Course 6: Sec 4 - List Segmentation and Mangement

What is an email list?

-It is a company's entire collection of recipients' email addresses, in addition to other relevant data such as first and last names and user data. -Includes information such as users' email addresses, first and last names, and the date when they created a Netflix account.

How will list segmentation help me?

List segmentation works because it provides an individualized experience via a mass medium. Email is unique because unlike other widespread communications—television, social media, radio—you can craft content for groups of users and deliver it in batches, instead of broadcasting generic content to everyone and hoping it appeals to a majority of your audience. Targeted emails offer an ideal way to usher prospective customers through your sales cycle without a sky-high price tag or lengthy hands-on time. With the right segments, you can make it easy for customers to understand why they need your product, or what they should buy from you. Plus, accurate segmentation leads to improved click-through rates, conversions, and deliverability.

Why should we segment our email marketing campaign?

Personalization is the purpose of list segmentation: you slice your email list into segments based on what you know about each user—like their buying habits, familiarity with your company, and professional background—then you send each segment of people personalized information. If you get your segments right, your users will receive relevant emails packed with information that they actually want. That personalization leads to more conversions, more purchases, and happier customers. The segments can be as large (for example, people who signed up for your site less than a day ago) or as small (for example, people who bought a specific product after discovering your site on Pinterest) as you want. But generally, the smaller they get, the more likely it is that the information you send will resonate with the recipient.

Article: Ways to slice your email database for better email list segmentation

https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/email-list-segmentation

Article: How to segment email lists for more opens, click-throughs, and conversions

https://zapier.com/learn/email-marketing/email-list-segmentation-guide/

Definition: Behavioral segmentation

This is when you split your email lists by customer actions, such as their purchase frequency, the way they spend their time on your site, or how often they interact with a certain product. Based on what your users do; related to what your target customers do Example: purchase frequency, the way they spend their time, and how often they interact with a certain product.

Definition: Demographic segmentation

This is when you split your email lists by data about your customers such as age, gender, income, religion, or political preferences. Based on who your users are; is related to data about who your target audience is. Example: age, gender, income, religion, or political preferences.

Why is List Segmentation important?

-It is one of the most effective practices you can use to ensure that your emails are reaching the right audience at the right time, thereby increasing open rates and click-through rates. -List segmentation is an important practice that aligns with the principle of personalization: a well-segmented list means a more relevant email campaign, leading to a higher response rate and fewer unsubscribes and spam reports. -The purpose of list segmentation is to personalize the content and messaging your customers get. By splitting up an email list based on what you know about your user - whether that's behavioral information such as their buying habits or demographic information such as their gender - you can run a much more effective email campaign.

What is segmentation in email marketing?

-It is the practice of choosing the target audience for whom your email message is relevant.

What is List Segmentation?

-It is the practice of narrowing in on the target audience for whom your email message is relevant. -It is the process by which email marketers take a company's entire email list of recipients and split it up into different groups based on different characteristics so that you can reach people with the most relevant content possible. Example: An email marketer at Netflix, for example, would likely segment or divide up an email list to reach customers with the right message -- perhaps welcoming new customers who recently created an account, or reaching out to customers who do not frequently watch Netflix with a list of popular shows recommended for them.

What makes up the "Create and Launch" stage of an email campaign?

-Segment and manage email list -Design email content -Wireframe email

What makes up the "Test and Analyze" stage of an email campaign?

-Test campaigns -Analyze campaigns -Optimize campaigns

What makes up the "Strategize and Align" stage of an email campaign?

-Understand email marketing tools, principles, and regulations -Outline campaign -Determine marketing objectives

Explain 6 benefits that come with email marketing.

1. Increase Open Rates It doesn't matter how compelling the content inside is: if people don't open your emails, they won't be buying what you're selling. Using list segmentation you can send tailored subject lines to specific groups, better enticing them to click. Proof: Women's fashion site SwayChic segmented their email lists based on buying habits and high-engagement hours during the day, and they managed to increase open rates by 40%. 2. Increase Click-Through Rates You can spend weeks A/B testing calls-to-action and email designs. But without relevant content, your email click-through rates will plummet faster than a skydiving elephant. List segmentation helps you send customers content that they actually want to see, click on, and interact with by organizing them into interest groups. Proof: HubSpot used list segmentation as part of their marketing strategy to hit a 16.4% email click-through rate—that's 583% better than the 2.4% standard around the email marketing industry. 3. Increase Conversions Don't make your customer think. When you hit the sweet spot with personalized content, a strong call-to-action, and a motivated customer, it should be a no-brainer next-step to hit "buy." List segmentation helps you put the right content in front of the right customers, removing as much resistance as possible. Proof: Isotoner—famous for their gloves and slippers—increased their email marketing revenue by 7,000% by segmenting their list based on which products customers were looking at when they visited the site. 4. Decrease Unsubscribes When someone unsubscribes from your mailing list, they're cutting off your direct line to their inbox. They're also opting out of a valuable marketing channel. So yeah, try to avoid that. Think about why you unsubscribe from emails: for me, it's either that someone's flooding my inbox, or that the messages aren't relevant to me. List segmentation can help with both of those problems—it helps you control how often someone gets your emails, and what's in those emails, based on how they interact with your content. Proof: Constant Contact polled people on why they unsubscribe from emails: 56% said because the content isn't relevant, 51% said because it wasn't what they expected. To be balanced, though, MailChimp found that segmenting email lists actually increased unsubscribes. It usually wasn't by much—from anywhere between 0.071% and 0.986%—but the data was clear. Here's what the email giant had to say about the surprising results: 5. Avoid Spam Filters An email never delivered is just as worthless as one never sent. And it's surprisingly easy to land in a junk folder: Email intelligence company Return Path estimated that 7.56% of emails in the U.S. hit spam filters. Legitimate companies face email deliverability issues every day—we're not just talking about Nigerian princes here. Many senders hit spam filters because they send irrelevant content too often and to unengaged recipients. Using list segmentation, you can send personalized content that's less likely to annoy customers. Proof: The team at OpenMoves segmented one client's email list into two groups: people who had and had not clicked on a campaign. They sent an email to the clickers, and nothing to the non-clickers. The results: deliverability improved from 90% to 95% instantly, helping them avoid spam blacklists. 6. Increase General Customer Happiness Nobody likes generic emails; they're lazy, unhelpful, and a waste of inbox space. So by segmenting your email sends, you're saving your customer time and helping them discover products they'll love. And remember: a happy customer is a return customer. Proof: The smile on your customer's face :-D

What are the key stages of an email campaign?

1. Strategize and Align 2. Create & Launch an Email 3. Test & Analyze

Based on the passage above and the article "Finding Your Target Audience", which of the following are examples of ways that an email marketer could determine their target audience? Select all that apply. Targeting subscribers who most often engage with their content Targeting customers who have made a recent purchase Targeting users who have created an account but never made a purchase. Targeting users who have shown interest in similar products or services.

Answer: -Targeting subscribers who most often engage with their content -Targeting customers who have made a recent purchase -Targeting users who have created an account but never made a purchase. -Targeting users who have shown interest in similar products or services. Explanation: All of the above. According to the passage above and the article "Finding Your Target Audience", all of the above strategies are ways that an email marketer could determine their target audience.

Read the following description of an email campaign, then determine which of the following strategies marketers used to segment their email list: The marketing department at a local community college sends emails to people who have recently received their GED, a high school equivalency credential. In the email, the marketers encourage email recipients to apply to their school. Education level Purchase interests Age Change in buying behavior

Answer: Education level Explanation: The marketers in this case used education level as a way to segment their email lists. This makes sense because people who recently received their GED are now eligible to apply to community college. Marketers might therefore write content that helps them to go through the steps of applying to their school.

According to the descriptions in the article "30 Ways to Slice Your Email Database for Better Email List Segmentation", which of the following would be considered forms of demographic segmentation? Select all that apply. Education level Seniority level Click-through rates Purchase interests

Answer: Education level; Seniority level Explanation: Demographic segmentation in email marketing is when you split your email lists by data about your customer such as their age, gender, income, religion, or political preferences, rather than by behavior. Education and seniority level are both examples of demographic data, while click-through rates and purchase interests are each examples of behavioral data.

Read the following description of an email campaign, then determine which of the following strategies marketers used to segment their email list: A new brick-and-mortar coffee shop opens in a small town. Because they don't yet have anything they sell online, they want to make sure that their marketing emails only go to people who live within driving distance of their coffee shop. Purchase interests Job function Geography Income level

Answer: Geography Explanation: In this example, the coffee shop is using geographic segmentation. This makes sense for their business context because people within driving distance of their coffee shop are likely to be the only regular customers.

According to the descriptions in the article "30 Ways to Slice Your Email Database for Better Email List Segmentation", which of the following would be considered forms of behavioral segmentation? Select all that apply. Past purchases Age Change in buying behavior Shopping cart abandonment

Answer: Past purchases; Change in buying behavior; Shopping cart abandonment Explanation: Past purchases, changes in buying behavior, and shopping cart abandonment are all ways that a customer might act in regards to a product, which are considered behavioral segmentation. Age is an example of demographic segmentation that provides data about customers.

What do you need for list segmentation?

Here's what you'll need at a basic level: User data that's tied to an email address - This data can be anything from someone's gender to their favorite soccer team. If your user data is sparse, no worries: you can collect information and build out user profiles as you go. Some email marketing apps will gather data for you, too, like the recipient's location and level of engagement. An email-sending tool - Preferably one that plays nicely with list segmentation, like MailChimp, AWeber, or Intercom (we'll discuss these more later). A way to organize your segments - In their purest form, segments are just email lists with acceptance criteria. Many email marketing apps will manage segment organization for you (some will even automatically sort your customers into segments), but you'll need a rough plan in place before assembling groups.