Take Email Sending Personalization To The Next Level

Dear Sir / Madam. Greetings New Customer. These generic email openings are on par with receiving a mailer that is addressed to someone else with a secondary line that reads “or current resident.” The moral of this story is very clear; from the opening line personalization is key to marketing success.

Why Should You Have A Personalized Email Address?

Have you ever received an email from a “do not reply” address? What about an email that is from “sales” or “marketing” or even “contact”? These types of informal email addresses make it hard for you to connect with the brand. After all, if you ever call customer service, chances are that you want to speak to a real person not an automated recording that makes you ferociously punch the pound key in a frustrated effort to find a living soul. Emails from impersonalized addresses can have a similar affect.

Still need convincing that each team member should have a personalized address, even if there is only one person in each department? Here are five reasons why personalization needs to start with your email address.

1. Professionalism. — A branded email is more professional. Simply put, it creates a positive image that is more memorable than an unbranded or generic “sales@yourcompany.com” email address.
2. Add The Human Element. — Even though we live in the digital age, we still want to connect with other people. A personalized email address helps to break down psychological elements by adding a touch of the human element.
3. Credibility. — There are millions of us who remember the days of unwanted spam emails in our inboxes. Those were the days when our emails suddenly ended up on any marketer’s list and we were bombarded with offers that were in different languages. A personalized email address that uses your company’s domain name increases your credibility and trustworthiness in a digital world where unsubscribing is a stark reality.
4. Branding. — Personalized email addresses are part of your company branding. For example, “firstname@yourcompanyname.com” reads differently than “firstname.lastname@yourcompanyname.com” or “firstinitial.lastname@yourcompanyname.com.” In short, your brand is made by paying attention to the smallest details, like your email address.
5. Improves Communication. — Branded email addresses translate into instant recognition, which is a good thing if you want to avoid accidentally ending up in the spam folder. In addition, a branded email makes it easier for people to connect with you on social media networks or via your company’s website.

Taking Personalization To The Next Level

We have an abundant amount of marketing data at our fingertips, and yet, only 5 percent of companies take the time to effectively personalize their content creation efforts. This is a shockingly low figure given that we live in a digital age that caters to the consumer. Sadly, 94 percent of companies recognize the critical importance of personalization and still fail to complete the task. So, what can be done?

Personalization within an email marketing campaign doesn’t have to be a struggle. In fact, your efforts can and should go far beyond a personalized email address or opening with the recipient’s name. You can propel your email marketing and content creation efforts by leveraging the following four tactics.

1. Ask the Right Questions. — Unless you are going to create a separate email campaign for each individual recipient, you will need to segment your audience. In layman’s terms, segmentation will help you to create smaller email lists from individuals with similar characteristics, purchasing histories, or demographics. Asking the right questions can help you to effectively segment your lists for personalization. For example, you might ask why a customer first visited your website or purchased one of your products or services.
2. Build Customer Personas. — Customer personas are built using a multitude of gathered data. Personas are an effective tool to help you better understand the attributes and action-triggers for each marketing group. The more detailed your customer personas are, the easier it will be for your marketing team to create engaging content that resonates strongly.
3. Set Up Automated Behavioral Trigger Emails. — Behavior triggered emails can tell you in real-time how customers are using your products. Did you know that behavior triggered emails have a 152 percent higher open rate than traditional emails? That’s right, this informative communication tool is designed to react to your customers in a personalized fashion that encourages them to re-engage with your brand. Popular uses include: welcome introductions, cross-selling, re-engagement, and up-selling.
4. Match Personalized Emails With Landing Pages. — Personalization can go beyond the consumer data that you have gathered. It can be applied to your business by matching your personalized emails with landing pages. The email and subsequent landing page should have a consistent look that helps the customer have a unified experience. It also streamlines the buying experience and solidifies long term relationships. For example, let’s say that the recipient is a valued business who’s service agreement is about to expire. You could send them the email reminder, as well as a direct link to their renewal offer. All the recipient has to do is sign-in to confirm the renewal and voila the job is done.

Have You Begun Your Journey Towards A More Personalized Service?

For many businesses competition has never been higher. Standing out from the crowd means delivering memorable experiences that make the customer feel appreciated. This appreciation is enhanced through personalization. From your branded email address to your customized landing pages, your customers should feel as if they are dining at a Michelin 3 Star restaurant that anticipates their every want and need.