If you’re selling to other businesses, getting your audience segments right is the difference between “meh” results and real traction. Segmenting B2B audiences can be a mess—bad data, too many filters, and a lot of wishful thinking about who actually wants what you’re selling. This guide is for marketers, SDRs, and anyone else who needs to wrangle B2B audiences using filters in Browse.
Let’s get into what actually works, what to skip, and how to avoid spinning your wheels.
Why B2B Segmentation Actually Matters (And Where It Goes Wrong)
B2B isn’t B2C. You’re not just targeting “people,” you’re targeting companies—sometimes entire buying committees. Effective segmentation means you’re not wasting time blasting the same message to everyone. Instead, you can focus on the companies and contacts who actually care.
Where it goes sideways: - Too many filters, not enough sense: Overfiltering usually means you’re chasing perfect data. Spoiler: It doesn’t exist. - Chasing titles: Everyone wants “decision-makers,” but most org charts don’t match LinkedIn. Titles are useful, but don’t overthink it. - One-size-fits-all: Treating all segments the same just means more noise, less signal.
Step 1: Figure Out Your Real Segmentation Goals
Before you touch a single filter, get clear on what you want: - Are you looking for new leads, or trying to upsell current customers? - Do you care more about company size, industry, tech stack, or geography? - Who actually buys your stuff? (Ask sales, not just your gut.)
Write your goals down. Seriously, do it. Otherwise, you’ll end up with Frankenstein segments that don’t help anyone.
What to ignore: Fancy segmentation models from marketing “thought leaders.” Most are built for Fortune 500s with giant data teams. Start simple.
Step 2: Audit Your Data (and Don’t Trust It Blindly)
You can only segment as well as your data allows. In Browse, filters are only as accurate as what’s in your system. Here’s what to check: - Company names: Are they normalized? (“IBM” vs. “International Business Machines”) - Industry tags: Are they consistent or all over the place? - Contact info: Is it up to date, or is half of your list bouncing? - Custom fields: Does anyone even fill them in?
Pro tip: Run a quick export and spot-check. Don’t assume your CRM or Browse data is clean just because it looks neat in the UI.
Step 3: Start With Broad Filters, Then Refine
The rookie mistake: Going too narrow, too fast. If you stick on 10 filters at once, your “segment” might be 5 companies—and 3 of them are your competitors.
How to get started: 1. Pick your must-haves. For B2B, this is usually industry, company size, or geography. 2. Test a few combos. Start with 2-3 filters, run a preview, and see what you get. 3. Check for weird outliers. Are you getting companies you’d never sell to? Adjust. 4. Layer in more filters only if needed. Think of each filter as a knife—use just enough to cut through the noise, but don’t slice away your whole audience.
What works well: - Industry + Employee count: Gets you in the ballpark fast. - Tech stack filters: If you sell something that relies on a certain software or platform. - Location: Still matters a lot for B2B, especially for legal, tax, or logistics reasons.
What usually flops: - Hyper-specific job titles (“Senior Vice President of Widget Transformation”) - Overly granular revenue bands (nobody’s revenue is that precise in your data) - Niche custom fields that only 5% of your database uses
Step 4: Build Useful, Reusable Segments
Once your filters return something that looks right, save it. Give it a name you’ll recognize a month from now—avoid “Test1” or “Segment Final FINAL.”
Tips for segment names: - Be specific: “US SaaS, 100-500 employees, Decision Makers” - Date-stamp if it’s a one-off: “Q2 Healthcare Prospects” - Avoid vague labels like “Big Accounts” (you’ll forget what you meant)
Keep segments fresh: - Review them monthly or quarterly. - Delete what you’re not using. Clutter just leads to mistakes.
Step 5: Test Your Segments With Real Messaging
You won’t know if a segment is good until you try it. Take a real campaign—email, call sequence, LinkedIn—and run it against your segment.
- Track response rates. If nobody bites, your segment might be off.
- Ask for feedback. If SDRs say the list is garbage, believe them.
- Iterate. Tweak your filters based on real-world results, not wishful thinking.
What to skip: Don’t try to build “perfect” segments before testing. Good enough is good enough to start.
Step 6: Avoid These Common Pitfalls
- Filtering by fields you wish you had: Don’t filter on “Intent Score” if you don’t trust where it comes from.
- Over-segmenting: More segments are not better. Aim for 3–5 strong ones, not 20 weak ones.
- Assuming your data is static: Companies change. People change jobs. Segments need updating.
Quick sanity checks: - Does your segment match your best current customers? - Are you excluding obvious duds (like your competitors, or folks outside your market)? - If your segment is under 100 accounts, do you really need to segment further?
Step 7: Keep It Simple and Document What You’re Doing
If someone else had to pick up your segments, would they know what they’re for? Write a short description in Browse or in your team docs.
Example:
“This segment targets US-based mid-market SaaS companies with at least 200 employees, using Salesforce. Used for Q3 outbound.”
Why bother? Because you’ll forget, and so will everyone else.
When Browse Filters Shine (and When They Don’t)
Browse filters are great for quickly slicing your audience by the stuff you actually know—industry, size, location, tech, etc. They’re fast, visual, and easier than exporting to Excel and getting lost in spreadsheets.
But they’re not magic: - They can’t fix bad data. - They can’t read your mind about which companies are “ready to buy.” - They won’t replace talking to your sales team about what’s actually working.
Don’t bother with filters for “psychographics” or vague intent data unless you trust the source. Stick to what’s tangible.
Pro Tips for B2B Segmentation That Don’t Suck
- Use exclusion filters: Remove current customers, competitors, or unqualified companies.
- Keep an eye on segment size: If it’s too big, you’re not targeting. If it’s too small, you’re overthinking.
- Sync with sales: If they don’t use your segments, you’re wasting time.
- Audit and clean regularly: Outdated segments make everyone’s job harder.
Wrapping Up: Don’t Overcomplicate It
The best B2B segmentation is about clear goals, good-enough data, and a willingness to test and tweak. Start broad, keep it practical, and don’t get sucked into the latest “AI-powered” hype unless it’s actually helping you close deals. Iterate as you go and document what works.
Most importantly, don’t let perfect be the enemy of done. Good segmentation with Browse filters is about making your job easier—not giving yourself more work.