Consultants' Corner

How are you leveraging personalization in your email marketing?

As a certified HubSpot partner, our firm leverages personalization in our email marketing for both clients and internal communications. While subject lines and body copy offer simple ways to personalize, more advanced systems allow for deeper customization. Incorporating personalization has significantly increased our open rates.

Trigger emails, such as reminders for deadlines or sign-ups, play a crucial role. For instance, we worked with a CPA client to send tax submission reminders to those who hadn’t submitted information, resulting in a substantial increase in data submissions.

Segmentation by industry, role, or client type is another effective approach. Construction industry clients receive different emails than retail clients, and in retirement situations, relationships are transferred to specific individuals within the firm.

Christine M. Hollinden Hollinden christine@hollinden.com

Everyone wants to be seen and understood; our clients are no different. Email marketing, when done right, is a powerful tool for accounting marketers to engage with their audience and build meaningful relationships. Adding prospects to an ongoing nurture campaign is one common best practice, but personalization can be challenging when your audience is large, diverse, and at different stages of the buyer’s journey. Industry-focused campaigns are typically more effective. When using segmentation, you can include industry trends, news, client case studies, and other value-add thought leadership which demonstrates a deep understanding of and commitment to your client’s industry. I believe this specific type of personalization adds the most value, not just including their !

Alyson Fieldman Rockit Results alysonfieldman@gmail.com

For those who are starting this process at your firm, we suggest beginning with a basic segmentation of your email list(s) based on demographics, industries, contact type (client, COI, or prospect), or services. Since a successful email campaign revolves around education and awareness, tailoring your content to the recipient's interests strengthens the likelihood of them engaging with the email. Another recommendation is to have your emails originate from an individual rather than the firm because it increases the likelihood of the recipient opening the email.

Finally, keep your email content short and sweet. Simplicity, conciseness, and relevancy are key. This takes strategy, consistency, and perseverance, but if you keep at it, it can lead to increased open rates and recipient engagement.

Kristy Gusick Align Marketing Group kristy@alignmarketinggroup.com

Interviews by Heather Tice