What Is Email Marketing & Why It Still Delivers: Lessons from 15 Years at Papa John’s

When people ask me what email marketing is, most expect a simple answer: “It’s just newsletters” or “It’s how you send out promos.” But after 15 years running the email program at Papa John’s, I can tell you — it’s a whole lot more than that. Email became our engine for building customer relationships, loyalty program driver, driving repeat orders, and creating scalable, targeted communication.

So here’s what I’ll cover:

• What email marketing really is and how it works

• The types of email campaigns every brand should be using

• Core strategies that deliver real results

• The key metrics that actually matter

• The common pitfalls and how to avoid them

• What’s coming next in Email

• And a real-world case study that proves what’s possible

What Is Email Marketing?

Email marketing is sending timely, relevant messages to a list of people who’ve opted in to hear from you. These emails might aim to make a sale, nurture interest, or build loyalty.

Great email marketing has four parts:

1. Audience – Clean, segmented lists

2. Content – Personalized, purposeful messaging

3. Timing – Sending when it matters

4. Measurement – Using data to get smarter

It’s not about blasting everyone. It’s about sending the right message to the right person — when they’re most likely to act.

Why Email Still Works

Email still delivers — big time.

• ROI: You can get $36–$42 back for every $1 you spend.

• Reach: Over 4.5 billion people use Email.

• Usage: 88% of people check Email multiple times daily.

• Mobile matters: Nearly half of emails get deleted if they aren’t mobile-friendly.

And because you own your email list (not a social algorithm), you’re not at the mercy of someone else’s platform.

Types of Email Campaigns

Here’s how I break it down at B2The7:

1. Promotional Emails – Used to drive sales, announce deals, and push urgency. Our Tuesday BOGO or NFL game-day blasts always brought results.

2. Transactional Emails – Order confirmations, receipts, and status updates. These had sky-high open rates — perfect spots to reinforce brand value.

3. Drip Campaigns – Timed sequences that onboard or nurture subscribers. Great for education or product adoption.

4. Lifecycle Journeys – Smart automations based on behavior. We had 27+ flows live at once — from abandoned carts to VIP loyalty.

5. Re-engagement Emails – “We miss you” Nudges to Win Back Inactive Users. Effective, and key to maintaining deliverability.

Tactical Use Cases

• Welcome Series – Make a first impression, explain what to expect, and deliver a first-purchase incentive.

• Abandoned Cart Reminders – Bring customers back before they forget with a discount and a sense of urgency.

• Post-Purchase Flows – Thank buyers, request reviews, offer cross-sells.

• Loyalty & Rewards – Let loyal customers know they matter. Early access, points updates, and exclusive deals go a long way.

• Event & Seasonal Campaigns – Tie into holidays, sports, or local happenings.

• Newsletter/Content – Keep your brand top of mind between offers.

Email Metrics That Matter

• Open Rate – Indicates the effectiveness of the subject line and send time.

• CTR – Measures how compelling your Email was.

• CTOR – How well your content connects with those who opened.

• Conversion Rate – What percentage actually took action.

• Revenue per Email – Indicates whether you’re generating revenue per email send.

• Unsubscribe Rate – Too high? Rethink your value prop or frequency.

• Bounce Rate – Clean your list and remove dead weight.

• Spam Complaints – Keep this low to avoid inbox issues.

• List Growth Rate – You want net-positive list growth over time.

• Journey Funnel Drop-off – Spot where people fall off and fix the gaps.

Email Deliverability & Challenges

Even great emails fail if they never reach the inbox.

Common problems:

• Hitting spam traps

• Landing on blocklists

• Not authenticating your domain

• Sending to disengaged lists

What to do:

• Authenticate your Email (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)

• Clean your list regularly

• Segment based on activity

• Use a reputable ESP

• Monitor your sender reputation and adjust

Email + SEO: A Perfect Pair

Email doesn’t directly impact rankings, but it boosts your content in ways SEO alone can’t:

• Drives traffic to high-value blog posts or product pages

• Improves on-site metrics (time on site, pages per visit)

• Increases visibility, which may lead to backlinks

• Reinforces messaging consistency across channels

• Encourages return visits, helping build domain authority

Your email list is a built-in audience for your best content — don’t waste it. I see traffic spike when I send an email, you will as well.

What’s Next in Email?

Email may not directly change your search rankings, but it supports your content and SEO efforts in ways that make a real difference:

• It brings qualified traffic to your most valuable pages — blogs, offers, or products.

• It helps improve engagement metrics like time on site and pages per visit.

• The more people who see and share your content, the better your chances of earning backlinks.

• It keeps your messaging consistent across every touchpoint.

• And most importantly, it drives people back to your site, strengthening visibility and authority over time.

Email Marketing Case Study — RCJuice Raises Email Revenue by 300%

To bring the theory to life, let’s look at a real‑world example of an email program transformation. InboxArmy took on a client, RCJuice (an online retailer of RC parts and electronics), and helped them increase their email marketing revenue by 300% in six months.

Background & Challenges

• RCJuice was a strong e-commerce brand but their email channel underperformed.

• The site and email systems didn’t integrate properly, preventing accurate revenue attribution.

• Many subscribers weren’t receiving emails, impacting deliverability.

• Their ESP (Mailchimp) lacked deep integration with their platform (Magento 1.0), which was outdated.

• They lacked effective automation flows like cart abandonment or welcome sequences.

Strategy & Execution

InboxArmy’s approach was holistic. Key steps included:

1. Audit & channel diagnosis

• They did a deep email audit (list health, design, campaign structure, ESP settings).

• Identified broken integrations and gaps in tracking.

• Evaluated deliverability, domain authentication, and suppression logic.

1. ESP migration & integration

• Moved from Mailchimp to Klaviyo, because Klaviyo supported tighter e‑commerce attribution and better integration with Magento.

• Synced historical campaign data and subscriber lists.

2. Set up core automations / flows

• Welcome email flow to orient new subscribers.

• A robust cart abandonment sequence (five emails, starting reminders, then incentives).

• Regular manual campaigns layered over the flows (4–5 sends per month).

3. Tactical optimizations

• Cleaned lists to remove bounces and inactive addresses.

• Improved design, mobile optimization, and clarity of CTAs.

• A/B tested subject lines, send times, and promotional content.

• Monitored metrics continuously and refined flows.

Results & Outcomes

• 300% increase in email-driven revenue within six months.

• 400% uplift from the cart abandonment sequence alone.

• 150% monthly increase from the welcome flow.

• Improvements in open rates, click-to-open, and overall deliverability.

• Cleaned subscriber base and better list segmentation.

🙋‍♀️ Frequently Asked Questions

Is Email Still Worth It? Absolutely. It’s one of the best channels for ROI, engagement, and customer control.

How often should I send? Start with 1–2x per week. Let the data tell you what works.

Drip vs Journey? Drips are fixed. Journeys adapt based on behavior. Go with journeys if you want intelligent automation.

Best tools? Klaviyo, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, Iterable — depends on your stack.

How to fix deliverability? Authenticate your domain, clean your list, avoid spammy content, and stay engaged.

Starting small? Use free tools, run a welcome series, and send one newsletter per week. Build from there.

The B2The7 Final

Email isn’t just a tactic. It’s the backbone of how you build relationships, drive revenue, and stay top-of-mind. At Papa John’s, we didn’t treat Email as an afterthought — we treated it as a strategic asset. And it paid off.

So start where you are. Clean your list. Automate the basics—segment with intention. And keep learning.

Because when you treat Email like a core part of your strategy, it will become your edge.

Ready to take your email game up a level?

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Sources & References

InboxArmy – RCJuice Case Study: How We Helped an Online Retailer Increase Email Marketing Revenue by 300%

OptinMonster – Email Marketing Statistics You Need to Know

Campaign Monitor – 24 Email Marketing Stats You Need to Know

Mailmodo – Email Marketing ROI Statistics

Litmus – The ROI of Email Marketing (Infographic)

HubSpot – Ultimate List of Email Marketing Stats for 2023

MailCharts – Email Marketing Strategy Breakdown – Papa John’s

Smaily – Ecommerce Email Marketing Success: Papa John’s

ActiveCampaign – Spam Trigger Words List and How to Avoid Them

SEOptimer / Maropost – How to Combine SEO and Email Marketing for Better Rankings

Investopedia – Definition of Permission-Based Marketing