Nine Creative Ways to Use Email Personalization Beyond a Name

Depending on the email marketing software you use, it's important to learn all the features that it has so that you can use all of the ways to use email personalization to your advantage.  You might not even be aware of all the things your email marketing software is capable of doing for email personalization. 

If you aren't sure how to personalize your email, search for some tutorials or someone who is an expert with your particular software choice so that you can discover how to make the platform work best for you.  As you know, I'm a big fan of Birdsend and use that to send out this newsletter, and I am happy to answer any questions you may have about the Birdsend platform.

Here are nine creative ways to use email personalizations beyond a name:

1. Craft Interest-Targeted Email Messages: Use the software to capture the information needed to personalize and craft email messages toward what your subscriber wants to know about. This is an important way to move your subscribers enough to purchase from you. Capturing the right information will enable you to point your subscribers to products and services that they want. 

2. Create Geocentric Messages: It is likely that your email software allows you to capture location-based information from subscribers. This location-based information can be used for a variety of purposes, from marketing events in their area to encouraging them to visit your location if you have a local brick-and-mortar business. 

3. Let Them Define What Information They Want: Send a poll or checklist to subscribers letting them define what information they want to get is a good way to find out exactly what your subscribers need and want to hear from you. When crafting issues of your newsletter, this information will definitely help you with newsletter personalization. 

4. Acknowledge Purchases Made: Each time a purchase is made, it's important to acknowledge it with a thank you but also to move them off a list that keeps promoting that item. If they feel like you're harassing them to buy something they already have, they won't respond too well when you market something new to them. 

5. Encourage Social Sharing: Put social share buttons on appropriate email messages so that your subscribers can help you get more people to sign up for your email marketing lists. This is a type of personalization that encourages them to share with their friends but also encourages them to friend, like, and follow you on other social channels. 

6. Insert Predefined Fields: Most email programs allow you to insert different predefined fields. For example, if you have a website that is devoted to selling art, you could send a questionnaire to your audience asking them what their favorite style is. Then the software will not only trigger the right emails to go out based on that style, but it will also mention the style within the email message. If they don't fill it out, it will insert some other value that you choose into that predefined field. 

7. Use Date Insert Fields: It's important for many of your emails to be pre-crafted, but you can make the email message look as if it was just created by using the date insert field. Then the email message looks timelier. With that function, in conjunction with special sales pages that also show the current date, you can personalize by keeping everything looking current. 

8. Use Retargeting Technology: When someone visits your website or buys something, it's important to use the technology available to you to retarget them for buying something more. When your user receives your email and opens it, a software program can be used to install a cookie that will then allow specialized ads to be delivered to the user when they visit various web pages. 

9. Ask for Reviews for Products Purchased: Whenever a customer buys a product, send them a thank you message and then a series of follow-up messages. One of these can be a request for a product review after giving them enough time to try and use your product or service. The form they fill out for the review will also ask for more information about them that you can use for further targeted marketing. How many of these are you using? Even though most consumers are savvy enough to realize that a lot of email marketing is automated today, they still respond better to more personalization than less. Therefore, if you want to compete with others, it's imperative that you use your software to its fullest potential to personalize emails as much as you can.

Email is one of the best ways to build an audience that is engaged with your brand. It's also one of the best ways to sell products or create a big buzz for your next event or launch. Not growing your email list can mean missed opportunities to connect with those who want to hear from you. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you create an email marketing plan for your business, or schedule a Brainstorming with Donna Session to explore the best options for you.