The Sweet Sounds of Segmentation

Conceptually speaking, the process of segmenting your subscriber lists is a lot like organizing songs on your ipod® or mp3 player. Sure, you could lump all the songs into only one category and simply call it "music," but that would be doing a disservice to the unique qualities of the various genres, albums, and playlists. It's like that with your subscribers, too. They share one important commonality, which is being in your email marketing database. But beyond that, they have their own special qualities.

Recognizing these qualities will help you reach each subscriber faster and with greater accuracy. As an email marketer, this level of understanding should be music to your ears.

Segmenting by Categories and Static Segment

Static Segments & Categories Categories are used to organize static segments, while static segments are used to organize subscribers. Subscribers can be associated with multiple segments and categories. Subscribers can also be in your BlueHornet database without being associated to any segment or category.

In the BlueHornet system, our most basic way of segmenting subscribers is by using Categories and Static Segments.

Categories:
Going back to the ipod®/mp3 example, you might organize your catalog of music by album or by artist. Or maybe you'd create some playlists, which are a type of category used to organize your favorite songs. In your BlueHornet system, categories are used in a similar fashion--as a method to identify and organize segments within your system. Categories can be created and displayed on a sign-up form or your update preferences page, or they can be completely hidden from view to be used only for organizational purposes by the administrator of the account.

Static Segments:
To return to our analogy, let's say you've set up a few playlists in your mp3: Workout, Summertime, Party Mix, and Relax Time. Each playlist contains songs that remind you of one of these special events, moods, or seasons. But your favorite workout song is "We are the Champions," by Queen, a classic that everyone enjoys at a party, too. So that song is associated with two playlists, Workout and Party Mix.

Your BlueHornet system can be set up the same way, where static segments are like playlists, and subscribers are like songs. Static segments are a way to identify and organize your subscribers within the system. Like categories, static segments can be created and displayed on a sign-up form/update preferences page or hidden from view to be used for internal organization. And just like the song "We are the Champions," subscribers may be associated with more than one segment.

Create segments to capture subscribers who share common attributes, such as gender or state of residence. Then select or exclude segments when choosing your email recipients, to ensure they receive relevant emails. Here's an Example of How Categories and Segments Work Together:

1. (Displaying segments externally, so subscribers can self-segment) On your company's sign-up page, you ask this question:
   
   Which of the following communications would you like to receive from our company? (category)
   • Business e-newsletter (group)
   • New Product Releases (group)
   • Upcoming and Special Events (group)
     
     
   In this example, the sign-up form is asking a subscriber to choose the email communications they would like to receive from your company, and depending on which they choose (can be more than one), the subscriber will be routed into that segment in the BlueHornet system.
   
   
2. (Using segments internally, for your own segmentation) You've set up your system to organize subscribers in the following way:
   
   Category = Surveys
   Segment = Sales Survey, Customer Service Experience Survey, and Marketing Survey
   
   In this example, you have collected the respondents' names from the surveys conducted and are interested in segmenting these subscribers into static segments for further communication.

Segmenting Subscribers by Clickthrough

Your BlueHornet system offers a powerful way to conduct behavior-based segmentation called Segment by Clickthrough.

This feature gives you the ability to set up your email message so that it automatically segments subscribers into static segments based upon the specific links they clicked. You can choose to route subscribers into existing segments, or create new segments for this particular activity. These segments are a great way to send more targeted messages as subscribers engage with your campaigns.

• Tennis equipment
• Baseball equipment
• Soccer equipment
• Football equipment

You are interested in sending subscribers more targeted messages in the future based on their clickthrough behavior. You have determined that if a subscriber clicks on the "Tennis equipment" link, they will be segmented into the static segment named "Tennis Equipment." When tennis equipment is on sale in the future, you can send out targeted email offers to subscribers that have shown interest in tennis equipment in the past. This feature enables you to have a segment of subscribers readily identified (Tennis Equipment), and available to receive this communication.

Segmenting Subscribers Using the BlueHornet Signup Widget

The third option we'll discuss for using segmentation to better understand subscribers is the BlueHornet Signup Widget.

Signup Widget:
The BlueHornet Signup Widget allows you to quickly capture email addresses from anywhere you publish content online and segment those subscribers at the same time. When someone submits their email address through the Signup Widget, they can be automatically segmented into static segments according to the location they joined from, capturing source information.

This example shows a Signup Widget which will capture an email address and segment this subscriber into the newsletter segment in the client's database.

Additional Details about the BlueHornet Signup Widget:

• You can select the segment the subscriber is segmented into once they click "submit" on the webpage; this data will post within the specified segment in your database.
• You must capture email address as default, however can capture additional info such as name, zip code, etc.
• You can customize the look, feel, and branding of the widget.
• Your system generates the code. You simply copy and paste it from the system and have it implemented on your website or other online location.

If you would like additional information about these three ways of using segmentation to better understand, organize, and classify your subscribers, please contact your account manager or send an email to Support@BlueHornet.com.