5 Steps to Prevent COVID-19 Email Fatigue: Segment Sales Emails

A lot is changing around how companies do business during the pandemic, what products and services companies provide, and how their customers engage during these changing times. With so much change during the global pandemic, businesses of all sizes face a delicate balance: They need to reach out to customers with updates and reminders without overloading them to the point of email fatigue.

If a customer receives an email that does not provide them with actionable information, or important, broadly applicable updates, they disengage and lose trust. Luckily, Salesforce helps you target emails to specific customers using the data you are capturing on them. Segmenting emails ensures that you are reaching the right customers with the information they need, skipping the spam.

Here’s how to use Sales Cloud to easily segment customers and quickly send the right email to the right audience as needed.

Segmenting leads and contacts in Sales Cloud

Businesses that use Sales Cloud need a quick and easy way to email customers with updates. Think of letting loyal customers know of updated store hours, or a new service you are providing. Businesses need a way to segment email lists so that customers get the information they need without burning out with email fatigue.

Did you know that Sales Cloud includes super easy email segmentation right from your list views? In just a few clicks, you can filter contact list views to target customers and send an email, all from one page.

Let’s take a look at an example. Dreamhouse Realty wants its customers to know that new properties are on the market, even during the current pandemic. Using a custom Salesforce field, the company tracks which contacts are actively house hunting. Since this may be a difficult time for house hunters, Dreamhouse is only checking in on contacts who have expressed active interest in the process. This is tracked through a field on the contact record, and a filtered list view can show only contacts who have actively expressed interest in house hunting.

With a filtered list view of those contacts, realtors can send an email to the entire list with an update on home-buying best practices, and a link to recent listings, without flooding the inboxes of contacts who are not interested in buying at this time. Doing so means that emails are more meaningful to the recipients, and Dreamhouse is not building a reputation for spam email with customers who are not interested in engaging during COVID-19. Win win!

5 steps to capture data that helps you segment and send more meaningful emails

Ready to send targeted emails from Sales Cloud? Your customers will thank you for only sending what truly matters to them. Follow these steps to send your emails today!

Step 1: Learn about custom fields, list views, list sends, and email templates on Trailhead, Salesforce’s free learning platform. Take the Segment Sales Cloud Emails Trailmix today to find key resources and learn more. (Trailhead is the fun way to learn Salesforce, where would-be Salesforce experts can learn about the products and get hands-on experience. Sign up for a free account here.)

Step 2: Make sure you are capturing data that will help you segment customers. If you don’t have a field you need, create a custom field and use it to track important customer data.

Step 3: Create email templates that put your brand front and center. These can be reused for all your emails to make them stand out.

Step 4: Filter a list view to target recipients. Using standard fields or custom fields, create list views that narrow down the customers who will find the most value from your email. Leaving out other recipients may help your customers trust your brand to not send spam, helping you more than you know!

Step 5: Send emails right from your targeted list view by clicking the “Send List Email” button, and use email templates to make your emails stand out.

Share your strategies for preventing email fatigue during COVID-19

Your customers are experiencing an overload of email. Make sure your emails are the ones that matter to each recipient so that anything coming from your company is relevant and sympathetic to the difficult times we are in.

Already using list sends to segment customers? We want to hear about your experiences and tips for sending highly targeted emails during these dynamic days. Here’s how to share your story:

1. Post with the hashtag #hypersegmentation in the Customer Success Community Group, where Salesforce experts and Trailblazers like you share ideas, find answers, and drive success together.

2. Connect with us on Twitter @askSalesforce and post about your success using the hashtag #hypersegmentation.