First steps to fix your basics

Strategy & Journeys

Start start with one lifecycle stage.

Every business should eventually have workflows for all key lifecycle stages: lead nurture, activation, retention, and reactivation. But to begin, pick one stage to prioritise: either the point where you see the biggest drop-off (e.g. KYC stage) or onboarding, where often most new customers fall through.

For onboarding, build a journey that does more than a single welcome email. Start with a 5+ step flow. Use this framework to design the journey:

1. Analyse behaviour: Look at what actions activated users took early on.

2. Identifies core segments: Tailor messages for different customer types.

3. Implements retargeting: Re-engage users who didn’t complete steps like KYC or first transaction.

4. Educates and inspires: Share valuable content (tutorials, case studies, or success stories) to build trust and confidence.

5. Optimises with data: Track user behaviour and campaign performance and optimise campaigns accordingly. 

Even a shorter onboarding flow like this can reduce drop-offs and increase the number of new customers who become active users.

Expected results from implementing this:

• 10–20% higher activation rates when new users receive structured onboarding vs. a single welcome email.

• Lower drop-offs at key friction points (e.g. KYC completion, first product action).

• Stronger retention in the first 30–60 days, reducing wasted acquisition spend.

• More predictable customer journeys, as users are guided step by step rather than left to figure things out.

Segmentation & Personalisation

Start simple: segment by lifecycle stage and ask the right questions.

Don’t try to personalise for everyone at once; begin by splitting into 3–4 broad groups: Leads, New Clients, Active Clients, and Inactive Clients.

For each group, ask yourself:

• Needs: What do they need right now to succeed? (e.g. clarity, education, reassurance, advanced insights).

• Interests: What are they curious about or motivated by? (e.g. new features, offers, learning resources).

• Pain points: What’s stopping them from taking action? (e.g. lack of trust, fear of risk, frustration with process).

Once you’ve mastered lifecycle-based segments, you can go further: segment by product level (if you offer multiple products or services).

Example: a payments app might tailor content differently for personal accounts vs. business accounts.

Segmentation and personalisation are the most effective ways to achieve higher engagement and conversions. Blasting everything to everyone only damages your sender reputation and shrinks your subscriber list through higher unsubscribe rates.

Expected results from implementing this:

• 15–30% lift in engagement rates (open & click-through).

• Lower unsubscribe and complaint rates, protecting your deliverability.

• Higher conversion to paid or active use, as emails speak directly to user needs.

• Reduced list decay: Subscribers stay longer because messages feel relevant

Deliverability & Set-Up

Protect deliverability to ensure your emails don't land in spam. 

If your emails don’t reach the inbox, nothing else matters. Quick fixes include:

• Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC (basic authentication).

• Clean your list regularly: E.g., remove bounces and inactive emails.

• Test inbox placement across Gmail, Outlook, etc. (use Google Postmaster or send test emails).

• Build an exclusion list: Always exclude users who haven’t engaged with emails for 90 days to protect your sender reputation.

Expected results from implementing this:

• Higher inbox placement (95%+) so your campaigns actually get seen instead of landing in spam.

• Improved engagement rates (opens, clicks) because more subscribers receive your emails.

• Reduced risk of blacklisting or account suspension by your ESP.

• Healthier sender reputation, protecting long-term deliverability as your list and sending volume grow.

Performance & Reporting

Track the right metrics, not just opens and clicks.

Open rates alone don’t tell you if CRM is driving growth. Build your reporting across three tiers:

1. Commercial metrics (Tier 1): Track revenue impact: Customer Lifetime Value, retention rate, revenue per user. These prove CRM’s value to the business.

2. User metrics (Tier 2): Measure conversion rates, frequency of activity, and churn points. This shows how your emails influence behaviour inside your product or service.

3. Campaign metrics (Tier 3): Opens, clicks, and unsubscribes still matter, but they’re diagnostic, not the headline. Use them to troubleshoot performance.

Start simple: make sure your next report includes at least the key metric from each tier. That way, leadership sees CRM/email not just as a channel, but as a driver of revenue and retention.

Expected impact from implementing this:

• Shifts perception of email from a comms tool to a growth driver, as leadership sees clear links to revenue and retention.

• Better decision-making with insights into where users drop off, what drives activation, and which campaigns truly convert.

• Stronger business cases for investment in CRM/email, backed by hard numbers (not vanity metrics).

• Continuous improvement loop, where testing and reporting lead to smarter campaigns and higher ROI over time.