What do jigsaw puzzle enthusiasts, devoted home chefs and amateur Ukrainian egg decorators have in common?  These are all people we are trying to appeal to with special events in our shop over the next month.  It would be ideal to be able to send out a specialized targeted at those customers who would be most interested our Jigsaw Puzzle Competition, Spring Cooking  School Session, and Ukrainian Egg Decorating Workshop.

But because we have never segmented our e-mail list, we have to send out every message to every customer.  I wish that we had taken the concept of segmentation more seriously when we started compiling the list — but it may not be too late to start.

According to the e-mail marketing firm Constant Contact, “segmentation is the technique of grouping lists of people by their interests and preferences.”  You can then select a certain list for a very focused message, or use all the groups for a general e-mail.

The main advantage of segmentation is that it allows your marketing message to appear to be aimed directly at the consumer receiving it. When you send out a note that the new shipment of Peggy Karr glass has arrived and it goes to a shopper who has shown interest in that line, it is clear that you are paying attention to the customer’s preferences. This type of engagement along the individual’s “passion points” is what makes for successful marketing.

Segmentation also allows you to test a special offer.  For example, you can track whether the group interested in your fashion accessories responds better to an offer in your bath and body department than the group interested in cards and stationery.

How can you segment your mailing list? It has to be done at the time that you are entering the customer’s e-mail address.  It is easiest if you set up just a few lists, rather than many different ones, because you are going to need to ask the customer for his or her preferences.  You don’t want to have an overwhelming number of options.

It’s not too late to start new lists specific to your customers’ special interests, even if you already have a mailing list.  Take a look at the messages you are sending out via e-mail, and whether some of them would benefit from being better targeted. You can then start building specialized lists to augment your general list. Customers love personal attention, and a segmented mailing is one way of giving it to them.

Happy Retailing,

Carol “Orange” Schroeder