Preparing Early: Email Marketing Insights with Shae Fascenda

In this episode of the Marketing Factor podcast, Cobble Hill CEO Austin Dandridge sits down with our Senior Email Strategist Shae Fascenda to discuss innovative email and SMS marketing strategies that drive results for e-commerce brands.

Planning for Holiday Success Starts Now

While most marketers begin thinking about Black Friday and Cyber Monday in the fall, Shae takes a different approach. In March, she called a company-wide meeting to analyze the previous year's holiday performance data and start planning for the upcoming season.

"Memorial Day, Mother's Day, and summer sales are the perfect testing grounds for what will work during Black Friday and Cyber Monday," Shae explains. "This is our opportunity to A/B test messaging, sending times, and channel effectiveness before the highest-stakes shopping period of the year."

By analyzing which strategies resonated most with customers during these smaller sales events, Cobble Hill builds a ready-to-deploy toolkit of proven tactics for their clients' holiday campaigns.

SMS Marketing: The Untapped Opportunity

When asked about SMS marketing, Shae shared some compelling statistics: "SMS has a 98% open rate because messages land alongside communications from friends and family—where people's attention is naturally focused."

Her team has found that sometimes the simplest approach works best. "We've A/B tested SMS content extensively, and surprisingly, messages without images that simply state 'Our sale is happening, click here now' often outperform more elaborate messages," she notes.

The key to effective SMS marketing lies in its brevity and personal feel. As Austin emphasized, "Texting should feel like how you talk to someone at a party—meet them at their level." Long-winded text messages or editorial-style images don't align with how people naturally communicate via text.

Expert Klaviyo Management: Beyond the Basics

For brands considering whether to manage their Klaviyo accounts in-house or partner with an agency, Shae identified key areas where professional expertise makes a difference:

Deliverability optimization: "The first thing we check in a new account is the deliverability score. If your emails aren't landing in inboxes, nothing else matters."
Strategic segmentation: "Many clients think they should send every email to their entire list. But that approach can hurt deliverability and lead to oversaturation."
Behavior-based triggers: "Klaviyo can create interest-based segments by tracking product views and browsing patterns, then automatically trigger relevant communications."
Dynamic product recommendations: "For abandoned cart flows, Klaviyo can dynamically pull in products based on browsing history, creating personalized recommendations that drive conversions."

Custom Approaches for Different Business Models

The conversation highlighted how email marketing strategies must be tailored to specific business models:

For bridal brands like Lula Kate, Shae's team developed a specialized funnel that begins with the bride requesting fabric swatches, transitions to virtual stylist consultations, and culminates with a bridal registration form that collects bridesmaid contact information—creating two distinct email journeys.

For service-based businesses like facial studio Faced, segmentation becomes even more critical. "We create seasonal segments for clients who only get treatments during specific times of year, location-based segments for studio-specific events, and membership segments that highlight exclusive perks," Shae explains.

Email Marketing Best Practices for 2025

Shae offered several practical tips for brands looking to improve their email performance:

Thoughtful pop-up timing: "Don't bombard visitors the moment they land on your site. Add a time delay to create a better user experience."
Mobile optimization: "Always preview your campaigns in both desktop and mobile views, and test every link before sending."
Reviews in subject lines: "Adding 'Review:' at the beginning of a subject line consistently increases open rates."
Smart A/B testing: "Don't be afraid to experiment, especially if you're a new brand. Klaviyo makes it easy to see what works."

As email platforms continue to evolve, Shae emphasized the importance of staying educated and adaptable. While AI tools can help analyze data and provide strategic insights, she maintains that the human touch remains essential for creating compelling email content that truly connects with customers.

Looking ahead to the rest of 2025, the Cobble Hill team continues to push the boundaries of what's possible in email marketing, helping brands create more personalized, effective, and conversion-driving campaigns.