Should the email to referral sources be the same for everyone on my list?

When you send email to referral sources, it’s so much easier to just send the same email to everyone on your list. It is easier. It’s also a terrible idea. When you send a standard email blast your open rate will be lower, and you will lose referral sources who click on Unsubscribe or Spam. When you send targeted emails to segments of your list you can boost your open rate, click-through rate, and conversion rate. (Click here for a very readable MailChimp study on how targeting affects your results.)

Segment emails to maximize opens, clicks, and referrals

Consider the case of Central City Psychologists. If the send an email blast to local school psychologists and principals about their programs for kids with ADD, they will get a great response. If they send the same email to lawyers who have clients with DUI or anger management issues – the email will be a washout.

Are you more likely to open an email with a subject line specific to your needs? More likely to click through for more information that is relevant to you? The same applies to your email list!
– Therapy Everywhere Email Experts

[Segmentation is] a key best practice to improving your open and click-through rates.
– Constant Contact

How can I segment for best results?

In Constant Contact, MailChimp, and many other email newsletter programs, you can segment the members of your list by almost any parameter that you can think of, including past behavior, date added, geographic location, job title, etc.  Here are some sample segments that we frequently use for clients:

• Did they open the last campaign or not?
• Did they click through to find out more in any of the last 3 campaigns?
• Type of contact (such as a school psychologist or guidance counselor, a social worker at a substance abuse rehab facility, or a local mental health counselor)
• Interest (children or adults, couples or individuals, eating disorders or autism spectrum)

Is segmenting useful for building an online practice?

If your email list includes subscribers who are located far away, your emails to them should focus on services that you provide online. On the other hand, for subscribers who are based near your location, your emails might offer both in-person and online services.

Get help focusing your email blasts

Emailing can be a great way to get referrals. Your account manager at Therapy Everywhere can help you segment and focus email campaigns in ways that make sense for your list. Arrange a free consult today.

We are a Constant Contact Partner and have had fantastic success using Constant Contact for email newsletters that help therapy practices grow.