Looking to actually move the needle with your B2B targeting? This guide is for you. If you’re tired of fuzzy audience definitions and want to cut through the noise, you’re in the right place. Whether you’re new to Demandbase or you’ve poked around the interface and felt a bit lost, let’s get into how to create audience segments that actually work—and how to keep them sharp.
Step 1: Get Really Clear on Your Real Target
Before you even log in, get your house in order. Most wasted time in Demandbase comes from not knowing who you’re looking for.
- Ask sales who actually buys—Not who should buy, but who really signs the contract.
- Check your CRM for closed/won deals. What do those accounts have in common? Industry, size, tech stack, geography?
- Write down absolute must-haves. Not “nice-to-haves.” If finance companies in Canada are your bread and butter, start there.
Pro tip: If your company has five “ideal customer profiles,” pick one to start. You can always expand later.
Step 2: Map Your Data Sources
Demandbase pulls from a lot of places: your CRM, marketing automation, website activity, third-party intent, and more. The more data, the better—if it’s clean.
- Connect your CRM and marketing tools. Double-check that the fields you care about (industry, employee count, etc.) are syncing over.
- Audit what’s actually available. Sometimes, fields you think you have are missing or messy. Don’t assume.
- Decide which data matters. Intent data can be powerful, but only if you trust the signals.
What to ignore: Don’t get distracted by every shiny source. Focus on the data that actually lines up with your buyer.
Step 3: Build Your First Segment
Now, let’s get into Demandbase and actually build a segment.
- Go to the Audiences section. Click “Create New Audience.”
- Add filters that match your real target.
- Firmographics: Industry, company size, revenue, location.
- Technographics: Technologies they use (if relevant).
- Intent signals: What are they researching? Are they showing buying signals for your type of product?
- Engagement: Have they visited your site, opened emails, or clicked ads?
- Stack filters, but don’t overdo it.
- Start with 3-5 core criteria. More isn’t always better—over-filtering means tiny segments and wasted spend.
- Preview the segment size. If you’ve got 12 companies, you’re probably too narrow. If you’ve got 12,000, you’re too broad.
Pro tip: Save the segment and give it a name that actually means something (“US SaaS 500-1000 employees intent” beats “Audience 1”).
Step 4: Test Before You Launch
Here’s where most teams mess up: They build a segment, hit “go,” and hope for the best.
- Sanity check the list. Spot-check a few companies—do they look like real prospects, or are there oddballs?
- Ask sales to look it over. They’ll spot mismatches you won’t.
- Check for “false positives.” Are you including companies that look right on paper but are never a fit?
If the segment looks off, tweak your filters and try again. This step saves you from months of wasted campaigns.
Step 5: Put Segments to Work
You’ve got a segment—now what? Put it into action.
- Use segments for ads, website personalization, and email. Demandbase lets you point campaigns at specific audiences.
- Keep your campaigns tight. Don’t run generic content to every segment—tailor messaging to what that group cares about.
- Set up tracking. Make sure you can actually see what each segment does: clicks, visits, conversions.
What doesn’t work: Don’t try to build every possible audience at once. Focus on one or two segments, see what works, and expand.
Step 6: Monitor and Optimize
Here’s the not-so-glamorous part that actually matters: watch your segments like a hawk.
- Check performance weekly. Are you seeing engagement, pipeline, or just a lot of impressions?
- Look for patterns. If one segment performs, ask why. If another dies on the vine, dig in.
- Trim dead weight. Cut out criteria that aren’t helping. Don’t be afraid to delete or merge segments.
- Iterate on intent signals. If you’re getting junk leads, your intent filters are probably off.
Honest take: Most “optimization” is just removing what isn’t working. Don’t be precious about it.
Step 7: Avoid the Most Common Pitfalls
Let’s call out a few things you can skip:
- Don’t chase every new data source. More data is not always better—quality over quantity.
- Don’t over-segment. You don’t need 15 micro-audiences for every region or product line.
- Don’t “set and forget.” The market changes. Your segments need to keep up.
What actually works: Simple, well-defined segments, checked often, and tuned up when they stop performing.
A Few Pro Tips for Demandbase Power Users
If you’re ready to go a bit deeper, here’s what’s actually worth your time:
- Use exclusion filters. Sometimes it’s easier to define who you don’t want (e.g., competitors, current customers).
- Create “high intent” sub-segments. These are gold for sales handoffs.
- Sync feedback with sales. If they say a segment is junk, listen. Your job is to make their lives easier.
Keep It Simple and Iterate
Audience segmentation in Demandbase isn’t magic. It’s just a tool—a good one, but only as good as the thinking behind it. Start with what you know, keep your segments simple, and tune them up as you go. Don’t get lost in endless filters or data you don’t trust. The best results come from focusing on real buyers, testing, and not being afraid to throw out what isn’t working. That’s it. Now get in there and start building segments that actually help you close deals.