Step Four: Create a Segmented Database
Proactive planning can improve your results before you even send out your first email campaign. Studies show that targeted, personalized email communications offer the strongest conversion rates. To build the strongest campaign possible, define the type of data you need to personalize your messages. Remember, your database will grow in time. Define who your subscribers are or will be, what they want to see, and how you can satisfy their needs.
To segment your database, define all the data fields you will need to collect from new subscribers. Ask specific questions to get detailed information on your subscribers. For example, if you are promoting real estate, you minimally want to harvest their name, email address, and information about the property they are seeking, such as number of bedrooms, bathrooms, geographic regions, and price range. If you take this one step further, you can also find out the subscriber’s age, whether or not your subscriber is pre-qualified, if he or she is a first-time home buyer, an investor, second-home buyer, etc. The more information you harvest, the easier it is to provide relevant and meaningful messages geared specifically toward your subscribers’ needs.
To gain subscribers, add a form to your website that is quick and easy for subscribers to fill out. The form should be short and it should use check boxes so subscribers may easily identify their preferences, interests, and needs. Be sure to include a check box to capture if the subscriber would like an HTML or text version of the email. You should also provide an archive of past newsletters or email campaigns and the delivery schedule so the subscribers know exactly what they are signing up to receive and how often they should except to receive it.
Having a preference-based, segmented database will allow you to store all of your subscribers’ information in one place so you can target specific subscribers, track results across multiple campaigns, and make connections that might not be visible if the data is kept in separate locations. It will also help you maintain compliance with the CAN-SPAM act as it is easier to manage unsubscribers across the entire enterprise.
After the database has been set up, work with your email marketing solution provider to ensure that any deliverability issues are fixed prior to sending the email campaign. Many service providers, such as Listrak, offer list hygiene to ensure messages do not bounce due to misspellings. Errors like sam@alo.com, jane@yahoocom, and sarah@gmail.cmo are corrected automatically before being sent out.
First Name:
Last Name:
Email:
Phone:
Company Name:
L_Submission_ResourceSource:
Campaign:
L_Submission_Newsletter:
L_Submission_ResourceID:
L_Submission_ResourceTitle:
L_Submission_TrackingID:
L_Submission_TrackingLabel:
L_Submission_CampaignGroupID:
L_Submission_CampaignGroup:
L_Keyword:
L_Source: