Personalization in email marketing begins before a customer even opens the message. Why Personalization Is Important in Email Marketing . starting with who it’s from and the subject line.
Personalization can be as simple as adding the name of the customer’s sales manager to the From line. Now the email feels personal whatsapp data and important, rather than just a mass mailing from the company.
The subject line is another important personalization opportunity that can influence whether a customer opens or deletes your email.
For example, imagine a customer was browsing your clothing site looking for a new wool sweater. You run a 25% off sale and send an email with the subject line: 25% off for a limited time.
While the subject line follows all the rules of good email copywriting (short, creates a sense of urgency, uses numbers), it may not speak directly to the customer.
Now let’s take a look at this personalized theme: 25% off your cozy wool sweater. Get it before they’re gone.
Yes, it’s longer
But it gets the most important finalizing a sale is a fundamental step in any business information out there if the subject line gets cut off. And it tells the customer exactly what they want to know.
When a customer opens the email, instead of seeing generic images of the most popular products that may not resonate, they see this sweater in their chosen color. And it can be perfectly paired with a pair of pants or insulated leggings. Now you have a winning strategy that can make the customer say, “I have to buy this now while it’s available.”
The Psychology of Email Personalization
In addition to consumers not wanting to waste time searching for relevant information in an email, personalization appeals to their desire to develop relationships.
Email personalization is based canada email lead on deep research into consumer psychology. There are several factors that explain why personalization is so effective.
- Curiosity: People are naturally curious. By leveraging this quality, brands can create headlines that make consumers wonder what the email is about. This can lead to higher click-through rates because consumers want to know what they don’t already know. This is why question headlines work so well.
- Social Proof: Let’s go back to the wool sweater example. The company may be offering a best price every day, which means there’s no discount to entice the first purchase. So they have to find another way to engage the customer. They add short, clear testimonials to the product. For example, you could now write a headline: “The warmest sweater this winter.” Or use the customer’s location if there’s social proof related to their region: “Every Minnesotan needs this sweater” – customer testimonial. Social proof helps customers find each other and see how your products are being used.
Emotions:
The main difference between humans and the rest of the animal kingdom is our ability to feel and empathize. Using emotions in emails can motivate consumers to take action. We don’t want to miss out on anything, so emotions related to excitement, intrigue, and anticipation work well in email marketing. Stories are another powerful tool for reaching customers through emotions. Humor also affects emotions by creating entertainment and lightness.
- Connect: Consumers want to feel that a brand’s goals align with their own life goals. For example, companies that focus on sustainability resonate with consumers because their priorities align. You can highlight these aspects of your company to consumers who are interested in such social involvement.
How to Set Up Personalization in Email Marketing Properly
Personalization in email marketing is data-driven. To do it right, you need effective forms, on-site behavior tracking, advanced marketing automation systems, and marketers who know how to analyze and use that data.
1. Effective forms
Email subscription forms are a quick and easy way to gather information about your customers. While asking for just an email can speed up the process, it won’t help you reach your customer effectively.
Ask for additional fields, such as name, location, and non-obtrusive interests. Make sure the information you ask for in the form is what the customer is willing to provide.
All additional questions should be strictly relevant to your brand. Don’t add fields just because you’ve seen them on other forms.
2. Tracking behavior on the site
Once you have a known visitor through online forms, you can start tracking their behavior on the site to better understand their interests. This requires good technology on your site and in your CRM to recognize and collect this information.
Once you start collecting this data, you’ll see how useful it can be for learning about your customers, such as what products they like and what topics they’re interested in. That way, you can send them more targeted emails, like the wool sweater they reviewed.
3. Advanced Marketing Automation Systems
Your marketing automation system should have deep integration with your CRM and eCommerce platform/website. This will give you access to all customer data and allow you to segment your marketing lists accordingly.
Combining your data sources will give you a clearer picture of who your customer is and what drives them.
This will also allow you to send messages based on specific information about the customer, such as where they live and what products they buy. For example, you could send a customer interested in a wool sweater a review from someone in the same area.
Personalization in email marketing varies depending on the capabilities of the automation system. Some systems only allow basic personalization, such as adding the customer’s name or using segmented subject lines. More advanced systems can dynamically insert product images or create a list of relevant blogs based on browsing history.