In today’s world, email marketing is considered a high-tech communications system built using analytics and automation tools. A well-designed strategy is one of the key drivers of business growth. Nataliia Butenko has completed dozens of projects for companies in e-commerce, technology, beauty, home goods, and other industries. Thanks to her many years of experience, she is rightfully considered one of the leading specialists in this field. Her achievements include increasing marketing revenue by up to 30 percent, increasing conversion rates by up to 20 percent, and increasing customer bases by 35 percent. In our interview, we spoke with this internationally recognized expert about the most common mistakes brands make and the role this approach plays in business.
Nataliia, today many companies continue to view email marketing solely as a channel for sending promotional emails. Why is this concept becoming outdated?
Because modern email marketing has long since ceased to be a tool for sending mass mailings. Today, it’s a method for building relationships with customers throughout their entire lifecycle. Each email should be part of a planned strategy based on data about user behavior, their interests, previous purchases, and the stage of interaction with the brand. This increases audience engagement, boosts conversions, and increases the number of repeat purchases.
You have extensive experience working with various industries, including international brands. How much does your marketing strategy and overall approach to project development differ?
Each industry has its own specifics, but the fundamental principles remain the same. Over the course of my career, I’ve created communication strategies for e-commerce, food delivery, tech companies, cosmetics manufacturers, gardening equipment manufacturers, the tobacco industry, the pet products market, and door and window manufacturers. Regardless of the industry, my tactics always begin with analyzing the potential customer. It’s important to understand how users learned about the brand, what actions they take to become familiar with the product, and when it’s time to develop communications with them. After receiving the analysis results, I develop a further action plan.
One of your most notable projects was working at Brander. What results were achieved?
At Brander, the main task was to create comprehensive omnichannel communications for various projects, combining email, SMS, and web push. We developed automated Welcome, Abandoned Cart, Abandoned View, Post Purchase, and Upsell sequences. We simultaneously implemented over one hundred promotional campaigns for various audience segments. Regular testing of email subject lines, message structure, and calls to action increased conversion by 15-20 percent. Thanks to comprehensive automation, marketing revenue for individual projects increased by approximately 30 percent while maintaining deliverability above 95 percent.
Working at an agency requires managing several clients simultaneously. Nataliia, what professional qualities help you cope with such a workload?
You’re right, agency work requires a high level of organization. Each project is unique, with its own strategy, campaign calendar, brand book, performance indicators, and technical specifics. There were times when you had to manage multiple projects simultaneously, coordinate the work of designers and developers, prepare technical specifications, monitor the correctness of automation, and regularly analyze results. Despite the challenges, this experience taught you to quickly switch between tasks without losing attention to detail.
You later worked at Yespo, where you handled more complex marketing projects. What was the most interesting part of that experience?
Working at Yespo allowed you to delve deeper into building multichannel communications. In addition to email marketing, we actively used SMS, CRM data, and UTM analytics to evaluate the effectiveness of each stage of the funnel. One of the most successful projects was creating hypertargeted campaigns for local markets. In three months, we were able to increase our lead base by approximately 35 percent thanks to precise segmentation, personalized content, and automated scenarios. In addition, I regularly prepared analytical reports for clients so that subsequent decisions could be based solely on data.
You were also involved in content preparation. Why is this important for an email marketer?
A good email marketer needs to understand more than just the technical aspects of the process. Email content determines whether a person opens the message, reads it to the end, and takes the desired action. Therefore, I contributed to the writing of marketing materials, developed content plans, and tailored texts to the specific needs of each audience. Even the most perfectly configured automation will be ineffective if the email doesn’t engage the recipient.
While working at Predire Paris, you developed email marketing practically from scratch. What responsibilities did you have?
This project was very interesting from a professional perspective. We had to build a comprehensive email marketing system within Shopify. We developed a regular communications strategy, implemented Welcome Flow, created trigger scenarios, and prepared seasonal campaigns for Black Friday, Mother’s Day, and Labor Day. Welcome Flow increased overall marketing revenue by approximately 10 percent. Through continuous testing of email subject lines, sending times, and content structure, conversions increased by approximately 18 percent. The average open rate for holiday campaigns was 25-30 percent, and the click-through rate reached 12 percent.
Many specialists focus only on content. You also handle the technical side of email marketing. Why is this so important?
The technical infrastructure determines whether a user even sees an email. Therefore, setting up SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and domain reputation management are essential parts of my work. During one project, after correctly setting up domain authentication, the bounce rate decreased by approximately 10 percent. When the technical foundation is working properly, the effectiveness of all subsequent marketing efforts increases.
Today, more and more companies are using artificial intelligence. How do you assess its role in email marketing?
Artificial intelligence significantly accelerates content preparation, helps analyze large volumes of information, and generate ideas for testing. In my work, I use modern tools for text preparation, editing, and process management. However, the final decisions are always made by a human. It is the expert who determines the strategy, analyzes business objectives through the prism of personal experience, evaluates the results of experiments, and understands the characteristics of a specific audience. Artificial intelligence enhances a marketer’s work, but it doesn’t replace professional thinking.
Tell me, which metrics do you consider most important when evaluating campaign effectiveness?
I always evaluate a system holistically. In addition to open rate, I also analyze CTR, conversion rate, revenue, bounce rate, unsubscribe rate, and subscriber base quality. Looking at just one metric can lead to misleading conclusions. For example, a high open rate doesn’t necessarily mean a campaign is profitable. The main goal is to ensure that every communication contributes to a specific business outcome.
What, in your opinion, distinguishes a strong email marketing specialist?
I believe that in our field, analytical thinking, technical training, and an understanding of human psychology are most valued. It’s essential to be equally confident in automation, segmentation, HTML, analytics, and CRM systems, while simultaneously understanding why people decide to open an email, click a link, or make a purchase.
How do you see the future of email marketing?
I am convinced that the future lies in even deeper personalization, the integration of artificial intelligence, and the unification of all digital channels into a single ecosystem. Companies will move away from mass mailings and increasingly rely on individualized interactions with each client.
Thank you for the interesting conversation, and we wish you even greater professional success!
