Consumers have come to demand a more personalized touch to add to their buying experience, be it online or offline. That would mean providing them the sort of things that they might be looking for. This is going to be of obvious benefit to the buyers as they will be saved from making through a whole lot of things that the seller might have let loose on them. Instead, buyers just have to shift through the stuff that matches their preference, before zeroing on the ones that they’d like to splurge on.
All of what has been stated above underscores the importance of personalization. No wonder, marketers have come to understand the importance of personalization techniques to ensure they are able to deliver more of a one-to-one experience to each buyer even when the ground reality is that no two buyers are expected to have the same buying preferences.
It is here that email personalization comes to the picture as this is one convenient method that can let the marketers reach directly to the buyers. Such personalized emails have also proved to be a huge boon as this provides marketers with the means to have a sort of a personal engagement with the buyers. Research too has shown such email marketing methods can lead to a 20 percent increase in sales on average.
However, before we get started with the tips and tricks on email personalization, a brief discourse about what personalized email stands for in the first place will be more relevant. Now, a personalized email would mean adding things to the mail that the user can identify with themselves right away. More advanced personalization techniques include dynamic emails where the content changes according to relevant user info.
Those might include their first names in the subject line. Further, the email content can include things that are relevant to the place the user lives in, their gender, the last item they have bought online, or the things that the users might be searching for in recent times. Research has shown that emails with a personalized touch in the subject line have 26 percent better chances of being opened. Similarly, personalized emails can also lead to a 5.7 percent higher revenue than otherwise.
Mentioned here are some of the more common but effective email personalization tactics that can lead to genuine human interaction.
1. Sender’s name
Apart from the email’s subject, the other thing that gets displayed most prominently is the sender’s name. And research has shown this to be one of the most prominent factors that determine whether users eventually open the email or not. Needless to say, having someone credible in the from section will have greater chances of users opening the email.
That can be the name of some person or a company that has greater appeal among the masses. Marketers resort to include the name of different persons to different users to make the email seem more realistic and an effort to make the recipient aware of the products than just an attempt to sell the products to the recipients.
2. Email subject
As already mentioned, the email subject line is the most prominent thing that most base their decision on as to whether to open the email or not. As such, using some relevant text can be the deciding factor here, one that the recipient is most likely to be drawn to. The use of catchy texts or something funny yet intelligent could be the trick here. Apart from the text, using bold or heavy font can also play its part to appeal to the users, enough for them to open the email and get started with the content.
For instance, if it is about a service, including what obvious benefits the users are likely to reap from it in the subject line can be the key. It can be like how much that the buyers are likely to have in savings if they opt for your service. Further, if you are selling a product, letting people know how much better your product is compared to the competition can be convincing enough for users to go through the mail.
3. Address the prospects by their name
This happens to be the most basic personalization technique as this is something that catches the attention of the prospect right away. Research has shown that a person likes it best when they are referred to by their names. Even if the mail is from someone unknown, people are most likely to respond if it is addressed personally with their names on it. It is like, the sender knows my name and I should check out what he or she has to say to me.
4. Keep tab on user’s interest
Another sure-fire way to personalize your emails is to use stuff that your prospects really care about. That would also mean gather information about the users though that shouldn’t be a big deal in the age of social media. Go through them and see whatever is available on the public profile. This should let the users have an idea of the sort of things that the users or a group of users really care about. Armed with such info, you can craft your email based on such info and you have better chances of your interaction garnering a positive result.
5. Highlight a mutual contact
You are psychologically inclined to believe in something if someone you know also recommends you the same. You can use the same strategy when it comes to email personalization as highlighting a mutual contact goes a long way in creating a level of trust between you and the sender. Naturally, this not only increases the chances of the prospect opening your email but also acts on it as well.
In the end, what can be said is that there are scores of emails that we receive in our inbox every day. Sending a personalized email can be a tricky job given the sheer number of prospects you need to target. It is here that you might want to have all your worries and requirements taken care of by experts such as eSputnik, a marketing automation service provider,
Needless to say, most of them end up being in the trash and are not even opened as well. However, with proper personalization techniques, you have a higher chance of building a rapport with your prospects and push forth your agenda, which can be selling a product or service, getting grants or donations, or whatever.