When it comes to email marketing, it’s tempting to think that bigger is better, but that’s not always the case. There’s value in segmenting an email marketing list to reach the right customers with the right message at the right time.
Here are a few tips for segmenting email marketing list.
Capture the right data
You don’t want to ask too many questions on your signup form, but a few quick checkboxes can help you gather helpful data for segmenting. For example, let’s think about a nonprofit that works with teachers but also communicates with donors. Simply asking on the signup form if someone is a teacher, a supporter, or other can help segment the list for future email sends.
Put yourself in your customer’s shoes
You can always trust the StoryPath team to say, “Know your audience.” Who are they? What are they looking for or expecting when they sign up for your email list? Is it information, discounts, a guarantee for them to be first to know about new things, or all of the above? Put yourself in your customer’s shoes when it comes to identifying what emails to send to which part of your audience.
Develop a strategy
Not every small business or nonprofit benefits from segmenting email marketing lists, but many do. Think about the ways you could target your email sends to specific segments.
For example, if you’re a local boutique that also sells online, one way to segment might be by local customers and non-local customers. If you’re promoting a local store event, you might send it once to the full list, but then send a reminder or two only to local customers.
Don’t overcomplicate it or get too granular with your segmenting. Start small, see how it goes, and adjust accordingly.
Monitor email engagement
As you start to segment, be sure to monitor your email metrics and evaluate the impact.
As you send to smaller more targeted segments, your open and click rates may increase for those messages. That doesn’t mean you should stop sending some things to the full list, but it is worth noting. You may see fewer unsubscribes because you’re not hitting the inbox quite as frequently for some subscribers. Keep track of the metrics and any feedback you are getting from customers or prospects and use that data to adjust the strategy as needed.
If you’re unsure what segmenting email marketing lists looks like for you and your business, the StoryPath team can support you. Schedule an intro call today.