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15 Essential Email Marketing Terms Defined to Make Your Life Easier

Beefree team
Beefree team
Jan 23, 2020
15 Essential Email Marketing Terms Defined to Make Your Life Easier
15 Essential Email Marketing Terms Defined to Make Your Life Easier

There's a lot of misinformation and confusion when it comes to email marketing terms. Many are used in the wrong context and other terms are difficult to understand.This short glossary defines the most important email marketing terms, shares use cases and gives you concrete examples you can adapt to your own needs.

1. Transactional email 

Transactional emails (also known as triggered emails) are a type of automated message triggered by events (and in some cases preferences) performed by a recipient. This type of email is independent of a company’s email marketing campaigns (though some triggered emails such as abandoned cart messages, can perform marketing functions) and deliver necessary information such as a receipt.One of the hallmarks of a transactional email is the inherent personalization. It’s sent to a specific person and contains information that would only be important or useful to the recipient.

Use cases

There are many use cases for transactional emails such as:

  • Receipts
  • Subscription notifications
  • Email address confirmation messages
  • Event registration confirmations
  • Support ticket confirmation notifications
  • Password reset 
  • Verification code in two-factor authentication 

Emails that qualify as transactional are varied. Keep in mind that they’re personalized to the recipient and are triggered in response to an action they’ve taken.

Transactional email example

The above email is triggered after someone makes a purchase through Doordash. It gives the recipient important information about their order. Though there are marketing elements like referring to a friend, that’s not the goal of the message. 

2. Email marketing automation 

Email marketing automation has become popular over the last few years but it’s an email marketing term often confused with other things. It's the process of sending timed or event-triggered emails to subscribers.The definition itself is broad and is open to interpretation. For example, a receipt sent to a new customer as well as a welcome sequence can both be considered email marketing automation.Generally, when you talk about email marketing automation, you’re sending messages that’ll move people further down your funnel, get them to specific landing pages, and encourage the sale.

Use cases 

Because the definition of email marketing automation is so broad, the use cases are also broad. Here are a few that’ll give you a better understanding of what email marketing automation is:

  • Welcome sequence
  • Cart abandonment nurturing sequence
  • Course content delivery 
  • Birthday emails
  • Significant event emails (anniversary, Valentine’s day, etc.)
  • Event promotion
  • Webinar follow-up emails
  • Product launch sequences

Email marketing automation example

The above example is taken from one of the automation we use in our business and is a bit complicated. There are many triggers that are dependent on whether someone has taken an action or not which segments them into different lists, tags, and email sequences.If you’re just starting out, a simple email campaign with a few steps may be more manageable. Work your way up to advanced automation over time.

3. SPAM

SPAM is often difficult to pin down. If you’re launching a new product line but one of your past customers isn’t interested, it can be considered SPAM (Note: you should be running regular re-engagement campaigns to prevent this). To another customer, it’s relevant and timely.In general, the CAN-SPAM Act and its counterparts in different countries define SPAM as unsolicited or unwanted commercial emails that have a primary purpose of advertising or promoting a commercial product or service.Emails classified as SPAM can have stiff penalties of over $40,000 for every email found to be in violation. The good news is that it’s not difficult to stay compliant. Build a permission-based email list and you clean it regularly to make sure you're compliant.

4. Email Open Rate

The email open rate is the percentage of the total recipients who opened the email sent out. The email open rate isn't tied to the total number of subscribers on your list. The open rate varies depending on your industry and the level of personalization you use when sending messages to subscribers.If you want to maximize your email open rates, focus on the subject line and relevance of the message. Try A/B test different subject lines so you can increase your open rate over time. Services like Moosend, ActiveCampaign, etc. make this relatively simple. Finally, it’s important to ensure your email delivery is high so you’re not getting lower open rates based on a technicality.

5. Email Click-Through Rate

The email click-through rate is the percentage of email recipients that clicked on a link in your email. This includes your main CTA as well as unsubscribe links and other secondary clickable elements.You calculate it by taking the total number of clicks and dividing it by the total number of emails sent in the campaign and expressing the final number as a percentage.Increase it by creating relevant messages and providing multiple opportunities for people to click on your links. That means you should place the same link in your email at strategic places to increase its visibility.

6. Drip Email Sequence

An email drip sequence, also known as an email drip campaign, is a predefined series of emails. They go out to a targeted group of email subscribers on a time schedule or after specific criteria have been fulfilled. The better the drip sequence the more likely they are to help you achieve your goal order to achieve a specific goal.The email marketing term describes emails that share educational content, marketing material, or even announcements in order to close a sale or achieve something important to you.For example, a website visitor signs up to get a PDF about taking care of orchids. The drip related drip sequence sends an email every two days and focuses on different aspects of orchid care. Towards the end of the drip sequence, the messages focus on selling a detailed course that covers all aspects of orchid care.

Use cases

Drip campaigns are used to promote almost anything which makes them quite versatile. The benefit is that you don’t go directly for the sale but instead focus on instilling buying beliefs and building a relationship. Use them to:

  • Welcome subscribers
  • Launch products
  • Introduce concepts
  • Teach complicated lessons or deliver a course
  • Sell existing products

Example drip sequences

7. Double Opt-in 

A double opt-in is when someone signs up for an email list and they receive a transactional email asking them to confirm their willingness to join the list. If they don’t click the link then they won’t become part of the mailing list.Double opt-ins are used to ensure contacts didn’t sign up accidentally and to comply with regulations such as GDPR. At the same time, you protect yourself from spam signups and increase the quality of your mailing list.

8. Email Newsletter

An email newsletter, as the name implies, is an email sent out to inform your subscribers about news, updates, tips, promotions, etc. related to them or your company. Use email newsletters as one-off self-contained campaigns.Email newsletters are the most common type of email and tend to be sent regularly to subscribers. The frequency you choose should be something you’re able to deliver consistently so your subscribers remain engaged with your brand.Newsletters also vary widely when it comes to design. Some of them are plain text while others follow the latest graphic design trends to create unique experiences. What you choose depends largely on your niche.

9. Email Template

An email template is a predesigned or prewritten email (usually an HTML file) that can be tweaked and reused multiple items to quickly create high-quality email campaigns. One of the major benefits of an email template is saving time. It also creates a consistent style for your brand so when people see your messages in their inbox, they have brand recall.

Use cases

Use email templates wherever emails are used but consider creating different templates for different situations:

  • Transactional emails 
  • Confirmation emails 
  • Newsletters
  • Drip campaigns

Email template example

Use this template in Beefree!

Use this template in Beefree!

Take a look at more of the BEE email templates you can use to send beautiful emails.

10. Email list hygiene 

Email list hygiene is the process of checking the status of contacts on your list and removing the ones who no longer open or otherwise interact with your messages. These emails may have gone “cold” for a number of reasons but if they remain on your list your open rates will reduce and email deliverability may be impacted.Clean your email list regularly by removing bounced emails or contacts who haven’t opened your emails in months. This ensures that only the people who want to receive your messages will get them.

11. Email bounce rate

Email bounce rate is the percentage of emails sent out that are returned by the mail sender as undeliverable. In essence, the email bounces back to you without getting to the intended recipient. There are two major types of email bounces:

  • Hard Bounce. A hard bounce is an email that’s returned undelivered because it wasn’t accepted by the recipient’s mail server. In other words, the email address doesn’t exist, the domain doesn’t exist, or the server has completely blocked delivery.  
  • Soft Bounce. The recipient’s mail server sends the email back after it has been accepted. Soft bounces usually show the email address is right but something is preventing your message from getting through. Common reasons include the server is down, the inbox is full, or the email you’re sending is too large. 

12. Email lead scoring 

Lead scoring is a powerful tool that can help you identify your most engaged subscribers and customers. It’s the process of assigning a numerical score to actions your subscribers take and using that to sort and rank them. When done correctly, a higher score translates to higher interest in your products and services and a greater likelihood to purchase when you send well-designed sales emails.Develop a clear understanding of what actions deserve to be scored before you implement this strategy. You should also consider how much weight (or how many points) each action should carry.Someone opening your email won't be weighted as much as someone clicking a link. A link click won’t carry as much weight as someone who replies to an email. After someone has a high enough score, you segment them and interact with them differently going forward.

13. Email list segmentation 

Email list segmentation is the process of splitting your subscribers into different groups based on criteria important to you. Use it to increase personalization and ROI from email campaigns. You may already do this if you maintain individual lists for people who signed up for different lead magnets on your website.That’s one of the most basic forms of email segmentation and you can go much further with behavioral segmentation. It takes into consideration the pages they’re visiting on your website, the types of emails they’re opening, and the links they’re clicking on.There are countless ways to segment subscribers but it’s important to only use the factors important to you. For example, if you’re selling computers, segmenting based on gender may be irrelevant. If you’re selling clothes or accessories, gender may be extremely important. When selling software, psychographic segmentation may be more important than demographic segmentation.Think about or find the different groups in your audience and which type of email list segmentation will have the most impact on your revenue.

14. Cart abandonment email sequence

An abandoned cart email is an automated email sent to a recipient after they’ve added items to their cart but didn’t complete the checkout process before leaving the website. They’re an essential aspect of an eCommerce business because the cart abandonment rate is a high as 70%.A simple 3-part cart abandonment email sequence can recover as much as 15% of the revenue that would have otherwise been lost. It’s important to start the process quickly so you engage with subscribers while the purchase they were considering is still top of mind.

Cart abandonment email example

example of abandoned cart email marketing terms

15. Dynamic email content 

Dynamic email content is an email marketing term imagery or text that changes based on the characteristics of the recipient. These characteristics are anything that matters to you and helps you achieve your goal.For example, you can send the same email to two subscribers but one is a male and one is female. In the email sent to the female subscriber, the imagery and change to focus on high heel shoes. In the email sent to the male, the imagery and text focus on men’s brogues.Use it with templates or create it from scratch. The limitations of how you can set up dynamic content are set by your email marketing provider. Some of them are like ActiveCampaign, Constant Contact or their alternatives are extremely flexible while others don’t support it at all.

Conclusion

These email marketing terms are essential if you want to make the most of your beautiful templates and your campaigns.The list isn’t exhaustive but it’ll point you in the right direction so you can make the most of every email you send.

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Now, let's be honest—you’ve likely heard about all of these rotating for the last few years. While email marketing has come a long way and is changing faster than ever, there’s only so much you can do within 600x1,500 pixels. However, there are no limits to where your creativity can take you. 

Let’s get into it.  

#1. Unique, tailored experiences 

Damian Grabarczyk, the co-founder and growth marketer of PetLab Co., says, “We faced the challenge of connecting meaningfully with an audience that expects more than one-size-fits-all communication.” 

When we speak about crafting tailored emails we mean going beyond the recipient's first name in the subject line. We’re talking about optimizing your entire email strategy to design multi-stage touchpoints to nurture leads across the customer lifecycle. As well as, leveraging data to send hyper-personalized, relevant, and engaging emails that feel less like a broadcast message and more like a conversation. 

Many are using AI machine learning algorithms and AI automation to analyze customer interactions, past purchases, browsing habits, website visits, and even social media behavior to curate engaging email content that resonates deeply with the real-time needs of recipients.

For PetLab Co this looked like including content such as an individual’s pet health history or product usage timelines. Damian Grabarzyk expands, “This approach transformed the conversion rate and strengthened customer loyalty. As we look ahead, I see brands in 2025 moving beyond generic personalization to adopt strategies that make customers feel truly understood and valued.”

On the other hand, many are leaning into user-generated content (UGC) for crafting tailored experiences. Customers today are more likely to trust the opinions of peers over branded messages. UGC like customer reviews, testimonials, videos, and photos are the best form of social proof depicting real people using and benefitting from your products or services. 

We see the benefits of using both AI and UGC to get the most out of your email conversions ;). 

#2. AI tools as an addition, not a substitution

Experts at NordPass state, "AI-powered content generation tools are not here to replace email copywriters and marketers. These tools make us more efficient. The smarter the tool is, the better equipped we are to create high-performing email content that drives results." 

AI tools can support us by significantly enhancing the speed, precision, and effectiveness of your emails. For instance while traditionally A/B testing has required a lot of time to analyze small variations with AI you quickly implement and test multiple email elements and make adjustments based on real-time engagement data. There are AI algorithms that can even predict which variations are most likely to resonate with different audience segments, leading to more accurate targeting and faster optimization.

In short, AI tools are revolutionizing the way we craft and optimize our email’s deliverability. There are many different types of AI solutions so we suggest finding the right one for your needs. 

#3. Even more transparency around data

With AI continuing to rise, folks are more and more concerned about where their data is going. That’s where zero-party data collection becomes a key strategy in email marketing, allowing you to gather data directly from customers rather than relying on third-party sources. 

Zero-party data includes information that consumers willingly share, such as preferences, interests, and purchase intentions. This data is often collected through surveys, preference centers, quizzes, or interactive content and is highly valuable because it is shared explicitly, ensuring accuracy and deeper personalization without privacy concerns associated with third-party tracking.

As privacy regulations tighten, zero-party data will empower you to deliver hyper-personalized email experiences while respecting user privacy. This approach will help you build trust, as customers feel more in control of their data, and you gain insights that lead to more relevant and engaging email content.

#4. The death of static emails

With attention span getting shorter day after day, digest-format emails are expected to rise in popularity in 2025. Presenting email content in an easy-to-scan, organized, and minimalistic layout will surely help deliver the most relevant information in a fraction of the time. 

Additionally, interactive emails will allow recipients to directly engage within the email without having to visit a landing page or website. Interactive elements like product carousels, polls, and quizzes create a dynamic experience that keeps subscribers engaged, especially in visually driven industries like fashion brands

So what now? 

You’ve heard these strategies before, but now it’s time to actually put them into action. The brands that win at email marketing in 2025 won’t just be sending emails—they’ll be creating experiences. Whether it’s hyper-personalized content, AI-driven efficiency, zero-party data collection, or interactive emails that break the mold, the key is to stay ahead of the curve.

So, what’s the first strategy you’ll finally implement? Your inbox (and your audience) are waiting.

How to Leverage Email Campaigns to Gather Sincere Product Reviews

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What do customers think about your brand’s products? The best way to find out is to ask them directly, which you can do via strategic email campaigns.

Email makes gathering authentic product reviews quick and easy. By collecting sincere feedback, you can build trust, increase sales, boost loyalty, and innovate product improvements. 

That said, requesting reviews via email requires precise timing, personalized messaging, and lots of engagement optimizations. But don’t worry—we’ll walk you through some key steps to create email campaigns that deliver the valuable feedback you need.

Why product reviews matter

Product reviews do more than confirm that you're meeting customers’ needs. Sincere feedback drives loyalty and sales, offers valuable customer insights, and helps you develop a strategic product development roadmap.

  • Fosters customer loyalty: Requesting and listening to feedback makes your customers feel valued and heard. It demonstrates that you prioritize customer satisfaction, which helps you build stronger, long-term relationships. Review requests also act as re-engagement emails by starting new conversations with customers.
  • Increases sales: Social proof drives sales. According to a recent survey by Power Reviews, 90% of potential customers use online reviews to make purchasing decisions. In fact, reviews have more influence over purchasing decisions than product prices. Turning product reviews into customer testimonials and encouraging reviews on third-party sites can significantly boost sales.
Image sourced from powerreviews.com
  • Builds Customer 360 insights: Customer feedback delivers insights into customer needs and sentiments, enriching Customer 360. Exactly what is Customer 360? It’s a unified, 360-degree view of customer data. It empowers you to tailor products and customer experiences to meet individual needs and preferences. 
  • Drives product improvements: Sincere customer feedback reveals what target customers like/dislike about your products. It provides key insight into their value, functionality, and usability, unlocking large-scale development opportunities.

How to create an email campaign to collect product reviews

Want to unlock the power of product reviews? Let’s explore how to create email campaigns that encourage customers to share their feedback.

Segment your audience

Like promotional emails, product review requests shouldn’t be sent to every subscriber.

If subscribers haven’t had the chance to try your product, product review requests will feel irrelevant and may trigger unsubscriptions. So, only send review email requests to customers recently trying your product.

You can do this by segmenting your email list based on where customers are in the buying cycle. Target loyal customers, recent purchasers, and first-time buyers with tailored email campaigns. This ensures that you’re sending emails to customers most likely to respond with insightful feedback.

Write a compelling email subject line

According to Superoffice, 33% of people open an email based on the subject line. 

Image sourced from superoffice.com

To get the click-through rates you want, your email subject lines should be personalized, relevant, and engaging. Here are some examples:

  • Did you love [product]? Or hate it? Let us know!
  • We value your opinion — help us improve!
  • We want YOU to help us make our product better!
  • Up for a discount? Share your feedback for 10% off! 

Learn more > Tips for writing open worthy subject lines.

Optimize for customer engagement

A successful email marketing strategy relies on customer engagement. Here are some key email elements you need to encourage interactions.

  • An attractive email design: With the right layout, color scheme, typography, and images, you ensure easy readability and promote interaction. Use these engagement-boosting email design best practices to help you create a design that boosts conversion rates.
  • Gratitude and value: Thank customers for reading the email and explaining why their feedback is so important. Also, consider including a personalized Gmail email signature with your content details to build trust and encourage customers to engage with your review request. 
  • Personalized, relevant content: Personalized email content motivates engagement. Use customer data platform (CDP) data to tailor messages to individual customers. What is a CDP? It’s a centralized platform that collects and unifies customer information, building comprehensive customer profiles. 
  • Incentives: Offering a small discount can motivate customers to leave reviews, especially first-time buyers. That said, incentives can (sometimes) generate insincere reviews, so stress the importance of honesty. 
  • A strong call-to-action (CTA): Your CTA should direct readers straight to the reviews submission page. Use clear CTAs with bold buttons and typography to make it stand out.
  • Mobile responsiveness: If your emails are slow to load or don’t display correctly on mobile devices, your bounce rate will spike. Leverage solutions that offer advanced mobile optimization features — such as Beefree— to create responsive emails every single time.

Ask specific, concise questions

Complex, drawn-out questions that are too open-ended can disengage customers. So, get straight to the point with concise, direct questions. Here are some examples:

  • What did you think of [specific product feature]?
  • How often do you use our product?
  • What are your favorite/least favorite features?
  • How likely are you to recommend this product?
  • What could we do to improve our product?

Use a mixture of closed and open-ended questions to increase your chances of receiving meaningful responses.

Make it easy to respond

The easier it is for customers to leave a review, the more responses you’ll receive. So, make the process as seamless and convenient as possible. One way to do this is with survey emails.

Email surveys have high response rates. They can be completed within the email with minimal effort, which is a big plus for busy customers. And, they can generate a wealth of quantitative data and metrics that are quick to analyze, leading to faster improvements. BeeFree has an extensive collection of email survey templates to suit every need.

For longer review requests, include a CTA that directly links to the review submission page. Review forms should use simple, clear language, be optimized for mobile, and have a progress bar. 

You could even provide your telephone contact details to allow customers to leave a review via telephone. It’s the preferred communication method for 55% of Baby Boomers according to Hubspot, so it’s worth considering. 

Leverage small business telephone services from Vonage to access call center capabilities like virtual receptionists and CRM integrations, streamlining processes.

Also consider directing customers to leave reviews on popular review sites, such as Google and Amazon.

Optimize email timings

If you send product review requests too early, there’s a chance your customers won’t have tried your product yet. But if you send them too late, your customer might have forgotten their experience. 

So, when’s the best time to request reviews? 

Aim to send review requests within 7-14 days post-purchase. This gives customers a chance to try the product a few times, leading to more sincere, meaningful reviews. Plan for seasonal surges such as Black Friday and incorporate them into your schedules.

Key takeaways

Do email campaigns work for gathering valuable product reviews that drive improvements, boost trust, and increase sales and loyalty? 

Absolutely — but they need to be strategic.

To generate sincere reviews and valuable data, ensure your marketing emails are personalized, engaging, and optimized for convenience. And, use email list segmentation and marketing automation to ensure they’re sent to the right customers at the right time.

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