Why smart marketers should front-load spending in 2025
From political shifts to market instability, here’s why marketers should accelerate budgets and prepare for change this year.
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Ryan Phelan's latest articles
What every marketer should watch for in 2025
Prepare for 2025 with insights on fallback strategies, email marketing innovations and staying ahead in a rapidly evolving landscape.
4 tips for helping your email marketing team stay organized
Organization is the unsung hero of email marketing success, and it's especially important during the busiest times of the year.
Stop insulting your audience with this email behavior
Image-only emails can harm your customer relationships. Here's why you should stop sending them and what to do instead.
If I could double your email revenue, would you listen to me?
Stop chasing shiny marketing trends and get back to what works. Here's how email marketing still drives revenue growth with the right focus.
How to gear up email for a strong finish to 2024
In the coming months, your emails will be competing against political campaigns and your competitors for consumers' attention.
Why delegating makes you a stronger email marketer
Struggling with email marketing workload? Explore how smart delegation can enhance productivity, even for solo marketers.
Confessions from email jail
Avoid email marketing missteps that can harm your reputation and deliverability. Stay on the right side of email laws and best practices.
Stop! Or go directly to email jail
Ryan Phelan runs down a list of 10 email crimes that will result in punishment. Learn how to stay free.
It’s time to turbocharge our path to email innovation
Email marketers must leverage data and generative AI to propel the industry forward rather than settling for incremental gains.
3 keys for better email engagement in Gmail
Obsessing over inbox placement won’t move the needle. Focus on segmentation, respecting customer preference and getting buy-in for email.
How to survive (and learn from) email marketing mistakes
Learn how to deal with mistakes, analyze what went wrong and move forward from errors while maintaining a candid, accountable team culture.
3 keys for email marketing in 2024: AI, change, learn
Here’s how email marketers can embrace artificial intelligence, drive strategic changes and commit to continuous learning this year.
3 observations from 2023 to help you in 2024
Harness AI, scale data innovation and select the right marketing platforms to drive marketing growth in 2024.
2023 in review: 3 key trends to inform your 2024 marketing plan
AI, evolving marketing stacks and email authentication. Keep these developments in mind as you plan your 2024 strategy.
The email marketer’s guide to effective marketing automation
Learn smart ways to implement email automation. Use transactional, trigger and journey emails for higher engagement and conversions.
New report shows enterprise email marketers embrace AI
More than 90% of email marketers say AI will have an impact on how they do their work. Find out how they're preparing for it.
Why you should always ask why: Strategy must lead tactics in marketing planning
It's time to get out of a tactics-first mindset and chart a strategic course based on knowing why you're doing what you're doing.
6 key email programs to optimize before Q4
Take time now to review your email programs to ensure they're optimized for success in Q4 and beyond.
Email marketers: What’s on your vacation to-do list?
Just as we plan our vacations, we need to plan a work exit and re-entrance. Otherwise we will lose all we gained from our time off.
Marketing artificial intelligence (AI)
3 steps to make AI work for you
Marketers must actively take part in deciding how to use AI within the organization. Here are three steps you can take today.
4 steps to take before hitting go on your new martech platform
Focus on these four key areas when migrating your systems from one martech platform to another.
3 recession-defeating marketing strategies
Fast-reaction pivots that scale to a new market condition are essential to endure economic uncertainties.
Marketing artificial intelligence (AI)
Three things ChatGPT needs which only you can provide
Discussions claiming ChatGPT will solve all our digital marketing problems are missing three key things that only humans can provide.
3 email marketing shifts to make in 2023
Consider making these three major directional changes that could help your email program succeed this year.
4 marketing takeaways from 2022 to help you conquer 2023
Look for things you can pat yourself on the back for. Be reminded that you made it through another challenging year.
What marketers need to know to prepare for 2023
Working on your 2023 strategies? Here's a look at what to think about when planning for the coming year.
5 tactics to get the 2023 email marketing funding you deserve
Get funding that lets your email program contribute significantly to the company's bottom line. Here's how to approach your budget requests.
How to make the time to solve marketing problems
Making time is mandatory whether you want to achieve great things or just knock the next must-do project off your list.
10 questions to ask when auditing your email program
It's time to rethink the email marketing audit. Here's your blueprint for the coming year.
3 ways to avoid email automation breakdowns
Your marketing automations must build in exclusions for people who don't receive a follow-up message.
Email: An early check in before the holiday madness begins
It isn't too early to put key things in place so that when the holidays arrive, you'll be ready.
Using search and email to recognize customer intent
Browsing is no longer a strong indicator of intent. Search tells you more.
5 things I hate about email – and how to fix them
Warning: This rant might spark your own feelings of frustration or a movement for change.
What is email marketing and why we care: A marketer’s guide
Email marketing remains one of the most effective digital channels today. Here are some best practices to help your brand stay ahead of the email marketing game.
Intent based marketing – how can it boost your email ROI
Innovation — even in increments — can help you build a more robust strategy.
5 tips for successfully switching email service providers
Moving to a new vendor can be complex. But with some help, you can make a smoother migration.
Marketers: What should you focus on in 2022?
Opportunities and lessons from the last two years can create an effective marketing plan for 2022.
Marketers: Where will you be a year from now?
Three aspects of your career in marketing to think about and maybe change in the New Year.
Email deserves your respect
Email is hardly the newest marketing channel around, but it shouldn't be treated like a commodity. Respect its power.