Email Segmentation 101: What it is and How to Put it in Practice

Key Takeaways

• Definition: Email segmentation is the practice of dividing your email list into smaller, targeted groups so you can send the right message to the right person every time.
• Impact: Segmented campaigns can drive a 90.7% higher click-through rate and up to a 760% increase in revenue.
• Core Methods: The four primary ways to segment are demographic (who they are), geographic (where they are), psychographic (what they value), and behavioral (how they act).
• Best Practices: Success comes down to setting clear goals, using a few smart tools, and revisiting segments as customer preferences evolve.

 

Think of email segmentation as the secret behind every email that lands in your inbox and actually feels like it was written just for you. Here’s how to make that happen for your subscribers.

As Matt Blumberg puts it, “Reaching the inbox isn’t your goal, engaging subscribers is.” And sending mass, generic emails isn’t going to get you there. To keep subscribers engaged, you have to send personalized emails that feel like messages between friends. It all starts with email segmentation. 

What Is Email Segmentation?

Email segmentation is the practice of dividing your email list into smaller, targeted groups, based on factors such as interests, location, or past behavior, so you can send the right message to the right person every time.

Segmentation groups customers with similar characteristics. For example, you could segment your email list by customer interest, location, purchase history, or customer type (more on this below).

Doing so makes it easy to personalize your campaigns and ensures every message feels relevant to each subscriber. Sending emails that resonate with the specific pains, desires, and needs of the subscriber will boost engagement. In fact, studies have shown segmented email campaigns yield a 90.7% higher click-through rate than non-segmented campaigns.

Alex Souchoroukof of Moosend points out that despite its impact, segmentation remains one of the most underused tactics in email marketing. And that’s actually good news. It means there’s a lot of room to get ahead. “It is a nice and excellent idea for subscribers to share their email address with you, but you don’t optimize the full potential of your email marketing campaigns when you don’t segment your email address lists.”

Some of the benefits Moosend has seen from segmenting their lists include:

• The ability to send more relevant material
• Capitalizing on the funnel and journey their buyers are taking
• Improved ROI
• Walking the fine line between emailing too much and too little

Email Segmentation Best Practices

Segment your email list to improve the overall success of your email marketing campaigns and take your efforts to the next level. A few habits make all the difference:

• Set goals before you start. Decide what you want your email marketing to achieve and how segmentation can move you closer to those outcomes.
• Keep your segments current. Your customers’ needs shift over time, so revisit and reclassify contacts as their preferences change.
• Track what’s working. Measure segmentation results against your original goals; what gets tracked, gets better.

Top Ways to Segment Your Email List

Customers expect you to tailor emails specifically to them. In fact, 71% of customers would engage favorably with emails if the content is personalized to their interests.

To give your customers a personalized email experience, you have to nail segmentation first. Here’s a quick side-by-side of the four most common methods:

Segmentation Type	Key Criteria	Complexity
Demographic	Age, gender, income, profession	Low
Geographic	Region, country, city, time zone	Low
Psychographic	Lifestyle, hobbies, values, personality	High
Behavioral	Purchase history, browsing habits, email engagement	High

Demographic Segmentation

Demographic segmentation groups your subscribers by factual, data-driven characteristics like:

• Gender
• Age
• Level of education
• Income
• Profession
• Family status

Using those quantifiable characteristics to group email contacts is the most basic form of email segmentation. Even so, it still helps your emails reach the right people with products they actually care about, and that alone can make a noticeable difference.

Geographic Segmentation

Geographic segmentation is another basic way to categorize email lists. In this technique, you group customers based on location identifiers, such as:

• Region
• Country
• City
• Postal code

This is by far the easiest form of segmentation. It comes in handy if you want to send personalized emails based on regional factors like local events, weather, language, or customs.

For example, a boutique fitness studio could use geographic segmentation to promote a local class schedule to subscribers in their city while holding off on sending that email to contacts in other states. Targeted, timely, and zero wasted sends.

Psychographic Segmentation

In psychographic segmentation, you group your customers based on their personalities and interests. For example, you may look at your email list and classify contacts by their:

• Lifestyle
• Hobbies
• Values
• Personality
• Beliefs
• Life goals

These traits aren’t always obvious at first glance, so a little digging goes a long way. Start by gathering insights from your sign-up forms, surveys, or preference centers. Small signals that reveal a lot.

For example, you could add checkboxes to your sign-up form to ask customers to share their preferences or hobbies. This way, you can automatically categorize contacts with similar interests into one group.

Psychographic segmentation takes a bit more effort, but it pays off. Each customer receives emails based on what they actually care about, which makes them much more likely to open, click, and act on the promotion or content in front of them.

Behavioral Segmentation

In behavioral segmentation, you group customers based on how they interact with your brand across different touchpoints. For example, if you’re an eCommerce brand, you can categorize customers based on:

• Browsing habits
• Spending habits
• Purchasing habits
• Loyalty to your brand

Like the psychographic technique, behavioral segmentation is a more advanced method, but you probably already have most of the data you need. Customer website metrics like page visits, time spent on the site, number of sessions, and shopping cart value all feed directly into it.

It’s also wise to segment your list based on how subscribers interact with your emails. Look at things like who’s opening, clicking, or unsubscribing. Those signals point you toward your most engaged contacts, so you can find ways to deepen those relationships.

Email Segmentation Tools

The good news? You don’t have to figure this out on your own. A few smart tools make segmentation simple, and you may already have what you need. Look for:

• An email service provider (ESP), like Benchmark Email, that supports segmentation.
• A page-level targeting tool to help you create targeted sign-up forms for specific web visitors. At Benchmark, our users can use our sign-up form builder to drive traffic to targeted pages and encourage email sign-ups.
• Lead magnets that let customers self-identify as belonging to one of your predetermined email segments.

Get Email Segmentation Right to Boost Performance

The perks of email segmentation go way beyond just feeling more personal. According to a study by HubSpot, brands that use segmented campaigns achieve a 760% increase in revenue.

That kind of revenue lift is within reach, and it starts with smarter segmentation. Ready to put it into practice? Benchmark Email makes it easy to segment, personalize, and send with confidence. Sign up for free and see what better targeting can do for your bottom line.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is Email Segmentation?

Email segmentation means splitting your contact list into smaller groups, such as new customers, repeat buyers, or people in the same city, so each group gets an email that matches their interests. Relevant messages earn more opens, clicks, and sales.

What Are the 4 Main Types of Email Segmentation?

The most common groups are demographic (age, income, job), geographic (location), psychographic (interests and values), and behavioral (past actions such as purchases or clicks). Start with these, then add more detail as you gather data.

How Often Should I Update My Email Segments?

Review your segments at least once a quarter. If you run fast-moving campaigns, such as flash sales, check them monthly to ensure each contact is still in the right group.

How Do I Collect the Data I Need for Segmentation?

Use sign-up forms that ask for basics like location or interests, track email actions (opens, clicks, purchases), and add a short preference center so contacts can update their details anytime.