While other marketing mediums have come and gone, email marketing has remained high on the agenda and particularly in B2B terms is still an effective way of reaching an engaged target audience.
We have previously shared seven of our top tips for stopping prospects in their tracks and cutting through the email marketing static – click here to read more – but how can brands take their digital comms to that next level of success? Plus, where does a full-service partner like PHD Marketing fit into the equation?
Like all modern-day digital media, it’s a question of understanding your audience and crafting personalised, compelling content that connects with its needs.
One of the most fundamental ways to make your email campaigns more meaningful and successful is by segmenting your audience and adding greater specificity to what you say, and how you say it.
Whether you’re a multinational business looking to add more strength to your marketing teams, or a challenger brand ready to find and hone your voice in a busy market, click here to get in touch with our team and begin your communications journey today.
With the support of an experienced team like PHD Marketing, it’s never been easier to harness the power of email marketing in lead generation and brand awareness – but it all begins with segmentation.
What do we mean by segmenting an email audience?
Essentially, audience segmentation is about being able to group individuals together rather than having all your data in one silo as a homogenous mass. A deceptively simple task that brings myriad benefits, segmenting means identifying key subgroups within your target audience that respond to a similar set of characteristics to deliver more relevant and refined email marketing campaigns.
When working with our team to develop a comprehensive marketing strategy that puts your brand in front of the people you need to reach, audience segmentation can strap a rocket to your results by speaking more directly to the needs of a given demographic.
Marketing is complex, and as we know, a ‘one size fits all’ approach is not always the way to go. Research tells us that 15.8% of all emails go missing or have been caught by popular spam filters (Email Tool Tester, 2022). Humans respond to things differently, and our experiences mean we’re more likely to connect with different language, phrasing, or propositions. Because of this, audience segmentation has continued relevance and can help you stand out in all the right ways.
By tailoring your messages to specific demographics, behaviours, and pain points, you can engage your subscribers, boost revenue, and foster lasting client relationships.
What benefits can PHD Marketing deliver with a segmented email audience?
Many clients we work with have highly segmented and specific databases pulled from Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms to work with when constructing an email marketing campaign. However, this isn’t always the case for businesses where internal resources are stretched to capacity, or growing brands taking their first steps into strategic marketing.
Wherever your business is on email segmentation, PHD Marketing can help, putting the right message in front of the right audience at the right time.
So, what benefits can this unlock for your B2B business?
1. Enhanced open and click-through rates: Audience segmentation ensures your email campaigns see the light of day. Whether you are leading recipients to a landing page, blog, or introducing a new product, tailored content significantly heightens the chances of capturing their interest and elevating click-through-rates with an inviting call to action.
2. Avoid spam and reduces unsubscribers: Segmentation prevents recipients from wading through a sea of irrelevant emails, as it adapts content to suit individual preferences and pain points, helping to craft the right message and reduce disengagement. With a well-segmented email list, recipients are getting the content and information that’s relevant to them. And, as a result, it aids in bypassing spam filters, ensuring that messages reach recipients’ inboxes by delivering personalised content less likely to be marked as spam.
3. Boost ROI by Aligning with the Sales Funnel: Segmentation boosts return on investment (ROI) by identifying the segments most likely to engage with your products or services and allocating resources accordingly. It enables the alignment of email campaigns with the sales funnel, catering to subscribers at various stages of their journey with your brand. For new subscribers, welcome emails can provide valuable introductions to your full range of offerings, while long-standing customers are more likely to engage with specific content tailored to their interests.
4. Builds Relationships: B2B transactions often involve longer sales cycles and a need for trust and credibility. By addressing the unique concerns of each segment, B2B businesses can build stronger, more meaningful relationships with clients, which can lead to repeat business and long-term, loyal partnerships.
PHD Marketing’s top tips for audience segmentation
When working with our clients, we always advocate that knowledge is power. The more we know about the audience we’re speaking to, the more tightly-crafted the message can be. Then, of course, when it’s addressing specific pain points, the email is more likely to encourage action.
Whether you’re working with the PHD Marketing team to deliver punchy and relevant messaging, or looking to sharpen up your in-house efforts, here are our top tips for audience segmentation excellence:
Know your audience: A simple way to instantly decode your email spreadsheets is to categorise based on job role and function, seniority, industry or geographic location. Many of these will be captured in CRM systems and can be factored in to email marketing communications. Time spent categorising your prospect and contacts can have a big impact on the success of an email campaign.
Meet your audience on their terms: There’s power to connecting with users at the right time, and in the right way. When segmenting, consider where a contact is in the sales funnel and always be prepared to meet them where they are. This is, of course, an ideal opportunity to align the sales and marketing functions within a business.
Are they a satisfied existing customer? Are they upscaling with the potential to explore more of your range, or are they a prospect researching the market to address a business pressure point? Knowing this gives greater insight into how best to connect and engage with these prospects in a way that feels organic and timely.
Explore dynamic personalisation: Move beyond static segmentation by embracing dynamic personalisation. This involves real-time adjustments to your email content based on user interactions, preferences, and behaviour. Some email delivery systems enable dynamic content blocks that automatically change based on the recipient’s profile and actions.
Test and refine your segmentation strategies: Continuous improvement is key in email marketing. Regularly test and refine your segmentation strategies to ensure they align with the evolving needs and behaviours of your B2B audience. A/B split testing can help you assess the effectiveness of different segmentation approaches and refine your tactics accordingly. Stay agile and be willing to adapt as you gather insights.
Ready to elevate your outreach and drive impactful results? It starts by connecting with our team at PHD Marketing.
At PHD, we’re firm believers in the value of audience segmentation. It’s a vital ingredient in the recipe for successful marketing, as it ultimately increases awareness among your market sector, drives website traffic, and amplifies your brand voice.
By understanding your audience on a deeper level and knowing how to use that to your advantage, you can create more relevant and refined email marketing campaigns that truly capture attention in crowded inboxes.
And remember, when it comes to B2B email marketing, it’s not about the quantity of messages you send, but the quality of the connections you make. Choose PHD to help you deliver more meaningful and effective communications that resonate with your audience.
Click here to learn more about the comprehensive B2B marketing, branding and communications services that we offer.