What is an Audience?

In an email marketing program, an "audience" refers to a specific group or segment of individuals who receive your email campaigns. Audiences are created based on various criteria, such as demographics, behaviors, preferences, or engagement levels. The primary purpose of organizing your email list into audiences is to send highly targeted and relevant content to different groups of subscribers.

Ackroo provides 3 ways to create audiences for your campaigns in the Marketing Hub:

• create an audience from scratch
• create an audience based on an existing segment
• create an audience from contact imports

Here's an overview of what an audience is and its significance in email marketing:

1. Segmentation:

Audiences are created through segmentation, which involves dividing your email list into smaller, more specific groups. This segmentation can be based on factors like:

- Demographics: Age, gender, location, etc.
- Behavioral Data: Purchase history, previous interactions with emails, etc.
- Preferences: Product interests, content preferences, subscription preferences, etc.

2. Personalization:

Once you've organized your audience, you can tailor your email content to be highly personalized to the preferences and characteristics of each group. Personalized emails tend to be more engaging and effective.

3. Relevance:

Sending relevant content to specific audiences increases the likelihood of recipients finding value in your emails. When subscribers receive content that aligns with their interests or needs, they are more likely to open, read, and engage with your emails.

4. Improved Engagement:

Audience segmentation can lead to higher open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates. This is because subscribers are receiving content that is more aligned with their interests and needs.

5. Better Targeting:

You can use audiences to target specific marketing goals. For example, you can create an audience of recent purchasers and send them a post-purchase survey or a special offer to encourage repeat business.

6. A/B Testing:

Audiences make it easier to conduct A/B testing by allowing you to compare the performance of different email variations within specific segments. This helps you refine your email strategies over time.

7. Compliance:

Proper audience management can help you stay in compliance with email marketing regulations, such as the CAN-SPAM Act or GDPR. You can ensure that you only send emails to individuals who have explicitly opted in and have not unsubscribed.

8. List Hygiene:

Audiences also play a role in list hygiene. You can use segmentation to identify inactive subscribers or those who consistently don't engage with your emails, allowing you to make informed decisions about re-engagement campaigns or list cleanup.

In summary, audiences in email marketing are groups of subscribers organized based on specific criteria. Effective audience segmentation enables you to send targeted, personalized, and relevant emails, leading to improved engagement, better ROI, and a more positive overall email marketing experience for both you and your customers.