Behavioral segmentation 101: A information for e mail entrepreneurs

By Rhonda Bradley June 6, 2024

Trying to increase your e mail open, click on, and conversion charges? How about giving your ROI a killer increase? 

Behavioral segmentation helps you to personalize e mail content material in line with shoppers’ pursuits and habits. 

It’s the simplest sort of content material personalization and has a dramatic impact in your backside line — gross sales.

👉 76% of shoppers usually tend to buy from manufacturers that personalize their communications. 

On this information, we demystify the time period “behavioral segmentation” and present you the way it works.

Discover out precisely what the time period means and how one can (simply) use it to personalize your e mail messages.

Uncover every part it’s essential to find out about behavior-based advertising, together with:

• What’s behavioral segmentation?
• Why behavioral segmentation issues to entrepreneurs
• Kinds of advertising segmentation
• Kinds of behavioral segmentation in e mail advertising
• How behavioral segmentation is utilized in e mail advertising
• Find out how to get began with behavioral segmentation for e mail advertising
• Behavioral segmentation examples

What’s behavioral segmentation?

Behavioral segmentation is an automatic, data-based advertising technique. 

It tracks reader interactions in your emails, touchdown web page, and web site. Then it makes use of that information to group your viewers into smaller segments primarily based on their pursuits and actions.

Consequently, you possibly can ship extremely efficient, personalised e mail content material to the proper individuals on the proper time.

For instance, meals supply service GrubHub observed I hadn’t used its service recently. So it despatched me an e mail with the header “It’s been too lengthy: allow us to deal with you to a 20% off provide.”

After ignoring Grubhub emails for weeks, it solely took one personalised message to reel me proper again in. Good transfer, Grubhub!

As you’ll see within the subsequent part, I’m not the one client who’s a fan of personalised content material. 🤭

Why behavioral segmentation issues in advertising

Behavioral segmentation is the most effective and most superior technique of offering personalised content material to your viewers. 

Entrepreneurs and shoppers alike love personalization. 

Customized advertising campaigns:

• Cut back buyer acquisition prices by as much as 50%.
• Enhance ROI by 10-30%.
• Enhance your income by 10 – 15%.
• Enhance model loyalty, referrals, and repeat purchases.

For instance, to extend engagement and fundraising, The Fisher Heart wanted a option to personalize communication primarily based on donors’ historical past and pursuits.

The non-profit turned to e mail advertising instruments to tag and section their viewers primarily based on habits corresponding to donation dates.

This personalised method led to a 500% improve in its e mail subscriber record. 

In line with a McKinsey report on personalization, most shoppers (72%) count on companies to cater to their particular person wants and pursuits.

In its report, McKinsey exhibits that almost all shoppers choose personalised content material. 

Right here’s what the common client thinks about personalised advertising:

TIP: Enhance your ROI much more by pairing segmentation with different extremely efficient advertising methods corresponding to appreciative e mail signal offs and model consciousness campaigns.

Kinds of advertising segmentation

There are a lot of methods to section your viewers for personalization, however none is as efficient as behavioral segmentation. 

On the coronary heart of behavioral segmentation lies e mail advertising. 

e mail advertising platform lets you automate the whole course of — from accumulating behavioral information to sending personalised e mail campaigns primarily based on that information. 

Web sites additionally use behavioral segmentation to gasoline their e mail advertising message and to construct dynamic web site content material. 

4 Core varieties of advertising segmentation

#1 – Behavioral segmentation

Behavioral segmentation teams individuals in line with their interactions together with your e mail messages, touchdown pages, and web site.

It’s used to ship personalised e mail content material and supply dynamic web site content material that aligns with shoppers’ pursuits, habits, and place within the purchaser’s journey.

#2 – Demographic segmentation

Demographic segmentation teams individuals by variables corresponding to gender, earnings, degree of schooling, age, and ethnicity. 

It may be useful when creating unique purchaser personas. Nevertheless,  it depends on assumptions that may result in  poorly-matched content material.

For instance, IT Cosmetics despatched an e mail with the header “Rework your confidence with a radiant complexion.” The message assumes that each one ladies search confidence. 

Whereas this can be true for a lot of of its feminine prospects, it’s not true for all ladies — and will flip some individuals away.

Demographic assumptions aren’t at all times a dependable option to personalize advertising content material.

#3 – Geographic segmentation 

Geographic segmentation teams individuals by location and sub-categories like tradition, language, and timezone. 

Geographic segmentation may be useful in figuring out fundamentals corresponding to what language to make use of, what time to ship emails, and what vacation schedules to lean into.

Nevertheless, geographic information factors are obscure and don’t present sufficient info to create a very personalised e mail or web site expertise.

For instance, a meal service utilizing geographic segmentation would possibly promote fried meals to individuals dwelling within the Midwest and wholesome meals to individuals on the West Coast. 

This method could be primarily based on geographic cliches that trigger some readers to rapidly lose curiosity. 

#4 – Firmographic segmentation

Firmographic segmentation is utilized by business-to-business (B2B) corporations. It segments individuals by the traits of their firm, corresponding to trade, firm dimension, progress price, and expertise used.

Should you solely promote to different companies, firmographic information may be very useful.  Nevertheless, firmographic segmentation doesn’t assist corporations that promote on to shoppers. 

Kinds of behavioral segmentation in e mail advertising

Behavioral segmentation in e mail advertising includes grouping subscribers primarily based on their actions and behaviors. 

5 Core varieties of behavioral segmentation for e mail advertising

1 – Engagement degree: Segmenting subscribers primarily based on their interplay with earlier emails, corresponding to:

• Electronic mail opens
• Clicks inside emails 
• Polls and surveys accomplished

2 – Web site exercise: Segmenting subscribers primarily based on their interactions together with your web site, corresponding to:

• Pages visited 
• Merchandise seen
• Actions taken
• Types crammed out
• Deserted carts

3 – Touchdown pages: Segmenting subscribers primarily based on the touchdown pages they reply to, corresponding to:

• Becoming a member of your e mail record
• Scheduling a free session
• Downloading lead era content material
• Signing up for a webinar

4 – Buy habits: Segmenting subscribers primarily based on their buying historical past, which gives info corresponding to:

• New versus repeat prospects
• Buy frequency
• Common order spend
• Favourite product classes 

5 – Purchaser’s journey: Segmenting subscribers primarily based on their stage within the purchaser’s journey, corresponding to:

• Consciousness
• Consideration
• Choice
• Advocacy

Find out how to use behavioral segmentation in e mail advertising

Behavioral segmentation in e mail advertising is an automatic course of. 

As soon as it’s arrange, your e mail advertising program segments your record into smaller teams primarily based on their interactions together with your emails, web site, and touchdown pages. 

Then it sends personalised e mail messages and campaigns to numerous segments of your record.

For instance, think about you run a web based pet provide retailer. Right here’s an instance of how e mail segmentation would possibly enable you to.

Knowledge:

• You discover {that a} group of subscribers persistently opens and clicks on emails about canine coaching merchandise.
• One other group steadily engages with emails about cat-related merchandise.

Segmentation:

• Create a section referred to as “Canine Coaching Fanatics” for the primary group.
• Create a section referred to as “Cat Lovers” for the second group.

Software:

• Ship focused emails about canine coaching suggestions, lessons, and reductions to the Canine Coaching Fanatics section.
• Ship focused emails about toys, treats, and meals to the Cat Lovers section.

Outcomes:

By segmenting your e mail record, you improve the relevance of your messages. This results in elevated engagement, conversions, and gross sales.

Behavioral segmentation works as a result of the emails you ship grow to be extra attention-grabbing to your readers. In order that they’re extra prone to open and skim your messages as an alternative of ignoring them.

Whereas this all would possibly sound like lots of work, it’s a reasonably easy and fast course of that may be totally automated. 

When you create campaigns and set triggers, automation does the remainder of the be just right for you.

Behavioral segmentation in motion

Within the e mail under, Petco shares a 20% low cost with canine homeowners who’ve bought coaching lessons previously. 

This can be a nice instance of purchase-based behavioral segmentation.

Coursera sends personalised suggestions on programs associated to lessons I’ve taken previously.

It’s a wonderful instance of interest-based behavioral segmentation.

Behavioral segmentation can also be used on web sites, separate out of your e mail advertising platform. 

Websites acquire behavioral information and use it to construct dynamic web site content material. This offers guests a personalised expertise.

For instance, once I go to AWeber.com, I’m not greeted with a gross sales web page as a result of the positioning “is aware of” I’m already a buyer. 

As a substitute, I’m welcomed with a login web page and particular occasion invitation. 

Find out how to get began with behavioral segmentation for e mail advertising

To get began with segmented campaigns, be certain that your e mail advertising platform gives the next key options:

• Automated set off campaigns that let you ship automated e mail sequence primarily based on behavioral triggers.

• Touchdown web page integration that allows you to ship automated e mail sequence in response to interplay with touchdown pages.

• Web site integration capabilities that let you ship automated e mail campaigns primarily based on web site exercise.

Should you don’t have these options or for those who haven’t chosen an e mail advertising platform but, take a look at AWeber’s Plus Plan. We offer all of the instruments and options it’s essential to get began with behavioral segmentation.

Relying on which e mail advertising platform you employ, the method of getting began with segmentation might range. 

For instance, AWeber’s easy system of making tags and triggers helps you to rapidly create segmented campaigns primarily based on person habits.

Within the YouTube video under, Kim Mathiot steps you thru utilizing tags to unlock the facility of segmentation.

Behavioral segmentation examples

Beneath are examples of personalised e mail advertising messages utilizing behavioral segmentation. 

Deserted cart e mail instance

Deserted cart emails combine information out of your web site into personalised emails. 

Behavioral set off: Dropping gadgets into a web based purchasing cart however leaving the positioning with out making the acquisition.

Response: Deserted cart e mail encouraging buy.

For instance, have you ever ever acquired an e mail associated to gadgets you dropped into a web based purchasing cart (however by no means bought)?

Buy follow-up e mail instance

Buy follow-up emails verify latest purchases and infrequently immediate readers to purchase extra gadgets.

Behavioral set off: Making a purchase order.

Response: Observe-up e mail to encourage add-on gross sales.

For instance, Instacart grocery supply service sends a affirmation e mail shortly after you faucet “Place your order.” 

The follow-up e mail exhibits a picture of the gadgets you bought, then encourages add-on gross sales with a  “Add Gadgets To Order” CTA.

Welcome e mail instance

Welcome e mail messages (or sequence) are despatched when somebody subscribes to your e mail record. 

Behavioral set off: Joins e mail record.

Response: Welcome e mail.

Within the e mail under, Pottery Barn welcomes me as an e mail subscriber by encouraging me to “Begin Purchasing.”

Reminder e mail instance

Reminder emails assist individuals keep away from falling by the cracks by encouraging them to take a selected motion. 

Behavioral set off: Subscriber inaction associated to a selected occasion.

Response: Reminder e mail.

For instance, I started to enroll in a SimilarWeb free trial as a result of it provided a free report I needed to view. 

However when the signup requested my telephone quantity, I made a decision the report wasn’t well worth the follow-up calls I’d in all probability obtain. So I left the positioning with out finishing the shape. 

In response, I acquired a personalised e mail encouraging me to return.

Software affirmation instance

When somebody submits a type or utility in your web site or in an e mail, a receipt affirmation is often despatched.

Behavioral set off: Submitting an utility.

Response: Thanks on your utility.

For instance, content material advertising group SuperPath requires customers to fill out an utility when becoming a member of its group. 

After the person submits their utility, the model responds with a “Thanks on your utility” e mail.

Beneath is a pattern from Superpath’s utility and its automated e mail response.

Personalizing advertising content material with behavioral segmentation 

Behavioral segmentation is the important thing to unlocking really personalised advertising experiences for shoppers and purchasers. 

By segmenting your record primarily based on private info corresponding to buy historical past, pursuits, and engagement, you possibly can ship tailor-made content material that improves relationships together with your prospects and will increase your ROI.

AWeber’s Plus Plan gives easy however highly effective instruments that make it straightforward to make use of behavior-based advertising automation. Phase subscribers in line with their habits and ship a number of personalised e mail campaigns — on autopilot. 
Able to take pleasure in the advantages of behavioral segmentation and personalised advertising? Join AWeber at this time!