Creating different lists. Adding first-name personalization. This is as far as it goes for many email marketers when it comes to segmentation and personalization.
Why aren’t more brands taking the leap forward when it comes to advanced segmentation and personalization tactics?
Sometimes it’s just too hard to change what you’re already doing. Maybe it’s because you don’t get support from those above you. Or maybe you just need a little inspiration to spur you on to creating your own uniquely personalized campaigns.
That’s where these examples from 11 brands can help. These are some of the best instances of email marketing segmentation and personalization out there today.
#1 Crayon
Crayon is an intelligence program that tracks and analyzes your competitors’ every digital move. In its welcome email, Crayon provides the usual encouragement to follow it on social media, but it also lists – and links – the social media of specific people and a “help” article. Separating the newcomers from the veterans is just one way to segment your list for better open and click rates.
#2 Bonobos
Another way to segment your list is to target subscribers who abandoned their carts or a form on your website. Bonobos, a men’s clothing manufacturer, has a funny, non-obtrusive abandoned cart email that goads potential clients to finish checking out.
#3 Spotify
Spotify chose to send a recap email to a select few of its premium members. This email is not only personalized to perfection, but it groups together subscribers who share something in common – premium membership. Spotify’s email focuses more on engaging the subscriber than marketing any product or service, which increases brand interest.
#4 Pinterest
Sometimes grouping your most loyal clients together is the best thing you can do. Pinterest sends an email to users who have cultivated their “board” and are chosen to be featured to new subscribers. Simple and straightforward, this email rewards the subscriber who has been faithful to the brand.
#5 Nike
Celebrating a subscriber’s birthday or anniversary is a major way to segment your email list. Sending a congratulatory email can re-engage inactive clients or retain active ones. Nike’s animated birthday email goes a step further in the celebration by offering a discount to the subscriber to use any time that month.
#6 Apple
Personalize and segment your email campaign by subscribers whose trial or membership is about to expire. Remind them what they’ve accomplished while they’ve been subscribed for all the services and perks your brand has provided. Apple has a feature called “automatic renewal” that, if turned on, will automatically renew membership every time it’s about to expire.
#7 Gasbuddy
Asking for referrals can be a daunting and somewhat awkward task, but if done right, will lead to an increase in subscribers. Gasbuddy, a company that lets clients search by city or ZIP for the lowest gas prices, has a special offer letting subscribers save 15 cents a gallon when their referrals first use Gasbuddy. The incentive will get your brand more subscribers and will also provide some free marketing.
#8 Duolingo
Target those subscribers who have fallen by the wayside. Sending re-engagement emails is a huge part of keeping subscribers engaged and reminding them about your brand. The language learning website Duolingo has a short, simple email encouraging disengaged subscribers to “get back on track.” This email is sent only to those subscribers deemed inactive by their history on the website.
#9 Nokia
Sending a survey email to clients who’ve recently made purchases will provide you with a satisfaction index. You can further segment this list by the reviews and answers from the surveys you send out. By knowing your satisfaction index, you will know which clients need to be sent re-engagement, reward or thank you emails. Nokia implemented a segmented email campaign to find out how its clients felt about an item. Its email has soft, rounded edges with a clear call-to-action.
#10 Wistia
Say you’re having an event and only half your email list has RSVPed. You don’t want to send an event invite to those subscribers who have already committed to attending your event, so segment your list to where it only includes those subscribers who haven’t responded. Wistia, a company that allows filmmakers to connect online, sent out an email for its festival. The wacky video promoted the company’s event in a unique and attention-grabbing way.
#11 The Gap
Get technical when segmenting your list. Segment by gender, age, geographical location, etc. Different genders and different age groups will process your email in different ways, so make sure you’re sending out emails relevant to the right type of person receiving them. The Gap sends out different emails for men’s and women’s clothing and accessories. This will attract the different genders and get both types of subscribers to open and click the email.
conclusion: get inspired!
We’ve shown you the best examples of brands that nailed email marketing segmentation and personalization. Now it’s your turn to show your subscribers what you’ve got.
If you have trouble getting started, or are just completely lost, don’t fret. We’re here to help. Reach out to us and our experienced team of email experts will get you on your way to segmentation success.