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Email personalization is a great topic for discussion. In fact, it’s one so huge, that one could probably write a novel, so I will try to stick to the basic points and not get off topic (too much).

First of all, I think many people often confuse segmentation and personalization. These two words do go hand in hand, but should not be interchanged as though they mean the same thing. Here’s some quick definitions from Dictionary.com.

Segmentation
Division into segments.

Personalization
To make personal, as by applying a general statement to oneself.
To ascribe personal qualities to; personify.

Can you do one without the other? Sure, but will it be effective? I don’t know.

As I was researching for this post, I read an article from Carl Bloom and Associates that quoted MarketingSherpa’s Ann Holland on the topic of personalization in emails:

Ann Holland of research publishing firm, MarketingSherpa, writes, “any personalization is good personalization.” In her company’s newest report, “Email Marketing Benchmark Guide 2006,” the publisher reports that 70% of marketers are personalizing their email campaigns by using the recipient’s name in the body of the email. Even this simple form of personalization yields higher open rates and click-through rates.

I have to wonder about this yielding to higher open rates and click-through rates (I can see the CTR). If I have my preview pane on, fine; perhaps I can see that my name is in the body. But if my preview pane is off, how do I know the email is personalized? I have to think that there are also other factors at play in terms of the coincidence in higher open rates. But I digress.

Here’s a great example of personalization gone bad, shared by rjleaman as a comment from an earlier post of mine Three Ways to Improve Your Email Marketing:

…if you’re going to ‘personalize’ your pitch, make sure your mail-merge program does what it’s supposed to do.” I remember getting a donation request from a major charity that seemed to regard all Atlantic Provinces as one — so all references to “at home, right in your own community” ended up being about a city in an entirely different province. Did I feel moved to donate?

This is an example of a company that likely personalized, but didn’t segment their database properly or simply didn’t know their Canadian geography. Either way, if you’re going to try and make your emails personal and touch the reader, you better make sure you get your facts straight, otherwise it goes from personal to ignorant in a hurry.

Segmenting your data and sending customized content that is therefore personalized to a specific audience is an excellent idea, and if done right, can definitely improve your overall emarketing ROI, and even improve time management skills.

It also works well for event organizers who have the same event going on in different cities at different times. If you’ve segmented your database correctly, you can send one email that has variables for time/date/location information so that your event registrants can have all of their details in one handy-dandy little place and you haven’t risked carpal-tunnel syndrome and several hours of your volunteers’ time by asking them to send out one email per city.

However, personalization everywhere is not the key for everything. Many people who sign up for things often put a first initial or initial dot last name. So if you are trying to send out a nicely personalized email to Dear First Name, think again. Better check your data before you get the kind of email that drives me batty. Last time I checked my name was Rebecca, not R.

Spend the time to go through the data and look for any names with two or less characters.

You do want to check the difference between first initial dot and say Ed or Al don’t you? No? Okay, then at least do a blanket catch-all form of personalization for people whose first name field has two or less characters (or better yet – how about none?)

I also think that it is important to differentiate personalization in comparison to the type of email marketing. If you’re doing a rented email list, I have to say, personalization probably isn’t the best thing to do. After all, wouldn’t you be creeped out if a marketer you didn’t have a relationship with was suddenly sending you a very personalized email?

If as a brand you have valued/trusted relationships (or at least think you do) with your customers, then by all means personalize your emails; it might make me feel warm and fuzzy and more likely to click through because you are in fact talking to and not at me. But as a prospect, you won’t earn my trust if you send me an email claiming to know about me and my personal likes and dislikes.

Moral of this lengthy post? If you want to personalize your emails, put together a plan of action. Determine who/how and where personalization will occur, and most importantly, think of all the silly, obvious goof-ups you get (a la Dear Donald Duck) and put provisions in place to deal with them. After all you don’t want to be that company, do you?

Photo Credit: stock.xchng/kveselyte