Best practices for segmenting your B2B audience in Unless using firmographic data

If you work in B2B marketing or sales, you already know one-size-fits-all messaging gets ignored. The trick is to speak directly to the people who actually care — and that means segmentation. If you’re using Unless to personalize your website or campaigns, you’ve probably seen the option to segment by “firmographic data.” But what does that actually mean, and how do you do it in a way that’s useful (not just busywork)? This guide is for the folks who want practical, real-world tips — not hand-waving or vague best practices.

What is firmographic data, really?

Firmographic data is just a fancy word for company-related info. Think of it as the business equivalent of demographic data for people. Here’s what it usually covers:

  • Industry: What kind of business are they in?
  • Company size: Headcount or revenue.
  • Location: Country, region, or city.
  • Technology stack: What tools or platforms they use.
  • Growth stage: Startup, scale-up, enterprise, etc.

You can get this data from lead enrichment tools, your CRM, or even web tracking services. Some of it comes out of the box in Unless, but you’ll usually want to connect your own sources for the good stuff.

Why bother with firmographic segmentation?

Let’s be honest: Most B2B websites talk to everyone and end up resonating with no one. Firmographic segmentation lets you:

  • Show relevant products or content to the right audience.
  • Cut down on wasted sales cycles with unqualified leads.
  • Avoid annoying your best prospects with generic “solutions.”

But — and this is important — don’t get carried away. Over-segmentation creates more work than results. Start simple and only add complexity if you’re seeing clear wins.

Step-by-step: Segmenting B2B audiences in Unless using firmographic data

Let’s walk through a practical approach that actually works.

1. Get your data sorted first

Unless can’t segment on data it doesn’t have. Before you mess with settings, make sure you’ve got solid firmographic data coming in. Some options:

  • Integrate a data provider: Tools like Clearbit or Leadfeeder can autofill firmographic details for site visitors.
  • Sync your CRM: If you already have firmographics in Salesforce, HubSpot, or similar, connect it up.
  • Manual uploads: For small lists, you can import CSVs — but this gets old fast.

Pro tip: Bad data in = bad segments out. Have someone check for duplicates, outdated info, and weird edge cases (like “Company: Test” or “Industry: Other”).

2. Decide which segments actually matter

Not every data point is worth segmenting on. Here’s what usually works in B2B:

  • Industry: If your product serves multiple verticals (e.g., healthcare, finance, SaaS), split by industry.
  • Company size: Your offering or messaging probably changes for a 10-person business vs. a 10,000-person one.
  • Country/region: Useful if you have legal, language, or pricing differences.

Here’s what usually doesn’t matter:

  • “Fortune 500” status: Too broad, not actionable.
  • Random tech stacks: Unless you have a killer integration pitch, don’t bother.
  • Hyper-specific tags: “Companies in Ohio with 47-52 employees and two cats.” No.

Pick 1–2 segments to start. Resist the urge to create a segment for every tiny difference.

3. Set up segments in Unless

Unless’s segmentation tools are flexible, but don’t get lost in the weeds. Here’s how to actually do it:

  • Go to the “Segments” or “Audiences” section.
  • Create a new segment, and set rules based on your data (“Industry is Healthcare” or “Employees > 1000”).
  • Assign these segments to relevant campaigns, website variations, or pop-ups.

Pro tip: Name your segments something obvious. “SMB SaaS” is better than “Segment 4.” Your future self (or teammate) will thank you.

4. Personalize with purpose

Now comes the fun part — actually using those segments for something useful. Some ideas:

  • Homepage headlines: Call out the industry (“The #1 HR platform for financial services”).
  • Case studies: Show only the most relevant customer stories.
  • Pricing pages: Adjust plans or highlight relevant features.
  • Calls-to-action: Offer a demo to enterprises, or a free trial to startups.

But don’t try to personalize everything right away. Start with the highest-impact pages or experiences. Measure results before adding more.

5. Test, measure, and don’t trust your gut

It’s easy to assume “this segment will love this message,” but you’re probably wrong (at least at first). Here’s what to do instead:

  • A/B test personalized content against your default. Don’t assume it’s better just because it’s customized.
  • Track conversion rates, demo requests, or whatever matters most — not just vanity metrics like “time on page.”
  • Kill segments that don’t perform. If you’re not seeing lift, don’t be afraid to roll it back.

Pro tip: Sometimes, simple segmentation (like industry) outperforms complicated setups. Don’t chase complexity for its own sake.

Honest takes: What works, what doesn’t, and what to skip

What actually works

  • Industry-based messaging: Most B2B buyers respond well to seeing their world reflected in your site.
  • Company size filters: Tailoring offers and language to company size moves the needle.
  • Clear, strong differences: Segments with obvious, meaningful distinctions tend to perform.

What usually flops

  • Overly broad segments: “Tech companies” is almost meaningless now.
  • Ultra-niche segments: You can spend hours building a segment for “UK fintech with 51-100 employees using Python,” but the audience will be tiny and results negligible.
  • Forgetting the default: Some people won’t match any segment — make sure your fallback message doesn’t stink.

What to ignore

  • Hyper-personalization hype: You don’t need to show a different page to every single company. That’s a recipe for headaches.
  • Trendy data points: Just because you can segment by “tech stack” or “recent funding” doesn’t mean you should.
  • One-time experiments: Segmentation is only useful if you stick with it and keep improving.

Real talk: How to avoid common traps

  • Don’t segment for segmentation’s sake. More segments means more content to manage and more things that can break.
  • Keep your data clean. Garbage data leads to embarrassing mistakes (like showing “Hello, null!” on your site).
  • Start small, prove value, then expand. If your first two segments don’t increase conversions, adding eight more won’t magically fix it.
  • Document your logic. Write down why you made each segment. It helps when someone asks “Why do we have this?” three months from now.

Keep it simple, and keep improving

The best segmentation is the one you actually use — not the one that looks most impressive in a slide deck. Start with a couple of strong, obvious segments, see what moves the needle, and don’t be afraid to kill what doesn’t work. Unless gives you plenty of tools, but it’s up to you to keep things practical and focused. When in doubt, go simpler. You can always get fancier later.