Segmentation is a question of determining the common attributes and characteristics found in a group of buyers that enable you to look at them, and market to them, in a similar fashion.
Start by capturing vital data about who your users, purchasers and influencers are and what interests them. By profiling and segmenting consumers based upon demographics, lifestyle preferences and behaviors, you can maximize your advertising spend and target the audience which will be the most responsive to your messaging. The more information you can collect about them, the more innovative you can make your targeting strategies. The more segments you have, the more focused you can be about selecting one or more groups to target with a distinct marketing message.
Delivering highly relevant content requires much more than capturing basic transactional data or an email address using a subscription form. Identifying the needs and wants of a target market, and recognizing differences between groups of customers, is at the heart of marketing. This is because what you think is relevant and what a prospect or customer finds relevant may be different things. Content relevancy should be based on insight gathered from both behavioral and profile-based data.
So the question about how to best segment your email list can be answered only after you define the common attributes and characteristics of users, purchasers and influencers that enable you to group them together and thus communicate the same value proposition to them.
Divide your email list into groups of like-minded individuals and send messages that resonate with each group (e.g., subscribers interested in Message A receive Message A; and Message B is served to subscribers interested in Message B). Which audience segments will be most receptive to what you have to offer? Are your users actively engaged or have they lapsed? What are the common characteristics (age, income, occupation, hobbies, life stage) of purchasers? As you develop your targeting strategy, also segment key on and offline influencers into high-level and specific groups. Are they tech-savvy professionals, bloggers, thought leaders, customers?
Once you’ve segmented your list, you can stay relevant with your customers and prospects via ongoing communications that engage them with your brand. As you observe patterns and begin to know your audience more intimately, you will be able to respond with custom marketing messages and offers that quickly address their varying needs and wants.
You’ve heard it before… it’s all about targeted and personalized content, list quality, and subscriber engagement!
The result: Subscribers get useful relevant information and subsequently purchase more.
To learn more about segmenting your list, see the online video tutorial or visit our Knowledgebase.
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