Personalization has generally been accepted as a good email marketing practice. Like all best practices there are a few myths and misconceptions associated with its usage that you should be aware of.
Let’s go through some of the best ways to use personalization.
Subject line
Using personalized data in the subject line CAN be a good way to get a better connection with your reader and has even been shown to increase open rates. Over the years I’ve done a number of split tests using first name in the subject line and found while it can increase open rates, it’s not guaranteed to do so.
To make this work you have to use <first name> is a natural way. I’d suggest testing this for sure with your list.
NOTE: It’s pretty important you know the state of your email database. Do you have first names in all fields and are they really just first names? If your data is clean this will work better than if your data is corrupt. Any gains you get from using first name properly will be offset by having a poor quality database.
You can also use <first name> <last name> as a personalization. Such as “A Special Invite for <first name> <last name>”
You’ll notice that if you don’t ask for a name on your sign up form you won’t have it in your data. Double check that your data collection methods have been the same from the beginning and they are the same in all collection points. If you have a gap, personalization using name may not work for you.
Other Personalization Fields
Personally I think you can use any data in your database to become better connected with your reader and show them you’re paying attention.
As an example you could use registration date for newsletters such as “You joined our newsletter on <registration date>”.
Think of anything piece of information in your database that you can use in your message.
Some common ones are <username> <member name> or <login name>. People are always misplacing login info and appreciate the reminder.
There really is no limit to what you can include. Just be sure your database is clean.
Frequency
Don’t overdo it.
If you use <first name> in the copy don’t use it 5 times or you’ll come off sounding like a bad salesman. It’s just unnatural.
The take-away
Using personalization in one instance or one way is not going to double your open or click rates. But using personalization over time and wisely will give you better stats AND you’ll enjoy a stronger bond with your readers. Not always easy to measure but you should experience lower unsubscribe rates from loyal readers.
Remember the sweetest sounding word in the entire English language is one’s own name!