In this tutorial, you will learn what ConvertKit segments are and how to use them in order to structure your email list.Before I dive deep into the subject, let's take a minute to understand what segmentation is and why you should be segmenting your email list.
What is email segmentation and why you should segment your email list
Segmentation helps you break down your list into small chunks of people that have similar interests. This will help you maximize your email marketing efforts because you will be able to send content only to people that are genuinely interested in a particular subject.For example on this website, Lipstick and Pixels, I write about different topics: Branding, WordPress, ConvertKit..and I use opt-ins in each of those blog posts. Imagine that you are a SquareSpace user and opted in for one of my ConvertKit freebies. And then all of a sudden I send you an email talking about how to improve your SEO using a WordPress Plugin... you probably wouldn't even open the email, or chances are, that you would directly unsubscribe because you wouldn't feel that my content is relevant to you anymore.This is where segmentation comes into play. Using ConvertKit segments, you can slice up your email list in a few simple steps.
How to create a segment in ConvertKit
Head over to the Subscribers section in ConvertKit. Then click on the Subscribers tab, located in the main menu.
This will take you to your Subscribers page. Next, locate the Segments section as shown in the image above.Then click on Create a Segment. A pop-up will show up and you will be able to configure your first segment.
1- Give your segment a nameDescribe your segment, so you can easily identify when to use it.2-Select the subscribers that you wish to add to the segmentConvertKit offers a ton of options and filters which you can use in order to create different sub-groups of subscribers. For instance, you can choose to group your subscribers that match none, any or all of the filters defined in 3.3- Selecting the segment criteriaYou can choose to group your subscribers in literary any way possible! Once you click on the Add Filter option, you can easily select users:
Cold subscribers - those are the people that haven't opened any of your emails for the past 3 months. You'd probably want to delete those or send a Broadcast only to them in order to see if they still want to be on your list.
Location- if you have a local business and you offer some kind of promotions, you can easily send them only to the people located in particular city. Isn't that awesome?
Subscribed to- this is the most advanced segmentation feature, which is also pre-selected because it's the most common one. You can filter subscribers who have opted in through one of your forms, who are in a particular sequence or those who have a specific tag.
Within a Segment- if you want to group together different segments, this is where you can do it.
Date- this option allows you to group subscribers who have joined your list before or after a specific date.
Subscriber details- this option will only appear if you have integrated ConvertKit with other software APIs and thus you have custom merge tags.
Email address- in my opinion not very useful for segmentation, but you could use this to group together people with let's say Gmail accounts.
Name- group your subscribers by nameYou might feel overwhelmed by ALL those options! Let me help you out by giving you some Best Practices.
ConvertKit segments - Best Practice
Group subscribers that are currently in a sequenceEvery time someone clicks on a link or opts into a sequence, you can give them a tag. For instance, I am tagging everyone when they enter a sequence as follows: In Sequence: XYZ. This helps me not to bother them with any other emails as long as they are in particular sequence. If you offer a free course or if have a welcome sequence, you should exclude those subscribers from receiving even more emails, until they complete your sequence. Create a segment called Subscribers in Sequence or something similar.
Group subscribers that have purchased a product from youIf you are are selling something, regardless if it's a product or a service, it is absolutely necessary that you know who has purchased something from you. You might want to email only your customers in the future. Create a segment called Clients and add everyone that has purchased something from you.
Group subscribers interested in the same topicIf you have multiple topics that you blog about, then it makes sense to group together all of your subscribers that are interested in the same topic. For instance, I have several opt-ins related to WordPress and some that are ConvertKit -related. I can segment my subscribers based on interest- WordPress or ConvertKit and send them targeted newsletters, promotions or new blog posts. This way, people who want to know about WordPress won't hear about ConvertKit and people that are eager to learn more about WordPress won't be receiving any ConvertKit-related material, unless they have opted into any of my CK forms.
Here's a list of some popular tags I use in order to create my segments:
In Sequence: XYZ
Purchased: XYZ product
Interested in: XYZ topic
Beginner XYZ user
Advanced XYZ user
Owns XYZ
You can, of course, create ConvertKit segments that consist just of people that have the same tag.
For example, you can add people with a tag Interested in: XYZ to a segment called People interested in: XYZ. However, I encourage you to take advantage of ConvertKit's segmentation features. After all, better segmentation means better targeting and getting your messages across to the people who are genuinely interested in what you have to say.
How do you segment your email list? Share your tips in the comments below!