How to Boost Email Marketing Engagement with List Segmentation

In a post-GDPR marketing landscape, ensuring that your email campaigns are relevant and targeted is more important than ever. List segmentation plays an important role in boosting engagement and conversions with email marketing. 

There are roughly 3.7 billion email users around the globe and that's expected to grow to 4.1 billion by 2021. 66% of marketers enjoy excellent or good ROI from email marketing campaigns and email list segmentation and individualised messaging yields the best results. 

This blog shows you how to use list segmentation to boost your open rate and conversions. Enjoy!

Segmentation by location

If you're collecting the location of each subscriber, then you can easily use this method. Segmenting your email lists by location will enable you to promote sales sales and events going on at your physical stores and locations to subscribers living close to these areas.

There are several ways you can track subscriber locations, including billing and mailing addresses or from location data fields on your sign up forms. Locality is an effective factor for driving conversions and a positive omnichannel experience.

Segmenting by interests

Want to tailor your emails to the interests of your subscribers? You can do this via surveys and customer feedback requests, but there's also a more unique way to collect and segment data about subscriber interests.

Here's an example from Chairish, which uses a pop-up to asks users to select items to add to their saved items list. Then based on their lists, they'll receive customised emails when there's a deal. You can also use this information to send triggered emails regarding low inventory or restocking of certain products.

Segmenting by engagement levels

Another way to divide up your email list is according to engagement levels. Obviously, the way you communicate with each of engagement-based segment will need be different. 

For inactive subscribers, you'll need to employ reengagement tactics to really get their attention and incentivise them to return to your website. For more engaged subscribers, who frequently open your emails and click through to your website, you should focus on tailoring emails with personalised campaigns and product recommendations, based on their behaviours.

Dynamic email tools, like Moveable Ink, help retailers deliver hyper-personalised emails, with live content that's relevant to individuals and even open time.

You should implement a reactivation strategy framework, using automated triggers, to send out reengagement emails to subscribers when they meet a pre-set inactivity threshold.

At the end of reengagement campaigns, you may need to send ultimatum-style emails to invite subscribers to stay or go. See an example below from GoPro:

Consider removing inactive subscribers who've not responded to your reengagement attempts, as they are essentially dead weight and will only distort your email metrics. They'll even have a negative effect on deliverability. 

Deep dive: download our dedicated Email Marketing Reactivation Guide for Retailers to learn more about reengaging your lapsed subscribers.

Segmentation based on purchase history

Here's a cunning method to turn one-time customers into repeat customers. By designing emails based on your subscribers' purchase history, you can send out emails with offers related to the categories or products they've purchased from.

An effective tactic for retailers is giving subscribers recommendations based on products frequently bought together, like Amazon have been doing for years.

But remember, not all of your emails have to be sales-related. Try offering valuable content based on the items people have purchased. For example, if they purchased a smoothie product, you can send them an email with related content and lifestyle recommendations, like "5 Tips for Losing Weight Fast" or "7 Exercises to Get Fit Quick."

Show subscribers you care about their needs, interests and activity.

Segmentation based on purchase recency

Welcoming and delighting customers post-conversion is crucial for keeping them engaged and encouraging them return to your website in the near future.

You can to this with a handy welcome series, with tips and advice about getting the most our of their purchase, or you can send recent buyers related product recommendations.

For instance, if one customer consistently buys a specific product each month and then skips a month – you can send a reminder about buying another one. For subscribers who haven't purchased anything in a while, you can send an email with a limited-time offer to incentivise them.

Summary

If you're not already segmenting your email campaigns, then it's time to start. With the tactics outlined in this blog, you can really take your segmentation and campaign performance to a whole new level.