We’ve all been there: you sign up for a newsletter from a brand you love, and for the next six months, you’re bombarded with generic ‘batch and blast’ emails that have nothing to do with your actual interests.
In her recent ‘5 in Twenty’ session at marketingSHOWCASE, Alicia from Force24 pulled back the curtain on why this happens: Traditional segmentation is broken.
The modern buyer doesn’t fit into a static box. If you’re still segmenting purely by job title or location, you aren’t marketing – you’re guessing.
The ‘Travel CEO’ dilemma: beyond the job title
To understand why we need to go deeper, let’s look at the typical high-value prospect that Alicia mentioned: a CEO in the travel industry.
Standard segmentation would see her ‘Job Title’ and ‘Sector’ and send her a generic monthly digest about travel trends. But to truly drive engagement, we need to know the nuance of her role:
- Is she focused on the logistics and supply chain side of the business?
- Is she worried about travel legislation and compliance post-2026?
- Is she looking for tech innovation to scale her bookings?
Sending ‘Logistics’ content to a ‘Legislation’ minded CEO isn’t just a missed opportunity – it’s a fast track to the ‘Unsubscribe’ button.
How to get more from your data capture
Alicia’s session highlighted that ‘Gaining attention in a crowded inbox’ requires moving from static data to live signals. Here are three ways to evolve your data capture:
1. The ‘Getting to Know You’ workflow
Don’t ask for 20 data points on a signup form (that’s a conversion killer). Instead, use a “Welcome Sequence” that asks one simple, binary question per email.
“Are you more focused on Logistics or Legislation this year?” One click doesn’t just give you a data point; it triggers a specialised content path.
2. Use AI to track live signals
Modern buyers leave breadcrumbs. If that Travel CEO spends three minutes on your blog post about ‘Sustainability Regulations,’ her segment should update in real-time. Automation tools like Force24 allow you to deliver relevance in the moment, rather than waiting for a manual list refresh.
3. Interactive personalisation
Move beyond “Hi [First_Name].” Use your data capture to reflect their specific challenges. If you know they are interested in logistics, your next email header should be about ‘Streamlining Travel Logistics,’ not just ‘Our Latest News.’
Want to see the full strategy?
Alicia’s ‘5 in Twenty’ session was packed with five actionable ways to simplify your segmentation without adding complexity to your tech stack.
If you missed it live, don’t worry. You can watch the full session – and dozens of other high-impact thought leadership talks – on theHUB.
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