Email personalization is one of the critical components to drive more profits and increase your customer base. But with heightened competition, implementing basic personalization strategies isn't enough anymore.

Sadly, addressing someone by their first name in an email isn't the way to your customer's heart and pocket. You need next-level personalization tactics for your email campaigns to be successful.

Personalization helps to foster better engagement and motivates the user to send their personal data. It allows you to create relevant content and improves your reputation.

With the constant barrage of email traffic being bombarded on the average person, you need to stand out from the crowd and to do that you need a strategic personalization approach to catch attention.

So what are some simple email personalization tactics?

Segmented Personalization

All potential customers of your products have unique inclinations, preferences and interests. You can't expect a single email to influence all recipients of the campaign. Focus on establishing customer segments based on their interests, behaviours, demographics, and geographics to start with.

When you start sending the most applicable recommendations and offers to potential customers, it shows that you value them and are willing to go the extra mile in knowing about their preferences.

Utilize the Purchase History

The previous purchase record of the customer gives precise information about their interests. This data helps you analyze the product that the customer has purchased and send an aligned email to nurture further.

Recommendations Based on Abandoned Carts

When the customer fills the cart with products but hasn't completed the check-out process you can easily craft a personalized email to remind the customer that the specific product is in the cart but hasn't been purchased.

Offering Category Based Discounts

Most e-commerce companies realize that customers shop within specific categories. When you send a discount coupon to customers via email, it helps raise the excitement level if you give it in the category they usually are drawn too. Focus on sending them discounts on products which you think they will be genuinely interested in.

So, how do we put these email personalization tactics into play?

Here are some simple steps to get started.

Develop a Plan

Next-level personalization will only work if you develop an appropriate and strategic plan. It should focus on all the aspects of the campaign to make the most out of the personalization strategy. Know what you want your campaign to achieve, and then you can think about the process.

Collect Relevant Data

Without relevant data, moving to the next level of personalization is impossible. The additional data makes it easier to target your customers with personalization strategies. Data collection is as simple as examining the numerous touchpoints for gathering information – previous purchases, downloaded content, signed up for opt-ins or requested further information, to name a few.

Segment the Email Lists

It's not enough to collect the data. You need a plan to segment the data to personalize the email content to the most relevant customer. Segmentation can be based on different attributes, such as buying preferences, age, location, opt-in pathway, interests, etc.

Automate the Personalization Process

You can't manually send out emails to all customers. You need automation – this gives you the ability to send the right email to the right customer every single time. For example, when someone leaves a cart abandoned with products in it, you can send an email to the customer right away to remind them they didn't finish the purchase.

A/B Testing Your Email

Everyone baulks at this but all the excellent email marketing platforms make it super easy for you to test response rates. You should only try one change at a time; otherwise, you don't know which element is causing the behaviour change.

Personalization needs reliable customer data to make email campaigns successful.

Develop the right strategy for collecting the customer's data so it can inform your service interactions. Personalization of your email marketing will allow your business to connect to the right people at the right time. That's half your marketing done right there!