Segmentation strategies
"Send the same email to your whole list" is a strategy that works less and less every year. Inbox providers favor senders whose recipients engage — and engagement requires relevance, which requires segmentation.
Useful segments to build
| Segment | Definition | Email type |
|---|---|---|
| Active customers | Tag = customer AND last activity within 90 days | Newsletter, upsell, referral asks |
| Lapsed customers | Tag = customer AND last activity 90–365 days ago | Win-back campaigns |
| Hot leads | Has opportunity AND created within 30 days AND not won/lost | Service-specific nurture |
| Newsletter only | Tag = newsletter-subscriber AND not customer | Educational content, light pitches |
| VIPs | Tag = vip OR custom field VIP-flag = true | Exclusive offers, early access |
| By interest | Tag indicates expressed interest (e.g., int-pricing, int-demo) | Targeted, relevant content |
| By geo / time zone | City, state, country, or time zone match | Local events, regional offers |
Personalization beyond first name
Reference a recent action: "Hi , since you booked your appointment last week…"
Use behavior tags to drive content: customers who clicked link X get follow-up email Y
Send time personalization: schedule per-recipient based on when they typically open
Dynamic content blocks: same email, but different sections shown based on contact tags
How to use smart lists for sending
Build the smart list in Contacts (filters that define the segment)
In a campaign, select that smart list as the recipients
Smart list refreshes when you click Send — contacts who left the segment are automatically excluded
This is critical for win-back campaigns: you don't want to email a customer who became active again last week
TIP — The 80/20 of segmentation
Most businesses get 80% of the segmentation benefit from just three segments: active customers, lapsed customers, and prospect leads. Don't over-engineer 20 segments before you've proven the basic three deliver more revenue than blasting everyone.
