Start with permission, because everything else depends on it
Before you touch a subject line, check who is on your list and why. Canada's anti-spam law, known as CASL, expects permission before you send commercial messages. Express consent means a person said yes, ideally through a sign-up form. Implied consent can cover a recent customer or enquirer, but it expires: roughly two years after a purchase and six months after an enquiry.
Every message also needs your business name, a way to reach you and an unsubscribe link that works, and opt-out requests must be honoured within ten business days. Keep a note of where and when each address arrived. This is general information rather than legal advice, so check the CRTC's guidance or ask a lawyer about any borderline cases.
- Use a sign-up box that is unticked by default and says what you will send
- Record the date and source of every address you collect
- Put a working unsubscribe link in each message and act on it quickly
- Leave out bought lists and anyone whose consent you cannot show
Fix the plumbing so emails reach the inbox
A lovely email that lands in spam does nothing. Send from an address on your own domain rather than a free webmail account, and ask whoever looks after your domain to publish SPF, DKIM and DMARC records. Those three settings tell Gmail and Yahoo that the message really comes from you, and both expect them from anyone who sends in volume.
Then read the right numbers. Apple Mail and some other apps load images automatically, so open rates look high and prove little. Watch clicks, replies, bookings and unsubscribes instead. A bakery in Mission or a roofing crew in Chilliwack cares how many people asked for a quote, not how many opened a message. Prune addresses that bounce.
Split the list into two or three groups
One message to everyone is why so many emails feel irrelevant. You do not need twenty segments. Start with three: people who bought or booked, people who enquired and never did, and subscribers who have gone quiet. Customers might get a seasonal reminder, enquirers a nudge with a clear next step, and quiet subscribers a short check-in.
Local detail lets you split further. A Chilliwack landscaper can write one note to Sardis homeowners about spring clean-up and another to farm clients about drainage. A dental clinic can send recall reminders by last-visit month. A farm stand can tell u-pick fans in Abbotsford when berries are ripe. Collect only the fields you will use, such as town and service.
Write for a busy phone, with one job per email
Most of your list reads on a phone, between jobs or in a school pickup line. A good subject line says what is inside and who it is for, in roughly six to nine words. 'Furnace tune-up slots open in Abbotsford' beats 'News from our team'. Skip all capitals, stacked punctuation and promises you cannot keep, which also trip spam filters.
Inside, give each email one job and one button. Lead with the point, keep paragraphs to two or three lines and put the action where a thumb can reach it. Name a real person in the From line, such as the owner or office manager, and invite replies, because replies tell inbox providers that people want your mail. Test one change at a time.
- Is the From name someone the reader recognizes?
- Does the subject line say what is inside?
- Is there one action, visible without scrolling on a phone?
- Does the footer carry your name, contact details and unsubscribe link?
- Did you send yourself a test and tap every link?
Set a rhythm you can keep, and let quiet contacts go
Consistency matters more than volume. A monthly note you really send beats a weekly plan that dies in March. Tie the calendar to the valley's year: spring tune-ups, tulip season in Abbotsford, harvest and market weekends, back to school, furnace season and holiday bookings. Plan a quarter at a time so it never turns into last-minute work.
Every few months, look for contacts who have not clicked anything in half a year. If their consent still holds, send two honest 'still want to hear from us?' messages, then stop emailing anyone who does not respond. A smaller list that reads your mail protects your sender reputation and gives you cleaner numbers. A free marketing audit can show where your list stands.
Inbox assistants read your email first
Gmail and Apple Mail now summarise messages for the reader, and more inboxes will follow. A summary of a vague email says nothing, while a message with a clear first line and one obvious action summarises well. Write as though a short digest will appear before your full message, and keep the key detail, such as the date, price range or booking link, near the top.
- 01Clear first lines that survive being summarised
- 02Plain, personal emails in place of heavy graphics
- 03Replies and clicks as the signals that count
Questions & answers
Once or twice a month suits most local businesses, as long as each message offers something useful, such as a seasonal reminder, an offer or an answer to a common question. Restaurants and shops with weekly specials can go weekly. Start lower than you think, watch unsubscribes and replies, and raise the pace only if people keep engaging.
In most cases, yes. CASL requires express or implied consent before you send commercial messages, plus your identity and a working unsubscribe link. A recent purchase or enquiry can count as implied consent for a limited time. Keep records of how you collected each address, and ask a lawyer about borderline cases.
The usual causes are missing SPF, DKIM or DMARC records, a sending address on a free webmail account, a list full of old or bought addresses and spammy subject lines. Fix authentication first, remove addresses that bounce or never engage, and ask new subscribers to reply or add you to their contacts.
Yes. Our team builds the forms, segments and automated sequences, writes the emails and reports on clicks and bookings. We work with owners across Abbotsford, Chilliwack and the Fraser Valley, and projects start from $1,000. A free marketing audit is the usual first step, so you see what needs fixing before you commit.