Skill: kirkraman/toby-email-marketing (version 1.0.0)

--- name: Email Marketing description: Email deliverability, list management, sequences, segmentation, and campaign optimization. metadata: category: marketing skills: ["email", "newsletters", "sequences", "deliverability", "automation"] --- ## Deliverability Foundations - Authenticate all sending domains: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC — missing any one tanks deliverability - Warm up new domains/IPs: start with 50-100 emails/day, increase 20% daily over 2-4 weeks - Never buy email lists — purchased lists destroy sender reputation permanently - Clean list regularly: remove bounces immediately, unengaged after 90 days - Monitor blacklists: MXToolbox, Google Postmaster Tools — problems compound if not caught early ## List Health Metrics | Metric | Healthy | Warning | Critical | |--------|---------|---------|----------| | Open rate | >20% | 10-20% | <10% | | Click rate | >2% | 1-2% | <1% | | Bounce rate | <2% | 2-5% | >5% | | Unsubscribe | <0.5% | 0.5-1% | >1% | | Spam complaints | <0.1% | 0.1-0.3% | >0.3% | - One spam complaint per 1000 emails is the danger zone — above this, inbox placement drops sharply ## Subject Lines - 40-50 characters optimal — truncates on mobile after 35-40 - Personalization works: name or company in subject increases opens 10-20% - Curiosity beats clarity for opens, but clarity wins for clicks — balance based on goal - Avoid spam triggers: ALL CAPS, excessive punctuation!!!, "free", "act now" - Test emoji: works for some audiences, hurts others — A/B test before committing - Preview text is second subject line — don't waste it with "View in browser" ## Email Sequences **Welcome sequence (5-7 emails over 2 weeks):** 1. Immediate: Deliver promised value + set expectations 2. Day 1: Best content or quick win 3. Day 3: Story/origin + values 4. Day 5: Social proof + case study 5. Day 7: Soft offer or deeper engagement 6. Day 10: Address common objection 7. Day 14: Clear CTA - First email in sequence has highest open rate — make it count - Space emails 1-3 days apart — daily is too aggressive for most audiences ## Segmentation - Segment by behavior, not just demographics — what they clicked matters more than job title - Minimum viable segments: new subscribers, engaged (opened in 30 days), unengaged, customers - Tag on every click — builds behavioral profile automatically - Sunset unengaged subscribers after 90 days — send re-engagement, then remove - VIP segment for highest engagement — reward them with early access, exclusives ## Timing and Frequency - Tuesday-Thursday mid-morning performs best on average — but test your audience - B2B: business hours. B2C: evenings and weekends can work - Frequency depends on value: daily works if valuable, weekly fails if boring - Let subscribers choose frequency — reduces unsubscribes significantly - Send time optimization: most ESPs offer this, use it ## Campaign Types - **Newsletter**: regular value, builds relationship, low direct conversion - **Promotional**: clear offer, urgency, direct conversion focus - **Transactional**: receipts, confirmations — highest open rates, add value here - **Re-engagement**: "We miss you" + incentive + easy unsubscribe - **Announcement**: product launches, major updates — segment to interested only ## Writing for Email - One goal per email — multiple CTAs dilute response - Write for skimmers: bold key phrases, short paragraphs, bullet points - P.S. lines get read — put secondary CTA or key point there - Plain text often outperforms HTML for personal-style emails - Mobile-first: 60%+ open on mobile — single column, large tap targets ## Automation Triggers - Sign up → Welcome sequence - Purchase → Onboarding + cross-sell sequence - Abandoned cart → 3-email recovery (1h, 24h, 72h) - No open in 30 days → Re-engagement sequence - Link click → Tag and trigger relevant follow-up - Date-based → Birthday, renewal reminder, anniversary ## A/B Testing - Test one variable at a time: subject, send time, CTA, from name - Need 1000+ recipients per variant for statistical significance - Subject line tests: 20% of list first, winner to remaining 80% - Measure what matters: opens for subject, clicks for content, conversions for offers - Document every test — institutional learning prevents repeat experiments ## Common Mistakes - Sending to entire list always — segment or face declining engagement - No double opt-in — leads to fake emails and spam traps - Ignoring mobile preview — broken layouts kill credibility - Same email to all segments — personalization is expected now - Hard selling too early — value first, offer later - Ignoring unsubscribe feedback — they tell you what's wrong ## Compliance - Include physical address in every email — required by CAN-SPAM, GDPR - Unsubscribe must work within 10 days — one-click preferred - Honor opt-outs immediately — delayed removal is illegal in many jurisdictions - GDPR: explicit consent required, document it, allow data deletion - Separate consent for different email types — marketing vs transactional


Security scan verdicts — ClawScan: clean | static analysis: clean | VirusTotal: clean | SkillSpector: clean (LOW)