Good morning, Chase and Jimmy here.

Most email and SMS teams start the same way: one person doing it all.

Copy, design, reporting, even a little code. Scrappy, resourceful, and somehow pulling it off.

But once you start scaling (more sends, more segments, more revenue on the line) that model stops working. Campaigns get delayed, testing falls off, and burnout kicks in.

That’s the signal: it’s time to grow your team.

In this playbook, we’ll cover how to structure your email + SMS team, the tools to keep them moving fast, and the workflows that make scaling feel less like chaos and more like progress.

Also inside:

✔️ Your Black Friday Playbook, in 4Cs
✔️ 6 Storytelling angles any ecommerce brand can use
✔️ Sneak Peek: Building a Referral and Rewards Program
✔️ DTC Win: Laurel goes nationwide in Whole Foods

Let’s get into it 👇

Your Black Friday Playbook, in 4Cs

BFCM prep doesn’t have to feel like chaos. In this Omnisend webinar, you’ll get a proven framework (Compliance, Customers, Checklists, and Commerce) to take the guesswork out of Q4 planning.

Here’s what you’ll walk away with:

• A clear understanding of the 4Cs framework

• How to engage the right customers before the rush

• Actionable steps to turn your list into a revenue engine

📅 September 10, 7 AM PT
 🎥 Recording included

Scaling Your Email & SMS Team: Roles, Tools, and Workflows for Growth

Most email and SMS teams start scrappy.

One person, wearing all the hats, pulling off big results.

But once you hit a certain size or send volume, the cracks start to show: slow launches, missed tests, burned-out teammates.

That’s your sign it’s time to scale.

Here’s everything you need to know about that next step.

How Your Team Evolves With Growth

Most brands start with one marketer doing it all. They write the emails, build the flows, pull the reports, and even fiddle with HTML when needed. It works… for a while.

But eventually, you’ll hit a wall, usually somewhere around 6–7 figures in revenue or a high email/SMS send volume.

Campaigns become more frequent. Segmentation gets trickier. Your list grows, and so does the pressure to keep it engaged.

That’s your cue to start building a specialized team.

Key Roles to Build a High-Performing Team

Here’s a look at the core roles to prioritize as you grow:

1. Marketing Manager: Oversees the channel strategy, makes sure you’re hitting KPIs, manages budgets, and steers the ship across all marketing efforts.

2. Copywriter or Content Writer: Crafts messages that convert, while staying on-brand. A good copywriter understands the product and the customer, and knows how to write differently for email vs SMS vs push.

3. Designer: Creates scroll-stopping visuals that support your messaging and adapt to different devices. Bonus points if they know how to work within email builders or no-code tools.

4. Data Analyst: You need someone who can pull numbers, interpret trends, and answer questions like: what’s driving revenue? Who’s churning? What should we test next?

5. Specialized roles: As your team grows, consider bringing in roles like a CRM Developer, Automation Specialist, or Customer Journey Strategist to handle advanced logic, personalization, and lifecycle mapping.

💡 Pro tip: If hiring full-time feels like too much too soon, start with freelancers or agencies to fill these gaps until your volume justifies a full-time hire.

Tools You Need in Your Tech Stack to Grow

As your team grows, so should your toolkit.

Start with your ESP/SMS platform – this is your hub.

Whether it’s Klaviyo, Omnisend, Sendlane, or Mailchimp, make sure it supports multi-channel flows, advanced segmentation, and A/B testing.

Then add to it as you scale:

• Design tools: Figma, Canva, or ESP-native editors

• AI and copywriting tools: Grammarly, ChatGPT, Jasper for faster copy + ideation

• Reporting dashboards: Looker, Klipfolio, or built-in ESP analytics

• Project management tools: Asana, Clickup, or Notion to keep campaigns on track

• QA testing tools: Litmus or BrowserStack – whatever helps catch errors or broken links

The right tools can help you move faster and stay organized.

But the key here: Build your stack around your workflow, not the other way around.

When to Hire (And When to Pause)

Hiring too early can create bloat. Hiring too late can lead to burnout and missed revenue. So how do you know it’s time?

Look for these signs:

• Campaigns are always late or rushed

• Performance is flatlining because there’s no time to test

• Your team is multitasking everything and dropping balls

• There’s no one owning a function end-to-end (like data or creative)

Before you post a job ad, document your processes. Having clear SOPs and onboarding checklists makes hiring way easier. And it sets your new team members up for success.

Partner With Agencies to Fill the Gaps

If you’re not ready for a full in-house team, working with agencies can be a smart move.

They offer:

• Built-in specialists

• Faster time to ramp

• Cross-industry expertise

• Flexible contracts

Look for agencies that know your niche, have a strong portfolio, and can plug into your existing stack without reinventing the wheel.

TL;DR: Build a Team That Grows With You

Scaling your email and SMS team doesn’t happen overnight. But with the right roles, tools, and workflows in place, you’ll be set up for long-term success.

Here’s a quick recap:

✅ Start with a generalist, then specialize into strategy, copy, design, data, and automation.
✅ Use tools that save time, improve quality, and help you scale without chaos.
✅ Hire when performance stalls or your team is maxed out – not just because you're busy.
✅ Agencies can bridge the gap when in-house isn't the right fit (yet).

Knowledge Drop:

Discounts alone won’t build brand loyalty. Storytelling does. In his latest thread, Chase Dimond breaks down 6 storytelling angles any ecommerce brand can use in emails to drive connection and conversions.

👀 Sneak Peek: Building a Referral and Rewards Program: Turning Subscribers into Advocates

Referred customers aren’t just cheaper to acquire, they spend 25% more, churn 18% less, and bring in higher-quality growth than paid ads ever will.

In next week’s Send It! episode, Jimmy and Chase break down how to:

• Build simple, dual-sided referral programs that actually get used

• Integrate them into email + SMS for max participation

• Use social sharing to create advocacy and social proof

• Track ROI and turn one-time referrers into long-term ambassadors

🛎️ Subscribe to the channel and tap the bell to catch every new drop.

🔥 DTC Wins:

Laurel goes nationwide in Whole Foods (in under 13 months)

Gut-friendly RTD latte brand Laurel just landed national Whole Foods distribution without a big raise. Smart lending, 50%+ margins, and on-trend A2 dairy helped make it happen. CEO Isabel W. (@IsabelHalfCaff) breaks down how they pulled it off.

Annnnd that’s a wrap for this edition! 

Thanks for hanging with Chase and me, always a pleasure to have you here.

If you found this newsletter helpful (or even just a little fun), don’t keep it to yourself! Share ecomemailmarketer.com with your favorite DTC marketer. Let’s get them on board so they don’t miss next week’s drops.

Remember: Do shit you love.

🤘 Jimmy Kim & Chase Dimond

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