I can tell from my InBox that a lot of companies are not segmenting their prospect databases to align email messaging with interests. Seriously - go take a look at yours.
I got an email the other day that invited me to lunch to discuss why I should make a change from tape backup to consolidated network storage. They obviously don't know me.I received another that told me that the information I'd provided to them indicated I was shopping for a solution just like their's and they wanted to speak with me. Which left me scratching my head as I've never interacted with the company before - that I remember. Nor am I actively looking for a solution they sell. [Making assumptions can obviusly backfire, but that's a content and messaging discussion.]
You can guess what happened to both of these emails, right?The point being that sending email that lacks relevance is a waste of your time and it can do more harm, than good. By blasting out messages to people who could care less, especially when you really miss the mark, you chance your potential buyers thinking your company is clueless and doesn't care about them.
What is becoming abundantly clear as more companies expand their emarketing expertise is that-not only does segmentation work-segmentation can produce huge increases in response rates and engagement. A post by Mark Brownlow, Does Segmentation Work? provides all the backup you need to justify taking the time and effort to add segmentation to your marketing mix. You should go read his post. He's got links you'll want to follow to surveys, case studies and information about how to segment.
Although many of his examples are for consumer companies, the evidence that targeting lead interests pays off in huge dividends cannot be ignored if you want to break through the noise of all that information each of us is slugging through every single day. That's only going to get worse.
It's also important to remember that segmenting doesn't have to be overly difficult. Start slowly and refine as you gauge response. Even if you only segment by industry or expressed product interest, you'll be closer than you were.
Finally, the point is that marketing is responsible for driving leads farther through the pipeline ensuring sales can focus on the best opportunities. The likelihood of your ability to deliver highly qualified leads that sales clamors to have is better if you segment based on known interests.
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