AI-Enhanced Email Marketing: The ROI Revolution with Matthew Montoya

Constant Contact Expert Shares the Blueprint for High-Performing Campaigns

Most small businesses unknowingly leave piles of money on the table with their email marketing. Matthew Montoya of Constant Contact has spent 15 years proving it—and in this episode of the Business Growth Podcast, powered by ActionCoach UK, he reveals the exact strategies entrepreneurs need to maximise their digital marketing ROI.

After training more than 14,000 small businesses face-to-face, Matthew brings a data-rich truth:
Email marketing delivers an average £36 return for every £1 spent.
With a 2% conversion rate that outperforms nearly every other marketing channel, it’s the powerhouse too many businesses still underuse.

The Metrics That Matter

Matthew breaks down why click-through rate is the only KPI that truly counts.
Open rates? A vanity distraction.
Clicks show intent—and that’s where conversions begin.

He also shares the 9-second attention test that predicts whether your email succeeds or sinks:

  • Max 25 lines of text

  • No more than 3 images

  • Exactly 3 calls to action

This simple structure keeps readers engaged and stops them drifting off after the subject line.

The 80/20 Content Rule That Builds Trust

The winning formula: 80% education, 20% promotion.
The moment your emails become a constant sales pitch, your audience learns to ignore you.
Balance, relevance and value are what earn attention—and sales.

Debunking the Big Myth: Email Is Not Dead

Despite the noise from TikTok, Instagram and every new platform that bursts onto the scene, email marketing has thrived for 30 years. Why?
Because it works.

Matthew explains how audience behaviour—every click, scroll and unsubscribe—is a conversation. Smart marketers listen, learn, and adjust.

How AI Transformed Email Marketing Forever

What once took eight hours of manual work now takes minutes.

Constant Contact’s AI tools now:

  • Build entire omnichannel campaigns

  • Segment audiences intelligently

  • Identify the best send times

  • Write on-brand content

  • Remove the friction that once favoured big corporations

Small businesses finally have enterprise-level marketing power at their fingertips.

List-Building: The Right Way

Matthew gives one rule with no grey area: Never buy email lists.
Instead, grow organically and ethically—because your email database is an asset you own, unlike social media followers who live on rented land.

Relevance, timing and personalisation are no longer optional. They’re expected. Audiences are impatient, distracted, and overloaded. Targeted content wins every time.

Who Should Watch This Episode

This deep dive is for:

  • Small business owners starting their digital marketing journey

  • Entrepreneurs aiming to improve email ROI

  • Content creators seeking stronger engagement

  • Marketers who want to leverage AI for smarter campaigns

Watch below