Constructing
Before a single campaign is worth sending, your domain has to be trusted. Most businesses skip the plumbing and then blame the channel.
"We tried email marketing — it didn't work" almost always decodes to one of three things: the mail didn't arrive, the list was cold, or the sends had nothing to say. The first is plumbing, the second is consent, the third is strategy. None of them is the channel failing.
Mailbox providers decide whether you reach the inbox based on authentication and reputation. SPF, DKIM and DMARC records prove you are who you claim; sending patterns and engagement build the reputation. Get this wrong and your invoices land in spam — not just your newsletters. It's a business-continuity issue wearing a marketing costume.
On sound infrastructure, email is the highest-leverage channel most SMEs own: you hold the list, there's no auction for reach, and automation means sequences earn while you sleep. A welcome series, a considered monthly send, and two or three behavioural triggers outperform a year of sporadic blasts.
Rented channels get more expensive every year. The list is the only audience you own.