So if you aren’t slicing and dicing your email database into various segments and tailoring the content in your emails to those individual groups of contacts, we think you could use some convincing. Read on to find out why all marketers should be segmenting their email communications.
TL;DR: Email list segmentation helps teams send relevant emails
Email list segmentation is the practice of dividing subscribers into smaller groups based on traits like customer type, sales cycle stage, and interests so you can send more relevant emails. Segmented emails can improve engagement, deliverability, click-through rates, and revenue because they match each audience segment with content that fits their needs.
Your Buyers Aren’t All the Same
Here’s the reality: most businesses, whether B2B or B2C, don’t cater to just one type of customer, even if they do only sell one product or service. There is no one-size-fits-all customer, and there are usually several ideal customers for any given business.
If you own a plumbing company, for example, you might cater to the landlord of a big apartment building as well as the owner of a single-family home. These are two very different types of customers who have very different problems and needs, meaning they should be treated quite differently, right? So if you were doing some email marketing to these two target customers, blanketing them with the same, broad message wouldn’t be as effective as sending each a targeted email that spoke to their specific problems and needs.
If you were the owner of a single-family home (hey, maybe you actually are!), which of the following two emails would you be more interested in opening? One that promised to provide you with 10 general tips for unclogging drains, or one that is offering 10 tips for unclogging household drains, specifically written to address the problems a homeowner would have? It may sound trivial, but that second email, when sent to a targeted list of homeowners, would perform much better than a broad, general message to an entire list of email contacts.
If you haven’t already, determine who your various segments of target customers are. These are also known as buyer personas. Once you figure out which types of individuals make up your customer base as a whole, segmenting becomes much more understandable and easier.
The beauty of segmentation is that the possibilities are endless. You can identify three or four general personas, or get more granular with each of those, splitting them into even more targeted groups and making your segmentation even more effective.
Your Contacts Are at Different Points in the Sales Cycle
Here’s another reality: Your email database is made up of contacts who are at varied stages of interaction with your business. This means your contacts are at different points in the sales cycle, and they require different types of information and communication depending on which point they’re at. Let’s revert to our plumbing example for a second.
See that guy on your list, Type ‘A’ Tom? Type ‘A’ Tom is on your list because he opted in to your email database after reading a general article on your blog about plumbing best practices. He just bought a new house, and ever since, he’s been scouring the web, reading up on various preventative measures he can take to properly maintain his new abode. None of his drains are clogged (yet), and he’s not in the market for a plumber at this time. Now let’s take a look at your email list again.
See Frantic Fred? He just redeemed three separate offers on your website about how to unclog a stubborn drain, bought three different kinds of liquid plumber at the local hardware store based on the recommendations in your ebook, and his drain still isn’t budging. His wife told him that if she can’t take a shower by the time she gets back from her business trip, he’s in the dog house. Seems like Fred might be much closer to making a purchasing decision than Tom, huh? Don’t you think your email to Fred should provide targeted content that caters to someone who is in that stage of the sales cycle, rather than an email written with general content in an attempt to also include Tom?
In other words, failing to use email to take advantage of prospects’ differing wants and needs depending on their stage in the sales cycle is a huge missed opportunity.
Your Email Reputation Will Improve
When you send targeted, segmented emails to your audience, your emails are naturally more engaging to that audience.
For example, if you sat down to write an email to people on your list like Frantic Fred, and you have a much better understanding of who they are and what they’re looking for at that moment, you’ll be able to craft compelling copy that truly speaks just to all those Freds.
And if you stick to this practice, over time, those Freds and Toms of the world will start to realize that every time they get an email from you, they know the content will be interesting to them because it always has been.
In other words, you’ll reap the benefits of a great sender reputation among your audience. If you think about all the emails you receive as a buyer, aren’t the ones you open time and time again the ones whose content always seems to appeal to you? Those vendors are likely doing some great segmentation and targeting!
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So, Why Aren’t More Marketers Leveraging Segmentation?
Segmentation doesn’t come without its challenges. Remember how we mentioned that 52% of marketers say they have a great need to improve email database segmentation? Well, that’s probably because it’s not easy. Segmentation can feel challenging because it often requires you to:
- Define clear buyer personas
- Map contacts to sales cycle stages
- Choose the right ways to segment your list
- Use software that can manage segmentation at scale
When it comes to the number of different ways you can slice and dice an email list, the possibilities are endless. HubSpot helps marketing teams build and manage email segments using CRM data, so segmentation becomes practical instead of manual. We’ve continued to invest in our email marketing tools to make this easier for teams of every size.
Furthermore, in order to craft compelling email messages for each of your targeted segments, you also need the content to back it up. This means you need to spend the time to tailor your content and offers to suit each of your segments, and we all know how time-consuming content creation can be.
Frequently Asked Questions About Email List Segmentation
How do you segment an email list?
You segment an email list by grouping contacts based on shared traits like buyer type, stage in the sales cycle, engagement, or interests, so you can send more relevant emails to each group. Start with the data you already have, then build segments around audience needs and behavior.
What are the 4 types of segmentation?
The four main types of email list segmentation are demographic, behavioral, lifecycle, and psychographic. Some marketers also use geographic data as an additional segmentation layer.
Why is email list segmentation important?
Email list segmentation matters because it helps you send more relevant messages, which can improve opens, clicks, deliverability, and revenue. Research consistently shows that targeted emails outperform broad sends.
How is email segmentation different from email personalization?
Segmentation divides your audience into groups, while personalization tailors the message for an individual within that group. In practice, segmentation decides who gets the email, and personalization shapes what they see in it.
Does email list segmentation improve deliverability?
Yes, email list segmentation can improve deliverability because more relevant emails tend to earn better engagement and fewer unsubscribes, which supports a stronger sender reputation. That makes inbox placement more likely over time.
What is the 80/20 rule in email marketing?
The 80/20 rule in email marketing usually means most results come from a smaller share of your audience or campaigns, so it makes sense to identify and prioritize your highest-value segments. Segmentation helps you find those groups and send them more relevant content.
Make Email Segmentation a Core Part of Your Strategy
The data is clear: segmented emails drive higher open rates, better deliverability, and significantly more revenue than broad, untargeted sends. But beyond the numbers, segmentation is really just good marketing — it’s the practice of treating your audience like the distinct individuals they are, rather than one undifferentiated mass.
Getting started doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Begin with the data you already have. Group your contacts by buyer type, sales cycle stage, or engagement level, and tailor your messaging from there. Even basic segmentation will outperform a one-size-fits-all approach, and you can get more granular over time as you learn what resonates with each group.
The challenge for most teams isn’t understanding why segmentation matters. It’s finding the tools to make it manageable at scale. HubSpot’s email marketing tools make it easy to build and manage segments directly from your CRM data, so you can send the right message to the right person without the manual lift. The result is an email program that works harder for your business with every send.
Editor's note: This post was originally published in August 2017 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.
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