Email Personalization

If personalized emails deliver six times higher transaction rates, then why do only 30% of brands actually use them? Why are so many marketers setting themselves up for failure by not personalizing their content for their target audience?

The truth is that the ability to automatically personalize marketing content is still a fantasy for many marketers. Traditionally, the work involved to customize emails, for example based on user behavior, engagement, or demographic data— has been relegated to technically-savvy enterprises using marketing software integrated with CRM and big data technology. But what about the companies who are less technically skilled, have smaller teams, or more modest budgets - how do they take advantage of personalization to improve their marketing effectiveness? In this blog post, I will share keys to easily increase conversion rates using email personalization.

1. Capture the right data

Data is the foundation that makes personalized marketing possible. We tend to gamble for data with detailed registration pages or lengthy contact forms, but we often miss out on prospects who are uninterested in providing too much information. Usually the more information you request, the less likely it is visitors will complete the form. Integrating a market intelligence tool, such as InsideView, you could simply ask for a first name and an email address and the rest of the information will be pulled from their database.

2. Connect your marketing systems

Contact information is typically pulled from several platforms and data silo’s including website, product, CRM, marketing automation, hosted landing pages, and customer service software. In order to collect and analyze information about website behavior and purchasing patterns, integrations are needed. By collecting more data points, marketers can segment and personalize their messages on a more granular level.

3. Build smart customer segments

Janrain found 74% of consumers get frustrated when they receive content that has nothing to do with their interests. This is why marketers should spend more time developing targeted segments, so that they can personalize content to speak to the interests of those segments. While creating and targeting specific segments takes longer, it also results in higher open rates due to greater relevancy.

4. Follow personalization best practices

Use real first names. If you don’t have someone’s first name, you probably shouldn’t be emailing them.
Limit each email to two to three personalizations. You don’t want to seem creepy to your contacts.
Go beyond –first name– personalization. Personalize email content based on the users’ history or behavior. How would you talk differentially to a trialist who is active in your SaaS product, than one who has never logged in.
Personalize the subject line. Experian’s research showed personalized subject lines delivered 26% higher unique open rates overall.
Personalize the from address. Addressing an email from a lead owner, account owner, customer success manager, community manager, or CEO adds a personal touch and drives higher open and response rates.

5. Use the right tool for the job

While it was once an overwhelming and highly technical task, it is now simple to set-up if you use the appropriate tools. Find out how to easily create dynamic, targeted journeys using Autopilot by watching this video.