Segment Your eNewsletter to Increase Open Rate

Not every subscriber on your email marketing lists will have the same needs or interests, or be in the same location. That’s why you might have problems with some readers not opening your email newsletter—because you aren't appealing to their demographic. This recent post will help you address your subject line to increase eNewsletter open rates.Q: What is the best way to get more people to open your eNewsletters?A: By using segmentation you can create more relevant messages for your subscribers.

Why Segment Email Lists?

Users are more likely to open an email that is targeted to them, and getting your subscribers to merely open your email is half of the battle. Once they've opened your eNewsletter, they are more likely to click on links, respond to your company or purchase products.  Not all of your emails need to be segmented, but you should always think about the type of subscribers you’re sending your email to.With segmenting you can target different demographics with different interests. Some great examples for segmenting are:

1. Limiting the geographic reach: You don’t want to email every single user on your list if you’re advertising something in only your metropolitan area, say a conference or a local sale. When people across the country get emails not pertinent to them, they will most likely unsubscribe from your list.
2. Different messages to current customers and prospective customers: The relationship you have with current clients differs from that of a prospective client, and your communication should reflect that.
3. Tailoring your message towards your client’s needs: If you offer services or products that are different than one another, then you should sort your customers based on their purchasing histories. That’s not to say you can’t try to crossover to other interests, but you should focus on matching the right content to the right customer.
4. Splitting recent and not-so recent customers: A client who made a recent purchase will have different needs versus a customer who purchased one year ago.
5. Demographics: If you do know your subscribers’ demographics, such as age or marital status, you can target your emails accordingly with segmenting.

How to Segment Your eNewsletter Campaign

The first step of segmenting begins with collecting data. The more information you know about your clients (or prospective clients), the more segmenting you can do. Be careful, though, because a lot of people become resistant to providing you with too much information.Most email marketing service providers should include segmentation and help you with creating your contact list.A/B TestingAnother tactic similar to segmenting is called A/B split testing. This strategy allows you to test different versions of the same email to see which eNewsletter performs best. Email marketing services with A/B testing features will typically have reports that will let you track the status of your tests.Things to A/B test:

1. Email Subject line
2. From line
3. eNewsletter Layout
4. Email length
5. Sent time

Now that you have become an expert in segmenting your eNewsletter contact list, you should check out popular email marketing services that allow you to segment your lists.