There are times when you’ll want to send an email to your entire list, but by segmenting users and taking advantage of segmentation tools brands can significantly increase the click-through rates and e-commerce orders their campaigns generate. Again, the more relevant the campaign, the better the results.
A thing to keep in mind is if you send too much email to your list, you might scare the more email-averse parts of your list into unsubscribing early. However, if you don’t email frequently enough, you might be missing out on an opportunity to engage your more dedicated subscribers.
Our advice is to “be a good farmer.”You must plant the seed before you can water it. You can not over or underwater it if you want to harvest it eventually. No seed, no harvest, no water, no harvest.
Good farming tips:
Identify which of your subscribers are most engaged, then isolate these power users in a segment of your email list. That way, you can engage them with more email without annoying the rest of your list.
Alternatively, you can use segmentation to move the less active parts of your list into a lower sending frequency. You might even try to nudge them into opening your emails again with a re-engagement campaign.
Email list segmentation progresses your audience down the sales funnel if set up properly.
Additional tips are that you can’t just segment your email list and sit back. Brands need to make sure they are segmenting the right parts of their list.
So what are a few effective ways to segment lists?
Engagement level: People who actively engage with your content will have different appetites for content than the segments of your audience who aren’t as engaged
Onsite activity (or lack thereof): If a subscriber has consistently viewed a particular type of content, it makes sense to send content that aligns with their history. Alternatively, if a subscriber hasn’t taken a particular activity (such as complete their profile or leave a review), you can segment these users and nudge them along.
Location: Segmenting your list by location gives you powerful geo-targeting capabilities.
Purchase history: Once subscribers have made a purchase, asking them to purchase the same item is a missed opportunity. Point them towards an item that complements that purchase
Email metrics: If subscribers have stopped opening your emails, you can segment these non-openers and target them with a re-engagement campaign. Likewise, if they’re opening but not clicking, you may want to consider segmenting them and testing different kinds of content.
Finally, it’s important to remember that segmentation is not the be-all, end-all of an effective email program. Basically, don’t segment your email list just so you can say you’re segmenting. Remember, ultimately, the goal of your email program is to drive revenue.