New-age marketers have extensive email subscribers and behavioral data at their disposal today. This begs the question – ‘Is data enough to convert?’
Not really! One may hoard subscriber data for life. But it will not do any good until put to use. With great power comes great responsibility!
So if you find yourself on the wrong side of this argument, this blog is for you.
What is Email List Segmentation and why is it important?
Email list segmentation is the process of dividing an email list into smaller, more targeted sub-lists. This creates a two-directional communication channel between you and your subscribers.
It means that the receiver will not feel overwhelmed by information overload or irrelevant content. They can open up a dialogue with you, follow your updates, and give feedback as well.
Email segmentation is important because it helps you in communicating with your subscribers at a personal level. It is a good way to build and retain an engaged community around your business.
Email list segmentation: How to collect subscriber data?
Email list segmentation makes it possible to target specific groups of people with relevant content. It also gives you the opportunity to nurture them and build brand loyalty.
There are various types of subscriber data that you can collect for email list segmentation:
- Personal Data: This includes basic information such as name, gender, age, profession, interests etc.
- Static Data: This includes information about web browsing behavior, purchase history etc.
- Behavioral Data: This includes information on what prompted the user to subscribe, unsubscribe etc.
The best way to collect subscriber data is to offer a win-win situation for both parties involved in this process.
This means that the user will not feel tricked into giving away their personal information, but they can gain something in return as well.
Ways to collect subscriber data for email list segmentation
Email list segmentation is pretty straightforward. You can collect subscriber data through any channel possible, as long as it’s relevant to your brand and business goals. Here are some ways in which you can do so:
#1. Use a simple pop-up window
A pop-up window on your website is definitely one of the easiest ways to collect subscriber data. It’s non-intrusive, quick, and easy for people to subscribe to your email list. The user doesn’t have to take an extra step since it opens in the same browser tab, hence keeping the conversion journey to a minimum!
#2. Use Automated Chat to Capture Subscribers
Another way to collect subscriber data is through chat tools that can drive automated conversations with website visitors and capture relevant information. Such tools today can direct people to specific pages and even follow up with them over phone calls.
#3. Use a widget on key pages
Another great way is to use a widget on your website’s main pages such as ‘product category’, ‘subscription page’, etc. Embed the widget at key places that the user is most likely to engage with. Tie this up with a lucrative incentive and you should be good to go!
#4. Use your website’s contact/sign up form
This is an excellent way to ask for subscriber information because it can be placed on multiple pages of your website with minimal efforts, such as the homepage, a specific product page, a category page, etc. It is beneficial because it can reach out to people who have already been on your website but have not subscribed yet.
#5. Offer an incentive for subscribing
Instead of asking for subscriber data straight up, you can offer a simple deal or perk to entice people into subscribing. You could offer a discount voucher for a product or maybe free shipping.
While it works for obvious reasons, it is also a useful remarketing strategy that creates a win-win situation for all!
#6. Create an Email Lead Nurturing Sequence That Captures More Subscriber Data
You can even continue collecting relevant data after the subscriber has been onboarded. Consider the following lead nurturing sequence that captures subscriber data:
- Email 1: Send a thank-you email that welcomes the subscriber.
- Email 2: Send value that matches with subscribers’ interests and ask more relevant questions about their likes and dislikes.
- Email 3: Introduce yourself, your business, and the team.
- Email 4: Send more value that can help your subscribers. Consider this another opportunity to gather more specific data.
- Email 5: Present your product and why it would be useful for your subscribers.
#7. Use an Exit Pop-up Window
You can use an exit pop-up window when a visitor is about to leave your website. This works even better since visitors have just browsed your website and have most likely engaged with the content in some way. Since an exit-intent pop-up is non-intrusive, visitors are more likely to engage with it and share relevant information.
#8. Add a Welcome Mat to Your Website
You can also use a welcome mat to ask for the bare minimum information and offer an incentive for doing so. You can place these mats at strategic locations on your website where they will most likely be seen by visitors who have browsed around.
#9. Create Survey or Quiz Results for Subscribers
If you have been a minimalist during the signup process, you can still capture niche subscriber data via relevant surveys or quizzes. Subscribers are more willing to answer questions when they are related specifically to them. You can even tie this up with an incentive for completing – such as a discount code or a tangible prize.
#10. Integrate Key Website and CRM Data
Letting your email marketing tools or resources access key customer data sets such as past purchases, the average amount spent, funnel position, and more is also a sure-shot way to ace email segmentation. For instance, consider sending targeted emails based on the specific pages that users have visited instead of sending them email around random products or services.
What’s Next?
This is just the tip of the iceberg. If you yearn to dig deeper into hyper email segmentation, here’s a great infographic from Email Uplers that visits every nuance of the email segmentation trade quickly and efficiently. Check it out:
Source: Email List Hyper-Segmentation
About the Author!
Kevin George is Head of Marketing at Email Uplers, one of the fastest growing custom email design and coding companies, and specializes in crafting professional email templates, PSD to HTML email conversion and free responsive HTML email templates in addition to providing email automation, campaign management, and data integration & migration services. He loves gadgets, bikes, jazz and eats and breathes email marketing. He enjoys sharing his insights and thoughts on email marketing best practices on his blog.