If you’re finding that your email marketing efforts are not producing the results that you anticipated, it’s probably time that you thought about whether you’re employing the right tactics. There are many that can be used to improve your returns, with one of the most powerful being email marketing with segments.
Here we delve down into what the term means and the benefits that it offers.
So, What Exactly IS Email Marketing With Segments?
Well, to put it simply, it’s a strategy that email marketers use to divide its database of customers into smaller, more precise groups so that content can be adjusted to cater for their interests and overall profile.
Obviously, if you’re a brand new enterprise and you’ve only got a few contacts, you can send out the same emails to all of them, however, when that list starts to grow, email marketing with segments really comes into its own. There’s a nice side effect of the process, as you get an in-depth view of who your customers are, how they are grouped and which ones offer the most profit.
It Requires Preparation & Effort
Sure, you’re going to have to put effort and time into creating segmented content, but when you see the results at the other end, the hard work is usually worth it. That’s because the result is often happier, more loyal customers who truly identify with your brand.
What we’re looking at here is basically highly customized email content, but don’t worry, as segmenting doesn’t require you to create each email personally by hand. However, it does require that you know who your customers are and how they behave – even those you hardly hear from.
The Many Benefits of Email Marketing With Segments
Studies show that segmented emails are simply received better by the subscribers you send them to. In fact, around ¾ of all recipients are said to be more likely to open an email that’s part of a segmented campaign than one that’s not. On top of this, the click-through rate is over double.
Further to this, sending relevant content out on a regular basis will prevent people from unsubscribing and you losing them altogether.
Email marketing with segments offers many benefits which include:
- Improved brand relevance – this happens because you’re adapting your content and viewers see what you offer as more personalised and relevant. What’s more, segmenting allows you to quickly adapt to new market trends.
- More customers reached – as segmentation can be used to reach passive customers as well as offer incentives for users that are more active.
- Your emails stand out – people get hundreds of emails each month, so generic ones will get sifted out as users try to scan their messages quickly. Your targeted emails are much more likely to catch the eye of the reader amongst all the promotional messages they receive.
Repetition is an Attention Killer
The fact is that when a potential customer reads an email about a subject or topic they’re already aware of or simply don’t care about, you’re going to kill the attention of that user. However when you use segmentation, you are able to make sure that your customers don’t see the same thing twice.
Repetition can end up angering a customer, particularly if you’re sending them a promotion for a product that they bought previously at a higher price.
It’s all about creating interesting messages that stop people from reaching for the unsubscribe button or worst of all – tagging your emails as spam. Think about including clear calls to action and engaging copy that really appeal to their interests or provide solutions to problems you audience are having – without any kind of repetition.
Email Marketing With Segments Is Cost-Effective
One of the most compelling arguments for using segmentation as part of your overall email marketing strategy is the low-cost.
It’s a strategy that takes time and effort, for sure, but in terms of expense, there’s very little outlay required. Not only is it easy to implement and accessible to every marketer out there, but there are tools available that allow you to automate the process and conduct A/B testing so that you can refine your efforts as you go.
Whichever way you look at it, it’s a strategy that every email marketer should be using – because you can be sure that your competitors are using it to win customers and drive sales.
Segmentation Offers a Win-Win Scenario
When you analyze the effectiveness of organising your email marketing in a way that ensures your readers see precisely what you want them to in accordance with their interests and activity, segmentation really is a winning way to approach things.
Even if you don’t have time to do it yourself, it’s absolutely worth the investment of getting a professional on board to do it for you. The uplift in sales alone should more than cover what it costs you to employ them. What’s more, people with advanced email marketing skills will also be able to help you with the more technical aspects like testing, email layouts and images.
If you approach email marketing without this kind of overarching plan, you’re setting yourself up to fail and putting too much chance into the equation. It’s hard to overstate this principle, as it can literally change a poorly performing one into a stellar one.
Certainly something to ponder, we think you’ll agree.
