Bullseye! Automatically send targeted emails based on subscriber behavior
Aadil, Data Analyst and Dino, SRE
You’ve probably heard the phrase “actions speak louder than words”, and it’s true! Even in the email world, the best way to uncover someone’s true motivations is to look at their past behavior.
Thanks to email marketing automation, you no longer have to guess what your subscribers want. Their behavior gives you the blueprint.
So, instead of blasting generic emails and hoping for the best, you can trigger the right messages at the exact moment it matters: whether that’s welcoming a new subscriber, rescuing an abandoned cart, or collecting customer feedback.
In this article, we’re breaking down targeted email marketing. We’ll cover the 5 main types of targeted emails and 6 targeted email strategies you can start using today to finally hit those dream conversion rates.
But first, what is targeted email marketing?
Targeted email marketing segments subscribers based on demographics, behavior, or interests to deliver relevant content.
For example, subscribers who register through a pop-up promoting a webinar can be automatically entered into a workflow that delivers educational content related to the webinar subject.
Email marketing platforms solve this by using behavioral email automation to trigger personalized content based on subscriber actions.
With the help of an email marketing tool like MailerLite, organizing audience segments and sending targeted emails can be completely automated.
Benefits of targeted email marketing
By using behavioral targeting, you’re showing your target audience that you understand their needs. This builds trust and increases engagement, leading to higher conversions. Here are the key benefits of a segmented email marketing strategy:
Higher open and click rates: 81% of customers will ignore your emails if they are not personalized! When people receive relevant messages, they’re more likely to increase engagement with your brand messages.
Lower unsubscribe rates: By sending the right message to the right audience, you avoid "inbox fatigue." Generic email campaigns damage customer loyalty and lead to unsubscribes. Studies show 28% consumers switch brands because of boring, generic content.
More relevant customer journeys: Instead of a "one-size-fits-all" blast, your marketing adapts to the individual. Whether a subscriber joins a specific group, hits a milestone, or has a custom field update, they are automatically guided down a path that reflects their unique relationship with your brand.
Greater customer insights: 40% of consumers feel brands don’t understand them as a person. Every action a subscriber takes can act as a clue to help you optimize your content and offers in the future, proving to buyers that you are actually listening.
Higher scalability: Once you set up your triggers, the system works for you 24/7. Whether you have 100 subscribers or 100,000, targeted automations ensure every single person gets personalized content without manual input.
How does targeted email marketing work?
Let's go behind-the-scenes to see how a targeted email marketing strategy actually works:
Data collection: As subscribers engage with your brand, they leave behind "digital breadcrumbs." These are actions like signing up for a specific newsletter, clicking a link, or visiting a product page. An email marketing platform like MailerLite automatically tracks these actions so you don't have to.
Audience organization: Next, you use those breadcrumbs to categorize your subscribers. You can organize people into Groups (to label interests or behaviors) or update Custom Fields (like changing a status to "Customer"). You can also use Segments to create dynamic lists. Whether someone joins a new group or their profile data changes, the system ensures they are organized exactly where they belong.
💡 Tip: Learn the difference between Groups and Segments.
Automation triggers: This is where you connect segments to actions. You tell the app which action should trigger which email. For example, when someone joins your "Marketing Basics" segment, they automatically receive your educational series. Beyond segments, you can also trigger emails based on specific actions like purchases, link clicks, or page visits.
Let’s say you run a sneaker boutique. It’d make sense to send your female customers emails that promote sneakers for women.
But wouldn’t it be even better if you grouped all women who bought a particular brand of sneakers (say, Streakz sneakers) into one segment, and automatically sent them a discount code on their next Streakz purchase, turning a one-time buyer into a loyal brand customer?
The relevancy and timing of this type of behavioral email will result in higher customer engagement, better customer relationships and, of course, increased sales.
The 5 main types of targeted emails
Although targeted email campaigns can be sent based on a lot of different criteria, we’ll focus on these 5 types of targeting:
Interest
Customer engagement
Past purchases
Customer feedback
Demographics
1. Targeted emails by interest
This targeting strategy uses your audience’s interests to create emails with content and recommendations about the subjects, issues and products they actually care about. You might be familiar with interest-based emails from brands like Amazon and Netflix, which use this method to recommend products and movies that they think subscribers will enjoy.
The most direct way to segment is simply to ask; you can use sign-up form preferences, surveys, or one-click polls to let subscribers tell you exactly which groups they belong to. This data, combined with link triggers that tag subscribers based on what they click, ensures your messaging always aligns with their self-selected interests.
You could also use link triggers that automatically group subscribers based on the links that they click.
For example, if a subscriber clicks on a newsletter link to a free guide for e-commerce email marketing, they could be automatically added to an e-commerce marketing group.
2. Targeted emails by subscriber engagement
This strategy works by sending targeted emails to subscribers who have engaged with your email campaigns. For instance, when a subscriber interacts with a specific topic in your newsletter, they can be instantly funneled into a tailored follow-up series that matches their demonstrated interests.
This is done using the automation trigger ‘Clicks a link’.
You can also segment subscribers based on how engaged they are by creating a segment for highly engaged subscribers to offer them exclusive deals. On the flip side, you can create a segment for inactive or unengaged subscribers to send re-engagement campaigns.
MailerLite makes it super easy to create segments based on engagement with the Email actions filter. Plus, you can also use pre-built segment templates for subscribers that are 'Active openers', 'Frequent link clickers', and 'Not active lately'.
3. Targeted emails by purchases
By connecting your e-commerce store to your email platform, you can turn every transaction into a data point for more personalized messaging.
You can use purchase history to predict the future purchases a customer will make. Or, you can observe customer behavior patterns in different phases of the customer journey to estimate how likely the person is to complete an order.
Did the person click the CTA (call-to-action) in the email and add a product to their basket? This shows that the chance of a sale is very likely. In the event of cart abandonment—where the customer doesn’t end up buying—an automated reminder email can help complete the order.
4. Targeted emails by customer feedback
A quick way to gather more information about your customers is to just ask! In-email surveys are the perfect way to do this.
For example, when a subscriber purchases a specific product, you can send an automated email survey asking if they’re satisfied with the product and/or invite them to provide feedback.
The MailerLite survey block helps you automatically segment subscribers or add survey data to subscriber profiles by updating fields.
In this example, subscribers were sent a Net Promoter Score (NPS) survey in which they were asked to rate their satisfaction on a scale of 1-10. Subscribers who scored less than 9 were automatically sent a targeted email using the ‘Updates field’ trigger, inviting them to provide feedback.
5. Targeted emails by demographic
Demographic information is another effective way to target your email subscribers. This could include age, gender, location, or other information relevant to your niche, such as wedding date, fitness level, etc.
For example, if you run a wedding planning business, you could include fields in your form that require subscribers to enter their ideal location and wedding date, then trigger emails based on those fields.
The workflow in the example above will be triggered 8 months before the wedding date of subscribers getting married in India.
Targeting made easier with our Segments library
To save you time, we’ve built a Segments library with 7 pre-built segmentation templates based on the most common and effective ways our users target their audiences.
These pre-built segments focus on three core areas:
Engagement levels: You can instantly identify your loyal subscribers who open everything, or find those inactive subscribers who haven't engaged in months and might need a gentle re-engagement campaign
Timezones: This template groups people by their local time. It’s the easiest way to ensure your offer email actually arrives at the right time, rather than at 3 a.m.
Tip: Wondering about the best time to send emails for your specific industry? Check out our data-backed guide:
Locations: Perfect for businesses that run regional events or want to send climate-specific offers (like promoting rain gear only to people in cities where it’s currently pouring)
By using the Segments library, you skip the manual setup and go straight to the creative part: writing email content that your target audience will actually love.
6 targeted email marketing strategies to try today
Once you have your segments ready, you can pair them with our automation templates. Here are some key ways you can use these two forces together:
1. Welcome series
Did you know 74% of your subscribers hope to hear from you as soon as they sign up? This is your best chance to make a first impression by introducing your brand, telling your story, or even offering a welcome discount.
Our customer, Collin Thomas of KC Tool, sends a welcome email to subscribers who sign up for the Tool of the Day. The email confirms their successful subscription, tells subscribers what to expect, and directs them to the Tool of the Day offer.
Create similar welcome emails for your subscribers today. Use our welcome email automation template to get it up and running in no time.
2. Abandoned cart reminders
This is a tried-and-tested tactic to regain sales, as 70% of e-commerce buyers abandon their shopping carts somewhere along their buying journey.
When someone adds an item to their shopping cart but doesn’t complete the purchase, they are telling you they are this close to buying. 🤏
Send a gentle reminder an hour later, followed by a final "Don't miss out" email with a discount or deal the next day. This shows you’re paying attention to their intent and makes it easy for them to jump back in.
Use our abandoned cart automation template to set up your abandoned cart workflow. Need help with crafting such emails? Check out our abandoned cart email guide.
3. Re-engagement campaigns
Some of your subscribers might stop engaging with your emails over time. But before you remove those subscribers from your mailing list, try sending them a re-engagement campaign to gauge whether they’re still interested or their preferences have changed.
Our customer, Scott Baptie from Food For Fitness, uses a 5-email automated series for anyone inactive for 6 months. If they still don’t engage, Scott removes them from his list.
“Win back campaigns work really well when we send 5 emails, one every 2 days, to people who have been on the list for over 6 months but haven’t opened an email in 6 months. We save a reasonable amount of subscribers.”
Pro tip: Use our ‘Not active lately’ audience segment from the Segments library to find anyone inactive for 3 months and trigger a re-engagement campaign email with a special offer or survey to see if their interests have changed.
Next, use our win-back inactive subscribers template to create an automation workflow. Want to learn more about writing effective re-targeting campaigns? Check out our re-engagement email campaign guide.
4. Loyalty programs
Customer acquisition costs have always been significantly higher than customer retention costs, so why not retain your engaged subscribers by showing them that you value their loyalty?
You can easily create a segment of your loyal customers by visiting our Segments library and selecting the Devoted customers segment.
After that, create a marketing automation workflow to send them personalized emails appreciating their loyalty with an exclusive offer or early access to a new collection.
5. Birthday and anniversary emails
Celebrating customers’ birthdays or anniversaries is a simple but human way to strengthen customer relationships.
You can even send a special offer on their big day to celebrate them, just like Jennifer Peddio of Hyggekrog does.
I recently started sending birthday wishes to my customers so they receive a personalized discount code on their birthday. This is something they really like because it seems like a pampering dedicated only to them.
Like Jennifer, you could also make your customers feel special by sending them an email on their birthday. Simply use our birthday email automation workflow template and you’re all set.
6. Post-purchase follow-ups
Don't let the conversation end at the checkout. Sending an automated email 1-2 weeks after delivery is the perfect time to build trust by offering helpful tips or asking for feedback.
Once you've added value and ensured they love their purchase, you can naturally offer product recommendations that complement what they already bought.
Jonathan Barbera, Founder of the emergency medical kit brand Live The Creed, uses MailerLite’s Buys specific product automation trigger to follow up with first-time customers 2 weeks after their purchase.
His post-purchase emails showcase higher ticket product recommendations that nicely complement their first order.
This one automation generates significant repeat sales for Jonathan and turns his one-time buyers into loyal customers.
You can build a similar automation workflow or use our post-purchase automation template. Learn more about creating powerful post-purchase campaigns here.
Best practices for implementing targeted email marketing
To get the most out of your campaigns, follow these key best practices to ensure your targeted emails are as effective and respectful as possible.
Craft compelling subject lines: Even the most relevant email in the world won’t work if it’s never opened. Since targeted emails are based on specific actions, use that to your advantage! If someone just clicked a link about "Winter Hiking," your subject line should reflect that (e.g., "Gear up for your next winter hike!") rather than something generic.
For more insights, check out our ultimate guide:
Test, analyze, and iterate: Tweak your automations and use A/B testing to see which triggers or subject lines perform best. Maybe your abandoned cart email works better after 2 hours instead of 1. Small tweaks can lead to big gains in your conversion rates.
Learn more about effective A/B testing with our guide.
Respect privacy: Always be transparent about how you collect data and ensure your practices comply with the necessary data protection regulations (such as the GDPR or CCPA). Make sure your subscribers have given you permission to track their actions so they feel safe, not "watched."
Check out our guide below on how to stay GDPR compliant.
Common pitfalls to avoid
While automation can do wonders, it’s easy to go overboard if you aren't careful. Keep these 3 traps on your radar:
Over-segmentation: It’s tempting to create a segment for every tiny action, but if you end up with 50 groups of only 2 people each, you’ll spend more time managing segments than growing your business. Start with broad behavioral groups (like devoted customers or not active lately) and only get more niche when it serves a clear purpose.
Too much automation, not enough human touch: Automation should enhance your personality, not replace it. Avoid using overly robotic language. Even if a message is triggered by a bot, it should still read like it came from you.
Spamming your audience: Just because you can trigger an email for every single click doesn't mean you should. If a subscriber clicks 3 different links in one newsletter, they shouldn’t receive 3 different automated follow-ups an hour later. Set frequency caps so you stay helpful without becoming a nuisance in their inbox.
FAQs: Targeted email marketing strategy
Q: What is targeted email marketing?
A: Targeted email marketing is the practice of breaking your subscriber list into smaller groups (segments) based on shared traits or actions. Instead of sending one generic message to everyone, you send the right message to the right people.
Q: What are examples of targeted emails?
A: Think of things like an abandoned cart reminder for shoppers who left things behind, or an exclusive offer for a loyal customer. Each of these is triggered by a specific piece of data or behavior.
Q: How do I get started with email segmentation in 2026?
A: The easiest way is to use an email marketing platform like MailerLite’s Segments library. Don’t try to build everything at once. Start by picking one pre-built segment, like Devoted customers, and send them a special thank-you offer. Once you see the results, you can add more complexity.
Q: What metrics should I track for targeted email marketing campaigns?
A: Look beyond the open rate. Track your click-through rate (CTR) to see if your email content is actually relevant, and monitor your conversion rate to see if those clicks are turning into sales. Keep an eye on your unsubscribe rate; if it’s climbing, you might be over-segmenting or sending too often.
Q: How can I improve open rates in my targeted email marketing campaigns?
A: Because targeted emails are based on behavior, the timing is already in your favor. Combine that with a personalized email subject line that aligns with the subscriber’s interests, and your open rates will naturally climb.
Editor's note: This article was originally published in May 2019. It has now been updated with new insights and examples of behavioral segmentation and email automation.
