What email to past customers actually returns

You have probably seen the stat: email marketing returns about $42 for every $1 spent. It gets thrown around so often that it stops meaning anything. So let me explain why it is real, why past-customer email tends to beat it, and what an honest result looks like for a contractor.

Where the $42 comes from

That number is the industry benchmark across all email marketing, measured by groups like the DMA and Litmus. It is high because email is cheap to send and it goes to people who chose to hear from you. Compared to buying a stranger’s attention with an ad, you are starting from a much better place.

Why the trades beat the average

Most businesses email a list of people who signed up for a newsletter. You have something better: a list of people who paid you real money to solve a real problem in their home. That is about as warm as a list gets.

It gets better when the email is not generic. A blast that says the same thing to everyone competes with every other blast in the inbox. An email that references the exact work you did, at the right moment, does not feel like marketing at all. It feels like a business that remembers you. That is the difference between the average and the ceiling.

What a realistic result looks like

Here is the honest version, because you deserve it.

• A good first send to a warm list can book jobs directly. We have seen it happen, especially when the offer matches what a past customer actually needs.
• That is not what you should measure it by. The real job of consistent email is staying top of mind, so that when a customer has a problem six months from now, they call you before they Google someone new.
• Anyone who promises you a specific dollar return from email is guessing. Results depend on your list, your history with those customers, and how long it has been since they heard from you.

The only way to know your number

Benchmarks are useful, but your list is your list. The $599 trial exists to put a real number behind the benchmark, on your actual customers, before you commit to a year. One personalized send, and you see who opens, who clicks, and who books.

If you want the longer view on why this list matters so much, start here. If you are ready to see what yours is worth, the trial is the place to start.