(And Why Most People Get This Backwards)
“Well, more sales and engagement, of course!”
That’s the usual response I get when I ask companies about their email marketing goals. And on the surface, it makes perfect sense. After all, isn’t that why we’re all here?
But here’s where things get interesting. While everyone wants more sales and engagement, focusing too directly on these goals often leads to exactly the opposite result.
Let me explain why.
The Goals Paradox
Remember our friends at ACME Inc.? They have clear goals:
- Increase revenue from email
- Drive more engagement
- Grow their list
- Hit their quarterly targets
All perfectly reasonable goals. But here’s the thing – the more intensely they focus on these goals, the harder they become to achieve.
Why? Because email isn’t like other marketing channels. Remember what we learned in the Welcome module – email is the most intimate place on the Internet. Your subscribers don’t care about your quarterly targets. They care about what’s in it for them.
This creates what I call the Goals Paradox: The more you focus on your goals, the less likely you are to achieve them.
The Three Big Questions
So if we shouldn’t focus primarily on our goals, what should we focus on? Let’s start with three crucial questions that most marketers never think to ask:
1. What are you looking to accomplish with email marketing?
“Wait,” you might be thinking, “didn’t you just say we shouldn’t focus on our goals?”
Yes, but there’s a subtle difference. Instead of thinking about what you want to get FROM email marketing, think about what you want to accomplish THROUGH email marketing.
Let’s look at some examples:
Example 1: Job Site
| Traditional Goals: | Better Approach: |
| Create more job applications | Help job seekers find relevant opportunities faster |
| Drive more traffic | Keep candidates informed about positions matching their skills |
| Convert employers into paying clients | Help employers understand the candidate market |
| Build brand awareness | Share valuable insights about industry trends |
Example 2: E-commerce Store
| Traditional Goals: | Better Approach: |
| Increase sales | Help customers discover products they’ll love |
| Reduce cart abandonment | Ensure customers never miss relevant deals |
| Drive repeat purchases | Keep customers informed about products they care about |
| Boost average order value | Make shopping decisions easier |
See the difference? The goals are similar, but the approach is completely different.
2. What are the benefits for the user being on your list?
This is where most email programs fall apart. They either:
- Never really think about this
- Assume generic benefits (“great deals!” “exclusive content!”)
- Focus on their own benefits instead
Here’s the question your subscribers are asking themselves every time they see your email:
“Why should I read this email now and not do anything else with my time?”
This breaks down into three sub-questions:
- Who are you and what do you want?
- What’s in it for me?
- Why now?
Let’s break these down:
Who are you and what do you want?
This isn’t just about your brand name. It’s about:
- What you stand for
- Why you’re qualified to help
- What makes you different
- Why they should trust you
What’s in it for me?
This needs to be:
- Specific (not “great content” but “industry insights that help you make better decisions”)
- Relevant (aligned with what they actually care about)
- Unique (something they can’t easily get elsewhere)
- Valuable (worth their time and attention)
Why now?
This is about:
- Timing (why this moment matters)
- Urgency (what they might miss)
- Relevance (why it matters to them right now)
3. Are you ready to commit to this channel?
This might seem like an odd question, but it’s crucial. Running a proper email program requires:
- Technology investments
- People resources
- Time commitment
- Consistent effort
If email isn’t going to be one of your core channels, you might be better off focusing elsewhere.
Understanding Your User Personas
Now that we’ve addressed the big questions, let’s talk about who you’re actually talking to
The Before and After States
For each persona, you need to understand:
- Where they are now (BEFORE)
- Where they want to be (AFTER)
- What’s stopping them from getting there
Here’s a framework I use:
The most important row is the BEFORE and AFTER comparison. It’s like looking through a crystal ball – you know their destination even if they don’t yet.
The Roadblock Analysis
For each persona, identify:
- External roadblocks (circumstances, resources, etc.)
- Internal roadblocks (fears, beliefs, habits)
- Knowledge gaps
- Implementation challenges
This helps you understand:
- What’s really stopping them
- Where you can help
- How to frame your messages
The Empathy Map
To really understand your personas, you need to know what they:
- Think and Feel
- See
- Hear
- Say and Do
This isn’t just a theoretical exercise. It helps you:
- Write better subject lines
- Craft more compelling copy
- Choose more effective triggers
- Time your messages better
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
- The Assumption Trap Thinking you know your audience without doing the research
- The Everything-to-Everyone Problem Trying to appeal to too many different personas at once
- The Goals-First Mistake Focusing on your goals before understanding user needs
- The Static Persona Treating personas as fixed rather than evolving
Putting It All Together
Your task for this step is to:
- Answer the three big questions
- Document your user personas
- Map their before/after states
- Identify their roadblocks
- Create empathy maps
Don’t rush this step. While you don’t need three months to plan everything perfectly, you do need a clear understanding of who you’re talking to and why they should care.
Next Steps
In Step 2, we’ll take these personas and map out their complete journeys – from first contact to lasting engagement. But before you move on, make sure you’ve completed the exercises in this step.
Remember: The better you understand your audience now, the more effective everything else will be later.
