• by Mike May , June 27, 2012

Relevance is the most valued currency in modern email marketing. With countless messages from as many brands reaching your subscribers across multiple channels, the only way to make an impact is to either be highly targeted or exceedingly lucky. Since I’m not writing for the Rabbit’s Foot Insider this week, I’ll focus instead on the former: targeting.

Plainly, your messages stand a much better chance of being opened, read and clicked if you write them with some understanding of who your subscribers are. Whether you realize it or not, you already possess a ton of targetable information about your audience. If you’re stuck for some targeting inspiration, have a look at the list below. How many of these do (or could) you know the answer to, and how might your messages change if you composed them around this subscriber intelligence?

1. Which ones spent money with you last year?

2. Which ones spent money with you the past three years?

3. Which ones spent money with you last week?

4. Who reads their email on a mobile device?

5. Who subscribed from a mobile device?

6. Who takes a week off in August every year?

7. Who hasn’t clicked on a message from you in the past six months?

8. Who hasn’t opened a message in the past six months?

9. Which ones are on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or Pinterest?

10. Which ones are your Facebook fans, or Twitter followers?

11. Who checks their email on weekends?

12. How many are within 50 miles of your office?

13. How many are within five blocks?

14. Who gets your emails at two separate addresses?

15. Who had a bad experience last time they spent money with you?

16. Who was thrilled the last time they spent money with you?

17. Who looks forward to reading your messages and opens them within 5 minutes of receiving them?

18. Who thinks your messages are boring, but continues to wade through them just in case they find something they need?

19. Which ones spent 3+ minutes or viewed 5+ pages on your website the last time you emailed them?

20. Which ones are actively in the market for your products?

21. Which ones are in the market for your competitors’ products?

22. Which ones are your competitors?

23. Which ones are your employees?

24. Who has been a subscriber for less than a year?

25. Who has subscribed for over three years?

26. Which ones subscribed by actively asking to be added to your list?

27. Who is on the list because you added them after they purchased or downloaded something from you?

28. Who on your list didn’t exactly sign up for it, but probably doesn’t mind getting email from you?

29. What percentage is on the East Coast?

30. What percentages are Central, Mountain or West Coast?

31. How many are international?

32. How many don’t speak English as their first language?

33. How many forward your messages to their friends or colleagues?

34. Who has a great sense of humor, or at least thinks you’re funny?

35. Who responds well to personal invitations or exclusive offers?

36. How many are truly engaged with your organization?

37. How many would be, if you only targeted them in the right way?