4 simple rules of email list segmentation

Email marketing may not seem like a very glamorous channel but it is key to nearly every business communications strategy. Even social media hasn’t toppled the ROI of email. 

In fact, many marketers have recently seen an uptick in engagement. And email has the unquestionably highest ROI when compared to other forms of “push” digital marketing. 3,600% according to Hubspot’s most recent State of Marketing Report.

“But email won’t work for our brand…”

Financial brands sometimes think sending random emails now and then is enough to keep customers loyal and interested. Then they’ll say email marketing doesn’t work. 

The email experts who know how to use the channel the most effectively, always practice the art of segmentation and grouping to achieve Nth name Nirvana.

What does this mean?

It means knowing and targeting your audience in a super-specific way to the point where your emails literally “speak” to your customers based on unique factors, such as:

• How they interact with your brand, service, and product via your website or mobile app: Do they open and click on every email you send? Or are they just “light” users? Segmenting by behavior can help you decide how often and what types of messaging you can create to target those readers. For your most prolific readers, consider rewarding them with special and exclusive offers.
• How they signed up for your newsletter: Did they download a piece of content? Or sign up for a new account? You’ve got to know why they provided their email in the first place, and then tailor your message accordingly.
• Demographics: This can include their location or perhaps even more specific information, such as gender, age group, investable assets and more.
• Their sales status: Whether they are prospective, existing, or your oldest customers.
• Who they are and what they do: Their titles, roles, company, and industry.

4 simple ways to segment

According to marketing guru Neil Patel, the best way to get someone to open and click on your email ASAP is through personalization. To get started on this track, here are four tips for better email segmentation and grouping:

1. Use an email marketing tool that makes it easy to create segments and groups: Most large providers. Think Hubspot, Mailchimp, Constant Contact, and ConvertKit, which all offer these tools as part of their services.
2. Track signup sources and behaviors. Subscribers who download a copy of an e-book are different from those you’re telling about product or account updates. Be sure to group accordingly in order to send the right messages to the right people. For more sophisticated marketing teams, there are on-page website tracking tools, such as MixPanel, AppsFlyer, and Segment, that help your business get ultra-specific about gathering and organizing customer lists.
3. Label early and sync often! A high level of trust happens the minute anyone supplies an email address. Be sure to treat it with respect and organize it right away. Labeling emails with tags based on signup sources will help your lists stay clean and organized, but don’t sit on this activity.
4. Keep lists simple. You will likely have different lists for different purposes. Keep things simple with clear and consistent labels, such as “Master List,” “E-book Signups,” “Conference Signups,” and so on.

Make sure you’re using at least some form of segmenting will help you deliver more targeted email messages so you too can grab some of that incredible ROI.