Even though the space is very crowded, Groupon owns the daily deal market. They own it by name, they were the first and the biggest. They are the defining brand within the marketplace, like Kleenex or Band-Aid.

Groupon relies, perhaps more heavily than any other company today, on email marketing to maintain and grow their successful business. If tomorrow Congress passes a law outlawing the sending of marketing emails to consumers, I can’t think of an industry that would be hit harder.

But how has Groupon mastered the art of email marketing in order to achieve the fast paced and loyal growth that they’ve seen in the past year+? Let’s take a look at the email below as an example:

The subject line is simple, it tells you what the featured deal is. It’s meant to grab your attention and it does so by showing the discount.

The body of the email is simple, using a design that people are familiar with, displaying an array of deals offered in your neighborhood that day. The copy is easy to read, engaging, and always leads to a strong call to action that takes very little commitment. I just have to click on a button that says “View this deal” to learn more.

For a company like this, who relies on daily emails to consumers, it’s important not to overstep your bounds. It’s easy to frustrate people when you email them daily. But Groupon delivers such high value in their emails that they develop very loyal subscribers.

The best thing that they do, and that other companies can take a cue from, is they keep their emails the same. They have a formula and a layout that they are happy with, and they stick with it. Subscribers know what to expect, and if a deal does not appeal to them, they simply wait for the next one.

It’s part of the branding process, and an important one if a company wants to email the same list that frequently.