Segmenting Email Data

Segmenting email data based on the results of an email campaign is a vital step in increasing email ROI. This enables you to target future campaigns based on recipient activity. A good email platform should provide a fairly granular view of the following metrics:

• Hard bounces
• Soft bounces
• Opens
• Clicks

Maintaining a file of “openers” and “clickers” can produce dramatic results in your email ROI. They represent an increased likelihood for future active responders. Having a strategy in place for how to segment these openers and clickers is important. Make sure to have a process in place that can track and monitor users on an individual level. This could include having a unique identifier for each opt-in user in your database. From this, set up the ability to know when a user was included in an email send and if they have or have not responded to those campaigns.

Grouping Active Recipients

After determining who is opening the emails and which of those openers is then clicking on the links in the email, break them down into manageable groups. This could include lumping users who opened the email within the last 30 days, or those who have opened in the past but more than 30 days ago, etc. For example:

• 0-30 Days since opened/clicked
• 30-60 Days since opened/clicked
• 61-90 days since opened/clicked
• 90+ Days since opened/clicked

Separating openers/clickers into separate groups is recommended. A user who opens an email campaign may or may not have gone on to click on any of the links within the email body. Your clicker file will become your greatest asset in the future and represent the potential for the highest email ROI with the lowest level of risk to your email reputation and overall email ROI. Openers and clickers can be lumped into your ‘Responders’ group and everyone else would be classified as ‘Non-responders.’

Managing Non-Responders

Knowing that a user is not responding to email sends can be just as valuable as identifying those who are opening the email and responding to the “call to action” in the body of the email. Continually sending to non-responders can be a waste of marketing dollars and negatively affect response rates. When someone has been unresponsive for 90+ days, consider reaching out to them with a reengagement campaign. Let them know you’ve noticed their lack of activity and offer them a reason to stay engaged (coupon code, bonus gift, etc.). If you still see no activity, remove them from your email list. There’s no sense in having a large file of unengaged recipients.

Managing user responses and segmenting email data in this fashion allows a better email strategy in the future and increases your overall reputation with ISPs, thus having a highly positive impact on your email ROI.

Need help managing your email marketing? We can do that! Email Patricia Thompson at pthompson@a-names.com for more information.

Updated by Lindsey Lefevor, 7/31/2018