How many emails do you get in a day? And I mean all of them, not just the ones you want.
How about in a week? Or a month? It’s a lot.
But what is it that makes you open an email? To choose one email over another, and then, once it’s open in front of you to actually read it.
It has to grab your attention, and say something you actually find interesting because with so many emails flying their way into the average inbox, it all becomes white noise.
Plus, it’s getting worse. With companies trying to cut corners and play it cheap with AI, there are more and more emails popping up – and you can tell the difference, right? There may be a whole load of benefits coming from new technologies, but right now, crafting a genuinely engaging communication isn’t one of them!
The challenge is, of course, grabbing that attention and writing that email that jumps out of the pack. Well, I’m up for that challenge! Here’s one of the best methods to achieve better engagement.
It's Time To Get Personal!
The key is email personalisation. I’m not just talking about being smart enough to use a merge tag so you look like you remembered their name; I mean proper, true, personalisation. The kind of email that sounds like a letter between friends – or at least, familiar acquaintances.
It’s about tone of voice, relevance of the content, and timing. A personalised email reads like you are taking some of your precious time to give to that person. It shows respect, consideration, and thoughtfulness.
And it works.
Why Bother?
Is it worth it? One of the reasons a personalised email looks like it takes more effort is because – you guessed it – it takes more effort!
This isn’t some sort of fakery or trick. It’s not a ‘hack’ for the quick improvement of customer relations – it’s taking the time to do something well.
Should you go to all the extra effort to create emails that speak more personably to segments of your audience rather than sending blanket one-size-fits-all communications? Yes, you should. Because:
- It builds a good relationship - Absolutely essential for client retention and future referrals, your business relationships are your business.
- It’s more enjoyable - Work days are long enough and hard enough without adding the trawl of tens of boring emails. Making your emails an entertaining, informative, and compelling read is nice for both you and your reader.
- Personalised emails get a 26% improvement on open rate - They do the job they are designed to do! Surely that’s reason enough.
What Does Personalisation Look Like in Practice
OK, so you’re sold on the idea, but what does it mean? Well, here are a few tips that are relatively easy to follow and make a big difference.
1
Personalise the ‘From’ Field
Don’t just send emails out with your company name. That’s as far from personal as you get. Put a real person’s name there so it comes from a human, maybe even you! Make it so their reply cuts through the administrative tape to land on an actual desk, or at least appear to do so.
2
Maximise the Subject Line
Use their name and acknowledge an event you know is relevant, whether that’s their birthday, an upcoming holiday, or the release of a new book in their favourite series.
3
Remember the Preview Text
That first line is vital! Get in early with the familiarity so it’s seen from the preview window, and they don’t need to open the email to realise you’re on the case.
4
Time Your Emails
Analyse their previous behaviour to improve your email relevance and time them accordingly, and don’t forget those milestones (‘Hey Joe, you’ve been subscribed with us for a year…’)!
5
Follow Up on Activity
Did they buy something from you a week ago? Why not ask them how it’s working out for them and use the opportunity to upsell?
How To Personalise Your Email Marketing
It all sounds great, right? But how to do it.
Data Acquisition
The first thing you need is data, and as much of it as you can gather. Customer data is everywhere as long as you remember to capture it – and you don’t have to push for it.
When they sign up, ask for a few bits of info that’s useful to you, but just a few, because no one wants to spend hours filling in a form to get an email newsletter!
Then, build up the data from their activity. If they buy from you, then you know what they bought and when; if they click through to a landing page, you know what interested them; if they make enquiries, remember their questions.
Segment Your List
If you want to personalise at scale and not write every customer their own email, you need to segment your list into filterable groups. Break down the following:
- Basic data such as:
- Gender
- Age
- Location
- Occupation
- Specific data including:
- Previous purchases
- Interests
- Lead origin (download, newsletter, etc.)
- Personal details (birthday, pets, family setup, and more)
Automate
Effective personalisation and automation go hand-in-hand, and triggers are essential. Consider sending a personalised and relevant email when:
- They click to buy something but don’t complete the transaction
- A consumable they bought a while ago will be close to running out
- It’s been a while since they visited your website
- It’s their birthday (don’t forget a personalised gift offer)
- It’s an anniversary of an event (‘it’s been a year since your last holiday with us’)
Have Somewhere For Them to Land
A broad spread of specific landing pages continues the personalisation once they leave their email and enter your website. Link your personalised emails to the right landing pages to ensure the next step of the experience is relevant.
- Create landing pages to match segments
- Have landing pages to focus on the aspect of a product or service that’s relevant to promote
Be Personable
This final point is all about you – it’s not enough that you got them to read your email. You’ve got to be something to read about that sticks in your mind. Have an identity instead of being another faceless organisation that only cares about their money.
If you care about your customers, they’ll care about you.
Effort In > Reward Out
Personalised emails are not the easiest or fastest way to do email marketing. It can be a bit of a time-consuming headache to get it all set up and sorted, but the rewards make the effort well worthwhile. We live in a digital world of constant unrelenting information that’s only becoming more and more busy – it sometimes needs that extra bit of care to be noticed, and the success rate of personalisation is clear.
Of course, if you want all the benefits of all this great advice but don’t quite have the time to put into it (and with you busy running a business, why would you?), then why not get someone else to do it for you?
I’m Nathan Littleton, and I love personalising emails – you know what to do!
