As an internet marketer, you should know by now that list building is important. But a lot of people have only heard or don’t at all know about list segmentation and why it is important in list building and internet marketing in general.List Segmentation is simply dividing a big list into smaller ones. But why would anyone do that you ask? The main benefit of list segmentation is better-targeted emails on more specific people or groups of people.Let`s make it clear,(using shoes an example) not all people interested in shoes are interested in all kinds of shoes.So someone interested in working shoes is less likely to read your emails if you send them emails about running shoes.So what you`ll do if you have a list for your shoe website? how about List Segmentation? Instead of naming your list some random words like shoes just because it`s in the back office, how about being more specific, Running shoes, ladies’ shoes, office shoes, and so on.This way, you`re sure to send your offers to the right list and increasing your open rates.
Behavioral Marketing SegmentationTo further expand on this, we know that any data or information is important when it comes to list building.With that in mind dividing your list into let’s say depending if certain people or group of people have read specific emails, or bought specific products, or did not do anything at all.So when you gather all this information and finely tune your next set of emails to cater to that particular group of people then you would naturally get better results.
For example, if you sent out an email regarding new running shoes to your entire list.Some people open the email and proceed to buy that product, while others only open and not follow through, and the rest did not bother reading at all. You divide that group of people from each other and then put the ones that bought the product under a specific list which you will use to send out more emails that are relevant to running shoes or running gear. See where we’re going with this?Almost most autoresponders or list building tools or software will have some sort of list segmentation feature. So, learn how to use it properly to your advantage and you’ll be ready to do so. I know it may sound scary but believe me, it`s easy, it took me a long time to create my first list so behavioral marketing segmentation was the easy part.Of course, you can further fine-tune your list segmentation to include the information and data on the “footprints” like spending habits, personal hobbies, interests, etc. that your subscribers adhere to. For example, the second group which only opened the email but did not purchase your product, maybe they’re interested in sporting goods topics but not specific to running shoes. So you can put them on the list where you send out activity related emails but not running shoe ones. How about sending them an email next time you publish a post about Tennis shoes for example to see their reaction.You should also take into account factors such as geographical location, language, demographics, social feedback, and so on. Of course, some of these factors are easy to get a hand of like the geographical location and language.But some of them need a lot more time and skill in determining such as spending habits, social feedback, and behavioral profiling in general.So here are a couple of must-have criteria you should have your list segmented based on: Potential customers vs. existing customersThis is one of the essential criteria to start your list segmentation process. You should send out special offers or discounts to existing customers and remember not to send them emails or offers like they are being treated as new or potential customers.Remember when I talked about being specific when naming your list above? You want them to feel like long-time friends like you are sharing this product not yet known by regular shoppers. Demographics (location, gender, age,occupation)This data is easy to get as mentioned earlier. There are many ways to get this like your opt-in form or social media platforms. I`m also assuming you already know how to use Google analytics at this time. Behavioral profiling data (open and CTR, visiting habits)This data is also quite easy to obtain since most autoresponders provide extensive analytics in regards to it.check out Mailchimp list segmentation Preferences (surveys, interests, hobbies)Surveys are a good way to get more insight into the different preferences of different people. You can even use surveys and polls for competitions to build your list as well. Create a quick survey and give things like Amazon gift cards so you get more people to respond. Purchasing habitsThis is another type of data that is easy to get and very helpful to internet marketing in general as well. You don’t only have a better idea of what their preferences are but also know what type of products they’d spend money on or not depending on various niches (if you do more research). I recommend you read this post to understand buyer purchase cycle if to help you understand buyer purchasing habits.6. Additional Tips
Broader topics aren’t generally being targeted by most internet marketers since the competition is too big.
This is why you should always remember to segment your list according to your niche and not the general topic or subject they are under.
If you’re offering products or services centered on content creation, be more specific.
Is it about web content writing or article writing or video creation or graphic design?
Remember to have enough content for each segmented list. You don’t want to have a list where you can’t offer them anything and instead go ahead and send them unwanted content or emails.
Always make sure to double-check your list and the emails you send out.
This mistake may seem trivial, but it is fairly common especially if you’re just starting out. So make sure you send the right email to the right list.
Nobody wants to read something that they have no interest in and this might even cause you to lose or miss more subscribers as well.
The worst is, you don`t want your list to read your email only for them to realize this list was sent to them by mistake, it makes you look so unprofessional.
Conclusion On Email list segmentation
List segmentation is very beneficial for both you and your subscribers.
Not only will you be improving your business by having better chances of sales, retention, and increased subscribers, but you will also have an improved reputation and relationship with your customers and subscribers.
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