Why Email Segmentation Is The Key To Successful Email Marketing

You know the gist when it comes to email marketing but what are these lists, segments and tags people keep talking about? A study conducted by DMA concluded that 77% of email marketing ROI (return on investment) comes from a targeted or segmented list but what does this mean exactly?

What exactly is email segmentation and why should one be bothered about segmenting one’s database?

Well, in this article we will be answering all of these questions. Hopefully, after reading this article, you will look at email marketing with a brand new perspective.

What Is Email Segmentation?

The word segmentation means to separate parts or to create sections. That that is exactly what we will be doing with our email list.

Segmenting one’s email subscribers means to create specific groups, or segments if you will, to better filter our audience so that you can send these individuals more targeted and personalised content. For example, segmenting your users by gender means you will create a section for men and a section for women:

• So, if you are an e-commerce store this means that you can send all the women an email blast focusing on a promotion that might appeal more to them than to men.
• Sending all the men a promotion on facial creams and beauty products might not yield the desired results compared to sending the same promo mailer to your female database.

Email segmentation is basically a way to slice and dice your audience in ways that will allow you to send more targeted emails with the aim of driving better engagement.

The Digital Marketing Course covers email segmentation in great detail – for more information on the course follow this link.

Different Ways to Segment Your Subscribers

1. Age

It’s a fact that people of all kinds of ages have access to the Internet today. Gone are the days of just targeting a set age group based on digital marketing. Understanding the different age groups that make up your email list can highly benefit your business and will allow for a more targeted email campaign.

2. Gender

As mentioned in the example above, segmenting your user base according to gender can be highly beneficial as it’s a great and easy way to drive better engagement.

3. Geography

Bigger business and franchise stores might benefit more from this as having a promotion on one side of the country doesn’t always mean it’s available everywhere else.

4. Interest

This is not something you will know unless it’s asked on the sign up page, however, understanding what your users are interested in is probably the most valuable piece of information an organisation can have in their possession.

5. Job Titles

The ideas above are mostly aimed at business that sell directly to the public. Segmenting your users according to job title is more of a B2B tactic. However, if you are selling products or services to another business it’s vitally important to know who you are talking to. This is where Job Titles come into play.

6. Customers vs Non-Customers

A more advanced tactic, but something worth implementing, is segmenting your database between existing, new, and non-customers.

Ideally, you want to retain your current customers by providing them with exclusive deals, promos etc. And on the flip side, you want to entice non-customer to finally purchase something. This all can be done through segmentation and a more targeted approach.

Get in touch with the Digital School of Marketing

Segmenting your user base can drastically help increase open and engagement rates. With that said, we suggest you segment your user base according to segments that suit your business. Doing this will allow you to send more targeted and personalised email campaigns that can potentially drive more revenue. Learn more about email marketing in the Digital School of Marketing’s Digital Marketing Course. (If you’re interested in email marketing, mobile marketing is a subject that you should also have a look at. Read more here.)