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Six methods for smarter marketing segmentation

marketing segmentation

By Brooke Sellas, {grow} Contributing Columnist

Ask any marketer if they’re interested in smarter segmentation with their lists, campaigns, or otherwise and you’re sure to raise a few eyebrows.

Marketing segmentation may just be an answer to Content Shock, as choosing highly targeted and more granular content could help you reach your specific audience and make more conversions.

The problem with segmentation is two-fold:

  1. You’re not doing it
  2. You’re not doing enough of it

Smarter segmentation has moved beyond demographics and progressed to include categories like, “passionate planner mom” or “affluent online shopper.”

While it’s up to you to create segments and categories that make sense for your sales pipeline, here’s a solid starting place better-targeted marketing efforts.

6+ Steps To Smarter Segmentation

The biggest gap we see when talking to our clients is that they aren’t refreshing their database often enough and since it’s easier to work with what you have, here’s what we suggest:

1. Refresh your list or data with a good scrubbing

2. Audit ruthlessly 

3. Plot prospects on the customer lifecycle path

Here’s an example of automation triggers I use in ConvertKit (my ESP):

[Source: ConvertKit]

4. Create niche content for your prospects AND where they are in the buying journey

5. Make it scalable

And, once you’ve got your own list and/or database at homeostasis and working for you again, one of the ways you can look to the future for leads is …

6. Purchase a highly-targeted list to market to

I know, many marketers are against the purchasing of emails. But, a current marketing agency I consult with has done this many times over with much success.

The key is to find a quality list provider and pay top dollar for an extremely segmented list … smarter segmenting, remember?

In any case, you can segment your “bought” prospects and “organic” prospects differently and A/B test them through a campaign to see which group performs better (that’s what we’re doing now).

Which brings me to a bonus!

7. Get granular with your segments and TEST

The Importance Of Smarter Segmenting Methods

Marketers can’t continue to tout the importance of the “list” if they don’t treat their list with some — if not all — of the above methods.

In order to avoid the fatigue that is Content Shock, we must do a better job of analyzing and pruning our list(s) for more often (or in real time) and proving the content that our list so desperately seeks.

What methods do you use for smarter segmentation? Let me know in the comments below!

Brooke B. Sellas is an in-the-trenches digital marketer & owner at B Squared Media, blossoming blogger, and  a purveyor of psychographics. Her mantra is “Think Conversation, Not Campaign” so be sure to give her a shout on Twitter.

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