How does email segmentation improve deliverability, revenue, and engagement?

Summary

Email segmentation enhances deliverability, revenue, and engagement by enabling marketers to target specific audience segments with highly relevant content. This personalized approach leads to increased engagement rates, higher click-through rates, improved sender reputation, reduced bounce and complaint rates, better inbox placement, and ultimately, improved ROI and customer lifetime value. Experts and documentation highlight the importance of segmenting based on engagement, demographics, purchase history, and other factors to optimize email performance and maintain good list hygiene. Addressing disengaged users through re-engagement campaigns or removal is crucial.

Key findings

  • Increased Revenue: Segmentation can significantly increase revenue and orders through targeted campaigns.
  • Improved Deliverability: Sending to engaged segments first can improve inbox placement for subsequent sends and enhance overall deliverability.
  • Enhanced Engagement: Personalized email experiences, made possible by segmentation, lead to higher engagement rates.
  • Boosted Sender Reputation: Targeted messaging improves sender reputation by signaling relevance to email providers.
  • Higher ROI: Effective segmentation results in a better return on investment for email marketing campaigns due to increased conversions.
  • Customer Lifetime Value: Segmentation can increase customer lifetime value by nurturing relationships with tailored content.
  • Reduced Spam Complaints: Sending relevant content reduces the likelihood of recipients marking emails as spam.
  • Email List Quality: Segmentation improves email list quality by targeting subscribers with relevant content.

Key considerations

  • Engagement-Based Segmentation: Segmenting based on engagement levels (active vs. inactive users) is crucial for maintaining good deliverability and sender reputation.
  • List Hygiene: Regularly segmenting and managing disengaged subscribers is essential; re-engage or remove to improve overall list health.
  • Content Relevance: Ensure content is highly relevant to each segment to maximize engagement and minimize spam complaints.
  • Personalization: Use segmentation as a foundation for personalization to create resonant and effective messaging.
  • Data Analysis: Continuously analyze data to refine segmentation strategies and improve campaign performance.
  • Targeted Content: Provide content that is valuable and tailored to each specific audience segment.

What email marketers say
16Marketer opinions

Email segmentation enhances deliverability, revenue, and engagement by allowing marketers to target specific audience segments with relevant content. This personalized approach leads to increased engagement rates, higher click-through rates, improved sender reputation, reduced bounce and complaint rates, and ultimately, better ROI and customer lifetime value. Segmentation enables businesses to tailor messaging based on demographics, engagement levels, purchase history, and other factors, fostering stronger relationships and driving conversions.

Key opinions

  • Revenue Boost: Segmentation can increase revenue by up to 12% for large brands through smarter targeting.
  • Order Increase: Segmenting non-buyers into engaged and less-engaged groups can lead to a significant increase in orders (e.g., 60% bump).
  • Deliverability Improvement: Sending to engaged segments first can improve inbox placement for subsequent sends by signaling positive engagement to ISPs.
  • Enhanced Engagement: Prioritizing delivery to the most engaged segments improves engagement across all segments.
  • Personalized Experiences: Segmentation facilitates personalized email experiences, boosting engagement and conversions.
  • Improved Sender Reputation: Targeted messaging improves sender reputation by increasing opens and engagement, signaling relevance to email providers.
  • Better ROI: Effective segmentation yields a better return on investment for email marketing campaigns due to higher conversion rates.
  • Customer Lifetime Value: Segmentation can increase customer lifetime value by nurturing relationships with tailored content.

Key considerations

  • Engagement-Based Segmentation: Segmenting based on engagement levels (active vs. inactive users) is crucial for maintaining good deliverability.
  • List Hygiene: Regularly segmenting and managing disengaged subscribers is essential for improving sender reputation and reducing churn. Removing disengaged subscribers can improve deliverability.
  • Content Relevance: Ensure content is highly relevant to each segment to maximize engagement and minimize spam complaints.
  • Data Analysis: Continuously analyze data to refine segmentation strategies and improve campaign performance.
  • Prioritize Engaged Subscribers: Consider prioritizing sending emails to your most engaged subscribers as this helps to improve overall deliverability and sender reputation.
Marketer view

Email marketer from EmailOnAcid shares segmentation allows you to deliver the right content to the right people. Tailored emails can lead to higher click-through rates, more conversions, and increased revenue.

October 2021 - EmailOnAcid
Marketer view

Email marketer from Sendinblue explains that segmentation improves deliverability by ensuring that recipients receive emails they are actually interested in, reducing bounce rates and spam complaints.

September 2023 - Sendinblue
Marketer view

Email marketer from Automizy states that effective email segmentation results in a better return on investment from email marketing campaigns, as targeted emails drive more conversions.

November 2024 - Automizy
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit explains that by creating lists based on engagement, previous purchases, and other demographics allows you to send very targeted messaging which results in a better sender reputation over time because Google and other email providers will see people are opening and engaging with your emails. When you send the same message to everyone you run the risk of losing people who don't find the email relevant.

July 2022 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from Campaign Monitor highlights that segmentation is the foundation for personalization. By knowing your audience's preferences and behaviors, you can craft messages that resonate with them on a personal level.

November 2024 - Campaign Monitor
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks shares they split non-buyers into a small engaged group and a larger lesser engaged group, and saw about a 60% bump in orders.

March 2022 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks shares anecdotally, prioritizing delivery to the most engaged segments first tends to improve engagement across all segments as it puts your best foot forward for the ISP.

August 2021 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Neil Patel shares segmentation allows you to deliver personalized email experiences that resonate with your audience, which in turn boosts engagement and conversions.

May 2023 - Neil Patel
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks theorizes that sending to the engaged group first, ISPs recognized that and inboxed more of the lesser engaged folks on the following send.

September 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from HubSpot explains that email segmentation allows you to send emails to a more targeted audience, delivering them the content that they are most interested in. The more relevant your emails are, the higher your engagement rate will be.

September 2021 - HubSpot
Marketer view

Email marketer from ActiveCampaign shares that segmented campaigns drive more revenue because they are targeted to the specific needs and interests of different customer groups.

September 2023 - ActiveCampaign
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks shares they've seen revenue increases up to 12% for huge brands when they started segmenting smarter.

January 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus explains that segmentation can help increase customer lifetime value by nurturing relationships through tailored content that addresses each customer's unique needs and stage in the customer journey.

January 2024 - Litmus
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailchimp explains that segmentation allows you to send emails to specific groups of people based on shared characteristics, leading to higher engagement rates as the content is more relevant.

August 2021 - Mailchimp
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks shares that analyzing recent data they have seen it makes a great impact on engagement and deliverability.

May 2021 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Sleeknote shares that by segmenting disengaged subscribers and sending them targeted re-engagement campaigns or removing them from your list, you can improve your sender reputation and overall email deliverability, and reduce churn.

July 2023 - Sleeknote

What the experts say
2Expert opinions

Email segmentation is crucial for maintaining email list quality and improving deliverability. Experts emphasize the importance of segmenting based on engagement levels, particularly identifying active versus inactive users. Sending emails to disengaged users negatively impacts engagement metrics and harms deliverability. Properly segmenting your email lists improves the signal you send to mailbox providers, ensuring more relevant content reaches interested subscribers.

Key opinions

  • Engagement-Based Segmentation: Segmenting lists based on user engagement is crucial for deliverability.
  • Email List Quality: Segmentation improves email list quality by targeting subscribers with relevant content.
  • Deliverability Improvement: Proper segmentation enhances deliverability by sending positive engagement signals to mailbox providers.

Key considerations

  • Identify Inactive Users: Actively identify and manage inactive users to avoid negatively impacting engagement metrics.
  • Relevance is Key: Ensure content is highly relevant to each segment to maintain subscriber interest and engagement.
  • Monitor Engagement: Regularly monitor engagement metrics to adjust segmentation strategies and maintain list quality.
Expert view

Expert from Spamresource.com shares that email list quality is crucial, and segmentation plays a vital role in ensuring this quality by targeting different groups of subscribers with content relevant to their interests.

September 2021 - Spamresource.com
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that list segmentation, especially engagement-based segmentation (identifying active vs. inactive users), is crucial. Sending to disengaged users lowers engagement metrics, which hurts deliverability. Properly segmenting improves the signal you send to mailbox providers.

August 2023 - Word to the Wise

What the documentation says
4Technical articles

Email segmentation improves deliverability by enabling highly targeted emails that boost sender reputation, reduce spam complaints, and increase inbox placement rates. Documentation from multiple sources, including Postmark, Google, SparkPost, and Microsoft, emphasizes the importance of segmenting lists to send relevant content, maintain good list hygiene, and avoid being flagged as spam. By segmenting based on engagement and other factors, senders can provide value to their audience and improve overall email performance.

Key findings

  • Boosted Sender Reputation: Sending highly targeted emails boosts sender reputation.
  • Improved Deliverability Metrics: Segmentation improves deliverability metrics like spam complaints and inbox placement rates.
  • Reduced Spam Complaints: Sending more relevant content reduces the likelihood of recipients marking emails as spam.
  • Good List Hygiene: Maintaining good list hygiene practices, including segmentation, improves email deliverability.

Key considerations

  • Targeted Content: Provide content that recipients will truly value within each segment.
  • Relevance: Improve email relevance to reduce spam complaints and increase inbox placement rates.
  • Engagement-Based Segmentation: Segment based on engagement to maintain list hygiene and avoid being flagged as spam.
Technical article

Documentation from Postmark explains that sending highly targeted emails can boost your sender reputation. Segment your lists to reach specific audiences and provide them with content they’ll truly value.

July 2022 - Postmark
Technical article

Documentation from SparkPost explains that segmenting lists to send more relevant content reduces the likelihood of recipients marking emails as spam, thus protecting sender reputation and improving deliverability.

April 2022 - SparkPost
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft recommends maintaining good list hygiene practices, which include segmenting based on engagement, to improve email deliverability and avoid being flagged as spam.

July 2023 - Microsoft
Technical article

Documentation from Google shares that using segmentation to improve email relevance will result in improved deliverability metrics, such as fewer spam complaints and higher inbox placement rates which can be tracked in postmaster tools.

June 2023 - Google Postmaster Tools Help