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When it comes to email marketing, there are countless tips out there on how to get more sales: send more emails, set up automations, and follow up frequently.

But I’m going to dive into something a bit different—some of my favourite email marketing hacks that can truly level up your strategy.

These are not your typical "send a welcome email" or "automate a cart abandonment" kind of tips (though those are great too!). Instead, I’ll be revealing lesser-known tactics and features built right into your email marketing software that are often overlooked, but incredibly powerful for increasing sales.

This isn’t your standard guide to email marketing success. I’m not here to cover the basics or walk you through common email templates. If you're after that, I’ve already shared plenty of that information in previous podcast episodes, such as: How to get more sales without feeling salesy, How to get more out of your next sales promotion with these 10 tips, Essential Ecommerce Automations, Streamlined Services with Automation,and Automation for Online Business.

What I’m focusing on right now is adding those extra layers to your email campaigns—the things that can transform your emails from just "good enough" to highly personalised, hyper-relevant, and undeniably effective.

The key theme in these strategies? Relevance. It's the secret sauce that turns a generic message into something that speaks directly to your audience's needs, making them more likely to take action.

Think about it—when you receive an email that feels tailor-made for you, you’re far more inclined to open it, read it, and follow through on its call to action. But the challenge is creating that level of relevance when your email list is filled with subscribers at different stages of their journey, with varying interests and needs.

That’s where the magic of email marketing comes in.

Unlike social media, where you craft a one-size-fits-all post and hope it resonates with the masses, email allows you to segment, personalise, and deliver content in a way that’s much more tailored to individual subscribers.

So let’s go through how to make the most of that potential with some of my go-to email marketing tips to increase sales.

Why Increasing Relevance is Important

Increasing relevance is key to making sure your subscribers not only open your emails but also take action. The more tailored your content is to their needs and interests, the higher the likelihood they’ll engage and convert. Personalised marketing through email is a game-changer—you can customise messaging for different groups, unlike on social media where a single post reaches everyone the same way.

The more relevant the email, the higher the conversion.

3 Hacks to Learn More About Your Subscribers

To increase relevance, you need to know more about your subscribers. Here are three effective ways to gather this data:

1. Ask

Sometimes the simplest way to learn about your subscribers is just to ask. You can gather qualitative data by implementing one of these strategies:

• Two-step sign-up form: After someone submits their email, redirect them to a second form with just a couple of questions. If they’re interested and engaged, they’ll take a moment to provide more info. Or keep it simple and add one extra field to the main sign-up form.
• Preferences form: Preferences forms can gather more than just email types. Include questions about interests or stages, so you can tailor content.
• Clickable poll in your welcome email: Offer a quick poll with a few options like, “Which best describes you?” and link each option to a unique URL that helps you tag and segment subscribers based on their selection.

2. Predictive Data

Some email platforms, like Klaviyo, can predict key data such as:

• Gender
• Location (via IP address)
• Next order date
• Customer lifetime value

This predictive data allows you to further refine your messaging and target people at the perfect time for maximum impact.

3. Behavioural Targeting

Another powerful way to learn about your audience is to track their behaviour. Look at:

• Opened emails: Who is actively engaging?
• Clicked on links: What are their interests based on what they click?
• Visited a webpage: Are they browsing but not buying?
• Purchases: Who has already bought from you?

If your platform supports lead scoring (ActiveCampaign is great for this), you can assign points based on specific actions, helping you identify your most engaged or promising leads.

How to Increase Email Relevance (And Therefore Your Sales)

Once you’ve gathered all this valuable data, use it to create ultra-relevant, high-converting campaigns. Here come my best email marketing tips to increase sales...

1. Segmented Campaigns

Segmented campaigns are all about splitting your email list into smaller groups based on things like shopping habits or interests. Instead of blasting the same email to everyone, you can craft different messages for different folks. For example, if you have a new product, you wouldn’t want to send that email to someone who already bought it, right?

By making sure the right people get the right emails, you keep things relevant and interesting for your audience. Plus, it shows you care about their preferences, which helps build a good relationship. When subscribers feel understood, they’re more likely to engage and convert!

2. A/B Split Testing

A/B split testing is like a fun little experiment for your emails. You send out two versions of the same email to a small chunk of your list—like testing two different subject lines or even the whole email layout. After a bit of time, you check which one got more opens or clicks, and then send the winner to the rest of your subscribers.

This way, you’re always learning what your audience loves. It’s a smart way to keep improving your emails over time. The more you test, the better your emails become at grabbing attention and getting people to take action!

3. Timing of Emails

Sending your emails at the right time can make a huge difference. You don’t want your email landing in someone’s inbox at 2 a.m., right? So, try sending your emails based on your subscribers’ local times instead of your own.

Some email platforms even have cool features that send emails at times when subscribers are most likely to open them. This personal touch makes your emails feel more relevant and timelier, leading to better engagement and a happier audience.

4. Automation and Flow Triggers

Using automation and flow triggers is like setting up a smart system to engage with your subscribers based on their actions. For instance, if someone leaves items in their cart, you can automatically send them a reminder email to come back and finish their purchase.

But it gets even cooler! You can use data to predict when a subscriber might want to buy again. So, instead of just guessing when to send them a reminder, you can use their past buying habits to hit them up right when they’re most likely to be ready to shop again. This makes your emails feel timely and super relevant.

5. Conditional Splits in Automations

Conditional splits let you customise your emails even further by sending different messages based on what you know about your subscribers. For example, in an email for people who’ve purchased before, you might want to use a more relaxed tone, while newbies might need a little more reassurance about your products.

This way, your emails speak directly to where each subscriber is in their journey with your brand. By making your messaging relevant to their experience, you increase the chances of them engaging and converting.

6. Dynamic Content

Dynamic content is like adding a personal touch to your emails without having to write a whole new one each time. You can include things like the subscriber’s name or recommend products based on their past purchases.

Some advanced platforms even let you mix up the content style based on what different subscribers prefer—like some may enjoy snappy messages, while others prefer more detailed info. This level of personalisation makes your emails feel special and tailored just for them.

7. Conditional Content

Conditional content allows you to decide which parts of your email to show based on who’s receiving it. For example, if you’re promoting a special discount, you might want first-time buyers to see that offer while excluding repeat customers.

This helps keep your messaging relevant and ensures that everyone gets the information that matters to them. Plus, it saves you from having to write multiple versions of the same email!

8. Universal Content Blocks

Universal content blocks are all about efficiency. Imagine you have a promo banner that you want to use in multiple emails. Instead of changing it in every single email, you can just update it in one spot, and it changes everywhere it appears.

This saves you a ton of time and makes sure your messages stay consistent. Plus, if you want to show a specific message to certain groups, you can do that while still keeping everything else the same. It’s a great way to keep things organised and relevant without all the extra hassle.

That was a lot of information to take in…

So don’t feel pressured to implement everything at once. Instead, think of this as a post you can return to as needed—picking one or two ideas to test and slowly layering them into your email strategy over time.

Remember, not everything is a perfect fit for every business, and that's okay. I like to think of all these strategies and tools as a flexible toolkit. When I work with clients, I always start by getting a sense of their overall business and the different audiences they serve. From there, I dip into my toolkit to find the right strategies and tools that will help make their emails and offers more relevant and engaging for the unique segments of their audience.

If you’re finding yourself thinking, “Wow, this is more complex than I expected, and I could really use some guidance,” don’t worry—I’m here to help! I offer 1-1 consulting packages that can be tailored to your needs. Just click on the 'Work With Me' tab for more details. And if you’re looking for more email marketing tips to increase sales, be sure to check out my course, Everyday Email Sales, at yaelkeon.com/everyday.

No matter where you're at in your email marketing journey, know that support is available to help you grow and succeed!