treating it as a standalone channel. Involve them in strategic planning sessions to ensure their campaigns align with company goals. For example, if boosting lifetime customer value is a priority, collaborate on campaigns that encourage repeat purchases or deepen engagement.

Having access to tools like CRMs or shared project management tools can help them work seamlessly with sales and customer service as well, to ensure everyone is on the same page.

For Specialists: Make cross-functional collaboration a priority. Build strong relationships with teams like sales and product to understand their objectives and ensure your campaigns support them. For instance, if the sales team is focused on specific leads, you could create nurture sequences that address common pain points or objections.

You also shouldn't be stuck on email-specific metrics alone. While open and click-through rates matter, shift your focus to broader KPIs like revenue growth or market share.

Why MarketerHire is the best place to find on-demand email marketers

MarketerHire takes the headache out of hiring email marketing professionals by connecting you with a curated network of proven specialists. Whether you need to design advanced automation or create personalized campaigns that truly resonate, we’ll match you with experts who understand your goals and deliver measurable results.

What sets MarketerHire apart? Speed and precision. Forget the long, tedious hiring process—our platform matches you with the right talent in as little as 48 hours, unlike traditional hiring methods. Plus, our flexible contracts mean you can scale your digital marketing team up or down as your needs evolve. 

Ready to elevate your email marketing strategy? Partner with a top-tier specialist through MarketerHire today and achieve impactful results.

Rana Bano
about the author

Rana is part B2B content writer, part Ryan Reynolds, and Oprah Winfrey (aspiring for the last two). She uses these parts to help SaaS brands like Shopify, HubSpot, Semrush, and Forbes tell their story, aiming to encourage user engagement and drive organic traffic.

Hire a Marketer