If you’re using Zymplify to run your campaigns and your audience list is just one big bucket, you’re leaving money on the table. This guide is for marketers, sales teams, and honestly, anyone tired of seeing “unsubscribed” pile up after sending generic emails. We’ll break down how to actually segment your audience lists in Zymplify so you can send stuff people care about—and stop blasting everyone with the same tired pitch.
Let’s get right to it.
Why Segmentation Matters (And What To Ignore)
First, a reality check: Segmentation isn’t magic. It won’t fix a bad offer or make a dull email interesting. But, when you send the right message to the right crowd, you get fewer unsubscribes, more opens, and better replies. That’s the goal.
Some folks get lost in the weeds with dozens of segments or over-complicated rules. Here’s what actually works:
- Start simple—think “who cares about this?” not “how can I slice this data in 15 ways?”
- Segment based on stuff you can actually act on (location, interest, purchase history).
- Don’t bother with segments you’ll never use (e.g., “people who opened one email in 2019”).
- Keep your segments up to date, or you’ll end up talking to ghosts.
Now, let’s get your Zymplify lists working smarter.
Step 1: Audit Your Data—Don’t Skip This
Before you start clicking around, look at what’s actually in your database. Zymplify lets you collect a lot—name, email, company, job title, location, source, engagement, you name it.
What to check:
- Are your fields consistent? (Is “Industry” always filled out, or is it a mess?)
- Do you have duplicates?
- Are there obvious junk entries (“asdf@asdf.com” or “test1234”)?
- What’s missing? (For example, if you want to segment by city, is that info there?)
Pro tip: Garbage in, garbage out. Clean up before you start. Spend an hour deleting junk and merging doubles—future you will thank you.
Step 2: Pick Segmentation Criteria That Actually Matter
You could segment by eye color, but unless you sell sunglasses, don’t waste your time. The best segments are tied to real actions or interests.
Here are the real-world segments that move the needle:
- Customer status: Leads, prospects, active customers, churned customers.
- Engagement level: Opened/clicked last campaign, never opened, replied recently.
- Geography: Country, region, or city.
- Industry or company size: If you’re B2B, this is gold.
- Product interest: Based on what they’ve downloaded, viewed, or bought.
- Source: Where did they come from? (Trade show, webinar, website, referral.)
What to ignore:
- Overly granular time-based segments (“people who opened an email on a Tuesday”).
- Anything you can’t act on or personalize in a meaningful way.
If you’re stuck:
Start with just 2–3 segments. For example:
1. Prospects who’ve never replied
2. Customers who bought in the last 6 months
3. Cold leads who haven’t opened anything in 3 months
Step 3: Build Segments in Zymplify—The Right Way
Here’s how to actually create usable segments in Zymplify, without making a mess:
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Go to ‘Contacts’ > ‘All Contacts’
This is your main list. Don’t panic if it’s big. -
Use Filters to Slice Your List
Click ‘Filter Contacts’. You’ll see options for: - Contact fields (e.g., Job Title, Location)
- Behaviour (e.g., Opened email, Clicked link)
- Source (e.g., Imported, Web form, API)
- Date fields (e.g., Added, Last engaged)
Stack these filters to drill down. For example:
“All contacts where Last Engaged is before 01/04/2024 AND Source is ‘Webinar’.”
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Save Your Filter as a Segment
Once you’re happy with your filter, save it as a segment. Name it something obvious—“Cold Webinar Leads” beats “Segment 7.” -
Test Your Segment
Click into the segment and spot-check a few contacts. Do they fit what you expected? If not, tweak your filters. -
Repeat for 2–3 Key Segments
Don’t go wild. You can always add more later.
Pro tip:
Don’t bother making permanent segments for one-off campaigns. Use temporary filters instead.
Step 4: Put Your Segments to Work
A segment is useless unless you actually use it. Here’s how to plug segments into your Zymplify campaigns:
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Personalized Email Campaigns:
Send different emails to each segment. Example: Offer a “win-back” discount to cold leads, and a referral bonus to happy customers. -
Automations:
Trigger workflows based on segment membership. For example: If someone moves from “Lead” to “Customer,” kick off a welcome sequence. -
Reporting:
Track engagement by segment. If “Webinar Leads” always ignore you, maybe stop inviting them. -
A/B Testing:
Try sending the same email to different segments and see who bites. You’ll learn fast what works.
What not to do:
Don’t blast your whole list with the same message “just in case.” That’s how you end up in spam folders.
Step 5: Keep It Tidy—Maintain Your Segments
Lists decay. People change jobs, emails bounce, interests shift. Here’s how to keep your segments sharp:
- Set a calendar reminder to review segments every quarter.
- Remove or rework segments nobody uses.
- Archive contacts who haven’t engaged in a year. (Or try a re-engagement campaign first.)
- Update criteria if your business changes. Launched a new service? Add a segment for it.
Pro tip:
Don’t be afraid to delete segments. More isn’t better—relevant is better.
What Actually Moves the Needle (And What’s Just Hype)
There’s always some new “AI-powered segmentation” hype, but don’t get distracted. Here’s what works every time:
- Segments based on action (clicked, bought, replied) beat demographics alone.
- Simple, obvious segments are easier to test and improve.
- Regular clean-up beats set-it-and-forget-it lists.
- If you’re not going to use a segment, don’t make it.
Ignore “hyper-personalization” trends unless you really have the data (and the time) to do it well. Most businesses get 80% of the benefit from just a handful of smart segments and consistently relevant emails.
Quick Reference: Segment Ideas That Actually Work
If you need to get started fast, here are some “just steal these” segment ideas that almost always help:
- New leads from the past 30 days
- Contacts who clicked any email in the last month
- Lapsed customers (no purchase in 6+ months)
- Event attendees from a specific trade show or webinar
- Customers by product/service purchased
- Contacts by industry or role (if you’re B2B)
Pick two or three, send something actually useful to each, and see what happens. You can always refine later.
Keep It Simple and Iterate
Don’t let the “perfect” segmentation strategy slow you down. The best segment is the one you’ll actually use. Start with a couple, send better emails, and adjust as you go.
Remember: You’re not trying to impress anyone with your segmentation wizardry. You just want people to read—and act on—what you send. That’s what gets results.
Now, go clean up your lists and make your campaigns worth opening.