Email Redesign Strategy Using Performance & Audience Insights

Creative Direction, Content Strategy, Audience Insights, Performance Reporting

As part of Hamilton County Tourism’s broader email strategy and content evolution, I led the development of an Audience Insights & Performance Strategy framework to inform campaign planning, influence content direction, and ongoing email optimization.

Drawing from year-over-year engagement trends, audience segmentation, and content performance analysis, I created a comprehensive reporting system and strategic guide to help shape future campaign decisions, aligning content strategy with audience needs and brand goals.

This strategic work directly informed the Email Redesign project, drove measurable performance gains across core email series, and continues to guide campaign planning and editorial direction.

Process & Approach

This extensive Audience & Engagement Analysis included historical engagement trends across key email types (consumer, stakeholder, and special campaign emails). From there, we identified audience segments and behavioral patterns, mapping content preferences by audience type based on historical data.

Content Performance & Campaign Insights were also considered. I conducted a detailed audit of top-performing content, identifying key drivers of engagement (clicks, conversions, loyalty). This enabled me to track the performance of promotional versus informational content, seasonal trends, and campaign timing.

I then developed a Strategic Framework & Reporting Design, prioritizing visual data to track KPIs (open rate, CTR, audience growth) over time. This has made it easy to make strategic recommendations for campaign planning and content direction, allowing the team to make informed changes where necessary. This reporting system has aligned outputs with team needs (marketing, stakeholder engagement, leadership).

All of these insights directly informed the redesign of consumer, stakeholder, and campaign emails. Audience insights have since guided ongoing editorial planning, content optimization, and campaign timing

My Role

  • Conducted an audience analysis using United States census data, GPS mobility data, and email performance metrics

  • Identified key behavioral and demographic patterns

  • Synthesized findings into four actionable personas representing visitor trends and behaviors

  • Designed the visual presentation of the personas to make insights accessible and useful for marketing, sales, and content teams

  • Collaborated with leadership to ensure alignment with campaign planning

This redesign and re-strategization led to significant year-over-year performance gains:
→ 50–100%+ gains in open rates
→ 160–240% gains in click rates
→ Significant audience growth across all lists

  • Campaigns are planned and informed by audience insights

  • Content strategies have been refined based on engagement data

  • Email reporting systems have been elevated and are now fully integrated into team decision-making

  • The email system is now driven by a performance feedback loop: strategy → design → optimize → repeat

This project demonstrates my ability to lead data-driven content strategy and translate insights into actionable creative direction, shaping content and making informed UX decisions that drive engagement and brand value.

It also highlights how I approach email design and strategy as part of a larger content ecosystem, balancing visual storytelling with performance optimization to create experiences that resonate and evolve with brands.

Outcome

Program Results

📊 50–100%+ gains in open rates across our core recurring newsletters, targeted to consumers and stakeholders
📊 160–240%+ gains in click rates, establishing that audience engagement and content relevance improved dramatically
📊 Audience growth → Leisure list doubled; there were strong gains across all lists
📊 Redesigned emails have outperformed legacy emails across all KPIs
📊 Email system is now fully aligned with brand voice and editorial-first user experience
📊 All campaign planning and content direction is now informed by audience insights and engagement data