Email Segmentation: 15 Tips for Better Targeting

Quick Poll: Have you ever gotten an email that caused you to say, “This wasn’t for me?”

🔲 A business student receiving an email from a science school offering career prospects.
🔲 A human resource professional being pitched by an accounting software firm.
🔲 A pet owner receiving promotions on baby items.
🔲 All of the above (and way too often!

We’ve all been there — emails that are way off. It’s like somebody just pulled your name out of a hat. In reality, 72% of consumers only interact with messages that are personalized to their interests.

This is what occurs when email segmentation is not being done correctly (or, worse still, not being done at all). What happens is that brands end up in spam folders or, worse still, are totally ignored.

But when implemented correctly, email segmentation makes your message personal, relevant, and timely. And it’s this that leads to greater open rates, improved engagement, and more sales.

Then, how do you segment your email list properly? That’s what I’ll answer below. Here are 15 real-life email segmentation tips that will enable you to send the right message to the right person at the right moment.

Also read our tried and tested email marketing guide for beginners.

15 Tips for Better Email Targeting via Email Segmentation

1. Email Segmentation by Engagement Level

It is important to know how your subscribers respond to your emails. Some are active readers, but others might have disengaged in the past. Email segmentation by engagement can freshen up your campaigns.

Strategies:

• Inactive Subscribers: Campaign to Reactivate. Formulate offers for them or ask for criticisms to know why they did not engage
• New Subscribers: Welcome them with open arms. Let them know what your brand stands for, showcase unique products or service offerings, set expectations for how and what they’ll be receiving in the future.
• New Subscribers: Bring them into the fold. State exactly what your brand is, showcase what makes products or services unique, and establish expectations for future communication.

This is important because emails sent to segments get 100.95% higher click rates than regular emails. If you’re not segmenting by engagement you are leaving so much on the table

Real-World Example:

Intermix, a clothing store for women, successfully implemented engagement-based segmentation. Through monitoring historical buying patterns and email engagement, they grouped their customers into such segments as VIPs, shoppers who browsed sales, and brand advocates. Personalizing email content on such a basis increased email revenue by 28%.

2. Use Purchase History to Send Relevant Offers

Sending the same stock promotional offer to every single customer is not only ineffective, it can be irrelevant and spammy. Rather, using purchase history helps personalize the recommendations which leads to higher customer satisfaction and hence, increased sales. When customers are shown product suggestions that match their previous purchases, they are much more likely to engage, which makes higher conversions and increased repeat purchases a reality.

Mailmodo found that 25% of email marketing revenue is generated from campaigns segmented by purchase behavior. This means that businesses that focus their emails according to past purchases generate a lot more sales than those that just send generalized promotions.

Strategies:

• Complementary Products: If a customer purchased a camera, suggest accessories like lenses or tripods.
• Refill Reminders: For consumable goods, send reminders when it’s probable they’re running out.
• Exclusive Access: Provide early access to new arrivals in areas where they’ve previously expressed interest.

Real-World Example:

Amazon does this particularly well by studying individual purchase histories to suggest complementary products. This customized strategy has been a big contributor to their high conversion rates.

3. Segment Based on Browsing Behavior

Even if no purchase is made, a subscriber’s surfing activity can be used to gain information about their interests, and target content delivery.

Strategies:

• Product Interest: If the user repeatedly looks at running shoes, promote best sellers or new products in the same category.
• Abandoned Cart: Remind them of products they left in their cart, perhaps with an expiring discount to complete.
• Content Engagement: If they’ve read several articles on a given topic, provide related products or deeper content.

Given that 74% of online shoppers get frustrated when content isn’t relevant to their interest (Mailmodo), it’s well worth keeping your emails relevant to what they’re already searching for.

Real-World Example:

Totes Isotoner, a clothing company, segmented users based on browsing history. By targeting through emails items from categories the user had an interest in, they got a whopping 7,000% lift in email revenue.

4. Demographic Segmentation

Creating email segmentation and customizing content according to demographic traits ensures relevance, making engagement more likely.

Personalized emails have a 188% higher open rate similar to the 12.1% not personalized. Thus, the more relevant your email seems, the more likely a response.

Strategies:

• Age: Promote products that align with the life stages of different age brackets.
• Gender: Promote products or content that are particularly resonant with gender preferences.
• Location: Be sure to highlight region-based events, products or offerings.

In Action:

• Younger audience? We like it to be informal, with emojis and pop culture references.
• Older audience? Professional and concise.

Real-World Example:

A home store that sells furniture for consumers aged 25–34 in urban areas produced email campaigns for contemporary, space-saving furniture solutions perfect for small apartments. It worked well for the audiences they were speaking to. It played well to the constituencies they were addressing. It worked nicely for the audiences they were addressing.

5. Personalize by Location and Time Zone

With email users hitting 4 billion (and projected to reach 4.6 billion by 2025, sending emails at the right time can change the game. Accounting for a subscriber’s geographical location and time zone guarantees timely and context-relevant content delivery.

Strategies:

• Event Promotions: Promote local events or store openings applicable to the subscriber’s region.
• Weather-Based Suggestions: Suggest products appropriate to the local weather, such as raincoats during a rainy period.
• Best Send Times: Send emails to land at the best times of engagement in the subscriber’s time zone.

Real-World Example:

For example, a fashion store tailored their email campaigns to trigger on specific weather conditions in New York City. In summer, they sold light clothing, in winter warm sweaters and jackets.

6. Use Signup Source to Tailor Content

<a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/sign-up-concept-illustration_20602851.htm”>Image by storyset on Freepik</a>

Once you know where and how your subscribers signed up for your email list, you will know what they are interested in and like. You can lead these conversions to be highly engaged and build relationships by tailoring your content to match the signup source!

Strategies:

• Webinar Attendees: Next, if subscribers opted in to attend a webinar, send them content that expands on the discussion of that webinar. This could be in the form of additional resources, complementary articles or relevant special offers.
• Social Media Signups: Subscribers who come via social media probably prefer short, graphically oriented content. Use simple but effective visuals, concise announcements, and clear calls to action to communicate to this audience what they need to do.
• For In-Store Customers: Emphasize limited-time in-store offers, upcoming events, or rewards systems to incentivize return visits for signups from in-store trips.

Real-World Example:

Preston Publishing, a language learning publisher, segments its members properly, according to the goals they want to pursue through study. When subscribers tell them which languages they would like to learn, they target those types of materials and offers in their emails, which maximizes engagement and customer satisfaction.

7. Segment by Email Activity

Email is most effective means for brands to communicate with their customers according to 51% of customers  — so you must get them to look for your emails. Email engagement tracking helps you adjust your communication strategy based on your subscribers’ interaction with your emails.

Strategies:

• Highly Engaged Subscribers: Highly Engaged Subscribers: For those who always open and/or click, be sure to feed them a lot of content, volume of newsletter and a real deal to keep them hooked.
• Moderately Engaged Subscribers: The moderate responders might actually appreciate shorter but more concise stuff. Finally, if you are announcing a sale or making a needed call to action like inviting someone to make a purchase, during this time your audience will be listening, so make sure you amplify any important messages or directly and clearly call to action.
• Inactive Subscribers: For those who infrequently or never interact, look into re-engagement campaigns using interesting subject lines, promotions, or surveys to better know what they like.

Real-World Example:

Huda Beauty saw a decline in performance across the board and decided to completely redraw the email strategy with engagement-driven email segmentation. Regular campaigns were sent only to active subscribers who opened last month, and even full-list emails were for the big sales holidays. This enabled them to double their email-revenue growth year on year.

8. Reward Your Best Customers

<a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/flat-illustration-feedback-concept_14064743.htm”>Image by freepik</a>

Customers Recognizing a rewarding your most loyal customers acknowledges loyalty and promotes repeat behavior.

Strategies:

• Early Access: Provide VIP customers with early access to new products, promotions or special events so they feel special and valued.
• Exclusive Discounts: Provide unique discounts or deals that are only available to your high value shoppers as a token of gratitude for their loyalty.
• Personalized Experiences: Personalize experiences by inviting them into beta testing for forthcoming products or asking them to weigh in on potential releases, getting them involved in the evolution of your company.

Real-World Example:

One of the classic examples of rewarding repeat customers is Amazon Prime. Benefits include free shipping, special promotions, and early sale access, all of which encourage repeat order, improving customer retention rate.

9.  Email Segmentation by Customer Interests

By using your email content to speak directly to the interests of your subscribers, it almost guarantees relevance and maximizes the chance of engagement. Email marketing has an impressive return on investment, earning an average of $36 for every $1 spent. This ROI can be optimized by delivering relevant content.

Strategies:

• Product Preferences: Frequent Buyer — if a subscriber repeatedly makes or views purchases in a particular category — your emails should feature related products or content.
• Content Topics: Deliver similar content to subscribers who show an interest in a specific type of content, e.g. blog posts or tutorials.
• Survey Insights: Use customer survey data to know what they prefer and tailor your email campaigns based on this information.

Real-World Example:

Spotify leads interest-based segmentation with the study of user listening behaviors to design tailor-made playlists and suggestions. Being personal, users become engaged and keep using the platform.

10. Identify and Target At-Risk Customers

Not every customer stays engaged forever. Others never return after a single purchase; others fade away gently over time. And if you neglect them, they might be gone for good. However, well-executed re-engagement strategies remind you of dormant customers and also play an important role in improving retention rates.

According to studies, the cost of winning back an inactive customer is 5X less than acquiring a new customer. Research shows that businesses that make the effort to bring back past purchasers enjoy a higher customer lifetime value (CLV) and improved brand loyalty over the long haul.

Strategies:

• Re-Engagement Campaigns: Personalized “We miss you” emails with offers or updates will tempt inactive subscribers back.
• Feedback Requests: Solicit feedback for reasons they got disengaged and how their experience can be enhanced.
• Promote New Offerings: Make them aware of new products, services, or enhancements that may rekindle their interest.

Real-World Example:

Netflix employs re-engagement techniques by nudging folk who haven’t been in recently about series or films new to the site that correspond with their previous viewing, enticing them back in.

11. Use Survey Data for Better Email Segmentation

Instead of assuming the taste of your customers, just ask them. Gathering survey data enables you to do email segmentation and customize the content of your emails to their individual needs and interests. It’s an effective strategy because 31% of companies employ basic segmentation, yet only 13% use advanced segmentation in their email automation. That leaves plenty of room to differentiate simply by gathering and making use of customer preferences.

Strategies:

• Identify Challenges: Identify the key challenges facing your customers and provide solutions through content that is specifically targeted towards them.
• Favorite Product Categories: Find out what products or services your audience loves most to direct your marketing strategy.
• Content Preferences: Know what kind of content your subscribers like to see, whether it is blog posts, videos, or infographics, and provide accordingly.

Real-World Example:

Airbnb was able to use survey information successfully to improve user experience. They sent surveys to hosts and visitors and received insights into the likes and dislikes of users. The feedback allowed Airbnb to launch features and services that specifically targeted the needs of the users, thus improving satisfaction and usage.

12. Behavior-Based Triggers Work Like Magic

Automatically sent emails triggered by customer behaviors can drive higher engagement by providing timely and timely content. Email segmentation based on behavior is mighty because it provides messages when they are relevant. Actually, triggered emails achieve a 70.5% greater open rate and 152% greater click-through rate than the standard email campaigns.

Strategies:

• Post-Purchase Thank You: Encourage loyalty with a thank you after a purchase.
• Welcome Offers: Provide discounts for first-time subscribers who have never purchased.
• Re-Engagement Campaigns: Send previous subscribers who have been inactive for a while a re-engagement email to rekindle their interest in you.

Real-World Example:

Amazon also excels at behavior-based triggers, as it constantly sends users personalized product suggestions based on their browsing and purchase history. It keeps customers returning and encourages repeat buying.

13. Email Segmentation by Subscription Type

Respecting your subscribers’ email frequency preferences can lower unsubscribe rates and improve engagement.This slight adjustment in your email segmentation can lower unsubscribes and boost engagement because individuals get only what they want. As 51% of customers say email is the most effective method for brands to engage with them, keeping their preferences in mind guarantees they remain subscribed.

Strategies:

• Frequency Preferences: Permit subscribers to decide how frequently they receive emails—daily, weekly, or monthly.
• Content Type: Let subscribers select the type of content (newsletters, promotions, updates, for example) they wish to receive.

Real-World Example:

The New York Times, for example, offers its subscribers a range of newsletters to fit their interests and level of consumption, so that the content they receive is relevant to them and considered welcome in their e-mailboxes.

14. A/B Test Your Segments

Testing is important because small adjustments can make for significant improvements in email marketing efficiency. Companies which A/B test their email segmentation realize 37% improved return on investment compared to ones that don’t. Using different versions of this information with different segments helps to determine what resonates with each one.

Strategies:

• Subject Lines: Try a few different subject lines and see which one performs better in terms of open rate.
• Content Layouts: Perform A/B tests with different email layouts
• Call-to-Action (CTA): Test different CTAs to find out which incites more clicks and conversions.

Real-World Example:

HubSpot regularly performs A/B testing on their email marketing campaigns, testing things such as subject lines and CTAs. This data-driven process enables them to optimize their emails for improved performance.

15. Keep Your Email Segmentation Updated

<a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/funnel-concept-illustration_72475970.htm”>Image by storyset on Freepik</a>

This email segmentation is important since 25-30% of email addresses become outdated every year, which means you may be spinning your wheels and spending money on dead accounts if you aren’t keeping your list up to date (HubSpot). You should update your email segments on a pretty regular basis to ensure your marketing stays up to date and relevant.

Strategies:

• Data Hygiene: Regularly cleaning your email list of inactive subscribers and updating stale data.
• Behavioral Updates: Refresh segments based on recent customer behavior and activity
• Preference Updates: Let subscribers update their preferences and update your segments.

Real-World Example:

Spotify segments its users based on listening behavior and preferences and updates these segments in real-time. This segmentation in real-time allows them to offer personalized playlists and recommendations, which keep users engaged.

Final Thoughts

Email segmentation isn’t about making it difficult—it’s about making it pertinent. When customers know you genuinely understand what they need, they listen.

Segmented campaigns generate 30% of all email marketing revenue, which means delivering focused emails is a necessity, not a nice-to-have.

Experiment with these 15 hacks, discover what resonates best with your people, and have your email performance take off.

Got any email segmentation hacks that have worked for you? Let us know in the comments! 🚀