If you’re familiar with email marketing, you understand the importance of email open and click rates. These factors are key in understanding how well you are connecting with your contacts and how engaging your content really is.
But in a crowded digital marketing environment where most people receive dozens of emails a day, how can you make yours stand out? The answer lies in your ability to utilize personalization. Did you know that emails with personalized subject lines are 26% more likely to be opened? Or that marketers like us are seeing upwards of a 760% increase in email revenue from personalized audience segments?
But don’t think adding personalization is as easy as throwing a name in the subject line. It’s about getting smart with your data!
Here are 3 of the smartest ways we integrate personalization into our email strategies:
Go Beyond a Name
If you’ve asked the right questions on your forms and nurtured your contacts for long enough, you will have built up a wealth of information about your database. Now it’s time to use all of this data!
An easy way to get started is to celebrate birthdays – send your contacts a message or coupon on their special day. You can even use personalization to celebrate sign-up anniversaries and thank your contacts for opting into email communication. Changing up the ways you use personalization tools in your emails will make your brand (and your message!) stand out in the crowded environment of email marketing.
Segment, Segment, Segment!
When you add an element of personalization to an email, you create the impression that the information included is relevant, important, and intended for the recipient. Take this one step further by segmenting your email lists so your audience only receives information they want to receive.
Segment your email audience by geography, age, gender, or even dietary preference and strategize your email copy to apply to that specific group. If your content is designed for the recipients, the added personalization tools will drive home the individualized connection you are working to achieve.
Incorporate Time Zone Sends
If the best time to send an email campaign or newsletter is between 8-9 AM on Thursday, what about those contacts that live in time zones outside of yours? That crucial time window will be missed, and ROI could be affected.
Our best practice is to schedule emails at times that are most optimal for segmented audiences. For example, we might send retailer coupons on Saturday morning to go along with their weekend grocery store run, or send easy, last-minute home recipes in the evening to coincide with dinner plans.
Smarter email personalization starts with a well maintained database and a permission-based marketing strategy that allows you to constantly collect key insights from your audiences. Interested in strengthening your database and sending more effective emails? We would love to help!
{{cta(‘3de60b2b-1bb3-4585-b10b-c5a1f259a5f1’)}}
