The 5 Hidden Threats Killing Your Email Marketing ROI

Email marketing should be your most reliable revenue machine. According to Litmus, the average ROI for email marketing is stratospheric — a potential return of £36 for every £1 spent.

So why does your email base feel more like a ghost town? Here’s the ugly truth: your emails are under attack. Not by your competitors. Not by market shifts. By you. Or rather, by what you’re ignoring. Dead databases, generic blasts, clickbait tactics, blind trust in pretty pictures. Each is a silent killer that is eroding trust, destroying deliverability and quietly assassinating your results while you chase vanity metrics.

If you want high-impact email marketing that actually delivers, not just looks busy, it’s time to clean house and sharpen up. At Brave, we conduct free digital audits for eCommerce businesses looking to check up on their digital marketing effort, but consider this a primer – a guide with actionable fixes to help you maximise your email ROI and eliminate the common email marketing problems holding you back.

Not Looking After Your Email Database

You heard that right. But why would anyone in their right mind manage their database – isn’t the objective to amass the largest database possible? No, it’s to gather the largest amount of invested users possible, siphoning any that are dead weight. Your goal is to build a list of engaged users., and studies show that more than 25% of leads decay yearly.

If you’re not actively managing your list, you’re happily emailing addresses that destroy your deliverability rate. Cold contacts, invalid emails and spam reports drag down your sender reputation, and Google and Yahoo expect spam complaint rates to sit below 0.3%. Cross that line, and you’re heading straight for the spam folder.

Here’s how to fix it:

• Purge your subscriber list ruthlessly for invalid, disengaged or abusive emails.
• Verify in real-time. Block risky emails right from the signup form with an email verifier.
• Be proactive. Healthy lists = higher deliverability = better ROI.

Divide and Conquer

Stop sending the same bland email to everyone, because modern consumers demand relevance. Segmentation and personalisation are mission-critical if you want high-impact email marketing that converts.

As we detailed in our recent blog on the role of email marketing in customer experience, this strategy rewards every subscriber for adding their data with emails tailored to their interests, massively boosting conversions and slashing unsubscribes.

Collect minimal data first, such as name, email and phone number, then ask for gold-dust intel in a second step — what they’re shopping for, why they purchased or even when they’re likely to buy again.

Another way to gather data is post-purchase. Again, if you have an eCommerce store, ask, “Why did you purchase from us today?”. Reasons like “for a work event”, “for a holiday” or simply, “I needed it” will tell you a lot about that customer. It will also help shape your future email campaigns so you know what time of year people start shopping for specific things. Use that to hit your marketing messages at the right time.

Here’s how to gather intel for effective personalisation:

• Opt-in forms: Start small (name, email), then slide in a second step asking more specific questions.
• Post-purchase surveys: Understand why they bought and use that insight to personalise future campaigns.
• Segment smartly: Use answers to craft tailored email flows. Someone shopping for jackets shouldn’t be seeing your summer shorts sale.

A/B Testing

If you’re not testing, you’re guessing. Every element of your email deserves to fight for its place, from subject lines and layouts to offers and CTAs. Pit them against each other in A/B tests.

A good way to organise it is by choosing half the email list as test subjects:

• 25% receive one version
• 25% receive the other
• Have the software wait 1 hour and automatically choose the winner
• Then send the other 50% to the winner

Just like that, 75% of your customers get a proven winner. That’s how you maximise email ROI with precision and purpose.

Stop Using Clickbait

You want your emails opened and read. Not opened and trashed. There’s a recent trend of clickbait subject lines that mimic conversations with “Re:” or “FWD:”. While this may inflate open rates, they will not stay on there long once they see that it’s a ploy to open the email. Sure, it’s great if your job hinges on open rates and open rates alone, but it will not deliver the results you truly desire. It harms your bounce rate and erodes trust in customers, which is your greatest ally when chasing long-term email marketing ROI.

Instead:

• Craft honest, curiosity-driven subject lines.
• Preview content clearly, without deception.
• Back up your promise with quality email marketing content.

Using Image-Dependent Content
If your emails are a wall of images, congratulations! Many of your recipients see nothing.

Banking solely on images can cause communication breakdowns, as certain email platforms block images by default. Additionally, there’s only so many images you can add before the mail gets clipped by email client size limits. You need to strike a balance between images and well-crafted text.

Here’s how you balance imagery and text in your email:

• Combine crisp imagery with powerful, persuasive text.
• Use alt text to make sure your message still lands even if images don’t.
• Prioritise accessibility and clarity in every campaign.

The key to being a success in the increasingly dominant world of email marketing? Customer experience. At Brave, we’re here to help you dominate. With 20+ years of experience, our mission is simple: create high-impact email marketing strategies that crush common email marketing problems and make sure your brand stays ahead of the curve. Ready to maximise your email ROI? Contact us today.