25 Ways to Slice Your Law Firm’s Email Database for Better List Segmentation

Email segmentation is an effective marketing strategy that can increase your law firm’s email open rates and conversion rates. The more relevant your email communication is, the more likely your audience will continue to engage with it. In fact, according to the DMA, 77% of email marketing ROI is realized by using segmented, targeted, and triggered campaigns. Unsure where to start? Take a look at the following list of ways to slice and dice your law firm’s email marketing list for better results.

Here are some of the most important reasons why your law firm should have a segmented email marketing list:

• Your clients are all different. More often than not, law firms have different target audiences that appeal to a variety of different services. Targeted lists will help you identify these differences and provide clients with the information and opportunities they’re looking for.
• Improved credibility. When you are being thoughtful and methodical about how, when, and what you email to your contacts, it will automatically improve your credibility. No one likes to be spammed.
• It will boost your success rates. Statistics show that having a segmented email marketing list will improve your open and click-through rates while lowering your bounce rates. Do keep in mind that segmented lists are only part of the equation. As marketers, you need to consider your message and your call-to-action.

25 Ways to Segment Your Law Firm’s Email Marketing Database

1. Geography

Probably one of the most essential ways for law firms to segment, location is helpful in understanding where to reach your potential clients. It makes sense to target people in your region who are more likely to do business with you.

2. Age

Different people are likely to be in need of different legal services, and part of that distinction is how old they are.

3. Persona

Hopefully you’ve created some client personas. You can use these to target messaging to people in the most compelling way. 

4. Organization type

Just like individuals, organizations have different needs. Divide your list by organization type or industry and address the challenges they are most likely to face. 

5. Industry

Use the knowledge of your lead’s industry to develop content that speaks to their specific legal issues and how your firm solves them. 

6. Job function

Your email list likely contains people in several different roles. If some of them need more legal support than others, it makes sense to break them out. 

7. Education level

Similar to age, this demographic likely plays a big role in what types of legal assistance someone might need.

8. Seniority level

Just like with different job roles, there’s different levels of seniority within departments. The pain points and needs of each level will differ, and your messaging should be adjusted accordingly.

9. Past engagements

People you have worked with before or that are current clients should be part of a different marketing campaign than leads or people who are strangers to you. Past engagements are important triggers for email segmentation for law firms.

10. Past interests

If you use marketing automation software, you can tell what interests people might have. Build lists around which practice area, attorney bio, or event invitations people have displayed an interest in.

11. Seasonality

Do some people use your firm for annual contract reviews? Are there clients you help at tax time in particular? Create campaigns based on timing for those groups. 

12. Content topic

Over time, you’ll notice that people engage with some content subjects more than others. Track this information to use in lead nurturing efforts. 

13. Content formats

Just as important as the content topic is the format of the content. When you note the type of content that people prefer, make a point to use these formats in your efforts with them. 

14. Interest level

Just how interested are people in your content? There’s a difference between simply opening a webinar invitation vs. attending the webinar and staying on for the entire presentation. 

15. Changes in content engagement levels

As you nurture leads, are you noticing an increase or decrease in their engagement with your content? Use this information to either reawaken interest or move them along in the cycle. 

16. Email type

Design your emails differently based on email addresses. For example, Gmail addresses render responsive design well. 

17. Satisfaction index

Have you conducted client satisfaction surveys? If you use indexes such as the NPS (Net Promoter Score), consider segmenting emails based on their satisfaction with your firm. 

18. Clients who refer

If there are clients who tend to send business your way – especially if they do so often – create messaging that reflects your gratitude and reminds them how to make referrals. 

19. Clients who haven’t reviewed

It’s important to constantly generate positive reviews. Segment a list of those who haven’t written a review yet and encourage them to do so. 

20. Form abandonment

If someone starts filling out a form on your website and then stops, send a communication to encourage them to return to the form and complete it. Make sure to mention the value that doing so will provide (for example, access to a white paper). 

21. Best clients

Most firms have a set of clients that are their “bread and butter”. You want to have a list of these clients and communicate more warmly with them. 

22. Event attendance

If you host webinars, seminars, panels, or client events, it’s important to thank people who take the time to attend. Make sure to invite them to the next events you’re planning and offer content related to the event topic.

23. Call-to-action clicks

Use web analytics to keep track of what people click on, including CTAs at the end of blogs, social media posts, or other content. Tailor content toward getting people to take subsequent actions. 

24. Page views

You can tell a lot about people’s interests based on the web pages they click on. Use your marketing automation system to track your website, blog, or other online content and then add visitors to appropriate lists. 

25. Lapsed clients

Inevitably, there are going to be people who worked with you at one point but no longer do. Keep a list of past clients and create a campaign to try to re-engage them.

Related: A 15-Point Email Marketing Checklist for Law Firms

Takeaway 

Email segmentation is an effective marketing strategy that can increase success rates for your law firm. Remember, email marketing segmentation isn’t a tactic reserved only for law firms with the most advanced marketing automation software. With a simple email marketing service and a bit of creativity, you can start targeting your audience with these easy segmentation strategies today.

If you need help with your law firm’s email marketing strategy, contact us today. We can streamline and automate your processes and help you increase the size and loyalty of your email subscribers