How big does my list need to be?

There's no set size. A small list can still be split in useful ways, such as customers and non-customers. The test is whether each group would get a different message and is big enough to be worth writing for.

Can you work with messy or incomplete data?

Yes. I'll tell you what can be trusted, what needs cleaning up and what you could start collecting. Some segments may have to wait until there's enough data behind them.

Which platforms can you do this on?

Platforms such as Klaviyo, Mailchimp, HubSpot and Marketo all support segmentation, each in its own way. If you use something else, tell me what it is and I'll check what it offers.

Email Marketing

Email List Segmentation

I split your list by behaviour, lifecycle stage or purchase history, so each send is relevant to the person receiving it. I work from the data you already hold and consider consent and email marketing best practice from the first step.

Start a segmentation project

Your list, sorted

Example list

Everyone gets the same email

Their email

Our monthly newsletter

Clicked recently

Their email

What you can expect from list segmentation

A review of your data

What your platform holds on each contact, how reliable it is and what's missing, such as purchase dates that never came across from your shop.

Segments worth having

A short list of groups that would each get a different email, with the reason for each. If two segments would get the same message, I merge them.

Clear rules for each group

Based on behaviour, lifecycle stage or purchase history, such as people who clicked recently, new subscribers or customers who've bought once.

Segments that update themselves

Dynamic segments on your platform, which move people between groups as their behaviour changes. Nobody has to rebuild a spreadsheet each month.

Consent and list care

Consent recorded against each contact, unsubscribes and suppressions respected, and inactive contacts offered a re-engagement email before they're removed.

A message for each group

A note of what each segment should hear, or the emails themselves if you'd like me to write them.

How a list segmentation project works

Step 1
Review the list
You give me access to your platform or an export. I look at where contacts came from, what they agreed to and what data sits against them.
Step 2
Plan the segments
I propose the groups, the rules behind them and the email each one would get, and we agree which to build first.
Step 3
Build and check
I build the segments on your platform and spot-check the contacts in each one, making sure the rules catch the right people and leave out anyone who shouldn't be there.
Step 4
Send and compare
The next sends go to the new segments. I report in plain English on clicks and conversions by group, then adjust the ones that aren't working.

Common questions

It depends on what's involved: the state of your data, the number of segments and how many of the emails you'd like me to write. I'll agree a clear scope and price with you before work begins.