Email’s a nimble little channel. It’s highly targetable, highly testable, and for the most part, highly flexible. Email is also very personal. The act of giving an email address to a brand, even if it’s a work-related email address, is a sign of trust and faith.

As marketers, it’s our job to reciprocate this act of trust. Personalization is one way we can do that. But, you need to be careful. There’s a thin line between using data to write a thoughtful marketing email, and coming off like a creepy, quasi-omniscient internet marketer.

Here are a couple tips for non-eerie email personalization.

1. Personalize the from line. You get a lot of emails. Most probably come from some faceless corporation. Instead, have the from line list a real person’s name. Perhaps, someone from your sales or marketing staff. You can use the same tactic with email signatures. Include a real name, and contact info if you want to go that far. This will definitely make your email stand out from the pack.
2. Use past purchase history. If you’re in continuing contact with a current customer, use their past purchase history to tailor offers or content that aligns with those purchases. This shows that you remember that customer, and are making an effort to create sincere marketing.
3. Say Hi. If the lead filled out a lead form of any kind, at the very least you should know their first and last name. Starting your email by saying “Hi, Ted, Julie, etc.” and speaking to the individual is a great way to build the strong connection that generates repeat customers.
4. Segment your list. This will ensure that the content and offers you send to potential or current clients are tailored to their interests, verticals, and pain points. Segmented lists generally deliver better performance and engagement metrics, because they allow you to better market to the individual.
5. Use site activity. If you’ve got a lead that’s engaging with your brand through your content and marketing collateral, but hasn’t converted yet, use their activity to personalize content, demos, and eventually offers that they’ll find appealing. This is similar to using past purchase history, but you don’t want to make a product recommendation at this point. It’s best to continue to nurture this lead with information that they’ll find useful. The hard sell can come once they’re familiarized with your brand.

I hope you found these personalization tips helpful. You may be using some or all of these tips already, but if you’re not, consider using personalization to improve your marketing performance.

P.S. If you’ve used personalization successfully, please share your tips or thoughts in the comments. If you enjoyed this post, please share. Thanks!