In email marketing, the word "personalization" is used in almost every strategy. But most often, it boils down to simply inserting a name in the subject line or greeting. This technique has long since failed to impress audiences. People expect messages that address their real goals, challenges, and concerns, rather than a formal mention of their name.
Here, ICP becomes a key tool. A customer profile reveals what's important to them: their goals, barriers to action, and pain points they want to address. This data can be used to create emails that speak their language and reflect their context.
For example, if an ICP identifies a goal of "reduce costs," the email can begin with an insight on cost reduction and offer a concrete solution. If a customer is wary of hidden fees, a personalized section with a "fixed price" or "transparent pricing" will remove the barrier even before they click.
Unlike superficial personalization, which is limited to a name and company, using ICP allows you to build a comprehensive strategy. Each email becomes a precise response to the client's situation. This increases not only open rates but also engagement, and the brand is perceived as a partner that understands the context and offers relevant solutions.
How to Use Goals to Build Personalized Messages
ICP Goals reflect what the customer truly wants to achieve. These goals can be directly integrated into the email body, making it immediately relevant. Instead of general promises to "improve business," you demonstrate how the email helps them achieve a specific result.
For example, if a segment's goal is to speed up project launches, the subject line and first paragraph could focus on speed: "Launch a campaign in 10 minutes, without unnecessary steps." If the goal is revenue growth, the email could open with data or a case study: "How companies in your industry increased sales by 25%." In both cases, the focus isn't on the product, but on achieving a goal already included in the ICP.
Goals also help personalize CTAs. For customers focused on cost reduction, the "See how to save money" button works best. For those focused on growth, the "Learn how to increase sales" button works best. These details make the email not just informative but also personalized, motivating.
ICP also allows you to segment emails based on different goals. One segment wants to speed up processes, another wants price transparency, and a third wants to increase revenue. Emails for these segments will differ not only in subject lines but also in structure: examples, figures, and emphasis are different in each case.
When personalization is based on Goals, the email ceases to be "one size fits all." It demonstrates that the brand understands where the customer is headed and is ready to help them achieve their goal faster. This approach increases trust and conversion, because each email is perceived as a step toward a tangible result.
How Pain Points Make Personalization Relevant
While goals reflect a customer's aspirations, Pain Points from ICPs reveal what's holding them back. These barriers shape the emotional context of emails. When an email reflects a genuine pain point, it immediately stands out in the inbox and is perceived as a response to a problem, not a mass email.
For example, if the ICP identifies a pain point as "too much manual work," a personalized email might begin with the subject line, "Reduce time on routine tasks today," and continue with a solution. If the key pain point is "fear of hidden costs," the email should explicitly emphasize transparency: "Fixed price, no hidden fees." Such wording demonstrates that the brand understands the customer's reality.
Pain Points also help build different personalization scenarios within segments. Some customers experience difficulties with integration, others with long implementation periods, and still others with high cost of ownership. Based on these pain points, emails can be differentiated and unique messages crafted for each group. This creates the feeling that the email is written specifically for the recipient, not for everyone.
Pain-based personalization is enhanced by using the audience's own language. If customers phrase their concerns as "wasting time" or "too complicated," these words should be incorporated into the email. This consistent wording creates empathy and trust.
When personalization is built around pain points, emails cease to be promotional messages. They are perceived as support for solving specific problems. This approach increases engagement and helps move customers more quickly to action.
Jobs-To-Be-Done as Scenarios for Email Content
Jobs-To-Be-Done from ICP show what tasks the customer is trying to accomplish with the product. These aren't features or characteristics, but specific actions needed in their workflow. Personalizing emails around these tasks makes communication as practical and valuable as possible.
For example, if a customer's task is to "prepare a report for a manager without Excel," the email might contain the subject line "Report ready in 5 minutes" and a brief description of how to do it with your solution. This scenario sounds like help with completing the task, not like another offer.
Jobs-To-Be-Done also help structure emails. Instead of a long text describing the product's capabilities, the email can be structured as a short scenario: task - solution step - result. "Launch a campaign without unnecessary steps. Setup in 10 minutes. First results today." This format is easily read and increases CTR.
Segmentation also becomes easier. One customer segment might be working on "reducing costs," while another might be working on "speeding up the approval process." Each of these segments will receive different emails: some will focus on budget savings, while others will emphasize process speed. ICP helps prioritize tasks for each segment and personalize emails to them.
Using Jobs-To-Be-Done also allows you to structure emails as a series of prompts. Each email addresses a specific client need. This format is perceived as practical assistance, not a sales pitch.
As a result, emails become less like sales pitches and more like tools that help clients complete their work faster and easier. This builds trust and increases the likelihood of moving on to the next step.
How Barriers Help Overcome Objections Through Personalization
ICP Barriers reveal the doubts that prevent customers from making a decision. When email personalization addresses these barriers, communication becomes not just informative but persuasive. The email proactively addresses objections and reduces the risk of rejection.
If ICP identifies a fear of high prices, the email can include a personalized section: "Fixed price for companies of your size" or "Free trial period so you can evaluate the results risk-free." This approach immediately reduces financial resistance.
When the barrier is related to implementation time, emails should be structured around speed: "Launch in 10 minutes" or "Results on day one." Here, you can include a specific case study or testimonial to demonstrate that the promise is backed by the experiences of other clients.
If the audience is unsure about brand trust, it's appropriate to use social proof in the email: "10,000 companies have already chosen us" or "Rating 4.9 out of 5 on Capterra." This element of personalization is especially important for segments where trust plays a decisive role in decision-making.
Technical barriers also shouldn't be ignored. If customers are wary of complex implementation, the email can include the statement "Works without installation" or "Integration in one click." These details relieve tension and make the offer more accessible.
When you personalize emails with barriers in mind, they stop being one-way messages. The email becomes a dialogue where the brand not only explains the solution but also demonstrates that it understands the customer's concerns and is ready to address them. This builds trust and increases the likelihood of conversion.
How to Use ICP for Dynamic Content and Segmentation
Modern email platforms allow you to create dynamic emails where the content changes depending on the segment. However, without clear customer data, such scenarios degenerate into a chaotic set of conditions. ICP solves this problem: it sets clear criteria for segmentation and suggests which content blocks should be modified.
For example, if ICP shows that one group of customers is looking to reduce expenses, while another is focused on revenue growth, the emails for them will be different. The former will receive a block emphasizing savings ("cut your budget by 30%), while the latter will focus on growth ("increase monthly sales"). The main email remains consistent; only the key points change.
Dynamic content can also be built around Pain Points. For customers who complain about the complexity of integrations, an email can contain instructions such as "3 steps for a quick launch." For those concerned about hidden fees, instead of instructions, a block with pricing and a mention of transparency can be used. The ICP helps identify the most critical pain points for each group in advance and incorporate them into emails.
Jobs-to-be-done also work well with dynamic content. One segment receives an example of "how to compile a report in 5 minutes," while another receives "how to launch a campaign without unnecessary steps." This transforms the emails into a set of personalized scenarios rather than a mass mailing.
Automation allows segments to be updated as the ICP changes. If new goals or barriers emerge, they become a trigger for content updates. This makes personalization adaptive rather than static.
As a result, dynamic content based on the ICP allows you to create emails that speak the customer's language, take their context into account, and provide relevant solutions. This personalization increases CTR and conversions because each email feels personalized.
Conclusion
Personalization has long ceased to be a competitive advantage and has become the standard for email marketing. But this is where most companies make a mistake: they limit themselves to inserting a name or job title, ignoring real customer insights. ICP changes this approach. It transforms personalization from a superficial technique into a strategy based on the audience's goals, pain points, challenges, and barriers.
Goals help build emails around the outcome the client wants to achieve. Pain Points provide the foundation for messages that sound like an answer to a problem. Jobs-To-Be-Done become email scripts, where each paragraph reflects a specific task. And Barriers help overcome objections before they become reasons for rejection.
Using ICP, you can implement dynamic content and segmentation that make every email relevant. Instead of random hypotheses, you work with systemic data, meaning you can build communications that truly meet audience expectations.
As a result, emails cease to feel like mass mailings and begin to feel like a dialogue with the customer. This approach increases open rates, click-through rates, and conversions, and most importantly, builds trust in the brand.
.svg)
