Email Personalization Best Practices: Leveraging Good Data

Email personalization requires good data. 

Understanding the significance of good data and knowing how to utilize it effectively to populate dynamic fields in email templates can dramatically enhance your email marketing strategy. This blog post is an in-depth exploration of email personalization best practices, focusing on these elements to help you elevate your email marketing game.

Why is Email Personalization Important?

Email personalization is not a new concept, but its significance cannot be overstated. It's not merely about addressing your recipient by their first name; it's about delivering relevant content that resonates with them on a personal level, thereby increasing engagement and fostering a stronger connection between your brand and your audience.

The Role of Good Data in Email Personalization

The foundation of effective email personalization is good data. Without accurate, relevant, and up-to-date information about your customers, your personalization efforts could fall flat or even backfire. Consumers today expect brands to understand their needs and preferences, and missteps in personalization can lead to a loss of trust and damage your brand's reputation.

It’s like when you meet someone for the third time and they still can’t remember your name. It’s embaaaaaaaarrassing.

The types of data you might collect include demographic information, transaction history, browsing behavior, company info, interests, and more. You gotta get it ethically to avoid getting a hefty hand slap, but it’s what you do with that data that matters. Let’s get into how you get it in there.

Populating Dynamic Fields in Email Templates

Before we go get our data, we need to give it a home. Here are some links for a few marketing automation platforms on how to create custom fields:

HubSpot

Salesforce Account Marketing (fka Pardot)

Marketo

Constant Contact

Eloqua

Then, off to find your data. There are a million sources to get data from. I tend to think that if the data is an annual kind of thing (lists of companies like Fortune 500 or Inc 5,000) it’s easy enough to get that list annually and just upload it. But if the data is an evolving dataset (headcount, public mentions, etc) it’s best to find a programmatic route like an API.

Once you've collected and cleaned your data, it's time to put it to work. One of the most powerful ways to do this is by populating dynamic fields in your email templates. Dynamic fields, or 'merge fields,' allow you to insert personalized content into your emails automatically, based on the data you have about each recipient.

For instance, a financial consulting business might use dynamic fields to insert personalized tax deduction recommendations based on the account’s geography and industry, while an ERP systems provider could leverage headcount growth to recommend content.

Here are a few best practices for using dynamic fields effectively:

• Start Simple: Begin with basic personalization, like the recipient's first name, then gradually incorporate more complex personalization as you get more comfortable with using dynamic fields.
• Test and Optimize: Always test your emails before sending them out to ensure the dynamic fields are working correctly. Also, continuously analyze and optimize your approach based on the performance of your emails.
• Balance Personalization and Privacy: While personalization can enhance engagement, it's also crucial to respect your recipient's privacy. Don't overstep boundaries by using overly personal information that might make your recipient uncomfortable.

Examples of Email Personalization

It’s one thing to tell you the importance of personalization in crafting emails.

But how ‘bout some examples???

Example 1: Selling Accounting Software to a Mid-Market CFO

Company: XYZ Accounting Software Inc.

Product: Accounting software

Buyer: Mid-market CFO

Subject: Boost {Company_Name}’s Financial Efficiency With XYZ Software

Dear {First_Name},

We hope this email finds you well. At XYZ Accounting Software Inc., we understand that as the CFO of {Company_Name}, you're always looking for ways to increase financial efficiency and accuracy.

Our advanced accounting software is designed for mid-market companies like {Company_Name}. It has already helped hundreds of CFOs streamline their financial operations, reduce errors, and gain real-time insights into their company's financial health.

We believe our software can help you with {Specific_Pain_Point} and improve your overall financial management. With features like real-time reporting, multi-currency support, and automated bookkeeping, we're confident that XYZ Accounting Software will be a valuable asset for {Company_Name}.

Would you be available for a brief demo next {Preferred_Day}? Let us know the best time for you, and we'll arrange everything.

Looking forward to your positive response,

{Your_Name}

{Your_Title}

XYZ Accounting Software Inc.

NOTES: Here there are some very basic fields in play like company name and first name. Nothing too fancy, but there is a {Specific_Pain_Point} field.

To use something like this, you’ll want to create some kind of conditional logic in your marketing automation system that can create that copy based on something else that might be true about your prospect.

For example, this financial software company might know that a company needs 1 finance professional for every $10MM in revenue. So if there is data indicating a company’s revenue and how many finance headcount they have, you can have a conditional field that says, IF [REVENUE] / $10,000,000 / [FINANCE HEADCOUNT] > 1, THEN [COMPANY IS LEAN] = YES.

Example 2: Selling Co-Working Space to an Early Stage Startup Founder

Company: ABC Co-Working Spaces

Product: Co-working space

Buyer: Early stage startup founder

Subject: Exclusive Office Space for {Company_Name}

Hello {First_Name},

Congratulations on the launch of your startup, {Company_Name}! At ABC Co-Working Spaces, we understand the importance of a conducive environment for creativity and productivity.

We offer flexible co-working spaces that are designed to suit the dynamic needs of startups like {Company_Name}. Our spaces are equipped with high-speed internet, meeting rooms, and 24/7 access, ensuring you and your team can work comfortably whenever inspiration strikes.

Your peers who office with us have received investments from {INDUSTRY INVESTOR 1} and {INDUSTRY INVESTOR 2} and we find that our founders do a great job of introducing their neighbors to the support they need.

Plus, our community of innovative entrepreneurs and businesses could provide networking and partnership opportunities for {Company_Name}.

Can we arrange a tour for you next week? We're confident you'll love the space.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon,

{Your_Name}

{Your_Title}

ABC Co-Working Spaces

NOTES: The {INDUSTRY INVESTOR 1} and {INDUSTRY INVESTOR 2} fields in this example are all about context. You need to maintain an internal dataset of tenants’ investors with the industries that they invest in (which is always a good idea for anyone supporting startups).

That data could then be pulled by knowing the industry of the startup to conditionally fill those custom attributes.

Example 3: Selling Marketing Agency Services to a Recently Funded Company's CMO

Company: DEF Marketing Agency

Product: Marketing services

Buyer: CMO of a recently funded company

Subject: Turbocharge {Company_Name}'s Growth with DEF Marketing Agency

Hello {First_Name},

Congratulations on {Company_Name}'s recent {FUNDING ROUND}! This is a significant milestone that opens up new opportunities for growth and expansion. I’m sure you’re focused on {ROUND GOALS}.

At DEF Marketing Agency, we specialize in helping companies leverage their new funding to maximize brand visibility, customer acquisition, and revenue growth - exactly what {LEAD INVESTOR} will be thrilled to see.

Can we schedule a time to discuss how DEF Marketing Agency can help fuel {Company_Name}'s growth?

Looking forward to your response,

{Your_Name}

{Your_Title}

DEF Marketing Agency

NOTES: You’ll see we’ve leveraged the funding round and lead investor as dynamic fields. There’s a difference between a Seed, A Round, and B Round and what a marketing leader will be looking to achieve - traction, team, repeatability. Each could be set with conditional logic based on the round for the {ROUND GOALS} field.

Mentioning the lead investor also brings home that you know that this marketing leader has new expectations of them as a result of the funding.

In each of these examples, the dynamic fields are used to insert relevant information specific to the recipient, which adds a personal touch and makes the message more engaging. These personalized emails demonstrate an understanding of the recipient's needs and challenges, and position the sender's product or service as a solution.

Conclusion

Email personalization, when executed correctly, can lead to higher open rates, increased click-through rates, and improved customer retention. It's a potent tool in your email marketing arsenal and, with the right data and strategies, can significantly boost your marketing results.

Remember, the most important part of email personalization is to keep the recipient at the heart of your efforts. By focusing on providing relevant, valuable content that resonates with your audience, you can build stronger relationships and foster customer loyalty.