One factor that typically sets apart successful businesses from the rest is a dedication to targeting. Many aspects of online business can be improved by narrowing the focus and creating content tailored to a specific audience. Email marketing is no different, with subscribers joining your list for various reasons. When you can segment your list into groups, your messages can speak directly to each segment of the audience. If you operate an e-commerce business and are not yet convinced by email targeting, the following benefits should illustrate why it is proving to be so effective.
Stronger Relationships
Targeting your messages lets you build stronger relationships with subscribers, with the content more likely to hit the mark. Messages sent to a broad crowd might have occasional appeal, but many of the emails won’t feel relevant to most readers. More focused targeting reduces the likelihood an email will have no relevance, so you never interrupt the flow of the relationship. Subscribers will gradually understand they can trust you and the content you send.
Better Responses
Building a relationship is important, but the goal is for people to take action. You want subscribers to open messages, consume the content, and then click a link. After going through this process, you can expect an increased conversion rate from your store. Targeting is useful as you won’t be discussing products that subscribers aren’t interested in. You can use your store data to find relationships between certain products and their categories, ensuring people are likely to be interested in supplementary offers you send.
Higher Earnings
Targeted emails ensure you get the most income from each message. Along with recommending the most appropriate products, you can also tailor messages for specific circumstances. A subscriber who has yet to purchase a product, for example, could be enticed with a discount code. Alternatively, when a customer makes a purchase, sending a promotion for a supplementary product can increase their overall value. There is almost always an offer that will resonate with a subscriber, with targeting helping to increase the odds of a purchase.
Improved Retention Rates
Securing a sale is the most difficult aspect of e-commerce. When you have a new customer, though, it becomes far easier to get them to buy more. Of course, you need to provide an exceptional service, including quality products and fast customer support. You can, however, continue to promote related products and drive up the lifetime customer value. Targeting ensures you can retain many of your customers by sending content that relates to their interests.
Greater Flexibility
Segmented messages are less restrictive than broader emails sent to an entire list. As you are sending different content to smaller groups, you can analyze results and find alternative approaches. You may find that you get a positive response rate when you send messages at a certain time of the week, allowing you to test this out across the whole list. Most store owners would be reluctant to try new approaches for their whole list, but segmented groups allow for more experimentation.
Most e-commerce stores will face a lot of competition. Setting up a store is fairly straightforward, with tools making it accessible to almost everyone. It is also possible to drop ship products or sell private label items, reducing the need to invest in product development. One area an e-commerce store can gain an edge, though, is by communicating in the right way. Email targeting enhances communication as you are not attempting to reach a diverse group of people. Instead, you can tailor your messages to specific groups, ensuring your marketing messages get the right response every time.
