14-email-marketing-global

---
name: 14-email-marketing-global
description: Use when the user needs email or lifecycle automation — welcome series, nurture, abandoned cart, re-engagement, broadcast, and transactional flows with subject lines, segmentation, cadence, and deliverability, plus legal variants: CAN-SPAM for US, GDPR opt-in for EU, PDPA for SEA, LGPD for LATAM. Covers Klaviyo, Mailchimp, and ActiveCampaign. Trigger on 'email marketing', 'welcome sequence', 'drip campaign', 'newsletter', 'abandoned cart emails', 'nobody opens our emails'. Not for — coding HTML that renders correctly in Outlook, see `49-html-email-template-global`; cold outbound to B2B prospects, see `33-b2b-lead-gen-global`; refer-a-friend loops, see `18-referral-program-global`.
license: MIT
---

# Email Marketing (Global)

> Email is the only owned channel — algorithm-proof, free to re-reach. **But legal differs HUGELY by region: US allows opt-out, EU mandates opt-in, SEA/LATAM mostly require opt-in.** Pick the right variant — getting this wrong can cost up to EUR 20M (GDPR) or USD 51,744 per email (CAN-SPAM).

---

## For newbies

### Who is this skill for?

| Audience | Concrete example |
|----------|------------------|
| Founder / DTC brand running newsletter | Shopify store, SaaS company, B2B service |
| Agency setting up email automation for client | Welcome series, nurture, re-engage |
| Marketer migrating from one ESP to another | Klaviyo to Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign to Brevo |
| Multi-region brand needing legal-safe email | Selling US + EU + LATAM, must comply per region |

### Who is this NOT for?

- **Vietnam-only email marketing** -> Use `14-email-marketing` (VN skill) — covers PDPA Vietnam (Decree 13/2023)
- **Transactional-only (order confirms, password reset)** -> Use ESP defaults; transactional emails have softer consent rules in most regions
- **SMS / WhatsApp / push** -> Different channels with different laws (TCPA US, GDPR EU)

### 30-second pre-read

This skill produces ONE email marketing strategy file with 4 components: subscriber segmentation, sequence templates (welcome / nurture / re-engage / promo), automation flow, and KPI tracking. Pick 1 of 4 region variants — the variant tunes the LEGAL framework (consent model, unsubscribe rules, data retention, cross-border transfer). Every email automation built without this risks legal exposure.

### 3 common errors

1. **Reusing US opt-out logic in EU** -> GDPR violation; fines up to EUR 20M or 4% global revenue
2. **Skipping double opt-in for EU/Brazil/SEA** -> Cannot prove consent if challenged; subscribers can demand deletion
3. **Missing physical address in footer** -> CAN-SPAM violation US; EUR 51,744 per email

---

## Why do you need this skill?

Email is the highest-ROI channel (USD 36-42 per USD 1 spent globally), but legal compliance is non-negotiable. Without the right region variant:
- US brand using EU opt-in flow -> losing 30-50% of subscribers unnecessarily
- EU brand using US opt-out flow -> direct GDPR violation
- LATAM brand ignoring LGPD -> BRL 50M penalty risk in Brazil
- SEA brand mixing rules -> PDPA Singapore + per-country differences

Pick the right variant once -> all downstream emails compliant by default.

---

## Workflow

```
Step 0: Check global context file
    |-- exists -> read product / region / customer info
    |-- missing -> suggest user run product-marketing-context-global first
Step 1: Pick region variant (US / EU / SEA / LATAM)
Step 2: Choose ESP based on region (Klaviyo / Mailchimp / ActiveCampaign / Brevo)
Step 3: Set up legal foundation (consent flow, footer, unsubscribe, DPA)
Step 4: Design segmentation (behavioral + lifecycle)
Step 5: Build sequences (welcome / nurture / re-engage / promo)
Step 6: Configure automation flow
Step 7: Set up tracking + A/B test plan
```

---

## Step 0: Check global context file

Check whether `.agents/product-marketing-context-global.md` exists:
- **Yes** -> Read product, customer, region, language, regulation context. Do NOT re-ask.
- **No** -> Suggest running `product-marketing-context-global` first. If user wants to continue, ask 2-3 minimum questions about product + region.

---

## Step 1: Pick region variant

Ask the user one question: **"Which is your PRIMARY region: US, EU, SEA, or LATAM?"**

### Decision tree (LEGAL FRAMING)

```
Where do MOST of your subscribers live?
    |-- US / Canada
    |       --> 01-us.md    (CAN-SPAM Act 2003, opt-out OK, CCPA/state laws)
    |-- EU / EEA / UK
    |       --> 02-eu.md    (GDPR + ePrivacy, opt-in MANDATORY, EUR 20M penalty)
    |-- Southeast Asia (SG, MY, ID, TH, PH)
    |       --> 03-sea.md   (PDPA Singapore + per-country, mostly opt-in)
    |-- Latin America (BR, MX, AR, CO, CL)
    |       --> 04-latam.md (LGPD Brazil + LFPDPPP Mexico, opt-in mandatory)
    |-- Vietnam only
    |       --> Use `14-email-marketing` (VN skill) — Decree 13/2023
    |-- Multi-region
            --> Default to STRICTEST applicable region (usually EU GDPR)
```

### Why "default to strictest" matters

If you sell in US + EU + LATAM, you can either:
1. **Run separate sequences per region** (best — but operationally heavy)
2. **Apply EU GDPR rules globally** (safe — but loses 20-30% US subscribers due to double opt-in friction)

For most early-stage brands, option 2 is the safer default. Document the decision in your DPA.

---

## Step 2: Choose ESP (Email Service Provider)

| ESP | Strength | Region fit | Legal features |
|-----|----------|------------|---------------|
| **Klaviyo** | E-commerce / DTC | US (default), EU (with EU data center) | GDPR-ready, opt-in flows, suppression lists |
| **Mailchimp** | General-purpose, easy UI | US (HQ), EU (Intuit-owned, GDPR DPA available) | Built-in GDPR forms, double opt-in toggle |
| **ActiveCampaign** | CRM + automation | US default, global | Behavioral + GDPR consent tracking |
| **Brevo (Sendinblue)** | EU-native, transactional | EU (data residency in FR/DE), Global | GDPR by default, EU servers |
| **Customer.io** | API-first, developer-friendly | Global | GDPR + CCPA + LGPD ready |
| **HubSpot Marketing Hub** | All-in-one CRM | US default, EU (with EU hosting) | GDPR consent + cookie management |

### ESP picker per region

- **US (DTC/e-commerce):** Klaviyo (default) or Mailchimp
- **US (B2B SaaS):** ActiveCampaign or HubSpot
- **EU:** Brevo (EU servers), Klaviyo EU, Mailchimp + EU DPA
- **SEA:** Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign (no native local ESP dominant)
- **LATAM:** Brevo (BR datacenter via partner), ActiveCampaign, RD Station (BR-native)

---

## Step 3: Legal foundation (varies by variant)

This is the CRITICAL step. Read the variant file carefully — it spells out the consent model, footer requirements, unsubscribe rules, and data retention specific to your region.

### Universal requirements (all regions)

- Working unsubscribe link in every email
- Sender identification (brand name, physical address)
- Subject line accurately describes content (no deceptive headers)
- Honor unsubscribe within reasonable time (10 days US, 24h EU/SEA/LATAM)

### Region-specific requirements (see variants)

- **US:** Physical postal address, opt-out within 10 days
- **EU:** Explicit opt-in (timestamp + IP logged), DPO if processing large data, DPA with ESP, right to erasure
- **SEA:** Per-country (Singapore PDPA strictest), opt-in for marketing
- **LATAM:** Brazil LGPD requires opt-in + DPO; Mexico LFPDPPP requires privacy notice

---

## Step 4-7: Segmentation, sequences, automation, tracking

These are largely region-agnostic in CONTENT, but legal-bound in EXECUTION. The variant file documents:
- What data fields you can/cannot collect (e.g., EU requires "minimum necessary")
- Retention period (e.g., LGPD Brazil = 5 years max default)
- Cross-border transfer rules (e.g., EU -> US requires SCCs or DPF)

For sequence templates and KPI structure, the patterns are the same as the VN skill (welcome 3-email, nurture 5-email, re-engage 3-email) but with region-tuned subject lines, send times, and footer.

---

## How other skills use this file

When `00-marketing-plan-global` includes email as a channel, it references this skill for the operational layer. When `18-referral-program-global` builds a referral flow with email triggers, it inherits the consent model from this skill.

---

## Quality checklist

- [ ] Region variant chosen (US / EU / SEA / LATAM)
- [ ] ESP selected with region-appropriate data residency
- [ ] Consent model documented (opt-in vs opt-out)
- [ ] Footer compliant (physical address + unsubscribe)
- [ ] DPA signed with ESP if processing EU/UK/Brazil data
- [ ] Sequences tested in dev environment before launch
- [ ] Suppression list / hard-bounce auto-removal active
- [ ] A/B test plan documented (one variable at a time)

---

## Related skills

- `product-marketing-context-global` — foundation context (run first)
- `11-channel-setup-global` — channel infrastructure (when available)
- `18-referral-program-global` — referral via email
- `references/global-legal-compliance` — deep legal reference

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*Global Skill 14 (Email Marketing) | Over Powers Agency | v1.0.0*