A segment of a list is a subgroup of contacts that you can send highly targeted email campaigns to. Segments can be created by using any information available to you in the segment builder. This includes tags, standard and custom field information, website visits, actions, contact or deal score, and more.
Sending targeted email campaigns to a list segment has a variety of benefits. When contacts receive messages that are relevant to them, they're more likely to pay attention to your campaigns. This will create a positive feedback loop where your campaigns are opened more and receive more clicks. This will help your deliverability and strengthen your relationship with your contacts and will likely result in more sales.
Segment condition limitations
While you can use virtually any information available to you in the segment builder to create a segment, there are limitations around the number of conditions you can use.
- You can use up to a total of 20 conditions in a segment.
- You can use up to 5 "Action" type conditions. (This includes any condition listed under "Actions" in the segment builder.)
- You can use up to 3 conditions that use the "Contains" operator.
How to create a segment with advanced search
Creating a segment from an advanced search will include all contacts that meet the segment conditions. This will include inactive contacts.
The number of contacts for this segment can display as smaller when viewing the Campaign Summary page before sending an email.
1. From the Contacts Overview page, click the "Search contacts" field then click "Advanced Search."
2. The segment builder will appear at the top of the page.
Begin creating your condition by clicking the left-most field that says "(Select a condition...)." This will display a dropdown of condition categories:
3. Click any category listed to display its conditions, then select the desired search condition by clicking it.
In this example, we want to create a segment of contacts with the "Engaged" tag. To do that, we're going to use the "Tag" condition listed under the "Contact Details" Category.
4. Depending on the search condition you select, you may or may not need to choose an operator when defining your own search criteria. To choose an operator, click the middle field and click the operator you would like to use.
Continuing with our example, we're presented with two operators to choose from: "Exists" and "Does not exist." Since we want to create a segment of contacts with an "Engaged" tag, we're going to choose the "Exists" operator by clicking it.
5. Next, you'll need to provide a value for your segment condition.
Click the field that appears to the right of the condition you've selected and click one of the options listed.
To add another condition to your segment, click "+ Add another condition." This will display another row to define another condition. Note that there is a toggle to specify whether the additional condition is added with "And or Or" logic:
Using "And" logic would combine the conditions so that only contacts who match both conditions would be pulled into the segment.
Using "Or" logic would display contacts that match either condition.
You also have the option to create Segment Groups. With Segment Groups you can combine multi-dimensional conditions with "And and Or" logic.
For example, you might have one segment group with conditions that look for link clicks within a single campaign and then you might have another segment group that looks for link clicks in another campaign. You could display only contacts who'd clicked the links in both campaigns (with an And) or contacts who'd clicked either group of links (with Or).
See this help article for more information on using "And/Or" logic when creating segments.
6. Once you have created your conditions, click the "Search" button.
The page will reload and all contacts who meet your conditions will be listed.
7. To save the segment, click into the field where it says "(X conditions set").
8. The segment builder will expand and display your conditions. Click "Save As Segment."
9. In the modal window, type the name of the segment and click "Save."
The next time you go to send a campaign, during the list selection step, your saved segment will appear in your list of segments.
How to create a segment during campaign creation
You have the option to create a segment of your list(s) during the campaign creation process. This allows you to quickly create your segment on the fly without having to navigate away from your campaign.
1. From the Campaigns overview page, create a new campaign.
2. When you're at the "List" stage of the campaign creation process, you'll be asked to select the list you're sending to. Your screen should look something like this:
3. Click the checkbox next to the lists you want to send to. When you do, a new option will appear, “Segment Selected Lists:”
4. If you already created a segment, click the "Select a segment" dropdown and click the segment you wish to use.
To create a new segment from this page, click "Create New Segment."
5. A modal window will appear where you can create a new segment. Type the segment name into the field provided and click the "Add Your First Condition" button.
6. The segment builder will appear. Use this segment builder to create your segment. When you're done adding your conditions, click "Done."
For step-by-step instructions on using the segment builder, see steps 2-8 in the "How to create a segment with advanced search" section above.
The segment you created should be selected in the segment dropdown:
Click “Next” in the upper right-hand corner to continue to the design step of the campaign creation process.