Segment your email list to drive conversions

FAQs

• How do I create email list segments?

  Step 1: Determine your criteria Decide how you'll group your audience based on available customer data. Collect information through signup forms, website analytics, purchase records, and email engagement metrics. Choose criteria that align with your business goals and campaign objectives. E-commerce businesses might prioritize purchase history while B2B companies focus on industry and company size.

  Step 2: Collect and organize data Ensure your website and email platform can capture the data you need. Use your CRM to track customer interactions, behaviors, and preferences. Set up automated workflows that add subscribers to segments based on specific triggers like purchases, page visits, or email clicks. This eliminates manual list management and ensures segments stay current.

  Step 3: Build your segments Use your email marketing platform's segmentation tools to create groups based on your chosen criteria. Mailchimp allows you to create simple segments if you're a beginner, or you can create more complex segments with more specific parameters. More complex audience segments can allow you to further target your audience in unique and engaging ways with content they're actually interested in.

  Step 4: Create targeted content Design emails specifically for each segment. Keep your segment's characteristics in mind when writing subject lines, body copy, and calls-to-action. Use language, imagery, and offers that resonate with each group's needs and preferences. Younger audiences may respond to different messaging than older demographics.

  Step 5: Test and optimize Measure performance metrics including open rates, click rates, conversion rates, and unsubscribe rates for each segment. Use A/B testing to refine your messaging and improve results. Continuously evaluate whether your segmentation criteria effectively identify engaged, high-converting subscribers. Adjust segments as customer behaviors and preferences evolve.

• What segmentation criteria should I start with?

  Begin with demographic data (location, age) and engagement level (active vs. inactive) because this data is easy to collect and immediately actionable. As you build your strategy, add behavioral segments based on purchase history and website activity, then interest-based segments from preference center data.

• How do I segment my audience in Mailchimp?

  To create an audience segment in Mailchimp, navigate to the "Audience" section, then click on "Segments." From here, you can click the "Create segment" button to build different audience groupings. Mailchimp allows you to create simple segments if you're a beginner, or you can create more complex segments with more specific parameters. More complex audience segments can allow you to further target your audience in unique and engaging ways with content they're actually interested in.

• What are the best practices for email list segmentations?

  Start simple, then refine Begin with one or two basic segmentation criteria like location or engagement level. As you collect more data and understand what works, add more sophisticated segments. Starting simple prevents overwhelm and helps you learn which criteria matter most for your audience.

  Keep segments broad enough to be useful Avoid creating segments so narrow they contain too few subscribers to provide meaningful data. Each segment should be large enough to draw insights from performance metrics. Balance specificity with practical size to ensure your segmentation efforts are worth the time invested.

  Regularly clean your list Remove inactive subscribers, hard bounces, and invalid email addresses to maintain list health. Regular cleaning improves deliverability rates and provides more accurate performance data. Set a schedule to review and clean your list quarterly or monthly depending on list size.

  Test different segment combinations Experiment with combining multiple segmentation criteria to create highly targeted micro-segments. For example, combine demographic and behavioral data to target young professionals who frequently engage with specific product categories. Test these combinations to find what drives the best results.

  Use dynamic content Leverage dynamic content blocks that automatically change based on segment membership. This allows you to send one campaign with content that adapts to each recipient's segment, saving time while maintaining personalization. Dynamic content works especially well for product recommendations and location-based offers.

  Monitor and adjust segments over time Customer behaviors and preferences change. Review segment performance regularly and adjust criteria as needed. Move subscribers between segments based on their actions and engagement. Segments should evolve with your audience to remain effective.

• What segmenting options are available at Mailchimp?

  Mailchimp offers a lot of segmenting options that will help you make the most out of your audience. With the right kind of data, you can create focused segments of your contacts for emails, text messages, ads, and surveys. Check out All the Segmenting Options to learn more about creating segments and groups in Mailchimp.

• How do I collect data for segmentation?

  Collect segmentation data through signup forms with optional fields for preferences and interests, website analytics that track browsing behavior, purchase history from your e-commerce platform, email engagement metrics like opens and clicks, and customer surveys that ask about preferences and needs.

• What’s the difference between segmentation and personalization?

  Segmentation groups similar subscribers together to send them relevant campaigns as a group. Personalization customizes individual email content with specific details like names or purchase history. Use both together for maximum impact: segment your list, then personalize content within each segment.

• Can subscribers belong to multiple segments?

  Yes. Subscribers often belong to multiple segments simultaneously based on different criteria. Someone might be in both a geographic segment (New York residents) and a behavioral segment (frequent purchasers). Your email platform should handle overlapping segments and prevent duplicate sends.

• How often should I update my segments?

  Use automated workflows that update segments in real-time based on subscriber actions. Review segment criteria and performance monthly or quarterly to ensure they still align with business goals. Clean your list regularly by removing inactive subscribers and invalid addresses.