Email Marketing: Personalize with Segmentation and Automation

Episode 20 of Landscape Digital Show reveals how to personalize your email marketing messaging with segmentation and automation.

Our recent landscape industry digital marketing survey results indicate a high-level of interest in email marketing. And the data suggests why.

• Less than 16% of landscape companies have segmented email lists.
• Only 6% of landscape companies are using marketing automation.

Let’s forget about email for a minute and start at the beginning with the customer list. That asset is the lifeblood of your business and always has been, long before email. You should treat it like gold in every way.

Make sure the data is backed up. Do not abuse your list by sending excessive marketing messages. And if you are using email, be sure you are regularly verifying the accuracy for each and every customer.

If you have more than one list you are using segmentation. It’s usually segmented between customers and non-customers, better known as leads.

Now, let’s say some of those leads take an action to engage with your business further. Maybe they click on a link in your blog post or email newsletter. Marketing automation can attach an ID or tag to their email address for taking that one single action.

Tagging can also simultaneously initiate an action in response to theirs.

1. Add them to a 3rd list, such as buyers with verified interest.
2. Email them a gift, such as a discount code applicable to their first purchase
3. Queue them up to receive a personal phone call from your sales team.

Let’s go with the simplest action, the first one, and just add them to a new list that we’ll call prospective buyers.

The point is you have to treat these three lists accordingly

You don’t sell to customers so much as you present them with buying opportunities that you know are right for them based upon past buying behavior.

Prospective buyers have demonstrated they are not tire-kickers. So they deserve personalized attention too. Maybe that’s a limited time offer.

You probably do not want to make that same offer to your list of leads because they may not be ready for it. Instead, nurture that lead list. Educate them with good information and they will take action when they are ready.

This is one reason why your marketing has to be consistent. Some will be ready soon. Whereas, it may take years for others to step up. During that time some will drop off. It’s all OK.

Show Notes

If you have been thinking ahead, you have already figured out that you can have anyone on a list tagged by interests, such as residential or commercial or both. This is another way to personalize your messaging.

We’ll greatly appreciate it if you head over to Landscape Digital Show on iTunes and give it an honest rating and review. Thank you for listening and subscribing!