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From newsletters with company updates to promotional emails with coupon codes, our inboxes have become virtual battlegrounds, cluttered with thousands of unread emails we leave for later. Yet, most of those emails never get read. With our inboxes getting flooded by an incessant stream of emails every single day, we have become more discerning when it comes to selecting which emails deserve our attention (and time).
The days of mindlessly blasting our mass generic email campaigns are long gone. We now seek relevance and personalization. That’s what we give our attention to, and savvy marketers know it. They understand that effective email segmentation is the key to success with email marketing.
In this guide, we’ll dive into the intricacies of email segmentation – from its benefits and best practices to ideas and examples. When you’re finished reading this article, you’ll be armed with everything you need to know to get started with email segmentation.
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What is Email Segmentation?
Email segmentation is the division of your customer database – or email list – into small groups (called segments) based on specific sets of criteria. Segmentation is a way to deliver relevant email marketing information that is personalized to each set of users based on factors such as their:
- Purchase history
- Geographic location
- Interests
- And many other criteria.
List segmentation provides you with the capability to send more relevant content to your eCommerce clients. And the more relevant your email communications are, the more likely your target audience will open them, engage with your business, and convert.
Your email audience isn’t a monolithic clump of people waiting to hear from you. They are a multi-faceted, endlessly different collection of desires, attention spans, and needs. So splitting your customer database up into segments based on specific characteristics will help increase your message’s relevance to them.💡
Importance of Email Marketing Segmentation
Many businesses still believe that everyone on their subscriber list should get the same content that is generated from one big list with minimal effort from the marketing team. But, as is often the case, a lack of effort will always be rewarded by a lack of results. If all you have to give your customers is some generic information, then they are not getting something that makes it worth their effort to respond to or act on your business’s call to action. This is why email list segmentation is so important.
Why list segmentation is important
Everybody loves to feel the personal touch. By segmenting your customer database into useful lists, you can:
- Send personalized messages to them
- Address their individual needs
- Respond to their queries and solve their purchase problems.
Email segmentation enables you to say a friendly and personal hello to your customers, and hopefully, you won’t have to wave them goodbye. But personalization is not the only advantage of segmenting your email list. There are many other measurable benefits.
Segmentation increases open, click-through, and conversion rates
For starters, segmentation leads to higher open, click-through, and conversion rates. When your inbox is flooded with dozens of promotions, newsletters, and company updates, the emails that seem more relevant and catered to you are the ones you are more likely to open. By segmenting your list, you can write more personalized subject lines that grab your subscribers' attention. A personalized subject line makes them curious to find out what's inside, and if the content of the email is equally personalized, they'll be more likely to act on your call to action. 💡
Segmentation lowers unsubscribe rates & avoids spam filters
Segmentation can help you avoid flooding your subscribers' inboxes with emails they'll never open or throw into the bin right away. If they deem your emails irrelevant, they'll feel the urge to unsubscribe and unclutter their inbox. What's more, segmenting your list will help you avoid having your emails flagged as spam. If you send too many generic emails, your subscribers will likely unsubscribe or mark your emails as spam. And if they don't do it themselves, their ESP (email service provider) probably will. Spam reports are one of the main causes of decreased email deliverability.
How to Segment Email Lists – Email Segmentation Best Practices
While segmenting your email list has a few intricacies you'll need to learn, it isn't rocket science. All you need to crack the code to successful email segmentation is to take a detailed and strategic approach – step by step. Starting with the foundation of knowing your subscribers better than they know themselves and ending with constantly tracking and analyzing results, you'll eventually win the email segmentation game. Here are 5 best practices to get you started.
Know your subscribers
Successful email segmentation starts with knowing your subscribers like the back of your hand. To segment your list effectively and know what email campaigns will be relevant to each segment, you need to know everything you can about your subscribers: from basic data like their age and gender to more detailed information like their past purchase history and behavioral data. That's why it's crucial to keep your customer data up-to-date at all times. You can also simply ask them for their preferences and interests through surveys, polls, or interviews. This proactive approach will definitely provide you with the information you need to make your email segmentation as optimized as possible.
Define your goals
There are many ways to segment your email list. For example, you can segment by past purchase history, signup channels, or the stage of the buyer's journey. Which one you choose will depend on the goals you set for your segmentation. Segmenting your list based on buyer journey stages, for example, allows you to send emails that seamlessly guide your subscribers toward conversion. Segmenting your list by their signup channels, on the other hand, enables you to know exactly what type of content they prefer. So, for example, if someone subscribes to your email list from a blog article about email segmentation, you'll know they're interested in more content around this topic.
Plan your segments ahead
To get started on the right foot, you'll need to choose the right email marketing tool that aligns with your segmentation needs. It's crucial to automate the segmentation process as swiftly as possible to avoid drowning in the manual work. But before setting everything up within your email marketing software, take the time to lay out a clear path ahead of you. Map out your segmentation strategy: identify how you'll segment your audience and define the characteristics of each segment. Having a well-thought-out plan is a big part of the success of your segmentation. Plus, it will allow you to set everything up properly in your email marketing tool right from the start so you can avoid having to re-arrange everything later on.
Keep your email list organized
Keeping a good email list hygiene is a must when it comes to effective email segmentation. A cluttered, messy email list is harder to segment and can easily lead to missed opportunities and diluted messaging. Clean your email list ahead of time to make your email segmentation process smoother. Get rid of inactive subscribers and remove invalid or non-existent email addresses. By doing this, you'll improve your overall email deliverability and segmentation results. Aside from giving your email list a good cleanse, it's important to label your subscribers based on key attributes or behaviors. These labels, also known as tags or custom fields, help you organize your subscribers in a way that makes segmentation a breeze. You can categorize them by demographics, purchase history, preference, or engagement level. These labels create a solid system that sets the stage for segmentation success and ensures your emails hit the mark.
Don't forget to track the results
Successful email segmentation isn't about guesswork. It requires knowing your audience on a profound level, having a clear plan, and a well-optimized email list. But most importantly, it requires tracking and analyzing your results to tweak and fine-tune your strategy. By tracking metrics like open and conversion rates and comparing the performance of different segments, you'll be able to identify both positive and negative trends and patterns. This will help you double down on what's working and make necessary adjustments to improve what isn't.
Email Segmentation Ideas + Examples
As we mentioned earlier, there are several different ways to segment your list, and the best approach will vary depending on your email marketing strategy and the characteristics of your subscribers. Here are 5 segmentation ideas with specific campaign examples to give you some inspiration:
Email Segmentation Idea #1 – Past Purchase History
By examining your subscribers' past purchase history, you can properly segment emails for a specific user. Knowing what they have bought in the past can help you isolate similar products or make tailored product recommendations in the future. For example, if a customer has recently purchased a camera, you can send them emails about related accessories or promotions on similar models.
Email Segmentation Idea #2 – Browsing Behavior
Leveraging your subscribers' browsing behavior can provide valuable insights for email segmentation. If a user has shown interest in certain products or visited specific pages on your website but didn't make a purchase, you can send them targeted emails with personalized recommendations or reminders about items left in their shopping cart.
Email Segmentation Idea #3 – Family and Relationship Status
Consider segmenting your email list based on family and relationship status. Different consumer interests arise based on these factors. For example, a person with children may have different purchasing needs compared to someone without children. By tailoring your emails to specific family or relationship dynamics, you can create engaging and relevant content that resonates with each segment.
Email Segmentation Idea #4 – Geolocation
Geolocation segmentation is particularly useful for businesses offering location-specific services or products. By segmenting your emails based on the subscriber's geographic location, you can send targeted emails that highlight localized offers, events, or promotions. For example, a clothing retailer can send emails to customers in colder regions promoting winter apparel, while customers in warmer regions can receive emails about summer collections.
Email Segmentation Idea #5 – Native Language
For businesses operating in multilingual markets, segmenting emails based on the subscriber's native language can significantly improve the effectiveness of your email marketing campaigns. Sending emails in a subscriber's preferred language shows a high level of personalization and makes them feel valued. This approach is especially relevant for international brands or companies targeting specific language-speaking communities within a country.
FAQs about Email Segmentation
Here are some frequently asked questions about email segmentation:
Q: What is the difference between email segmentation and personalization?
A: Email segmentation refers to dividing your email list into segments based on shared criteria, while email personalization involves tailoring the content of your emails to individual subscribers.
Q: What is a segmented email campaign?
A: A segmented email campaign is one that is specifically targeted and sent to a particular segment of your email list. It is personalized to the preferences, interests, or needs of that segment.
Q: Why does segmentation matter in email marketing?
A: Segmentation is crucial for success in email marketing because it allows you to create and deliver highly relevant content to your subscribers. This leads to reduced unsubscribes, higher engagement rates, and increased conversions. By segmenting your list, you can ensure that each recipient receives emails that are tailored to their specific needs and interests, improving the overall effectiveness of your email marketing efforts.
Email segmentation is a powerful technique that enables you to deliver targeted, personalized, and relevant email campaigns to your subscribers. By dividing your email list into segments based on specific criteria, you can increase open, click-through, and conversion rates, lower unsubscribe rates, and avoid being flagged as spam. Best practices for email segmentation include knowing your subscribers, defining your goals, planning segments ahead, keeping your email list organized, and tracking the results. By implementing these practices and using creative segmentation ideas, you can take your email marketing to the next level and achieve greater success in engaging and converting your audience.
Ready to unlock the full potential of email segmentation and drive better results for your email marketing campaigns? Apply for your free email audit now. Our team of experts is ready to analyze your strategy and provide valuable insights to help you optimize your campaigns and achieve your goals.
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