How Email Personalization and Follow-Ups Can Boost Your Bottom Line

What is personalized email marketing?

Personalized email marketing is a marketing method that targets email campaigns to specific subscribers using customer data, including first names, where they live, the last product they bought and the last time they visited a business’s website. 

Presenting the right customized offer for audience segments is critical to successful email marketing campaigns that make customers feel like VIPs and help increase engagement and sales. 

Why is personalization important in email marketing?

Personalized emails are a crucial way to stand out in a flood of messages in your audience’s inbox. Here are a few reasons why personalization is essential:

• Personalized emails are more likely to be opened. According to Mailjet’s 2024 Path to Email Engagement report, over 61 percent of consumers said seeing their name in an email subject line was a highly or somewhat important factor in convincing them to read the email. Additionally, over 80 percent said that anticipating content personalized to their interests and needs was a positive factor when choosing which emails to open. When your emails are opened and customers click on your links, you’ll boost your site’s engagement and increase your likelihood of sales.
• Personalized emails provide a better customer experience. Personalized emails send the right content to the right customers at the right time. Timely messages and relevant offers help provide a great customer experience and boost your brand’s credibility in your customers’ eyes.
• Personalized emails build trust with consumers. Consumers open emails from brands they know and trust. Emails that are personalized to a customer’s interests help build that trust — particularly when high-priced products or services are being considered.
• Personalized emails are less likely to go to the spam folder. Making it to your target audience’s inboxes — not spam folders — is critical. According to Mailjet’s report, nearly a third of consumers said they’d be frustrated or annoyed by a brand whose emails consistently arrived in the spam folder, while nearly 20 percent would lose trust in the brand or unsubscribe. Personalized emails that are relevant and targeted to the recipient are less likely to go to the spam folder and more likely to catch your recipient’s interest.
• Personalized emails can boost customer loyalty. When you serve personalized, relevant content consistently, you keep customers engaged while building long-term relationships. Well-nurtured customer relationships foster customer loyalty and help you earn repeat business.

How can you personalize your email campaigns?

Email personalization is vital to remaining competitive in today’s marketplace. Here are a few ways to personalize your email campaigns.

1. Collect personalized data about your subscribers.

Opt-in email marketing is a great way to reach consumers who’ve expressed interest in your offerings. However, getting them to opt in and gathering the right information to keep their interest is key. 

A well-designed email opt-in form can entice people to join your subscriber list and help you gather personalized data to ensure you serve them relevant content. When collecting subscriber information from your opt-in form, gather the following essential data:

• Name
• Email
• Business name (optional)
• Business URL (optional)
• Permission checkbox to send emails (optional)

Beyond basic information, leveraging behavioral data can take your personalization to the next level. For example, tracking which product or service pages a subscriber visits allows you to send tailored content directly related to their interests. This approach ensures your emails are relevant and timely, improving engagement and the likelihood of conversions.

2. Personalize your email subject lines.

It’s vital that your email subject line appeals to your target audience. As mentioned earlier, using a recipient’s name in the subject line can help entice them to open your email. However, subject line personalization is about more than adding a name. Consider the following: 

• Include a personalized offer. According to Mailjet, consumers respond to subject lines that convey what’s in the email, particularly when a personalized offer is mentioned. Nearly 80 percent of respondents said a subject line mentioning a relevant discount or time-sensitive offer was very or somewhat important when deciding whether to open an email.
• Be personable and authentic. Personalizing your subject lines is also about being personable and authentic. Including words like “you” or “VIP” can be effective. 
• Pique the recipient’s curiosity. Piquing the recipient’s curiosity isn’t about saying just anything to get clicks. You must hint at a clear value, such as crucial insights or solutions to problems recipients care about. When you can convey this in a subject line, recipients will be more likely to open the email and access the valuable information they expect. 
• Use emojis. Using an emoji to personalize your subject line can increase response rates, help you stand out from the competition and fit better on mobile devices. However, while emojis can add some personality, use them sparingly to remain professional.

2. Consider the email’s From line carefully. 

According to Campaign Monitor, 68 percent of Americans open an email based on an email’s From line. However, many businesses neglect to consider and personalize their email’s sender. Instead of just sending from the company’s name, consider choosing a company leader or representative to be the face of personalized company emails. 

A personalized From name can legitimize and humanize your business and help you build brand intimacy with customers. You can even personalize senders depending on email subscriber segments. For instance, emails sent to specific customers can come from their dedicated account manager or sales representative, adding a personal touch that enhances trust and engagement.

4. Segment your email lists.

Customers have varied interests, tastes and preferences, making a one-size-fits-all approach ineffective. Instead, use market segmentation practices to group subscribers into relevant segments based on their demographics, interests, previous purchases and more. 

Email list segmentation can help you distribute more relevant and tailored content to each subscriber group, increasing the likelihood that they’ll open and engage with your messages. For example, you can target repeat customers with loyalty rewards, while new subscribers might receive introductory offers or educational content. This strategy helps ensure your emails resonate with your audience, leading to better results and stronger customer relationships.

5. Personalize emails according to the buyer journey position.

Sending the right information at the right time is crucial for successful email marketing campaigns. To ensure timely, relevant emails, create a customer journey map and send messages accordingly. For example, you can send the following: 

• Welcome email sequences
• New product introductions
• Cross-selling and upselling suggestions
• Reengagement email sequences 
• Event registrations
• Profile updates
• Abandoned shopping cart emails

6. Optimize emails for mobile devices.

Reaching your email subscribers where they are is a critical form of personalization. According to Mailjet, nearly 72 percent of consumers say they check their emails most often on mobile devices. For this reason, optimizing your email marketing campaigns for mobile is essential. Mobile-friendly, responsive email campaigns are necessary for optimal subscriber engagement and ensuring you reach your customers where they are. 

Your email marketing software can help you create mobile-responsive emails that look great on mobile devices, including tools to help you design layouts, select appropriate fonts and craft concise subject lines.

7. Leverage dynamic content.

Dynamic content is a powerful personalization tool that allows you to show different blocks of content within an email to different segments or lists for a particular campaign. It enables you to customize parts of the same email based on subscriber data, enhancing relevance and engagement.

For instance, you can create multiple personalized versions of the same email based on data like location, purchase history or browsing behavior. Dynamic content helps ensure subscribers receive relevant, tailored content, increasing the likelihood of engagement and conversions.

8. Use automation to boost relevance and timeliness.

Email automation can be a vital element of email personalization, helping you deliver the most relevant and timely information to subscribers and boosting the chances they’ll engage with your messages. Using automation, you can set up triggers to send personalized messages automatically after a subscriber takes a specific action or hits a milestone. For example, you can send birthday messages, automatic renewal notices, rewards and more. Email automation ensures your communications are relevant, personalized and timely. 

9. Use A/B testing to fine-tune your personalized emails. 

Continually fine-tuning your email marketing campaigns will help you improve your digital marketing ROI and get better results. A/B testing is an excellent tool for refining your personalized messaging and determining what’s effective and what isn’t working. 

For best results, A/B test one element at a time, such as the email subject line, call to action or embedded images. For example, to A/B test a subject line, send the same marketing email to different subscriber segments but with two distinct subject lines. This approach allows you to determine which subject line drives a higher open rate.

The more you A/B test, the more you’ll understand your target audience. Remember, testing too many changes at once can make it difficult to pinpoint which elements need improvement, so focus on one aspect per test for accurate insights.

10. Follow up with your email recipients.

According to Invesp, 70 percent of businesses stop after one email to a customer. However, if you send more than one email, you have a 25 percent chance of the recipient responding or taking action. Clearly, email marketing isn’t a one-and-done proposition, and proper follow-up is vital for success.

Carefully craft your follow-up emails to increase your chances of receiving a response. Remember, being too “salesy” or “spammy” won’t be effective. Use the following action steps to outline your follow-up email:

1. Edit the subject line to reflect the follow-up message’s content or purpose.
2. Remind the consumer that you’ve contacted them before, briefly mentioning your previous email.
3. Add value with each follow-up. For example, include a discount coupon or free webinar.
4. Write a clear call to action that tells the recipient exactly what to do next.
5. Invite the customer to send comments or ask questions to boost engagement.

What are examples of personalized follow-up emails that generate more sales?

Here are a few examples of personalized email categories that can generate sales and build brand loyalty.

1. Welcome emails

According to GetResponse, welcome emails enjoy a whopping average open rate of 83.63 percent and a click-through rate of 16.6 percent. Businesses typically send a personalized welcome email or welcome sequence when a customer opts into their subscriber list. Think of it as a quick elevator pitch in a customer’s inbox after they’ve visited your website.

2. Catered content

Whether you’re selling a product or service, it’s crucial to educate your potential customers with relevant, tailored content that can help build trust and highlight your brand. 

Valuable catered content can look like the following:

• Analyzing data from your CRM or POS system to provide the customer with a personalized interaction, such as a curated offer, discount or recommendation.
• Sending specific information that addresses a customer’s pain points, providing solutions that directly meet their needs.
• Showing appreciation with a simple, heartfelt thank-you message for their patronage, reinforcing positive customer experiences. 
• Acknowledging any shortcomings with an apology for a company mistake, such as a website outage or shipping error, to maintain trust and credibility. 

3. Act now emails

“Act now” emails create a sense of urgency, encouraging recipients to engage quickly. These emails are especially effective when paired with thoughtful segmentation or integrated into a buyer’s journey.

The key is to push for action without being overbearing. For example, you can incentivize the recipient by offering a limited-time coupon code or a well-crafted call to action, nudging them to take the next step. Urgency combined with value can prove effective for driving conversions with this type of email.