Marketing automation software. There's like 200 options at this point and they all promise to "revolutionize your marketing" or whatever. Most of them are the same basic features with different logos. It's weird.
The fact that businesses spend $500/month on these tools and then use maybe 10% of the functionality is kind of absurd when you think about it. You're paying for a spaceship and using it as a paperweight. Start with the automation workflows that actually work and build from there. If you're a smaller company, see our marketing automation for small business guide. For email-specific automation, check top email marketing automation strategies. But here we are.
So let's figure out which practices actually matter and which ones are just consultants justifying their retainers. Nice.
1. Segment Your List
Sending the same email to everyone on your list is the marketing equivalent of standing on a street corner yelling about your product. Sure, technically some people will hear you. Most will actively avoid eye contact and walk faster.
The fact that this needs to be said in 2026 is kind of embarrassing for the industry. But obvious advice that somehow people ignore constantly.
Start stupidly simple. New subscribers vs. existing customers. That's it. One split.
You'll see immediate improvement. Then you'll want to go deeper because the numbers don't lie. Behavior-based segments. Purchase history. Engagement level. The rabbit hole goes deep.
Netflix doesn't show everyone the same homepage. Neither should your emails. Ask me how I know people still blast their entire list with the same newsletter. Fun.
2. Score Your Leads
Not all leads are equal and pretending they are is a fantastic way to waste your sales team's time on people who will never buy anything.
Lead scoring just means giving points for actions. Someone downloads something? Points. Visits your pricing page three times in a week? More points. They're a decision-maker at a company that actually matches your ICP? Even more.
Hit a threshold, they go to sales. Before that, they stay in marketing nurture land where they belong.
This stops your sales team from chasing tire-kickers while actual buyers with money and intent go cold waiting for a callback. That happens way more than you'd think. It's weird.
3. Personalize Beyond First Name
Everyone does the "[First Name]" thing now and nobody is impressed by it. That was cool in like 2015. We've moved on.
Real personalization means changing the actual content based on what you know about someone. It's not complicated in theory but somehow most businesses treat it like advanced rocket science.
They looked at running shoes? Show them running shoes. They're in SaaS? Talk about SaaS problems. They bought something last month? Recommend what goes with it.
Amazon built a trillion-dollar company on "customers who bought X also bought Y." The fact that small businesses with perfectly good email tools don't do this is kind of insane. The technology is right there. Please keep scrolling.
4. Stop Pitching in Nurture Sequences
Most nurture campaigns are just sales pitches wearing a trench coat pretending to be valuable content. It's painfully obvious and everyone can tell.
"Here's an ebook about a topic you care about. Anyway, buy our thing. Still haven't bought? Here's a case study about someone who bought our thing. Still no? Here's a discount on our thing."
That's not nurturing. That's the marketing equivalent of a clingy ex who keeps finding excuses to text you. Weird.
Real nurture actually educates. Helps people understand their problem better. Gives value without asking for anything. Then when you finally make the ask, it feels earned because you've actually helped them.
Space your emails out. Nobody wants five emails in a week from the same company. That's restraining order territory.
(More on this: drip campaign best practices.)
5. Protect Deliverability
The best email in the world is worthless sitting in someone's spam folder being ignored forever. Nice.
Your sender reputation is like a credit score for email. Send to bad addresses, get complaints, trigger spam filters, your score drops. Drop far enough and even people who actually want your emails stop getting them.
The fact that companies spend thousands on email marketing and then don't set up basic authentication is kind of absurd. SPF, DKIM, DMARC. Three acronyms. Maybe an hour of work. Most platforms walk you through it.
Clean your list. Remove bounces immediately. Re-engage or remove inactive people after 90 days. This isn't complicated.
(Full breakdown: how to improve deliverability.)
6. Test Everything
Guessing what works is for people who enjoy being wrong and losing money. A/B testing is not optional.
Send two versions, see which wins, use that insight going forward. Start with subject lines because that's usually where the biggest gains live.
Then test send times. Email length. CTA placement. One variable at a time because if you change three things you won't know which one caused the difference. Basic scientific method stuff that somehow gets ignored constantly.
Wait for statistical significance. Ending a test early because one version "looks" better is how you make bad decisions feel good. The numbers don't care about your intuition.
Document results. Over time you're building a knowledge base specific to your audience. That's actually valuable. Fun.
7. Get Sales and Marketing Talking
Automation generates leads. But if sales doesn't follow up properly, congratulations, you've built an expensive lead graveyard.
This happens constantly and it's weird how normalized it is. Marketing celebrates high lead numbers. Sales complains about lead quality. Neither talks to the other. Both blame each other at the quarterly meeting. Rinse and repeat.
Fix it:
Define what "qualified" actually means. MQL? SQL? Get both teams to agree on specific criteria. Write it down. Make people sign it if you have to.
Create SLAs. Marketing delivers X leads per month. Sales follows up within 24 hours. Everyone's accountable. No more finger pointing.
Use the same CRM. One source of truth. Everyone sees everything. It's not that hard.
Meet weekly. What's working? What's not? What feedback does sales have? This isn't about playing nice. It's about revenue.
8. Track Attribution
You need to know what's actually driving results. Otherwise you're just guessing and probably spending money on things that don't work while ignoring things that do.
Which touchpoint caused the conversion? First email? The retargeting ad? The case study they read before requesting a demo? If you can't answer this, you're flying blind.
Set up UTM parameters on everything. Every link, every ad, every social post. This feeds data into your analytics. Takes maybe 30 seconds per link. Please just do it.
Look at multi-touch attribution. Last-click attribution gives all credit to the final thing someone clicked, which ignores everything that led up to it. It's like giving the goal scorer all the credit and ignoring the assist. Weird.
(Related: email marketing metrics that matter.)
9. Progressive Profiling
Nobody fills out 10-field forms to download a checklist. They just leave. Ask me how I know.
Progressive profiling means gathering info gradually. First form: email and name. Second interaction: company size. Third: role. Each touchpoint adds a little more. Nobody gets overwhelmed.
Set up fallbacks. If you don't have someone's name, don't send "Hi {FirstName}." That looks broken and unprofessional. Have a default ready.
Use form logic. Returning visitors see different fields. Already have their company? Ask something else.
Rich profiles over time. Zero friction. This isn't complicated but somehow most businesses ask for phone number, company size, employee count, budget, and blood type on the first interaction. It's weird.
10. Automate Retention, Not Just Acquisition
Most automation focuses on getting new customers and completely ignores the ones you already have. That's leaving money on the table in the dumbest possible way.
Retention is cheaper than acquisition. Always has been. A repeat customer is worth more than a one-time buyer who disappears forever. Basic math that somehow gets ignored.
Build post-purchase sequences. Follow up after someone buys. Ask for a review. Recommend complementary stuff. Check if they're happy. It's not rocket science.
Create re-engagement campaigns. No purchase in 90 days? Send a "we miss you" email with an incentive. Works surprisingly well.
Set up churn prevention triggers. Someone visits your cancellation page? Fire an email with a save offer immediately. Credit card about to expire? Remind them before the payment fails.
Existing customers are your most valuable asset. Treating them like an afterthought is a weird choice. Nice.
Quick Reference
| Practice | What It Means | Start Here |
|---|---|---|
| Segment | Group by traits | New vs. existing |
| Score leads | Points for actions | Pricing page = hot |
| Personalize | Dynamic content | Product recs |
| Nurture properly | Educate, don't pitch | Space emails 3-5 days |
| Deliverability | Auth + hygiene | SPF/DKIM setup |
| Test | A/B everything | Subject lines first |
| Align teams | Shared definitions | Weekly syncs |
| Attribution | Know what works | UTMs on everything |
| Progressive profiling | Gradual data collection | Shorter first forms |
| Retention | Keep existing customers | Post-purchase flows |
Where to Start
Don't try all 10 at once. You'll get overwhelmed, nothing will get done, and in three months you'll be right back where you started. Ask me how I know.
Pick the biggest gap.
No segmentation? Start there. Leads falling through cracks? Focus on scoring and handoff. Good at acquisition but losing customers? Build retention workflows.
The companies winning aren't necessarily more sophisticated. They just have the fundamentals running consistently instead of a bunch of half-implemented tools collecting dust.
Automation isn't about complexity. It's about doing the right things repeatedly without thinking about them. That's it.
Want someone to build this for you? Inbox Connect implements automation systems that actually drive revenue instead of just looking impressive in demos. Book a free strategy call and we'll figure out where to start.