Segmentation
Dividing your email list into smaller groups based on behavior, demographics, or interests.
Segmentation means sending to a defined part of your list instead of everyone. Segments are usually rules, such as people who clicked in the last 90 days, customers who bought a product, subscribers in one time zone or leads who chose a topic at signup. Most platforms update segments automatically as subscriber data changes. Tags and custom fields supply the data; the segment is the filter built on top of them.
How to start segmenting
Begin with a few segments tied to decisions you actually make: new subscribers, engaged subscribers, customers versus prospects and lapsed subscribers. Compare clicks, conversions, unsubscribes and complaints by segment. Sending less to people who never engage also protects deliverability, because Google and Yahoo watch spam complaint rates and uninterested recipients are the most likely to report you.
Platforms differ. Tag-based tools such as Kit and ActiveCampaign let one contact carry many attributes; audience-based tools work best when you keep one main audience and segment inside it.
Segments vs lists vs tags
A list (called an audience in some tools) is a separate container of contacts. A tag is a label on a contact. A segment is a saved filter that pulls contacts matching conditions, such as tagged webinar and clicked in the last 30 days. Keeping one main list and using tags plus segments avoids duplicate contacts and keeps unsubscribes in one place.
Common segmentation mistakes
Splitting a small list into segments too small to learn anything from. Building segments on open activity alone. Creating a separate list for every interest, which can duplicate contacts and, on platforms that count a contact once per audience, raise your bill. Letting the data behind segments go stale, such as a broken purchase sync or tags nobody applies anymore.