Thanks for the write-up!

One tip I can provide for those interested in segmentation is something we do on our own site/blog over at Elegant Themes.

We have created many opt-in forms for various posts/pages. Depending on the content of the page we assign a different segmented list to each form.

Examples:

People who opt-in for the general newsletter on the blog get everything.

People who opt-in using the “deals and freebies” form get emails when we run promotions or give free stuff away.

People who opt-in for product updates from a product page get emails every time we release a new product or product sneak peek.

Etc.

Sure, having some check boxes allowing subscribers to self-select multiple list segments is great and I wouldn’t be surprised to see that as a feature in the future. However, I think it’s important to keep in mind that the incentive that got someone to sign up in the first place is likely the incentive that will get them to come back for more in the future.

If someone chooses to opt-in for “freebies” but then self-selects a few other segments (because hey, why not?) they are still on average more likely to return for freebies over other incentives because that was the thing that got them to take action in the first place.

Of course this doesn’t make having them on multiple list segments bad–as long as they’ve opted in–but by basing your segmentation off of someone’s subconscious behavior (ex: “Free stuff, yay!”) instead of their conscious self-selection (ex: “Hmm, do I want new blog posts? Sure, why not.”) I believe you’re actually more likely to get accurate segments.

Anyways, hope you and/or other readers find this helpful. Thanks again for the great write-up!

Best,

Nathan B. Weller

Regards, Peter