Segmentation often overlooked as key to e-mail marketing, expert says

It’s unfortunately easy to overlook what’s right under your nose. In the realm of e-mail marketing, segmentation often is neglected by e-retailers as they plan and execute campaigns, says Greg Galloway, vice president of online marketing at Elevation Inc., an interactive marketing and technology consulting firm.

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“E-retailers know how important this is, but they need to take the time to sit down and look at consumer behavior, and then create a dialogue instead of a monologue,” Galloway says. “Executives get caught up in the ease of use of e-mail—just write something up and send it out to everybody. They need to roll up their sleeves and figure out what consumers in particular segments really want.”

Segmentation, creating e-mail messages for specific consumer sub-groups within an overall target group such as repeat customers or individuals in a tiered loyalty program, is key to effective e-mail marketing, Galloway adds.

“The amount of customization and personalization that can be achieved can be overlooked,” he says. “But the more attention you pay to specific customers, the better off you’ll be. And if an e-mail seems like it’s coming from an individual instead of a machine, you’re that much better off.”