Iâm just going to be real off the jump here, I donât recommend segmenting emails for 90% of my audience. Gasp. Yes, I know. There are a ton of email marketing gurus out there that preach email segmentation. And you know, segmentation does work. It is a great way to increase sales.
But if you ainât got no dang sales in the first place⊠or worse! Email feels super hard and so you spend the majority of your time avoiding it, then maybe we donât need to worry about email segmentation just yet.Â
Ya feel me?Â
We need to focus on creating an email marketing habit first. We need to focus on creating relationships with our subscribers. If youâve read any of my previous posts on best practices and nurturing email lists, youâll see that I strongly believe in building relationships with your subscribers.Â
If youâre reading this right now and you suffer any of these symptoms of email marketingâŠ
- Flopped launch
- 1-6 months of no emails sent
- No replies even though you ask all the time
- Low open rateÂ
- An even worse click rate
âŠchances are you donât need to focus on email segmentation just yet. Right now, there are more immediate fires to put out. And thatâs okay! Segmenting can (and should!) come later. But most likely, much later.
Letâs get you comfortable with hitting send on those email newsletters, first.
What is email segmentation?
Lemme back up. What is segmenting and why do I sound so upset right now? đĄđ
Email segmentation is breaking down your email list into smaller groups based on certain criteria like geographic location, interests, or purchase history. Indeed! Segmenting your list helps get more* targeted messages out to customers and potential buyers that have something in common. Yes, this is a good thing that will increase your engagement and sales. Iâm not saying it wonât.
Segmenting emails is a great strategy to improve your conversions. Itâs amazing for people who have spent years building their audience and know their different customer avatars. Itâs even better for ecommerce and commerce retailers.
Hereâs an example of segmentation in the real world:
I own a shoe store â if it snows outside, I don’t want to send an email about flip flops to people living in snow prone areas. Instead, I’d want to target those folks with content around boots and other snowshoe schtuff.Â
By segmenting my email list for the store, I can make sure the right message reaches the right person at the right time. It also means no wasted energy sending emails to people who may not even be interested in what I’m selling.Â
Remember with email, weâre not trying to just reach tons of people – we want to reach the RIGHT people. Periodt.
Makes total sense, right?Â
*But note the word more in the sentence above. âSegmenting allows for more targeted messages.â If youâre not sending regular messages (emails!) in the first place, what good does segmenting do?Â
So why am I not recommending you segment your list?
Why micro businesses do NOT need to segment emails
Email marketing is hard enough
Listen, email marketing is complicated. Well, at least, it FEELS complicated. And the reality is many of us donât have marketing departments. Sure, we might outsource some stuff. But we tend to be the
marketing
research and development
customer service
content creationÂ
departments all rolled in one. Amirite?
With email, letâs just keep the process simple so you can get moving.Â
Create an opt-in.
Build the welcome sequence.
Nurture your community with consistent newsletters
Start building real connections with your subscribers.
Once youâve mastered steps three and four? Thatâs when you can start to know who is actually on your list and how you can serve them.
Thatâs when you can start the next step in email marketing, segmentation.Â
Segmentation is a 2.0 strategy. And Iâm excited for you to get there! Yes! There will come a time when your list is well nurtured and you truly see the need to segment. Youâve built you business to a point where youâve got different offers that make sense only for specific people. Yep! Thatâs the time where segmentation becomes essential for list management and maximum conversions.
But please! I beg of you! Just get emailing and donât let email segmentation be just another roadblock that stops you from sending out consistent newsletters. Consider this your permission slip to just start emailing. Now.
Summary
Email segmentation is a great strategy to take your conversions from where they are to where you want them to be. But youâve got to have conversions in the first place.Â
Only focus on segmenting your list after youâve nailed list building, have a solid welcome sequence, and feel connected to your list because you email them on a regular basis. Thatâs when segmentation can really help your business and sales soar!
3 thoughts on “What You Really Need to Know About Segmenting Emails”
I just came and found this while watching your Welcome Email workshop – thanks for mentioning it! I’ll cross this off the list for my new business right now.
Yay! Love that this helped you take something off your mental load. That’s a huge deal. Congrats on getting your welcome sequence done, too. xoxo
Pingback: Email List Goals: How to Set and Smash Them