[intro]Before you begin this Guide, you need to ensure that you have opened an EKM Email Marketing account and have begun to build your Contacts.[/intro]

Segmenting your email list is a method of further narrowing down your target market into smaller groups so that you can send more specific, tailored messages. 83% of companies use some form of segmentation for their emails, as it increases the success rate of campaigns, leading to a whopping 760% increase in revenue. Marketers have realised that one size does not fit all. For example, while a customer base may be made up of individuals who share a common interest in health supplements, some may purchase supplements for weight loss, and some for weight gain. Therefore, you wouldn’t target everyone with the same products.

Segmenting your list by product preference is the most popular method used by businesses, however, there are numerous ways of segmenting your list. Segmentation can be as simple or as complex as you wish, however, do bear in mind that the more complex it becomes, the more time-consuming it can be.

The most common model used to segment a market consists of demographics, geographics, psychographics, and behavioural information. This model is very popular amongst larger businesses however, you can pick bits out to help you segment your own customers. As you start out, you will find you have very little data saved about your customers, but as they begin to make purchases you can begin to target them more based on the products they purchase.

Create a Google Form

A great way of collecting this data is to send out a data collection form in an email to your entire list. As discussed earlier, however, customers won’t just hand over information in return for nothing. Consider offering incentives which will encourage customer loyalty such as free delivery for one month, 10% off your next purchase, free samples, or bonus products. The better the offer, the more likely your customers are to fill in the form. Try creating a Google Form and ask for data such as an address, DOB, and gender. It’s also a good idea to create a check-list of product categories so that your customers can tick their preferences.

You should consider including a ‘why’ when it comes to collecting data like date of birth. Some companies use it to send out ‘Birthday Treats’ to their customers on their birthday and this way they’ll be more encouraged to give you this information. It also helps to build the relationship you have with them and makes them feel special to your brand.

The great thing about using Google Forms is that the data is automatically inputted into a spreadsheet, so the time-consuming admin work is done for you. Ensure that you limit the form, keeping the questions as short and simple as possible, and test it before you send it out to your customers.

You’ve collected the data, what’s next?

Once you’ve collected the information, you can then go on to create your targeted campaigns with tailored content. EKM Email Marketing allows you to enter this data when you go to add or edit a contact. You can add basic information such as name, address and telephone number in the ‘optional fields’, and then you get an additional 20 ‘custom fields’ to play with as you please. As you continue to collect more information about your customers, you can begin sending more and more tailored emails.

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[contact] If you need our help with your EKM online shop, contact your Ecommerce Expert or the Customer Support Team, who will be able to point you in the right direction. We're open from 8am-6pm weekdays and 9am-5.30pm weekends. If you'd like to suggest a feature or an upgrade on any of the EKM platforms, please let us know on the EKM Suggestions Board. If you have a non-account-specific question to ask the EKM Team, join us in the EKM Community. [/contact]