What separates a good email marketer from a great one? While many can build functional campaigns, only a few consistently drive real engagement and revenue. Rockhouse Partners, a Nashville-based marketing agency, shows how email marketing can go from routine to remarkable.

Rockhouse works with event-focused clients like NASCAR, Churchill Downs, and The Music City Bowl. They offer services such as strategic planning, SEO, website optimization, and social media—but email stands out as their most effective channel. Over time, they’ve mastered how to make email marketing deliver results.

Founded in 2009 by Joe Kustelski and two partners, Rockhouse quickly recognized the need for a reliable email platform. After visiting Mailchimp, they adopted it as a core tool to create campaigns that consistently sell out events. Just two years later, they were acquired by Etix, a ticketing platform, after running countless successful campaigns.

Today, strategy, data analysis, and measurement remain central to Rockhouse’s work. According to Amanda Severs, their director of client services, Mailchimp enables them to create mobile-optimized, concise, and conversion-focused templates with ease.

Their success hinges on three core pillars: segmentation, personalization, and marketing automation. Most new clients lack these essentials—they tend to send generic messages to their entire list. Rockhouse addresses this with smart segmentation, helping craft content tailored to specific recipient groups.

Personalization is also critical. Using Mailchimp’s merge tags, Rockhouse customizes emails not just by name but based on purchase behavior. This increases engagement significantly.

Finally, automation plays a big role. A simple action—like sending a welcome email to new subscribers—can lead to noticeable revenue growth. When used well, even basic automation tactics can make a major impact.

By combining targeted messaging, user data, and automation, Rockhouse turns email marketing into a powerful driver of event sales and brand loyalty.