If you’re running campaigns or managing lists in B2B and want to stop blasting everyone with the same message, this is for you. Segmentation isn’t magic, but if you do it right in Hellorobin, you get better results and fewer headaches. Here’s what actually works (and what usually doesn’t) when you’re trying to carve up your audience in a way that’s useful.
Why B2B Segmentation Matters (and When It Doesn’t)
You’ve probably heard “right message, right person, right time” a thousand times. Here’s the real talk: Most B2B lists are messy, and not everything you could segment on actually matters. The point of segmenting is to avoid sending noise—if a segment won’t change your message or offer, skip it.
Good segmentation: - Makes your outreach more relevant (and less annoying) - Saves time for you and your sales team - Makes reporting less of a nightmare
Bad segmentation: - Wastes hours fiddling with filters for no real benefit - Leads to tiny segments and useless data - Makes you overthink simple campaigns
If you’re new to Hellorobin, don’t panic. The basics are easy to pick up. The trick is not to overcomplicate things.
Step 1: Get Your Data in Decent Shape
You can’t segment well if your data’s a mess. Before you go wild with tags and filters, make sure the basics are covered.
Checklist: - Accurate company names: Watch for duplicates, weird spellings, or inconsistent naming. - Contact roles: Don’t just lump everyone as “Manager” or “Director.” Be specific. - Industry: Pick a standard—SIC, NAICS, or just your own categories. Stick to it. - Location: Country at minimum; region or city if it’s useful for you.
Pro tip:
Don’t bother segmenting on fields that are empty or unreliable. If half your “Industry” data is blank, fix that first or skip it.
Step 2: Nail Down Segmentation Goals
Before you click anything in Hellorobin, ask yourself: Why am I segmenting? If the answer is “because everyone says I should,” that’s not enough.
Some reasons that actually make sense: - You have different products or services for different company sizes or industries. - Your sales team wants to prioritize certain accounts. - You’re running a campaign that only matters to a specific region or job title.
What to ignore: - Segmenting just to see what’s possible (you’ll end up with chaos and zero results) - Creating segments you never message differently
If a segment won’t get a unique message or action, don’t waste your time.
Step 3: Start with Broad, Useful Segments
The most common mistake is getting too granular, too fast. Start broad. You can always drill down later.
Segments that usually work: - Company Size: Startup, SMB, Mid-market, Enterprise. Use employee count or revenue, whatever’s more accurate for your market. - Industry: Pick categories that actually affect buying decisions. - Geography: Useful if your product or sales process changes by region. - Seniority/Role: Decision-makers vs. users vs. influencers.
Segments to skip (unless you have a real reason): - Super-niche job titles (“VP of Strategic Partnerships, North Dakota”)—your list will be tiny. - Social media activity or “engagement score”—fun for B2C, rarely useful in B2B.
Real-world example:
If you sell HR software, segmenting by “HR Director” vs. “IT Manager” makes sense. Segmenting by “people who opened your last newsletter” rarely does.
Step 4: Use Hellorobin’s Segment Tools (Without Overengineering)
Hellorobin gives you a mix of filters, tags, and dynamic lists. Here’s how to use them without making a mess:
Filters
Filters are for quick, rule-based slices. You can combine fields like industry, location, and title.
- Keep filter logic simple. If you need a whiteboard to explain it, it’s too much.
- Stack, but don’t stack forever. Two or three filters is usually enough.
Tags
Tags are for custom grouping—think “2023 conference attendee” or “Priority account.” They’re flexible but can get out of hand.
- Use tags for short-term needs. Clean them up regularly.
- Don’t use tags to replace real data fields. It gets messy fast.
Dynamic Lists
Dynamic lists auto-update as data changes. Great for active campaigns.
- Use for things like “All Mid-Market Accounts in the Northeast.”
- Set and forget—but check in monthly to make sure the logic still makes sense.
Pro tip:
Document your segment logic somewhere outside Hellorobin. You’ll thank yourself (or your replacement) later.
Step 5: Test Segments Before You Use Them
Before you blast out a campaign, preview your segments.
- Spot-check for weirdness: Are there people in this list who shouldn’t be?
- Check segment size: Too big? You’re probably not being specific enough. Too small? You might’ve over-filtered.
- Send test emails: Make sure the messaging actually fits this group.
Don’t skip this. It’s embarrassing to send “exclusive offer for Canadian CFOs” to someone in Florida who’s an intern.
Step 6: Don’t Go Overboard with Automation
Automation is handy, but it can make your segments stale or weird if you’re not careful.
- Automate only when you have a clear, repeatable rule. (“Every new lead from finance companies gets tagged as ‘Finance’”)
- Review automated segments every month. Data changes; what made sense six months ago might not now.
- Manual review beats blind trust. Sometimes, you just need to scroll through the list.
What Actually Works (And What’s Overhyped)
Works: - Segmentation by company size, industry, and seniority - Using tags for campaigns, then cleaning them up - Regularly reviewing and pruning segments
Doesn’t work: - Segmenting by every possible data point “just in case” - Relying on engagement data (opens/clicks) for B2B targeting—most of it’s noisy or unreliable - Forgetting to update or audit your segments
Ignore: - Shiny new AI segmentation tools unless you have thousands of records and a clear use case (and even then, be skeptical) - Segmentation based on data you don’t actually have (or that’s mostly blank)
Keep It Simple, Iterate, and Don’t Stress
Segmentation in Hellorobin isn’t about chasing perfection. Start broad, use segments that actually change how you communicate, and keep things tidy. If a segment isn’t useful, delete it. If you’re not sure, test it out. You can always tweak as you go.
The best B2B teams aren’t the ones with the fanciest segments—they’re the ones who actually use them to send better messages. Keep it simple, iterate, and move on to the next thing that actually matters.