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Email segmentation is an ongoing conundrum for many email senders. The reality is that it doesn't have to be that difficult.

To begin, let's run it back to the definition of segmentation:

“Email list segmentation is essentially the process of dividing an email list into smaller, targeted groups based on specific characteristics or behaviours”.

The trick to "dividing" is often hidden in the reasons why we segment an audience in the first place.

Let's kick off with why the “why” matters, and how you can begin doing this better.

Often, the best place to begin with segmentation begins with understanding why we need to segment

If you understand the why, you'll have a better idea of how to approach this, starting here:

Your audience members are not all the same.

Yes, this may seem obvious, but why? Simple. Everyone has unique preferences, interests, and needs.

This means that sending the same communication to folks with different expectations leads to an audience whose attention you don't fully have.

By creating content tailored to these varying expectations, you'll be able to keep readers more engaged and coming back to read future emails you send.

Your audience is at different stages of the customer/ reader lifecycle.

When engaging with an email audience, some people will have interacted with your business or content at various points in time.

Ask yourself this: Have they all taken the same actions? Very likely not. So why segment for this?

By identifying where they are in this lifecycle, you can tailor content to people who are just learning about you, have become fans, have spent money, have stopped spending money, or may even have stopped reading your emails and are ghosting you.

This is where segmentation can be used to send them content that gets them to the stage you want them at.

You'll make more money from your emails.

This is likely the most important one, isn't it?

Why? Well, why else are you sending email campaigns? If your emails are sent with no end goal in mind, then you're either wasting money or are simply way too nice.

By serving the right audience, with the right content, at the right time, you'll make money happen.

To get this right, you need to assess the data you have and build a plan to begin segmenting accordingly.

To segment your audience, you need two types of data points to begin with:

Known data (zero-party data), which is the data your readers and customers actively give you.

This could include subscribers updating their preferences, replying to your emails to give you information, and the details they give you when signing up.

Learned data (1st-party data), which is what you're learning from the actions they take in your emails, the stuff they buy (or don't buy), and what they do on your website after clicking in your emails.

There are various ways you can use this data to segment your audience.

We covered this in Volume 6, but this includes segmenting your audience in a few ways, most commonly:

Your audience's lifecycle stage is one of the most effective ways to segment by, but you need to know why to do this effectively.

When it comes to the audience or customer lifecycle, we have a multitude of opportunities.

We covered many of these opportunities in previous volumes, but these all become meaningless if you don't understand the why.

If we oversimplify these categories, we get the following lifecycle stages for email, and why they matter:

New customers or subscribers: These are folks you want to entice or keep if they've recently signed up.

Your main aim is to establish who you are to them, what they're getting with your emails and why you offer enough value to have them stay.

Existing customers or subscribers: Here, you'll add established customers or members of your audience.

Here's where you need to offer value in spades, build trust and advocacy, and create opportunities based on what you're learning about these folks.

Lapsing customers or subscribers: Lastly, you'll have customers who are no longer buying, or subscribers who've started ghosting your emails.

The main aim here is to get them back into the Existing audience through personalised re-engagement, incentives to show you care and content to attract renewed attention.

Easier said than done.

We'll be covering a few advanced segmentation strategies in the coming Volumes around these stages, so stay tuned.

The goal is always to segment. Keep asking yourself why you're segmenting the way you are and why this matters.

It makes a ton of difference to your approach.

P.S. Here’s a fun one! Hit this link to say hi, and we’ll share which segments you’re part of in these emails, and some fun stats about your interactions, too!

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You can learn more at www.AdQuick.com

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