Digital marketing has transformed in major ways over a short span of time. Despite this, email remains one of the most effective channels for reaching potential customers and growing a loyal customer base.
Of course, it’s still important to properly strategize before implementing an email marketing campaign. Your efforts won’t deliver the desired results if no one is opening the messages you send.
That’s why it’s important to focus on boosting your open rate. Email segmentation can help. This tactic has been shown to yield much higher open rates than non-segmented campaigns. If you’re scratching your head and wondering, “What is email segmentation?,” don’t worry. Keep reading to find out what it is and how you can leverage an email segmentation strategy to your advantage.
What is Email Segmentation?
Email segmentation is simply the process of dividing your subscriber list into separate groups so followers only receive messages that are relevant to their interests.
This is key to making the right impression on potential customers and keeping existing ones. According to surveys, receiving too many emails is a major reason people unsubscribe from lists. This is more likely to happen if you’re sending each email to your entire subscriber base, instead of deciding which emails are appropriate for each specific group of followers.
Sending your followers emails that aren’t relevant to their interests can also give them the sense that your brand views all followers as potential money-making opportunities instead of individuals. That’s why you need to discover what email segmentation is and find ways to incorporate it into your existing strategy.
Email marketing is so effective because it allows you to cultivate a relationship with people. That relationship will falter if you continue making common email marketing mistakes, like failing to segment your list.
How to Develop an Email Segmentation Strategy
The specific way in which you divide your subscriber list into subgroups will vary depending on your goals. For example, a smart email segmentation strategy could include dividing your list into groups based on what stage a follower is at in the customer journey.
Create Welcome Email Segments for New and Old Subscribers
A strong campaign won’t begin by directly advertising to a follower. It will guide them through an experience with your brand. Your initial email will welcome them to your list, while subsequent emails will explain which problems your product or service can solve for them. Eventually, you’ll reach a stage where you try to make a sale or achieve a similar outcome.
This type of campaign is much more effective when you legerage email segmentation. You want new subscribers to receive those welcome emails, while older subscribers who are familiar with your brand can be sent more promotional content.
Make Offers More Relevant
An email segmentation strategy can also ensure you only send offers to customers who can take advantage of them. For instance, if you’re promoting an upcoming event, followers on the other side of the globe probably won’t be able to attend. Thus, you would segment your list based on geography so only customers who can actually attend the event receive the related emails.
Geography can influence segmentation in other ways. Perhaps you represent an apparel brand that sells clothing for various climates. You wouldn’t promote your new line of winter apparel to followers who live in warmer regions. Implement an email segmentation strategy, and you won’t clutter their inbox with messages that don’t offer any value to them.
As you experiment with email segmentation you’ll get a better sense of which strategies work for your goals. In general, this tactic boosts open rates and helps you make the right impression on followers. That’s key to getting the strongest return on investment possible.