What exactly is segmentation of emails? (+ 5 ways to use it right) |
What exactly is segmentation of emails? Segmenting your email lists will aid in increasing the open rate, keep customers interested, and get to more inboxes. Let's see how to do it.
What's the matter?
If you're sending every email to all your subscribers this could be the reason. Your target audience is composed of individuals, and they expect you -- and every business they interact with -- to treat them like that.
Here's the good news you don't have to create a meticulously customized email to each customer.
Instead, use email segmentation. By segmenting your list of email addresses it allows you to provide your subscribers the content they desire, which means more engagement with your emails, less unsubscribes, and happy customers.
Let's first make sure we're all on the exact same page regarding how email segmentation works.
What is email segmentation?
Segmentation refers to the procedure of splitting your subscribers' email addresses into smaller groups --- a.k.a. segments, based on set standards.
Instead of sending the same message to their entire list, email marketers can send targeted emails to their subscribers according to the demographics of a particular segment, their interests, purchase history, and more.
Why is email segmentation essential to an email marketing plan? Read on to learn more.
Why should you use email list segmentation?
Marketing via email is among the cheapest and most effective marketing tools:
59% of marketers mention emails as their primary source of revenue.
Email drives 174% more conversions than social media.
Marketing via email has a return on investment that is around $40 for every $1 spent .
...but only if you use it right.
Now more than ever people expect to have a customized experience every time they contact an organization, and email is no different.
74 percent of marketers believe that personalization improves engagement.
72% of people only engage with marketing messages that are tailored to their interests.
Relevant emails generate 18 times more money than generalized broadcast emails.
60% of consumers are highly annoyed by brands that send generic messages.
51 A majority of email marketers claim that segmenting email lists is the most efficient method of personalization.
This is the point where segmentation comes into play.
Segmentation lets you deliver different emails to different subscribers based on their interests or past behaviour, the place they are at in the sales process, and more.
In other words, you wouldn't want to send a welcome message to a loyal customer, or announce a local event to someone from across the globe.
Beyond annoying that just one subscriber, you may even harm the quality of your emails.
Deliverability refers to how many of your messages make it into the inboxes of subscribers .
Email service companies (ESPs) and inbox service providers (ISPs) want to make certain that no spam emails do not end up in users' inboxes, so they keep track of a variety of engagement metrics related to email for each sender. These include:
Opens
Clicks
Unsubscribe
Bounces
Spam Reports
In simpler terms: If your subscribers open and click through the links contained in your emails, that's great for the quality of your delivery. If they delete your emails in the absence of reading them or flag them as spam, it can hurt your deliverability.
If you're receiving too many spam complaints, ISPs may block your email completely.
"Think about email engagement as a type of trust gauge. If you send emails that are characterized by an overwhelmingly positive response mail providers see them as trustworthy senders and reward you with improved quality of delivery," explains email compliance analyst Robert Colomberti .
What is this all got to do with to have to do with segmentation?
When you segment your email list it is possible to send out emails that are tailored to your subscriber's preferences. And when you send relevant, targeted emails, you'll be able to avoid the most common reason people report emails as spam.
If it's about the ability to deliver, it's about the quality of your email, not its the quantity. Segmentation lets you focus more on those who are active and less on inactive users that aren't likely to turn into customers.
"Sending to your active contacts will result in more positive engagement with your emails And more positive email engagement means improved deliverability," Robert shares.
OK, now knowing the reasonemail segmentation is a must-have, let's dive into the how.
How to segment your email list (5 expert email segmentation strategies)
The more you learn regarding your contacts, the more straightforward it will be to separate your list of email addresses.
That doesn't mean you should create endless email segments just for the sake of it.
It's not difficult to go a little overboard and add a segment for any demographic, geographic, psychographic, and behavioral evaluation that exists .
The larger the segments you make that you create, the more effort you'll have to do in particular if you plan to send different email marketing campaigns to every group of subscribers.
Instead, think about the uniqueness of each segment:
What influences their buying decisions?
What makes them stand out against their competitors?
What hurdles do they have to run in the course of achieving their goals?
What topics are they interested in learning about?
In the event that you have questions, here are five pro ways to divide your mailing list to go beyond geographical area.
1. Provide lead magnets for them to find out the interests of their customers and their requirements
After you create many lead magnets, begin segmenting subscribers based on which lead magnets they downloaded.
Take Ryan of Signature Edits as an example. Signature Edits provides templates, presets, as well as training to their photography enthusiasts.
Ryan is aware that photographers face various issues, which is why Ryan offers two lead-inducers for his readers: a free sample of his candid pose guide and the free set of photo editor presets .
If someone downloads one of the lead magnets, Ryan forwards follow-up messages to inform them about how his services and his company can help them succeed.
In the case of a person who opts to sign up for one of the editing tools for photos, Ryan knows that editing could be an area of interest and perhaps a source of painthe person. With that info on hand, Ryan can confidently promote his editing products to that lead.
Ryan hosts his lead magnets on Twitter the website, which makes it simple to create segments based on downloads of lead magnets.
Here's how it works:
On your dashboard, head over to The Email tab. Select "Create" and then select "New broadcast".
Give your email a subject line. Next, select which recipients will get your message.
When you host a digital product or membership on -- whether available for purchase or free, you may select those who bought the item or downloaded it as the recipients.
Every customer who (1) are subscribed to your email list and (2) have downloaded or purchased that product will receive your email. That's it.
Test it on your own with a no-cost account.
If you're lacking the time to design numerous lead magnets, do not be concerned. There are plenty of other ways to organize your list which includes our following suggestion.
2. Customize messages to the user's awareness stage
Another way to segment your mailing list is to look at which subscribers belong to your marketing or sales funnel.
A marketing funnel depicts a prospective customer's journey starting from their initial interaction with your brand until they buy.
The place a lead falls within the funnel is based on how familiar they are with your company or its products and how close to making a decision.
Different marketers split their marketing funnels in different levels, such as those who have five stages of awareness :
The truth is that they aren't aware:They don't know they are suffering from a.
Trouble-awareThey are aware that they've an issue but do not have the knowledge to solve it.
Solution-aware:They know there are solutions but aren't aware the solutions to your problem.
Products-awareThey know about your product, but aren't sure if it's the solution for their needs.
Most well-aware:They know about your product, and they are thinking of buying the item, but require additional information.
If you know a subscriber's awareness stage, you can send them personalized emails according to the information. (Personalized emails result in high conversion rates up to six times more than non-personalized emails, so it's definitely worth it.)
As an example, a solutions-focused leader knows there are ways to solve their issues, however they need to be educated about your product. Use your email copy to boost confidence in your abilities to assist them meet their goal -as in this email template:
Hello [first nameHello [first name,
Have you ever struggled over your problem?
That is, in an approach that causes you to feel emotions.
If you're so, then you're certainly not the only one.
This is the solution:
[Step 1]
[Step 2]
[Step 3]
Sure, there's a little more to it and not too much.
This is it.
Hallelujah for easy methods.
If you'd like to know more about it, go to our "link resource page".
Copy and paste to clipboard[signature]
What happens once a potential customer gets to the end of the funnel and becomes a customer? The next strategy for segmentation is the right way to do it.
3. Take into account their history of purchases
Upselling encourages customers to buy an upgraded version of the product while cross-selling recommends a product or service that complements what they already purchased.
One person who can make the most out of opportunities to upsell can be Reuven Lerner .
Reuven is an engineer in software who has transformed his business of training in offline form into online courses for every stage, such as the "Intro Python" beginner's course.
"If you have many different courses -- including intro advanced, intermediate, advancedand you're able to create the opportunity for an upsell because if people really like the intro class and want to upgrade, they'll beg for a more advanced level course... They'll be saying"You know what? I'm definitely going to get everything.'"
Reuven could target customers who've already completed his introduction course, and suggest to them sign up for an advanced class. It's a staggering 75percent of buyers tend to buy if they're given tailored product recommendations.
In addition, building this kind of customer loyalty is an excellent business:
52% of customers make it a point to go over and above to buy from brands they're loyal to.
Repeat customers have nearly nine-times higher likely be converted as compared to a first-time buyer.
It may cost up to seven times more to acquire the new client than to retain an existing one.
Just like with lead magnets, makes it easy for authors like Reuven to segment customers based on purchases. When you are ready to broadcast an email you can simply choose the name of the product under "Recipients".
As before, customers who (1) have subscribed to your list of email subscribers and (2) have purchased that product will receive an email.
To sum it up When you know what your readers have purchased (and enjoyed) You can then send them emails with specific recommendations, and convert them into regular customers.
4. Utilize interactive video
Interactive content refers to all types of content that needs active participation from the user. It's fast becoming one of the most popular and engaging types of marketing through content: 88 percent of marketers believe that content that is interactive can help them distinguish their brand from the competition.
Plus, interactive content produces almost double the amount of engagement of static content.
The creator Minessa Konecky of Direct to Success makes use of interactive games to attract and connect with new prospects.
Minessa developed an online lead generation test " What's Your Business Blocker? ", by using Interact Quiz Maker. Interactive Quiz Maker .
If someone is able to take her quiz, Minessa segments them into one of three groups:
In a state of overwhelm:Small business owners who have too many things to handle and aren't quite sure of how to handle their time.
Professional midlifeEntrepreneurs that have learned the information they require to know, yet aren't quite sure what to do to link the action items into a strategy.
Perpetual procrastinators:People who know the steps to take, but can't get started by themselves.
Based on the category the lead belongs to, Minessa moves them through the funnel through sharing one of three free courses that address their particular problems.
Then, once her leads get to the bottom of the funnel, Minessa introduces them to her merchandise and asks them to make purchases or join her club, The Squad Academy .
By bringing in leads with engaging content Minessa creates a personalized experience from the first email that subscribers receive throughout all the way to the end of the customer's journey.
Before we wrap up we have one more segmentation technique to share with you -- and it's all because of my mom.
5. You can ask them to tell you what they would like.
The best advice I've ever received was "it never hurts to ask." (Thanks Mama!)
This is a great piece of life advice -that can be applied to figuring out what your target audience is looking for also. Segmentation surveys can help you learn exactly what kind of content customers want to see.
"Even asking a single question could help determine an interest, want, or need of your subscriber," explains the digital marketing expert Erik Harbison . "This will help you identify a better strategy for your message, cadence of sending, and expectations."
The welcome emails you send out are a great place to ask your new customers what content they want to receive. After all, they're the top email marketers:
The welcome emails of your company can be sent out with as high as a 91.43 percentage of open rates .
New leads are most engaged within 48 hours after signing up.
Emails for welcome messages have an average of four times the rate of open and five times the click-through rate (CTR) of an average campaign.
Use this welcome email sent by Sleeknote , for example .
The Sleeknote blog focuses on e-commerce marketing, but their audience is comprised of a range of marketers and business owners. In asking new subscribers to identify themselves as a subscriber, they Sleeknote marketing team can break down their subscribers into four groups:
Ecommerce
SaaS entrepreneurs
Agencies
Online marketing newbies
Then, users get content that is specific to their needs and preferences, allowing them to get the most value from the benefits of their Sleeknote subscription.
If you're worried about annoying your customers by asking for their opinions, bear in the mind that 90% of shoppers have a more favorable perception of companies that offer the opportunity for their feedback to customers.
The most important thing to remember is In the event of doubt you can ask your readers about their needs. They'll probably be delighted to share their thoughts with you.
Bring your marketing via email to the next level with segmentation
All in all the process of segmenting your list is a stellar way to send the right message to the correct subscribers at the right date.
If you separate your mailing list, you can create an experience tailored to your needs that converts leads into customers and keeps returning to return.
For a recap, here are five expert ways you can sort your subscribers into categories:
Make lead magnets that satisfy different needs, then segment according to which lead magnet your subscribers decide to download.
Tailor your messaging to where leads are on the sales funnel. Utilize the stages of awareness in five stepsas well as our templates for sending email campaigns that hit home.
Make use of your customer's purchase record to offer individual product suggestions.
Make interactive content, such as a quiz, that helps you gain insight into your leads and customers.
Ask your subscribers what types of content they would like to be receiving. A simple survey can go a long way.
It might take some trial and error however once you've got your groove begin to look forward to watching your sales, customer engagement, and brand loyalty soar.