Definition
Personalization goes beyond inserting a first name into the subject line. It uses subscriber data to deliver content, offers, and timing that are relevant to each individual. Effective personalization increases open rates, click-through rates, and conversions while reducing unsubscribe rates.
Key Tips
- Start with the basics: Use the subscriber's first name in the greeting and subject line, but do not overuse it.
- Segment by behaviour: Send different content to people who clicked versus those who did not. Follow up based on their actions.
- Use purchase history: Recommend products based on what the subscriber previously bought. Post-purchase follow-up emails have strong conversion rates.
- Personalise send times: Send emails when each subscriber typically opens them by using send-time optimization features.
- Use dynamic content: Show different content blocks to different subscriber segments within the same email campaign.
- Respect privacy: Only use data that subscribers have knowingly shared. Being overly personal can feel invasive.
Related Glossary Terms
A/B Testing
A/B testing in email marketing is the practice of sending two variations of an email to a small sample of your list to determine which version performs better before sending the winner to the remaining subscribers.
Announcement Email
An announcement email is a dedicated campaign that communicates a specific update, milestone, or change to subscribers, from product launches and feature releases to company news and events.
B2B Email Marketing
B2B email marketing targets business professionals and organisations with longer sales cycles, educational content, and relationship-driven campaigns compared to B2C email.
B2C Email Marketing
B2C email marketing focuses on sending targeted promotional and transactional emails to individual consumers, emphasising personalisation, urgency, and direct response.
Buyer Persona for Email Marketing
A buyer persona is a semi-fictional representation of an ideal email subscriber based on data, research, and behavioural insights used to target and personalise campaigns.
Campaign Payback Period (Email)
The campaign payback period is the number of sales or amount of revenue needed to recover the full cost of creating, producing, and sending an email campaign.