The Warm Fuzzy Feeling of Email Personalization
Jun 13, 2023
It is harder than ever to get the attention of your customers and potential customers. This holds even more true when fighting for their time (and money) inside their email inbox.
With the average person receiving over 100 emails per day, any edge an email marketer can create for themself is key.
Email personalization is one strategy that can help set you apart from your competition that are sending generic, mass-produced emails to their entire customer base.
And guess what? It can actually improve the overall effectiveness of your email campaigns which will help your business generate more sales.
Does this sound good? Let’s dive in.
What is email personalization
Email personalization is an email marketing strategy where you tailor the content of an email to the specific interests and preferences of your individual recipient.
This email marketing strategy involves using information that you’ve gathered from each person to create a unique message that addresses your customer in a direct 1:1 way. This could include data such as their name, gender, location, purchase history, actions performed within your app or even their birthday.
Email personalization makes each email… personal.
Imagine you’re an email company (like Loops!), you could use email personalization to send an email to a new customer who has recently signed up for a free trial, personalized with their name and information about their company that they provided during onboarding on how the platform can help them automate repetitive emails and save time and money.
The email could also include links to relevant resources, such as a guide to setting up email automation that would be most beneficial to them.
Email personalization is more than just showing you care. It can actually lead to significant increases in revenue. A recent study showed that personalization can actually lead to a whopping 40% increase in revenue and that 71% of consumers actually expect personalization in your communications to them.
That means that by neglecting to add some very basic rules of personalization into your emails you may actually be damaging your relationship with your customers or potential customers.
By utilizing personalization you can give your customers the feeling that you truly care about them and that you appreciate their business.
This will lead to a much deeper connection with your customers, higher response rates to emails, improved retention and potential referrals.
All of this can add up to additional sales for your business. It’s a win-win for everyone.
Warm fuzzy feeling for your customers. Increased revenue for your business.
Personalized email examples
There are many ways to make an email personalized and the specific techniques used can vary depending on the situation and the goals of the sender.
Personalized emails could include the recipient’s name in the subject line or body of the email, birthday discounts, or even product recommendations (similar to what you may see while browsing your Instagram feed).
Additionally, using dynamic content that changes based on the recipient's actions or behavior can also make an email feel more personalized and relevant. For example, if a recipient has previously shown an interest in a certain product or category (see sports eCommerce store example above), the email could display personalized recommendations for similar products.
Ultimately, the key to successful email personalization is to use the right combination of techniques to create a unique and engaging experience for the recipient.
Some common examples of personalized emails include:
Using the recipient's name in the subject line or body of the email: "Hi [Name], thanks for signing up for our newsletter!"
Addressing the recipient in a friendly and informal tone in the body of your email: "Hi there [Name], we wanted to reach out and thank you for your recent purchase."
Using personal details or preferences that the recipient has shared with the sender, such as their location, interests, or purchase history, to tailor the content of the email: "We noticed that you're located in [City], so we thought you might be interested in our upcoming event in your area."
Using dynamic content that changes based on the recipient's actions or behavior, such as displaying different product recommendations based on the recipient's recent browsing or purchase history. This may be a great opportunity to upsell as you are able to see previous purchases and get a feel for the customer’s interests/plans with the previous purchase.
By adding this extra layer of personalization to your emails you are showing your customers that they are truly valued and that their individual business is important to you.
Why is email personalization important
Email personalization is important for several reasons.
First and foremost, it can increase the open rate of your emails. A study from Experian indicates that a personalized email subject line can lead to a 29% higher unique open rate and 41% higher click rate. Ensuring that your emails are consistently read should be priority #1 for your business.
Secondly, it can improve the customer experience by making the email feel more relevant and targeted to the individual recipient. This can also make the recipient more likely to engage with the content of the email (higher click rate and sales conversion rate).
Additionally, personalization can help to build trust and strengthen the relationship between a business and its customers. By showing that you understand the needs and preferences of your customers, you can create a more positive impression and encourage customers to continue doing business with you.
Finally, personalization can also help to improve the effectiveness of your emails by making them more likely to be seen as relevant and valuable by the recipients. This can ultimately lead to better results in terms of engagement, conversion, and overall success.
For example, if you run an eCommerce store for sports equipment and notice that one of your customers is always buying basketball gear, sending them a promotional email with basketball content and deals will likely outperform a promotional email that includes ice hockey material.
How to begin implementing email personalization
Adding personalization and care to your email marketing efforts doesn’t have to be hard. With a little work up front you will be in a great position to benefit going forward.
Here are some steps you can take to begin implementing email personalization into your marketing strategies:
Start by gathering as much information as possible about your customers. This can include their name, location, interests, birthdate, past behavior, and any other relevant but acceptable data.
Use this information to segment your email list into smaller groups of recipients who share similar characteristics or attributes. This will make it easier to send targeted and relevant content to each group without needing to send completely individual emails.
When creating your email campaigns, make sure to include the recipient's name in the subject line and/or the body of the email. This can help to grab their attention and make the email more engaging. This can be easily done through the use of a merge tag when using an email service provider like Loops.
Personalize the content of the email based on the recipient's interests or preferences. For example, if you know that a recipient is interested in a particular product or service, tailor the content of the email to highlight that product or service.
Consider using dynamic content that changes based on the recipient's information. This can be used to display personalized product recommendations following a recent purchase, for example.
Use A/B testing to determine which personalization strategies are most effective for your audience. This can help you fine-tune your approach and improve the effectiveness of your email marketing efforts. Ex: Do your customers prefer to have their name included in the subject line or not? This may differ based on company and/or field.
But isn’t all this personalization creepy?
Whether or not email personalization is considered creepy can depend on a number of factors, such as the type of personalization used and how it is implemented.
For example, using a recipient's name in the subject line of an email is generally considered to be a simple and effective form of personalization that is unlikely to be seen as creepy.
On the other hand, using highly personalized information that the recipient may not have explicitly shared with the sender, such as their recent purchases or browsing history, could potentially be seen as creepy or invasive.
In general, it is important to strike a balance and only use personalization in a way that is relevant, appropriate, and respectful of the recipient's privacy.
Be personal
As your customer’s email inbox continues to get more and more crowded, simply emailing them the same message as every other customer will not cut it.
You will need to add personalization. And not just referring to them by name.
Personalize the content, the timing, and the offers to make the experience more personal, more relevant, and more valuable for the customer.
Give your customers that warm fuzzy feeling they deserve.
They will thank you for it and your bottom line will too!