The issue isn't the content, but the level of personalization. And the story of Astana Hub is clear proof that when data and technology meet, email can be more powerfully revived than ever before.

Who is Astana Hub?

Astana Hub is not just a startup incubator, but a comprehensive technology ecosystem in Kazakhstan. This center brings together over 1,300 tech talents and collaborates with major players like Binance, Google for Startups, and Draper University.

Astana Hub, a technology startup center in Central Asia.

Their mission is to support startup growth, connect investors, and create an innovative environment for the region.

This means they need a strong, stable, and highly community-oriented communication channel to promote the event, introduce the application, spread the word about scholarships, and maintain connections with thousands of program participants.

The challenge: When mass email is no longer effective.

Before the overhaul, Astana Hub maintained a system of sending mass emails to its entire list. Campaigns were still meticulously crafted in terms of content and visuals, but the results were not very promising:

• Low email open rate
• The click-through rate (CTR) did not meet expectations.
• And the opt-out rate is increasing.

The core problem lies in the lack of segmentation and personalization. A one-size-fits-all content message won't resonate with anyone. While AI startups need updated technical workshops, fintech groups are interested in fundraising strategies, but they all receive the same content.

Solution: Smart and Automated Email Marketing Strategy

Astana Hub decided to restructure its entire email marketing process. They implemented a smart segmentation strategy combined with automation, using behavioral data to:

• Categorize the recipient list by specific interests (AI, fintech, blockchain, etc.).
• Create automated email sequences for each segment, ensuring each recipient receives the right information they need.
• Personalize the sending time based on the peak engagement times of each group.

The results after a few months were truly impressive:

• 63% email open rate
• 26% click-through rate (CTR)
• 28,000 new app downloads, far exceeding all previous promotional campaigns.

Furthermore, internal surveys show that over 70% of users feel the content "fits their needs," demonstrating the clear effectiveness of the personalization strategy.

This approach is quite similar to the strategy of Sephora, the global beauty brand that increased its revenue by 142% simply by automating the customer journey.

Lessons from Astana Hub: Email isn't outdated – only the old ways are.

Astana Hub demonstrates that email remains the highest ROI channel when managed with the right data strategy. The difference lies not in the tool, but in how businesses understand their customers and automate the interaction journey.

They don't just send messages – they create personalized experiences with every email. Each piece of content is tailored to the recipient's behavior, interests, and context. That's the future of marketing: precision communication, based on real data.

What can Vietnamese businesses learn from this?

Many businesses in Vietnam are still doing email marketing manually: write - send - measure - then repeat. This method isn't wrong, but it lacks speed and scalability.

Meanwhile, with the help of AI and CRM, you can automate up to 80% of your workload, from content writing and design to sending emails at the right time.

That's the direction GTG CRM is taking to help Vietnamese businesses implement its solutions.

GTG CRM – AI-integrated Email Builder: Where data, creativity, and automation meet.

GTG CRM is not just a customer management tool, but an intelligent marketing assistant that helps businesses transform data into actionable insights.

With AI-integrated Email Builder, you can build campaigns like Astana Hub without a large marketing team:

1. AI suggests content and optimizes headlines.

GTG CRM's AI system can suggest headlines, opening paragraphs, and calls-to-actions that are appropriate for each campaign objective (welcome, promotion, customer care, etc.).

The language has been optimized to reduce spam rates and increase visibility in the main inbox.

AI assists in creating automated email marketing content in GTG CRM.

2. Create emails quickly – targeted, to the right audience.

Whether you're sending marketing emails or engagement emails, GTG CRM offers professional layout templates. Simply select, add your content, and send – no need to redesign from scratch.

GTG CRM's professional email template library helps you design emails quickly and efficiently.

3. Direct connection with Automation – send the right message to the right person, at the right time.

GTG CRM's Email Builder doesn't operate in isolation. It's tightly integrated with the Automation module, allowing you to set up a series of automated email sending scenarios: from nurturing new leads and reminding you of events to reactivating existing customers.

Automate your email marketing campaigns using GTG CRM.

As a result, businesses save time, improve efficiency, and reduce spam risks. In particular, GTG CRM provides email open rate reports – a crucial metric that helps marketers measure customer interest and optimize the timing and content of subsequent campaigns.

Conclude

The story of Astana Hub is not just about the success of a startup center, but also opens a path for all businesses looking to refresh their communication strategies. Email marketing is never outdated – only outdated methods diminish its value. With AI and CRM, Vietnamese businesses can absolutely: Send the right message to the right people, at the right time; Personalize the experience on a large scale; and turn each email campaign into a long-term, sustainable connection opportunity.