Why is segmentation so hot right now? Simply put, it helps you send the right message to the right people. While you have been diligently growing your opt-in database, pipeline and customer base, you’ve been adding names to your internal database. Sending those members identical communications is certainly easy and convenient – but, by virtue of creating a generic message that is applicable to your entire list, it probably lacks the razor-sharp focus to make it very relevant.
Database segmentation can help! Many marketing automation platforms provide list segmentation tools that vary from simple sorting to complex conditional statements. But, thinking about segmentation can be a little overwhelming so we’ve provided a few ideas to get you started…
New Clients
While you still want to keep the lines of communication open with your new clients, once a contact has become a client, it’s time to move them to a different list, where they receive emails that are designed for clients – and not prospects. As you can imagine, it’s pretty disconcerting for an existing client to receive an email communicating a special deal for new customers. It smacks of the Triple Play cable deal where that awesome rate is only available to new customers, right?
Product Purchase Patterns
If you provide a multitude of distinct products or solutions, it makes sense to communicate with prospects or customers about their demonstrated areas of interest. You can then provide this segment specific offers or content relevant to the product line they are interested in or purchased in the past.
Industry or Title
Different vertical markets have different pain points that can be addressed through email campaigns and special offers. Similarly, personnel holding different titles within the organization may have different needs or objectives. For example, messages to a VP of Sales may differ from a VP of Marketing.
Interest Based Preferences
If you’ve conducted surveys over the past year, then you know that certain contacts have different interests that will help you classify their interest levels in various offerings related to your core product or service.
Open Rate/Click Through Rate
It’s a fairly simple concept- email list members who open your newsletter or click on a link on a frequent basis are clearly more engaged than members who do not open or click. Therefore, you can try sending a higher frequency of communications to your most engaged members to increase conversion or response.
Channels of Acquisition
Where your email members came from is known as an ‘acquisition channel’ and different acquisition channels have different characteristics. For example: Co-registration email list members will likely respond or convert differently than organically acquired email members. Communicating with your prospects with regards to how they became prospects will increase your chances of starting a conversation with them.
Geography
This is also a simple concept of segmentation that is often overlooked or used improperly. Segmenting your contacts out by their geographic location gives you the opportunity to offer local specials, events and promotions. You can also integrate local news and current events into your communications to increase their relevancy to each individual on your email marketing list.
Generic mass communication by design, is practically built to be overlooked, and by not segmenting out your audience, you are approaching all of your prospects and leads in the same manner and not addressing individual issues. Unfortunately there is no singular effort that can appeal to all types of leads and all stages of readiness, but by intelligently segmenting out your audience into specific and targeted groups, you are able to respond with appropriate marketing strategies that satisfy the many preferences of each identified segment, to eventually improve overall revenue.
