Digital Marketing
Email marketing and automation
Email is the one channel where the audience belongs to the sender rather than to a platform, which makes it cheap to run and expensive to damage. The discipline covers building a list on genuine permission, dividing it into segments that want different things, getting messages past spam filters, and writing the automated sequences that welcome, remind and win back subscribers.
Why this topic exists: Lists, segmentation, deliverability, sequences and the platforms that run them (Mailchimp, Brevo, HubSpot, Klaviyo); DMI's Email and Automation module, HubSpot's email certificate.
An email programme rests on three assets: a list of people who agreed to hear from you, data about them precise enough to send different messages to different groups, and a sending reputation that mailbox providers trust. Campaigns, the one-off newsletters and announcements, are the visible part. Most of the value in a mature programme comes from automation instead: messages set off by something a subscriber did, such as signing up, abandoning a basket or going quiet. The DMI diploma pairs the two in one module, and HubSpot's Email Marketing certificate is the only one in its marketing set with a graded practical task alongside the exam. The platforms, Mailchimp, Brevo, Klaviyo, HubSpot and others, differ in pricing and integrations far more than in what they let you do.
Deliverability is technical work
Large mailbox providers expect bulk senders to authenticate their domain with SPF, DKIM and DMARC records and to offer one-click unsubscribing. A list that skips this setup can look healthy inside the sending platform while much of it lands in spam, and no dashboard will say so plainly.
Sequences most programmes run
| Sequence | Set off by | Its job |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome | A new sign-up | Deliver what the sign-up was promised and set expectations about frequency |
| Abandoned basket or form | Leaving a purchase or enquiry unfinished | Answer the doubt, remove the obstacle, or simply remind |
| Onboarding | A first order or a new account | Help the buyer get value quickly so a second order follows |
| Post-purchase | A delivered order | Ask for a review, suggest what comes next, catch problems early |
| Re-engagement | Months without opens or clicks | Win the subscriber back or take them off the list |
Each row is a small piece of marketing automation: a trigger, a delay and a message. The skill lies less in assembling the workflow than in deciding what to say to someone at that moment. Segmentation decides who enters which flow, by behaviour, purchase history or stated interest, and it matters more than any subject-line trick. Measurement has grown harder since privacy features in mail clients began loading images automatically, which inflated open rates; clicks, replies and revenue per recipient are the figures that still carry meaning.
The mistake that costs most
Treating the list as something to maximise. Bought or scraped addresses, pre-ticked consent boxes and sending every campaign to everyone all make the list bigger and the reputation worse, and a damaged sending domain takes months to recover. European rules require consent for marketing email, with narrow exceptions for existing customers, and most other markets have regulations of their own. The discipline is restraint: fewer, better-aimed sends and a regular clear-out of addresses that no longer respond. Email work leads naturally into CRM and lifecycle marketing, where the same records serve sales and service too, and it leans on analytics to attribute revenue fairly. Shop owners should read it with the e-commerce section, since basket and post-purchase flows depend on data from the shop platform.
Next to this topic
- Marketing strategy and fundamentalsSegments, positioning, the funnel, channel mix and the plan that ties them together: DMI's Digital Marketing Strategy module and the Fundamentals shelf; Google's free fundamentals course starts here.
- Search engine optimisationTechnical health, content and links as search engines rank them; DMI's SEO module, Semrush's courses and HubSpot's answer-engine successor to its retired SEO certificate.
- Paid search and display advertisingGoogle Ads across search, display, video and shopping, bidding and measurement: the site's five Skillshop records and DMI's Paid Search (PPC) and Display Advertising module.
- Social media marketingOrganic and paid presence on Meta's platforms, LinkedIn, TikTok and YouTube; DMI's Social module, HubSpot's social certificate and Meta's paid associate exam.
- Content marketing and copywritingPlanning, producing and distributing content that earns attention; DMI's Content module, HubSpot's and Semrush's content certificates.
- Marketing analytics and attributionGA4, tags, conversion tracking, attribution and reporting: DMI's Analytics module, the Google Analytics and Ads Measurement certifications; the data field owns the statistics.
- Conversion rate optimisation and landing pagesLanding pages, testing, UX for marketers and the commerce funnel: DMI's Web Optimization, eCommerce and Social Commerce module; the ecommerce silo owns the shop platforms.
- Branding and public relationsPositioning, identity, reputation and earned media: DMI's strategy module names the brand; Udemy's Branding and PR shelves and getstudium's Markenfuehrung tag name the field.
- AI in marketingGenerative tools for copy, creative, audiences and analysis, and where they mislead: DMI now runs AI through every module; Google's Skillshop Ads training covers generative tools and AI-powered campaigns.
- Affiliate and partnership marketingNetworks, disclosure rules, tracking and the economics of commissions: a channel most marketing syllabi skip and the one this site runs on (Udemy Affiliate; the site's affiliate documentation).
Concepts to know
Glossary entries with the reason each one matters here.
- Marketing Automation
The topic's own concept.
- Digital Marketing
Email is the owned channel.
Certifications that test it
Vendor exams and free certificates; facts, cost and the preparation path are on each page, and the certifications hub has them all.
Tools of the trade
Frequently asked
- Is email marketing still worth doing?
- For most businesses that sell more than once to the same customer, yes. Nobody can change the algorithm between you and your subscribers, and automated flows keep working without new spend. It does little for a business with no reason to write to people repeatedly.
- Which email platform should a beginner choose?
- There is no single right answer. Choose by what the platform must connect to, usually the shop or the CRM, by the size of list you expect, and by how much automation you need. Switching later is possible, but rebuilding every flow is the painful part, so write your sequences down outside the tool.
- What are SPF, DKIM and DMARC?
- Three DNS records that let receiving servers check an email really comes from your domain. SPF lists the servers allowed to send for it, DKIM signs each message, and DMARC tells receivers what to do when those checks fail and where to send reports. Bulk senders without them increasingly find their mail rejected or filtered.
- How often should I email my list?
- As often as you have something worth reading, and consistently enough that subscribers recognise you. Watch unsubscribes and spam complaints after each send: rising complaints are the clearest sign the rhythm or the content is wrong.
Courses in the directory
244 courses are filed here; the top 6 by our ranking, details and the provider link on each course page.
Last reviewed 26 September 2026 · Getting Digital