The days of blasting the same message to an entire list and hoping for excellent results are behind us. Software such as Best Response Mail enables users to easily create segments of their database on many different criteria from their gender through to a link that they clicked in an email campaign.
Subscribers are also receiving higher volumes of email so it is even more important to stand out and be relevant. Sending the same message to your entire list can deliver some results but if you actually segment your list and deliver more targeted messages you will find a number of benefits including:
Increased Revenues – recipients of messages that are more related to them are more likely to click through and make a purchase. Even something as simple as segmenting your database by gender or category of product purchased can see a huge boost in interest.
Increased Email Stats – more targeted segments will result in higher click and open rates and lower unsubscribe and spam complaint rates. The more relevant a message is, the more likely the recipient is to share it with friends and help to add new subscribers to your list.
The first thing to consider is the data that you currently have available. It may be that your list only contains email addresses but your main database could have a lot more information.
You should also consider criteria that will deliver worthwhile segments for example gender or areas of interest.
Another key area for segmentation is activity. You could create a segment of inactive subscribers for a certain period or subscribers that have clicked on certain links.
Once you have selected the segments that you are going to work with, you need to consider the message. It is essential to make a feature of your segment in the subject line, pre-header text and top section of the message. For example, if you are emailing men related to men’s fashion products, make sure that is clear.
Segmentation should be a constant part of your email marketing activities and if done effectively, you should reap the rewards.
