If you’re like most marketers, you maintain two or three lists, including:
- The prospect list.
- The buyer list.
- The list of affiliates and/or joint venture partners.
These are all good lists to have. However, if you’re not segmenting these lists, then you’re not making the most of them. That’s because a segmented list lets you send targeted content and offers to specific groups of people, which in turn means higher conversions for you.
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Now before we talk about different ways to segment your list, let’s back up for a second and define segmenting a list. Segmenting a list means you separate your main lists into highly targeted micro lists. You don’t necessarily need to create separate lists, as most email service providers will let you “tag” people, which you can then send out targeted content to people who possess a certain tag in your database.
The most basic segments are the ones listed above: you keep the buyers list, prospects list, and partners list separate. However, you can take this one step further. For example, you can segment your list according to exactly what product a buyer purchased. This not only tells you what interests the buyer, but it also ensures you don’t send out an email promoting a product that the person has already bought.
Let’s take a look at different ways to segment your list and then how to use these segments…
Segment by Lead Magnet
If you have multiple lead magnets (and you should), then one good way to segment your prospect list is by how the person arrived on your list. Specifically, what lead magnet did they request?
For example, you might have a website about getting out of debt and saving money. If someone joins a webinar that’s specific to saving money for a child’s college education, then you can send out highly targeted ads and content that refer to a child. (E.G., “Whether you’re starting to save for college for new baby or a teenager who’s graduating next year, it’s never too late to get started…”
Segment by Product Purchased
Whether someone purchases one product or everything you have, segment your list according to these products. As mentioned, you can ensure you don’t send offers to people who’ve already purchased a particular product. You can also use this information to send highly targeted backend offers.
For example, if someone purchases a membership into your weight-loss site, then you might send them an offer for personalized nutrition coaching.
This information also comes in handy to segment your list by your very best customers (who buy nearly everything) and those who’ve only purchased an offer or two. For example, you can send out a special bonus or sale invitation to reward your best customers.
Segment by Coupons/Sales
It’s useful to know if a person only buys when there’s a sale, or if they buy at full price too. You can segment your list by who takes advantage of sales, and then send out content that appeals to bargain seekers versus those who purchase for other reasons.
Segment According to How Someone Reached Your Site
Sometimes you might segment people according to which affiliate sent them, if they arrived via your social media page, if they came through a paid advertisement, etc.
For example, if you send out an email encouraging people to follow you on Facebook, then you can exclude the people who already do.
Segment Contest Entrants
Many times contest entrants tend to be “colder” prospects than people who requested a lead magnet. That’s why you’ll want to keep your contest entrants separate, and send out a welcome series of emails to engage them.
Segment According to Answers
The idea here is to ask your subscribers what specific topics interest them, and then segment your list according to their answers. That way, you can send out only the content that most interests a subscriber, which will keep them engaged (and keep your list from growing cold).
For example, you might ask online business owners to check off all the topics that interest them, such as: social media marketing, SEO, list building, blogging, guest blogging, JV marketing, viral marketing and so on.
Segment by Demographics
Your autoresponder may capture your subscriber’s location automatically when they join your list. This is helpful because it allows you to send out emails to specific locations around the world when you know your audience is likely to be awake.
Aside from location, you can also collect other demographic data IF you think this will be helpful in sending targeted content. However, you’ll need to think through this carefully, because usually you collect this information by asking your audience when they’re joining your list. Problem is, the more questions you have on your sign-up form, the lower your conversion rate (as any extra “hoop” you add tends to decrease response). As such, only collect extra data if you’re sure it will make a big impact on your conversions.
For example, let’s suppose you’re offering weight loss information. You might want to segment your list by both age and gender, as a 20-something male is going to have different interests and needs when it comes to weight-loss versus a 50-something female.
TIP: One way to collect this data is after someone has already signed up for your list. For example, you can ask subscribers to click one link if they’re a male and a different link if they’re a female, and then give all respondents a free gift just for answering the question. If your autoresponder supports tags, then merely clicking on the link will let you segment the list by gender.
Now a few parting thoughts…
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Conclusion
While I’ve given you a good jump on different ways to segment your list, these aren’t the only ways to do it. That’s why you’ll want to sit down and think about your specific list and what specific data would be most helpful to you in sending out targeted content and offers.
Note: if it’s data you can collect automatically (without having to ask the user), then go ahead and collect it. It’s better to create segmenting tags and never use them, then to suddenly want to use them but not have them. Now let’s switch gears and take a look at how to get more traffic to your site…
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