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Email Marketing: How To Target The Right People At The Right Time

YEC
POST WRITTEN BY
Warren Jolly

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Digital marketing is about targeting the right people with the right content at the right time.

There are many methods of outreach, each holding importance in your overall strategy. Having a powerful digital presence with a strong email marketing strategy is important for a consistent connection to your prospects and clients.

The ever-changing digital landscape can sometimes feel like a moving target, but one point remains clear: The most successful campaigns are those that are data driven. For this reason, email marketing has remained a consistently effective strategy, with 78% of marketers seeing an increase in email engagement over the last 12 months, according to HubSpot data.

At adQuadrant, we have seen the power and success of email marketing firsthand. In fact, we are proud gold partners with a leading email service provider to remain at the forefront of email marketing strategy and execution.

So, what’s the recipe for email marketing success? I’ve broken it down into three tips. Follow these and watch the results speak for themselves.

1. Send emails to an audience that connects with your content.

A recent Wunderman study, “Wantedness,” revealed that 88% of U.S. consumers wish to engage with brands that are “setting new standards in meeting their expectations.” In addition, 89% said they are loyal to brands that share their values.

How do you find these ideal customers who want to engage with you? The first step is to develop your ideal customer persona.

Let's talk demographics. A lot of factors can affect someone’s buying decisions, and a successful business truly understands its ideal customer. Segmenting is a great way to deeply understand your customer. Criteria to consider include your customer’s location, age, gender, occupation and interests.

By understanding your target demographic and segmenting, you begin to build a stronger connection between you and your customer and can customize your content accordingly.

Once your segmenting is complete, the next step is timing and frequency. A golden rule is to avoid too-frequent email blasts. Emailing your audience too frequently runs the risk of being spammy. Interesting data from Validity’s “Frequency Matters: The keys to optimizing email send frequency” report (email required) shows that the more emails you send, the more likely you are to see increased complaints and decreased read rates.

2. Segment, segment, segment.

Segmenting is a powerful strategy to maximize engagement, open rates and click-through rates. In fact, 2019 Campaign Monitor data showed that marketers who used segmented campaigns saw as much as a 760% increase in revenue.

The best way to begin segmenting is by targeting your existing list first. Splitting your recipients into the most engaged, well-engaged, semi-engaged and least engaged is a great place to start. Decide on a cut-off point for each segment in terms of emails opened, and determine what category they fall under.

Once you have your core engagement groups identified, the next step is to segment into smaller groups such as purchase history or industry.

3. Customize your content.

After you’ve segmented your list, the next step is to customize your content and messaging for each segment. Knowing where they are in the buying cycle will be important in crafting your messaging.

For example, say a VIP customer wants to feel like a part of your community. You can make them feel recognized by adding their name to the subject line. It’s not just personal and friendly, but studies have shown that emails with personalized subject lines are 26% more likely to be opened.

On the other hand, a VIP customer would not want to hear about your latest white paper or giveaway; this type of content would be for an engaged user who is yet to buy and is a cold prospect. Customize your content for this audience to be new, exciting and extremely benefit-driven.

Ready to hit send? Almost. The last step is to quantify your email goals. This is about deciding whether you’re looking to engage, invite, encourage clicks or get sales. This will help you leverage your new segmented list and operate around your overall goals.

Put yourself in your audience’s seat, and ask questions such as: Who is going to be interested in the content you are delivering? Would this content be better for retention or upselling, or would it be better being delivered to a prospective customer? Who should be excluded from your message based on interests, purchase history and recent exposure to your emails?

So, what’s next? Timing is everything. Once you have a segment or group you want to target, determine when and how to give it to them. It could be as part of a wider campaign or a one-off email. Some email marketing software suggests times to help you get more opens and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Overall, it’s important to tailor your messaging and marketing efforts to guarantee that those who truly care are receiving the right content at the right time. The results will speak for themselves, and you’ll feel confident knowing that you’re delivering curated email content at the right time for the audiences receiving it.