Email Segmentation Phase – How to Fill Your Auto-Responder (Part 4)

Email Segmentation Phase – How to Fill Your Auto-Responder (Part 4)

Do you remember those choose your own adventure books? They’re still popular because people like choices.

Yes, sometimes, too many choices cause paralysis, and you want to be careful to avoid giving too many your marketing. But email segmentation, and the segmentation part of your email strategy give people the choices they want. And let you know their interests.

Email segmentation, even though it doesn't make directly, is one of the most exciting phases in your email-marketing strategy.

This is where you re-engage and re-ignite your relationship with your tribe. It’s also where you make yourself relevant and find out what your followers are most interested in, so you can target more effectively and give them what they want.

Unlike the other mails in this “What to send” series, the segmentation phase isn’t executed via your auto-responder.

Instead, it’s done with broadcast mails.

I should clarify; email segmentation is done as part of your auto-responder series, specifically in the ascension series, when you introduce new offers. It’s also the first way readers get into your list. Readers are segmented every time they fill out a lead magnet form on your site.

But this article, and the email segmentation phase, introduces a specific strategy to segment and engage your list. It’s used when an auto-responder series has finished running and the prospect has purchased nothing or ascended to the idea status we discussed here.

That means, eventually, everyone goes into your segmentation bucket because the segmentation phase works with your main broadcast list.

The segmentation phase’s purpose is to place your readers back into an engagement series for other products or services you offer, where you can ascend them once again.

It’s done by driving your list to new free offer landing pages and asking the reader to opt into those lists.

Before I go further, you might wonder, why have them opt in again? Users of marketing automation know that you can track reader behavior with just a link click. But having readers re-enter their information is a powerful psychological tool to reengage your prospect.

It’s the way they met you in the first place, so by forcing the optin, you’re reigniting the spark. Just like date night with a spouse.

Because the goal of segmentation is reengagement, a “value first” strategy makes sense. This isn’t the place to try selling your readers anything. That is the job of your engagement and ascension series.

While several ways to segment exist, here’s a formula that is not only powerful, it allows you to send more emails to your list without burn out. And it’s less work for you. This series sends 3 days in a row, without burning your list. And the best news is you can repeat this pattern with each of your various landing pages.

Mail 1 – The Blind Email

The first email in this series segments your most engaged followers. These are people who don’t care what you’re offering, they want a piece. Your dream clients.

In this mail you’re not telling the reader what they’re opting in for on your landing page. They’ll figure that out when they click the link. The email is just saying, “You have to see this.” And giving them a link to your page.

The beauty of this email is it immediately gets traction with your best prospects, but is easily forgotten by the rest. For this reason, there's much less resistance for email 2…

Mail 2 – The Direct Email

In this mail, you’re sending your readers a direct message about the topic behind your lead magnet. You’ll tell them what they’ll be opting in for, and why. It will specifically target the lead magnet – “Discover your Life’s Purpose in 10 Minutes or Less.”

This message appeals to readers who have an interest in the topic your lead magnet and landing page covers. It doesn’t matter if they remember who you are or not. They have an interest in your topic and you’ll have another chance to work with them through your new engagement series.

Anyone who doesn’t optin at that point either isn’t interested in the topic, or doesn’t know they should be. For that second group, we send…

Mail 3 – The Content Mail

This mail is pure content about whatever your lead magnet addresses. It tells the reader about the topic, and why they should care. It can link to either a blog post about the topic containing links to your landing page. Or it can link to your landing page if you’ve given enough information within the email itself.

The Email Segmentation Phase

These 3 emails each target a different segment of your list and appeal to different levels of engagement with you and your brand. Anyone who hasn’t opted into your new engagement series by now isn’t interested in that topic. They’ll stay in your broadcast list until they can be segmented elsewhere.

Next time you introduce a new lead magnet on a new topic, you can repeat with those readers.

Since the email segmentation phase of your email marketing strategy is a broadcast mail, you can get started today. If you have a new landing page, different from the one your existing list has opted into, why not get those readers reengaged?

If you don’t have a new lead magnet and attraction funnel, it might be time to think about one.

Allowing your readers to choose their own adventure and segmenting your list in the email segmentation phase will make sure your list never grows tired of you. And you’re delivering your tribe the best value at your disposal.