Email Personalization & Segmentation: Tips To Get Started

Email marketing remains to be one of the most cost-effective and powerful tactics when it comes to reaching targeted audiences, inspiring engagement and getting them to take action. But, I guess this is no secret considering how many emails we receive daily from brands. The problem now is making sure that emails are opened, that they avoid the SPAM folder, or are simply deleted. There are email marketing quick tips and best practices to help drive opens, but more important than opens and CTRs (Click Thru Rates)– what can brands do to really get people to take action from emails? How can your brand prove to customers through email that you are listening to them, you have a genuine interest in their needs and wants and can provide them with relevant information and solutions.

Personalization
At its most basic, personalization is as simple as adding a first name to an email subject line or within the email greeting copy. But doing this really doesn’t make the customer feel special or loved, it just says “Hey Kristin, we wanted to show you how much we care about you and so we added a variable to pull in your first name.” That really doesn’t cut it anymore, consumers are smarter than that.

It’s when you go beyond a first name basis that things can get interesting. To do this, you need to apply some segmentation or specific targeting overlays. Segmentation comes first so that personalization beyond a first name can occur. Segmentation means you put your audience members into niche groups by applying data filters. By leveraging data, you can look at behaviors, locations, open times, device preference, purchase history, wish-list history and more to fuel email automation and use this data to predict, test and refine to achieve and increase efficiencies, intelligence and performance.

When you start to apply some real drilled-down data to ensure messages are targeted to those most interested, customers take note and are more likely to take action. When you send an email that includes special messaging and specific, relevant content based around their interests and even past activity, open rates, engagement rates and conversions sky rocket.

Segmented email campaigns get a 14.25% higher open rate than non-segmented email campaigns. - Mailchimp February 2017

I recently interviewed Ryan Phelan, Vice President of Marketing Insights at Adestra to talk more specifically about email segmentation. VIEW VIDEO TO EXPLORE:

• How To Think About Audience Segmentation By applying audience segmentation, your email marketing efforts can deliver greater results.
• Basic Ways to Segment Audiences Start basic before adding too much complexity. Maybe look at when your subscribers last engaged, how often they engage or when they last purchased.
• Steps To Segmenting Data You have to know your data and understand your customers. Then take what you know to design out your strategy. Test, test, test then measure and repeat.

ATTRIBUTIONS/RESOURCES
MyBuys Poll 2014: 48% of those polled buy more from companies that personalize emails and 45% actually expect businesses to personalize interactions based on past behavior.

Marketo Benchmark on Email Marketing Study 2015: Study found that segmentation produced a higher return on investment than both drip marketing or dynamic content.

Email Marketing That Works (Even With A Small List)
Rick Mulready Podcast

30 Ways to Slice Your Email Database For Better Segmentation
HubSpot Sept. 2017

10 Quick and Easy Email Marketing Segmentation Strategies To Try Today
Kissmetrics April 2016