Behavioral segmentation 101: A information for electronic mail entrepreneurs

By Rhonda Bradley June 6, 2024

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

Behavioral segmentation permits you to personalize electronic mail content material in line with customers’ pursuits and conduct. 

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

👉 76% of customers 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 electronic mail messages.

Uncover all the things it is advisable find out about behavior-based advertising, together with:

• What’s behavioral segmentation?
• Why behavioral segmentation issues to entrepreneurs
• Forms of advertising segmentation
• Forms of behavioral segmentation in electronic mail advertising
• How behavioral segmentation is utilized in electronic mail advertising
• Methods to get began with behavioral segmentation for electronic 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.

In consequence, you’ll be able to ship extremely efficient, customized electronic mail content material to the proper folks on the proper time.

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

After ignoring Grubhub emails for weeks, it solely took one customized 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 customized content material. 🤭

Why behavioral segmentation issues in advertising

Behavioral segmentation is one of the best and most superior methodology of offering customized content material to your viewers. 

Entrepreneurs and customers alike love personalization. 

Customized advertising campaigns:

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

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

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

This customized strategy led to a 500% improve in its electronic mail subscriber checklist. 

Based on a McKinsey report on personalization, most customers (72%) anticipate companies to cater to their particular person wants and pursuits.

In its report, McKinsey reveals that the majority customers want customized content material. 

Right here’s what the typical client thinks about customized advertising:

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

Forms 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 electronic mail advertising. 

An excellent electronic mail advertising platform means that you can automate all the course of — from accumulating behavioral information to sending customized electronic mail campaigns primarily based on that information. 

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

4 Core sorts of advertising segmentation

#1 – Behavioral segmentation

Behavioral segmentation teams folks in line with their interactions along with your electronic mail messages, touchdown pages, and web site.

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

#2 – Demographic segmentation

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

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

For instance, IT Cosmetics despatched an electronic mail with the header “Remodel your confidence with a radiant complexion.” The message assumes that every one girls search confidence. 

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

Demographic assumptions are usually not at all times a dependable solution to personalize advertising content material.

#3 – Geographic segmentation 

Geographic segmentation teams folks 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.

Nonetheless, geographic information factors are obscure and don’t present sufficient info to create a really customized electronic mail or web site expertise.

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

This strategy 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 folks by the traits of their firm, corresponding to trade, firm measurement, development price, and know-how used.

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

Forms of behavioral segmentation in electronic mail advertising

Behavioral segmentation in electronic mail advertising entails grouping subscribers primarily based on their actions and behaviors. 

5 Core sorts of behavioral segmentation for electronic mail advertising

1 – Engagement stage: 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 along with your web site, corresponding to:

• Pages visited 
• Merchandise considered
• Actions taken
• Kinds 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 electronic mail checklist
• Scheduling a free session
• Downloading lead technology content material
• Signing up for a webinar

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

• New versus repeat clients
• 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
• Resolution
• Advocacy

Methods to use behavioral segmentation in electronic mail advertising

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

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

Then it sends customized electronic mail messages and campaigns to numerous segments of your checklist.

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

Information:

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

Segmentation:

• Create a section known as “Canine Coaching Fans” for the primary group.
• Create a section known as “Cat Lovers” for the second group.

Utility:

• Ship focused emails about canine coaching ideas, courses, and reductions to the Canine Coaching Fans section.
• Ship focused emails about toys, treats, and meals to the Cat Lovers section.

Outcomes:

By segmenting your electronic mail checklist, 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 change into extra attention-grabbing to your readers. So that they’re extra more likely to open and browse 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 absolutely automated. 

When you create campaigns and set triggers, automation does the remainder of the give you the results you want.

Behavioral segmentation in motion

Within the electronic mail under, Petco shares a 20% low cost with canine house owners who’ve bought coaching courses previously. 

It is a nice instance of purchase-based behavioral segmentation.

Coursera sends customized suggestions on programs associated to courses 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 electronic mail advertising platform. 

Websites accumulate behavioral information and use it to construct dynamic web site content material. This provides 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. 

Methods to get began with behavioral segmentation for electronic mail advertising

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

• Automated set off campaigns that mean you can ship automated electronic mail sequence primarily based on behavioral triggers.

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

• Web site integration capabilities that mean you can ship automated electronic mail campaigns primarily based on web site exercise.

Should you don’t have these options or in the event you haven’t chosen an electronic mail advertising platform but, take a look at AWeber’s Plus Plan. We offer all of the instruments and options it is advisable get began with behavioral segmentation.

Relying on which electronic 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 permits you to rapidly create segmented campaigns primarily based on consumer conduct.

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

Behavioral segmentation examples

Under are examples of customized electronic mail advertising messages utilizing behavioral segmentation. 

Deserted cart electronic mail instance

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

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

Response: Deserted cart electronic mail encouraging buy.

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

Buy follow-up electronic mail instance

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

Behavioral set off: Making a purchase order.

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

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

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

Welcome electronic mail instance

Welcome electronic mail messages (or sequence) are despatched when somebody subscribes to your electronic mail checklist. 

Behavioral set off: Joins electronic mail checklist.

Response: Welcome electronic mail.

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

Reminder electronic mail instance

Reminder emails assist folks keep away from falling via the cracks by encouraging them to take a particular motion. 

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

Response: Reminder electronic mail.

For instance, I started to join a SimilarWeb free trial as a result of it supplied a free report I wished to view. 

However when the signup requested my cellphone 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 electronic mail encouraging me to return.

Utility affirmation instance

When somebody submits a kind or software in your web site or in an electronic mail, a receipt affirmation is often despatched.

Behavioral set off: Submitting an software.

Response: Thanks to your software.

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

After the consumer submits their software, the model responds with a “Thanks to your software” electronic mail.

Under is a pattern from Superpath’s software and its automated electronic mail response.

Personalizing advertising content material with behavioral segmentation 

Behavioral segmentation is the important thing to unlocking actually customized advertising experiences for customers and shoppers. 

By segmenting your checklist primarily based on private info corresponding to buy historical past, pursuits, and engagement, you’ll be able to ship tailor-made content material that improves relationships along with your clients 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. Section subscribers in line with their conduct and ship a number of customized electronic mail campaigns — on autopilot. 
Able to get pleasure from the advantages of behavioral segmentation and customized advertising? Join AWeber at present!