5 Personalized Funnel Tactics That Boost Sign-Ups

Although this may seem easy in principle, many consumers are facing an endless stream of emails from various brands that are competing for their attention.

This is exactly why 89% of marketers consider personalization essential for their business's success. By creating targeted email content that is highly relevant to the recipients, email marketing efforts are bound to improve engagement.

Getting to Know Your Audience

A business needs to have a deep understanding of its audience to personalize any aspect of a marketing funnel. By knowing their demographics, interests, buying behaviors, and pain points, content can be tailored to provide users with relevant and engaging content.

When a business is looking to grow its mailing list, using personalized marketing strategies can help not only increase the number of subscribers, but also the quality.

A thorough understanding of an audience is particularly important when planning marketing campaigns and website content. A user’s first impression of the brand will be a big contributor to their decision when they are presented with the option to sign up to the mailing list.

One of the best ways to continually monitor the success of a campaign is to use a landing page tool to create custom landing pages to drive traffic to. By using the page analytics to see where traffic is coming from, how people are engaging, and whether are conversions are improving, a business can continue to optimize their communications and identify opportunities to promote their mailing list.

5 Personalized Funnel Tactics to Try Out

Here are five tactics that businesses can use to personalize content throughout the marketing funnel to improve relevance and drive mailing list sign-ups.

• Dynamic Pop-Ups
• Location-Based Offers
• Retargeting Ads
• Post-Purchase Incentives
• Sponsored Social Media Posts

Dynamic Pop-Ups

Dynamic pop-ups refer to the interactive content boxes that appear as a user browses a site. Often, these are related to the content that the user is currently viewing, encouraging them to take action—often including signing up for the mailing list.

If utilized well, dynamic pop-ups are a great way to boost conversions as they can be timed to appear when a user is at a stage in the funnel where their next natural step would be to take action. If a user is browsing through a product range and is suddenly presented with the opportunity to get a discount code or is reading a blog and is then offered the opportunity to get any new updates sent directly to their inbox, the timing can offer the user real value.

There is also the opportunity to time dynamic pop-ups to appear when a user is showing signs of leaving the page. Whether they are moving their cursor back towards the search engine results page or the back button on the site, presenting them with a dynamic pop-up acts as one final chance to draw them back in.

The example above from Hustler shows a dynamic pop-up used while users are on product pages. In addition to encouraging sign-ups through discounts, Hustler asks for more information on the shopper's interests so it can personalize content later.

Location-Based Offers

When a user lands on a site, geotargeting tools can be used to identify the city or region they are in. This information means that content and offers can be tailored to them to improve relevance and maximize the likelihood of conversion.

Offers can be tailored to the user's location in various ways. Whether weather-appropriate products are suggested, local events are advertised, or free shipping is available in certain regions, location-based messaging can attract the user's interest and improve the relevance of offers.

When it comes to encouraging mailing list signups, location-based offers are great as users are more likely to be drawn in by local offers that feel personalized to them.

Once a user has entered their details and agreed to join the mailing list, the geotargeting also means that their location is known – an ideal insight when it comes to segmenting mailing lists and sending out targeted content.

Retargeting Ads

If a user has previously shown interest in a product or service but did not convert, retargeting ads are a great way to prompt them to return and take the desired action.

By showing an ad to those who recently visited the website and performed certain actions, content can be closely personalized to the product or service they previously showed interest in. Retargeting campaigns can be created through social media ads or digital ads.

An effective strategy is to offer time-sensitive promotions. If somebody had previously added an item to their cart but changed their mind at the last minute, seeing an ad that offers them an exclusive discount if they sign up to the newsletter may be the push they needed to return to the site and make the purchase.

The example above shows how a B&B in Chicago has used retargeting ads on Facebook. By using social media to promote their page to those who have previously spent time on the website, they are reaching potential customers as they enjoy some downtime—the perfect chance to make a sale.

Post-Purchase Incentives

Once a customer has placed an order, it is a prime opportunity to encourage a mailing list sign-up since it is clear that the user is interested in the brand.

Following the order confirmation, presenting them with a discount code for future purchases if they sign up for the mailing list works as an incentive to not only sign them up for email marketing communications but also encourage them to make a further order in the near future.

Alternatively, offering exclusive information about new product launches or upcoming sales can encourage them to want email marketing updates.

Since the customer is already heavily engaged following their purchase, they are subconsciously in a buying mindset, which will make the prospect of future discounts all the more appealing to them.

Sponsored Social Media Posts

For businesses looking to expand their mailing list, sponsored social media posts are a powerful strategy since advertisers can create personalized posts tailored to each user.

Different campaigns can be set up to target different audience segments, with criteria including age, gender, location, job title, and interests. To take this personalization one step further, there is even the option to create campaigns based on users’ previous social media activity, using posts they have previously engaged with as an indicator of the type of content that will appeal the most.

By creating sponsored social media campaigns that are personalized to the interests of individual users, any incentive to sign up for the mailing list will be more likely to convert than generic social media ads.

The example ad above shows a sponsored Facebook campaign that advertises PR services to business owners during the peak holiday season. By identifying a problem that the audience is likely to be facing in the current moment and creating ads that are personalized to them, engagement is bound to increase.

Maximizing Marketing Returns Through Personalization

Growing a mailing list isn’t just about numbers—it’s about creating a highly relevant and engaged audience that is interested in a business's offerings.

By identifying key moments in the funnel and targeting users with personalized content that offers them value, mailing list sign-ups can be incentivized to draw in new users and open up an ongoing form of communication.

Since email marketing is more competitive than ever and standing out in inboxes is no easy task, putting in the groundwork to build up a strong mailing list opens up endless new opportunities to keep customers coming back again and again.