When Is It Too Early to Segment Your Email Subscribers?

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05/26/21 • 15 min

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When do you segment email subscribers? When exactly is the right time to start? On day one? When you reach your first 2,000 subscribers? Or maybe 20,000?

Well, it depends...

If you're wondering whether segmenting your list is something you should have on day one or something you should do now or maybe never, tune into this episode to help you make a decision.

(2:25) Are you as excited about Email Marketing Wednesday as Kennedy is?

(3:40) What does segmenting your list even mean?

(5:50) When and how you segment your list depends on what you sell (with examples!)

(7:52) List segmentation when you sell products with a broad range.

(8:24) What does 'segmenting by interest' mean?

(10:12) Three types of segments you need - Segment Number One.

(10:49) Three types of segments you need - Segment Number Two.

(11:25) Three types of segments you need - Segment Number Three.

(12:20) How to segment your subscribers.

(14:10) Subject line of the week.

What is email segmentation?

What even is email segmentation?

All it means, effectively, is taking your list and dividing it into parts - or segments - a bit like an orange.

So if you have different people on your list with different needs, hopes, desires, and interests, splitting them into segments allows you to give each of these groups the best possible service.

Because if they have different needs and interests when it comes to your business, saying the same things in the same order and using the same angle and approach isn't really going to work, is it? If they're the same type of people, by all means, treat them in the same way. But if they're not, then you need to communicate to these people in different ways.

And that's where segmentation comes in.

When should you start to segment email subscribers?

Want to know the truth? Email segmentation freaks a lot of people out. And it's understandable.

You're probably wondering whether it's too early or too late for you to get started. Is your list too small? Too big? When is it just right?

You see, email segmentation is a very powerful tactic to make sure you're constantly putting the right messaging in front of the right people.

If you've ever heard anyone say that you don't need any type of email segmentation until you reach 20,000 subscribers, well, that's a really broad and arbitrary statement to make. Because potentially, you could be in a situation where you have just a handful of subscribers, but they are different types of people with different needs.

And if that's the case, then you need segmentation from day one. So the right time to segment your list depends on the type of people you serve and the products or services you offer.

Why you need to segment email subscribers based on their interests

If you sell a product with a broad range, you might want to segment people based on their interests. Let's say you sell baby gifts and keepsakes. You can segment your subscribers depending on whether they have a boy or a girl or how old their baby is, for example.

In this context, interest means more than hobbies. It means knowing who your subscribers are and what they're going to be interested in when it comes to what you sell.

So if you offer salsa dancing, you might have products or services tailored to beginners, intermediate, or advanced dancers. There is zero point in telling the beginners about stuff that's really complicated because they're not going to be interested!

If that's you - if your business works a bit like that - then you can start segmenting your list on day one. And if you don't, you're potentially doing your audience a disservice. When you think about it, if you try and sell them something that isn't at their level or doesn't match their needs, they won't be interested.

In other words, if you tell people about the wrong stuff, you're going to alienate them. But on the other hand, segmenting your list will help you identify people and serve them the best.

Three email segments you should have in your list

So here are three segments we think you should have:

People who have already bought what you're selling. For example, if someone buys our Complete Daily Email Strategy Course, we don't want them to continue receiving promotional emails about it, so we have a specific segment for people who have already bought that product.
Anyone who told you the...

When do you segment email subscribers? When exactly is the right time to start? On day one? When you reach your first 2,000 subscribers? Or maybe 20,000?

Well, it depends...

If you're wondering whether segmenting your list is something you should have on day one or something you should do now or maybe never, tune into this episode to help you make a decision.

(2:25) Are you as excited about Email Marketing Wednesday as Kennedy is?

(3:40) What does segmenting your list even mean?

(5:50) When and how you segment your list depends on what you sell (with examples!)

(7:52) List segmentation when you sell products with a broad range.

(8:24) What does 'segmenting by interest' mean?

(10:12) Three types of segments you need - Segment Number One.

(10:49) Three types of segments you need - Segment Number Two.

(11:25) Three types of segments you need - Segment Number Three.

(12:20) How to segment your subscribers.

(14:10) Subject line of the week.

What is email segmentation?

What even is email segmentation?

All it means, effectively, is taking your list and dividing it into parts - or segments - a bit like an orange.

So if you have different people on your list with different needs, hopes, desires, and interests, splitting them into segments allows you to give each of these groups the best possible service.

And that's where segmentation comes in.

When should you start to segment email subscribers?

Want to know the truth? Email segmentation freaks a lot of people out. And it's understandable.

You're probably wondering whether it's too early or too late for you to get started. Is your list too small? Too big? When is it just right?

You see, email segmentation is a very powerful tactic to make sure you're constantly putting the right messaging in front of the right people.

And if that's the case, then you need segmentation from day one. So the right time to segment your list depends on the type of people you serve and the products or services you offer.

Why you need to segment email subscribers based on their interests

In this context, interest means more than hobbies. It means knowing who your subscribers are and what they're going to be interested in when it comes to what you sell.

In other words, if you tell people about the wrong stuff, you're going to alienate them. But on the other hand, segmenting your list will help you identify people and serve them the best.

Three email segments you should have in your list

So here are three segments we think you should have:

People who have already bought what you're selling. For example, if someone buys our Complete Daily Email Strategy Course, we don't want them to continue receiving promotional emails about it, so we have a specific segment for people who have already bought that product.
Anyone who told you the...

Previous Episode

How to grow your email list when you have less than 10k Instagram Followers, Helen Perry spills all.

Instagram. We all faff around with it. But can you actually leverage your Instagram following to make sales? You certainly can. But only if you're clever about driving people to your email list. So if you want to find out how to use Instagram to successfully grow your email list, Helen Perry spills all the secrets for us today.

You just don't want to miss this episode (and Kennedy's mind explosion!).

Ready to become Insta famous?

Well, we are!

SOME EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

(2:45) Two lies a truth. Did someone say something about STIs?

(4:50) Is Instagram still a place where you can grow an engaged audience?

(6:32) Why you can't afford to 'abdicate' on your audience.

(9:50) Where and how you should tell your audience on about your email list.

(10:48) The type of Instagram content that gets people's attention.

(12:28) The mindblowing truth about the Question Sticker.

(14:17) How to properly use your link in bio to grow your email list.

(15:30) How to create urgency for people to join your email list (and Kennedy's mind explosion!)

(17:28) How often you should ask for people's email address on Instagram. (19:22) Subject line of the week - Helen style!

Are Instagram and email marketing a match made in sales heaven?

With close to 14k Instagram followers, former BBC Radio One Helen Perry helps people build an Instagram following and make money from social media. Because guys, it's really not just about looking lovely and having your ego stroked. It's about selling, right?

The great news is that if you have an Instagram audience it's absolutely possible to leverage it to support your business. But, Helen says, you've got to be intentional about what you do and have realistic expectations. Because the platform has its limitations when it comes to how well people are going to get to know, like, and trust you, and how much of your content they're going to see.

But the place where you can really get your audience's attention is their inbox. Once people give you their email address, they're more committed to you than someone who just follows you on Instagram. These are the people who will spend money in your business.

So drive your Instagram audience to your email list. And keep plugging on and working on this because the minute you start neglecting your Instagram community, your engagement will drop. And you don't want to undo all your hard work, do you? We love that Helen even has a name for this - 'social media abdication'.

How to use your Instagram profile to grow your email list, Helen Perry style

First thing first, create a great offer for your audience.

Simple, right?

What does your audience love about what you do? What are they interested in? And what do they want more of?

For Helen, it's her weekly newsletter, which she sends out every Friday, packed with tips and inspiration for people who want to build an online profile to promote their business. And because the newsletter goes out every week without a fail, Helen gets the chance to talk about it all the time - to create that sense of urgency that prompts people to join before Friday so they can get all the good stuff in their inbox.

Isn't that pretty great?

So create a lead magnet or some sort of incentive to encourage people to give you their email address. But remember - it has to be valuable to them!

How to drive your Instagram audience to your email list

So how and where do you ask your Instagram audience to give your their email address?

The best place to do this, according to Helen, is Instagram Stories. Here's where you can share a few slides about it is that you're offering and talk people through it, rather than making them read lots of text. Be fully transparent about what people are signing up for and invite them to DM you and give you their email address with their permission to add them to your email list.

You can also do this with a feature called Question Sticker. And of course, once you reach 10k followers, you unlock the Swipe Up feature, which allows you to send people directly to your email sign-up form. Brilliant!

But another obvious and easily accessible place to promote your email list is the link in bio. So use it wisely! Don't just dump your website address in there. Don't make people do the hard work of navigating around your website to find out where they sign up! Instead, change your link in bio often and have your email sign-up form link in there.

How often should you ask for people's email ...

Next Episode

Subscriber-Centric Email Marketing with Kath Pay, author of Holistic Email Marketing

Struggling to get results with your email marketing? Tried all the tactics but not getting the sales you want? Then let's hear about holistic email marketing - Kath Pay is here to share all her best-kept secrets...

And you'll want to hear them all!

SOME EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

(2:30) Two lies a truth. Did Kath really get sunburnt from falling asleep in the garden?

(4:05) What is customer centricity?

(7:14) Why focus on the customer journey?

(9:00) How email impacts sales on other channels.

(13:04) Why you should name things for what they are!

(14:40) How being customer-centric changes how you write your content.

(15:40) Why you always need to convert facts into benefits.

(17:30) The reason behind the names of our email campaigns.

(19:00) How to create an email marketing strategy for your business.

(22:25) Subject line of the week with Kath Pay.

What is customer-centricity?

Kath Pay has 23 years of experience in email marketing and is the author of the fantastic book, "Holistic Email Marketing: A practical philosophy to revolutionise your business and delight your customers." In this mega interesting interview, Kath told us all about customer-centric email marketing.

The phrase might sound scary, but all it means is having the customer at the heart of your email programme. Your customer has to be top of mind at all times!

When doing email marketing, however, a lot of businesses tend to become very brand-centric - we focus on what we want to say to our customers and on what we want them to do. But according to Kath, we should be flipping things around.

Start from the customer. Why are they on your list? What did we promise them when they signed up? What is going to be meaningful to them?

As a brand, we have an objective, and that's generally to sell. But our subscribers have one too - they have a reason for being on your list. So how can you deliver on your promise and help them achieve that objective?

This thing about goals is like a double-sided coin. On the one side, you have your business goal. On the other side, you have your subscribers' goals. So instead of approaching email marketing with your own agenda and focusing on selling and pushing, walk to the other side of the coin. Grab your customers by the figurative hands and work out how you're going to help them achieve their objective. And by default, you'll achieve yours too.

Awesome, right?

Why do you need a holistic approach to email marketing?

When we run our businesses we tend to focus on the various channels (organic search, PPC, social media, etc.). Then we try and get the channels to talk to each other and connect. But really, the angle we should be considering instead is how to help our customers throughout their journey.

Ask yourself - what channels are going to be best at what particular points? Having a holistic approach to email marketing means focusing on the customer journey, not the channels.

Kath shared a story about a client who noticed an unexplained dip in sales in one of their channels on a particular day. After further investigation, it turned out the dip was due to an email not being sent out on that day. And that impacted sales in other channels! This proves that email marketing doesn't act in isolation - email pushes conversion in other channels.

Customer-centric email marketing in action

Ready to switch to customer-centric email marketing? Then the first thing you want to do is to start calling things for what they are. For example, your welcome sequence does a lot more than just welcoming your subscribers. It's also about onboarding and nurturing. So why not refer to your welcome sequence as your 'First Purchase Programme' instead? Because that's your aim, right?

Once you're super clear on your aims and your customers' goals, coming up with copy for your emails is a lot easier. Because you are definitely welcoming your customers, but you are also educating them on the solutions that your product and services offer.

And when you focus on this, you give your emails a different feel and focus. And ultimately, a better success rate too. Being customer-centric changes how we write things. According to Kath, we should never just talk about facts. Instead, we should be explicit in talking about the benefits we're offering our customers.

If you've won an award, for example, (like Kath has) how is that of interest to your customers? How is it going to help them? Your job is to expand on it. You're the director of the customer journey, so spell it all out for them. If you're talking to a client or a prospective client, the fact you've won an award tells them they'r...