When you first start tackling email marketing, one of the first steps you take are most likely to set up a mailing list – and you’ll watch it grow over time as you steadily gather more subscribers. Soon you’ll ask yourself…
Why do people subscribe to your newsletter? Because they’re interested in the content.
Do they always read your newsletter? To be honest, no.
Why not? Because they’re… not interested in the content?
Confused? Let me explain.
Upon first reading one of your newsletters, a recipient may have liked the content in that particular newsletter and so he remains subscribed to it. Or perhaps a customer liked a product she bought from you and decided to subscribe to your newsletter.
That doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re going to be interested in every newsletter you send out! After all, your content changes every time, doesn’t it? Say, for instance, you run an online gift store and last month Mary bought a personalized coffee mug from you. She’s not going to be interested in this week’s newsletter, which promotes 50% off coffee mugs – but she might be interested in next week’s newsletter promoting specials on Snugglesox.
“I can’t force subscribers to take an interest in my newsletter content!”, I hear you thinking, and you’re right. However, you can try to send out newsletters that are relevant to them – with our subscriber segmentation tool.
Subscriber segmentation is a way to target subscribers based on certain characteristics, like their preferences or location. Recipients are more likely to respond to messages that they find relevant and so the most effective email campaign is one that uses segmentation to connect with subscribers on a more personal level. So there is definitely something about Mary liking warm, snuggly things – as opposed to maybe customer Luke who’s into office gadgets such as printed pencil holders. And anyway, why would you want to waste send credits emailing customers like Luke about home comfort items if you know that they’re most likely not even going to open your newsletter?
Segmentation is easy with our subscriber segmentation tool, but first you need to gather information about your customers/clients:
A subscription form is an easy choice. By simply adding the appropriate questions to the form, you can find out the right information. Request basic information like age, gender or location – it could prevent you from sending information on a store in Chicago to someone who lives in San Francisco; or sending an invitation to your Ladies’ Night to all your male patrons! Make sure that you request only relevant information, as most people probably won’t spend more than a few seconds filling out a subscription form.
Similarly, you can add a field where customers can select their mailing preferences: weekly updates, events, promotions, etc. What type of information are subscribers interested in and how often would they like to receive it? It’s also a good idea to enable an “Update profile” section in your subscription, so subscribers can update their information themselves, ensuring the information you have is always relevant.
Or collect info through your email marketing reports and Goole Analytics. Customers often inadvertently give you more information – without you even asking for it! Simply look at their past actions: Which links they clicked on in your previous emails (i.e. what products or services in particular drew their attention) and what products they’ve purchased from you in the past and even what that loaded into their shopping carts on your site – and whether they went through with the purchase or not. Let’s stick to Mary as an example: Her last abandoned shopping cart may have contained a printed toy giraffe, so you sent her a follow-up email with further information on soft toys, as well as information on other similar products like slippers and fun socks. It was this email that led her to click on the link to buy the Snugglesox!
Subscriber segmentation enables you to personalize your emails and tailor them to individual interests and needs - making subscribers feel special, which deepens your client relationship and creates customer loyalty.
PS. Watch the subscriber segmentation video!
