Crafting Precise Employee Profiles: Unlocking the Power of Lifestyle Segmentation

More concise and focused email distribution lists yield messages that are increasingly pertinent to employees. The better-defined the group — whether it contains new hires or a distinct department within the organization — the greater the chances are for its members to obtain information that pertains to them. The outcome: elevated open rates and improved employee involvement.

A successful method for generating lists for Infrastructure and Operations (I&O) teams — alongside internal communications teams — is lifestyle segmentation.

While typically, you might divide an employee list by region, division, age range, and position, lifestyle segmentation also considers work styles such as desk-based, hybrid, and mobile; frontline service and tasks; as well as employee traits. According to Gartner® research, work style categories provide context to employee groups by evaluating locations, types of tasks undertaken, mobility needs, and security criteria. It indicates that personas enrich each work style by further categorizing employee groups within each segment based on personal characteristics such as concerns, aspirations, and preferences.

Just as work style categories can guide the requisite technological tools for each employee category, you can apply lifestyle attributes to categorize email lists for enhanced readership and participation.

Integrating lifestyle segmentation into email list strategies

Lifestyle segmentation organizes employees based on their behaviors, preferences, and digital conduct — with a close focus on how employees engage with their workplace. For instance, by analyzing employee behavior, you may decide to classify early risers who favor morning updates or mobile-first employees who mainly utilize their smartphones for communication.

In addition to synchronizing attributes such as job titles or work locations, you can develop more detailed personas and, ultimately, more effective list categories by accounting for an employee’s work style. To simplify that process, you might consider tools to assist in this endeavor like PoliteMail’s SyncronNym, a software solution that automates the upkeep and synchronization of employee information across systems such as HR and AAD, enabling users to incorporate 16-32 data attributes for targeting and segmentation.

Three steps to merge personas with lifestyle segmentation

1. Simplify personas. Avoid creating too many personas or making them excessively intricate. Restrict your personas to the primary groups that correspond with specific communication hurdles or objectives. For instance, you may wish to concentrate on engaging frontline employees or fostering inclusion for newcomers.
2. Integrate lifestyle segmentation. Subsequently, layer lifestyle information onto your personas to formulate more dynamic and pertinent communication strategies. Gartner® research suggests that by categorizing based on work styles instead of roles, segments become streamlined by grouping role types with shared needs. For instance, within your personas, you might want to group employees according to their interaction with digital tools or categorize them based on their content consumption methods. Do they prefer engaging content, videos, or written updates?
3. Align communication approaches with behaviors. Lastly, tailor your communications to each lifestyle category. For example, technology early adopters may appreciate thorough updates regarding new tools. Employees who are socially active might prefer collaborative forums or team announcements and shareable content snippets.

How lifestyle segmentation improves the digital employee experience (DEX)

Lifestyle segmentation assists communicators in refining messaging content to align with employee preferences and behaviors, leading to heightened engagement. When you gain insight into how your workforce prefers to consume information — and what excites them — you can prioritize suitable channels and messaging. Unlike more static personas like “region,” lifestyle segments are flexible. As employee behaviors or preferences shift, so too can the segments they belong to.

Utilizing lifestyle segmentation for internal communications

Lifestyle segmentation enhances the DEX by accounting for how employees engage with tools, content, and their work environment. The critical factor is to adopt the perspective of your employees and implement feedback mechanisms to continuously refine your email segments. Keeping employees’ behaviors and preferences central to your communications strategy enables you to craft more targeted content and messages that are more likely to engage your audience.

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