It wasn’t a surprise to discover in a recent report that roughly half of email marketing companies do not segment their email marketing lists. However, it did come as a disappointment.
It might be, of course, that some of these companies operate in a niche market and their subscribers come from a very specific pool, in which case there’s little point, but for the rest of us, it is vital. If you have just started building your list then this is the time to start segmenting. Even though you know little about them, you know enough. So how do you begin? All you have to do is find the differences.
1/ Newcomers
Even if you have only been involved in email marketing for a few months, one group will be obvious; new subscribers. We’ve all got them and they are rather special. One point of note is that you will have little information on them initially and you will want to build on this. Your first action will be to define what a new subscriber is. Perhaps you will decide on someone who has subscribed within the last ‘n’ days and who has not yet been included in an email marketing campaign.
Send them a special offer, a discount they can’t refuse. Better still, give them a choice so that you can identify a preference. You are already building on your knowledge of them.
2/ They’ve done something
If a number of subscribers open an email and click on further information, you have a confirmation you have done something right. You also have an idea of their preferences. You now have two metrics to classify them. In the same way as a salesperson on the shop floor who’s seen a customer paying particular attention to an item would approach them if they turned away. Your next marketing email should do the same.
To those subscribers who clicked through but didn’t complete, make an offer of something similar, or extend the range. To the remainder of your email marketing list, you need to try again.
3/ History
If they’ve bought something before then treat them with care. These are the ones you can build your success on. Pestering them with umpteen emails is self-defeating. You can work out what should be in their next marketing email from what they’ve bought before. For instance, if they have an item that uses consumables, offer them. If they have a printer, then there are specific ink cartridges to restock with. It would be pointless sending just one make of cartridge to everyone.
Follow what pages they favour on your website or newsletter. They will show their interests, especially if you design your content with click-throughs for further information. You might have multiple items on a page. By requiring a person to click a link for a specific landing page, you have your metric. If they click on a specific type of clothing, then your next marketing email to them and others who’ve done the same is writing itself.
You can, should and must segment your email marketing list as soon as you know anything specific about a subscriber.
