What exactly is email segmentation? (+ 5 ways to use it right) |
What is segmentation of emails? Segmenting emails can aid in increasing the open rate, keep customers interested, and get to more inboxes. Here's how it works.
What gives?
If you're constantly sending out emails to all your subscribers this could be the reason. Your list is comprised of individuals, and they expect you -- and every business they interact with to treat them as such.
Here's the good news that you don't have to create a meticulously customized email for every single subscriber.
Instead, use email segmentation. When you segment your emails then you are able to give recipients the information they desire, which means more engagement with your emails, less unsubscribes, and happy customers.
Let's first make sure we're all on the identical page on what email segmentation is.
What exactly is email segmentation?
Segmentation is the process of splitting your subscribers' email addresses into smaller groups -- a.k.a. segments, in accordance with a predetermined set of criteria.
Instead of sending the same email to everyone on their list, email marketers can send specific email messages to their subscribers according to segments' demographics, preferences as well as purchase history and many more.
What makes email segmentation such a vital part of an email marketing strategy? Keep reading to find out.
What are the benefits of using the email segmentation feature?
Email marketing is one of the cheapest and most effective marketing methods:
59 percent of marketers cite email as their top source of revenue.
Email generates 174% more conversions than social media.
The ROI of email marketing is of around $40 for every dollar spent .
...but only when you are using it right.
Today more than ever, consumers expect a personalized experience every time they contact the brand. Email is no exception.
74 percent of marketers say personalization increases engagement.
72% of users are only interested in marketing messages that are tailored to the interests of their customers.
Relevant email campaigns generate 18 times more money than generalized broadcast emails.
60% of users are greatly annoyed by the companies who send out generic messages.
51% of email marketers say email list segmentation is the most efficient personalization tactic.
This is where segmentation plays a role.
Segmentation lets you send different email messages to distinct users based on their interest or past behaviour, the place they are in the selling process, and so much more.
As an example, you might not need to send an welcome message to a loyal customer, or announce a local event to someone from across the world.
In addition to annoying one subscriber, you can be causing harm to your email deliverability.
Deliverability is the measure of how many of your messages make it to subscribers' inboxes .
The email service companies (ESPs) and inbox service providers (ISPs) want to make sure that spam email doesn't get into the inboxes of users, therefore they track a bunch of metrics for engagement with emails about each sender. These include:
It's Open
Clicks
Unsubscribe
Bounces
Spam reports
To put it more simply Simply put, if your customers open and click through the links contained in your emails, that's great to ensure that your emails are delivered. If they unsubscribe from your email without reading them or mark the emails as spam, this could affect your deliveryability.
If you're receiving too many spam complaints, ISPs may end up blocking your emails completely.
"Think of engagement in emails as a trust-meter. If you send emails that have an overwhelmingly positive response, mailbox providers view them as trustworthy senders and award you with increased deliverability," explains email compliance analyst Robert Colomberti .
What is this all got to do with to have to do with the concept of segmentation?
When you divide your mailing list it is possible to send out emails specifically tailored to the subscribers' desires. When you are sending relevant, targeted messages, you'll avoid the most common reason individuals report email as spam.
When it comes to deliverability, email engagement is focused on quality and not the quantity. Segmentation lets you focus more on engaged subscribers and less on inactive users who will not be customers.
"Sending to active contacts means more positive email engagement, and more positive email engagement means better delivery," Robert shares.
Now that you know whyemail segmentation is an essential feature, let's dive into the what.
How to segment your email list (5 expert email segmentation strategies)
The more you learn about your contacts, more straightforward it will be to separate your email list.
It's not a reason to make endless emails just for the sake of it.
It's not difficult to overdo it and include a segmentation for any demographic, geographic psychological, psychographic and behavioral criteria out there .
The larger the segments you make and the bigger task you'll be able to handle in particular if you plan to create different promotions to all groups of subscribers.
Instead, focus on the characteristics that make each segment distinct:
What are the factors that influence their purchasing choices?
What distinguishes them from their peers?
What challenges do they come into while trying to reach their objectives?
What topics are they interested in learning about?
In the event that you have questions, here are five pro ways you can segment your email list beyond the geographic.
1. Lead magnets can be used to discover about their needs and interests.
Once you have created several lead magnets, you can begin segmenting subscribers based on which lead magnets they have downloaded.
Take Ryan of Signature Edits , for example. Signature Edits offers presets, templates, and training for their target photography enthusiasts.
Ryan is aware that photographers face many different issues. Therefore, Ryan has two lead magnets: a sample of his candid posing guide and the free set of photo editing presets .
After someone downloads one the lead magnets, Ryan will send them follow-up email informing them of the ways his brand and products could help them to succeed.
For example, if someone decides to join the editing tools for photos, Ryan knows that editing can be a source of fascination -- or perhaps a source of pain- for that person. If he has that information, Ryan can confidently promote the editing tools to that person.
Ryan is hosting his lead magnets via his website, making it very easy to create segments based on the lead magnets downloaded.
This is how it is done:
In your dashboard, navigate to the Email tab. Choose "Create" and choose "New Broadcast".
Give your email a subject line. Choose the subscribers who will receive your email.
If you have a digital product or membership, whether to be sold or offered for free, you are able to choose the people who have bought the item or downloaded it as your recipients.
All customers who (1) have signed up to your mailing list, or (2) have bought or downloaded that item will be notified via email. This is as simple as that.
Test it on your own with a no-cost account.
If you're not able to make several lead magnets, don't worry. There are plenty of ways to segment your list -- including our next point.
2. Tailor messaging to their awareness stage
Another method to separate your mailing list is to look at which subscribers belong to the sales or marketing funnel.
A marketing funnel depicts a prospective customer's journey from their first interaction with your brand until they buy.
Where a lead is in the funnel depends on how familiar they are with your product or brand and how close they are to making a purchase decision.
Different marketers split their marketing funnels in different levels, such as those who have five stages of awareness :
Really unaware:They don't know they are suffering from a.
The problem-aware person:They know they have an issue but do not know what to do about it.
Solution-oriented:They know there are solutions, but don't know about yours.
product-awareThey know about your products, but they don't know if it's the solution for their needs.
Most well-aware:They know about your product and may be considering purchasing the item, but require additional information.
If you are aware of the awareness level of a subscriber, you can create personalized messages according to the information. (Personalized emails result in the conversion rate 6 times higher than non-personalized emails which is why it's worth it.)
As an example, a solutions-focused lead knows that there are ways to solve their issues, however they must still learn about your product. Use your email copy to build this subscriber's confidence in your ability to help achieve their goals- like in this email template:
Hello [first name],
Have you ever struggled to solve [problem]?
You know, in an approach that causes you to feel [emotion].
If you're so, then you're certainly not alone.
Here's the solution:
[Step 1]
[Step 2]
[Step 3]
Yes, there's additional information and not too much.
That's it - really.
Hallelujah for the simplicity of procedures.
If you'd like to know more about this, head over to our link resources page.
Copy the clipboard to your computer[signature]
What happens once a potential customer reaches the bottom of the funnel before becoming a client? Our next segmentation strategy is the way to go.
3. Take into account their history of purchases
Upselling encourages customers to buy the latest version of your product while cross-selling offers a new product or service that complements the one they have already bought.
One of the creators who make the most of the upsell opportunity can be Reuven Lerner .
Reuven is an engineer of software, who turned his training company that was based in the offline world into online classes for all degree, which includes an "Intro Python" course for beginners.
"If there are a lot of classes -- beginning, intermediate, advanced -and you're able to create the possibility of an upsell, as if your customers really love the intro class, they will beg you for an advanced class... Then they'll be saying"You know what? I'm going to purchase all of it.'"
Reuven is able to target satisfied customers who have already taken his intro course and recommend that they sign up for an advanced class. It's a staggering 75percent of customers tend to purchase when they're offered specific product suggestions.
Building that type of loyalty to customers is a good business
52% of buyers make it a point to go out of their way to purchase from the brands they trust.
Return customers tend to be nine times greater likely purchase than a first-time shopper.
It could cost up to seven times more to get a new customer than to keep an existing one.
Like lead magnets, makes it easy for authors such as Reuven to separate customers according to their purchase. When you are ready to broadcast an email, simply select the name of the product under "Recipients".
Just like before, any customers who (1) are subscribed to your mailing list, and (2) who have bought that item will be sent the email.
In a nutshell, when you know what your readers have bought (and enjoyed) and loved, you can email them with personalized recommendations and turn your subscribers into loyal customers.
4. Make use of interactive video
Interactive content can be defined as any kind of content that requires active engagement from users. This is fast becoming one the most successful and popular types of marketing through content: 88% of marketers say that interactive content can help them distinguish their company from their competitors.
Plus, interactive content produces nearly double the amount of engagement of static media.
The creator Minessa Konecky of Direct to Success makes use of interactive quizzes to bring in and get to know new leads.
Minessa has created an online lead generation test " What's Your Business Blocker? ", using an Interact Quiz Maker .
When someone has completed her test, Minessa segments them into one of three groups:
In a state of overwhelm:Small business owners who have too much on their plates and aren't quite sure of how to handle their time.
Professional midlife:Entrepreneurs that have learned the information they should know yet aren't quite sure how to connect all the actions into the right strategy.
Perpetual procrastinatorsPeople who know what they need to do however, they are unable to get it done by themselves.
Based on the group that each lead is a part of, Minessa moves them through the funnel by sharing one of three free short courses that target their individual pain points.
When her leads are near the bottom of the funnel Minessa introduces the leads to her offerings and encourages them to make an order or sign up for her club, The Squad Academy .
In bringing in leads through engaging content Minessa provides a personal experience from the first email subscribers receive through all the way to the end of the customer's journey.
In the final moments before we conclude, I have one final segmentation strategy to share with all of you. It's all thanks to my mom.
5. Ask them what they want
The best advice I've ever received was "it is never a bad idea to inquire." (Thanks Mama!)
It's an excellent piece of life advice -which is applicable to figuring out what your target audience is looking for as well. An online survey on segmentation helps you understand what type of content customers want to see.
"Even sending a one-question survey can help gauge an desire, interest or requirement of your subscriber," explains the digital marketing expert Erik Harbison . "This will help you decide on a better way to approach your content, sending cadence as well as expectations."
The welcome email you receive is an excellent opportunity to inquire of the new subscriber what type of content they want to receive. They're after all the best of the bunch in email marketing:
Welcome emails can have an up to 91.43% open rate .
New leads are most active within the first 48 hours after signing up.
Emails for welcome messages have, on average, four times the rate of open and 5x that click-through (CTR) of a standard campaign.
Check out this welcome message from Sleeknote , for example .
The Sleeknote blog is focused on online marketing, however their readership includes several different types of marketers and business owners. When new customers are asked to provide their personal information and their email address, Sleeknote's Sleeknote marketing team can break them into four segments:
Ecommerce
SaaS entrepreneurs
Agencies
Online marketing newbies
From there, subscribers get content that is tailored to their role and interest, which helps them maximize the benefits of their Sleeknote subscription.
If you're concerned about offending your customers with their opinions, bear in the mind the fact that the majority of consumers have a more favorable perception of companies that offer customers the chance to give customers with feedback.
The most important thing to remember is In the event of doubt Ask your customers what they want. They're likely to be happy to tell you.
Bring your marketing via email to the next level with segmentation
Overall it is clear that segmenting your email list is an excellent way to send the right message to the correct subscribers at the right time.
If you separate your email list to create an experience tailored to your needs that converts leads into customers and keeps them coming back for more.
For a recap, here are five methods you can sort your subscribers into categories:
Develop lead magnets that cater to different needs, then segment according to which lead magnet your subscribers choose to download.
Tailor your messaging to where an individual lead can be found within the funnel of marketing. Use 5 stages of awareness -along with our helpful templates to create messages that are relevant to the audience.
Use your customers' purchase information to give individual product suggestions.
Create interactive content, like an online quiz that will help you gain insight into your customers and leads.
Find out from your customers what kinds of content they would like to receive. An easy survey could make a difference.
It may require some trials and errors until you master your groove you can expect to see your sales, customer engagement and brand loyalty increase.