If you sell into big companies, you already know that “enterprise” covers a ridiculous range of needs, buying patterns, and politics. Treating all enterprise accounts the same is a fast way to burn through budget and goodwill. This guide is for sales, marketing, and ops folks who want to make Airship actually work for segmenting big accounts—so your GTM motions aren’t just better-targeted, they’re actually sane and sustainable.
Let’s skip the buzzwords and get to the point: here’s how to segment enterprise accounts in Airship, what to watch out for, and where people usually overcomplicate things.
Step 1: Get Real About Your Segmentation Goals
Before you start clicking around in Airship, ask yourself: why are you segmenting? (No, “for personalization” isn’t enough.)
Common use cases that actually make sense: - Prioritizing accounts for SDR/AE outreach - Tailoring campaigns based on industry or buying center - Assigning accounts to reps or teams based on complexity - Tracking pipeline by segment (for forecasting or board decks)
What not to do:
Don’t create segments just because you can. More segments = more work. If you can’t explain why a segment will change what you do, don’t bother.
Pro Tip:
Write out your top 2-3 reasons for segmenting. If you can’t tie them to pipeline or revenue, rethink.
Step 2: Map Out the Data You Need (and Gut-Check What You Actually Have)
Airship’s segmentation is only as good as the data you feed it. Garbage in, garbage out.
Typical fields for enterprise segmentation: - Industry (be specific, not just “Enterprise”) - Company size (employees, revenue, sometimes both) - Geography (region, country, or even city) - Buying center (business unit, department) - Existing tech stack - Account status (customer, prospect, churned, etc.) - Engagement signals (recent activity, intent, etc.)
The honest reality:
Most teams think their data is clean. It isn’t. Audit your Salesforce or CRM. Look for missing industry tags, outdated employee counts, or duplicate records. Fixing this up front saves a ton of pain later.
What to skip:
Don’t overload on “nice to have” fields. Focus on data you trust and actually use.
Step 3: Define Segmentation Rules That Match Your Actual GTM Motions
Now, set up your segments in Airship based on the rules that fit how your team works.
Examples:
- By size:
- Large Enterprise: 10,000+ employees
- Upper Mid-Market: 2,000–9,999 employees
- Lower Mid-Market: 500–1,999 employees
- By industry vertical:
- Financial Services, Healthcare, Retail, etc.
- By buying signals:
- Engaged in last 30 days
- Open opportunities above $500K
How to do this in Airship: 1. Go to the Accounts section. 2. Click “Create Segment.” 3. Define filters (e.g., “Industry = Financial Services” AND “Employees > 10,000”). 4. Name your segment clearly. Avoid internal jargon. If a new hire can’t tell what it means, it’s too vague. 5. Save and review. Spot-check a few accounts to make sure the segment isn’t pulling in junk.
Pro Tip:
Start with 3–5 segments. You can always get fancier later, but you can’t get your time back.
Step 4: Test Your Segments With Real-World Scenarios
Don’t trust the preview. Pull up a few accounts per segment and ask: - Do these companies actually belong together? - Will this segment change how we approach, message, or assign accounts? - Any obvious outliers or false positives?
What often goes wrong: - Segment definitions are too broad (“Enterprise” means 500+ employees, but your sellers treat a 500-person shop very differently than a 50,000-person behemoth). - Segments overlap, leading to duplicate outreach or confusion. - Data is stale, so big accounts fall through the cracks.
Fixes: - Tighten your filters. - Set up rules so each account only falls into one “priority” segment. - Schedule monthly reviews to check for drift.
Step 5: Connect Segments to Real GTM Actions
A segment is useless unless it changes what your team does.
Examples of action-oriented segmentation: - Outreach: Assigning specific reps or teams to high-value segments. - Campaigns: Running tailored nurture or ABM campaigns for healthcare vs. retail. - Reporting: Tracking pipeline health by segment, not just in total.
How to do this in Airship: - Set up automations or workflows that trigger based on segment membership. - Create dashboards filtered by segment so GTM teams actually see what matters. - Integrate with your marketing automation tools so campaigns target the right segments.
What to ignore:
Don’t try to automate everything on day one. Manual review is fine for the first few cycles.
Step 6: Keep It Simple—And Set a Time to Revisit
The temptation is to slice and dice until you have “the perfect segmentation.” Resist. Segments will get messy over time. People change jobs, companies merge, data gets stale.
What works: - Quarterly reviews of segment definitions and membership. - One owner for each segment type (e.g., sales ops for size, marketing ops for industry). - Document your definitions—don’t rely on tribal knowledge.
What doesn’t: - Endless tweaking after every campaign. - Letting segments grow until you need a spreadsheet just to keep track.
A Few Hard Truths About Segmenting Enterprise Accounts in Airship
- You’ll never have perfect data. Make decisions anyway.
- Not every account needs a custom approach. Focus on the ones where it matters—usually your top 10–20%.
- Airship can help, but it won’t solve your GTM strategy. It’s a tool, not a magic bullet.
The Bottom Line
Segmenting enterprise accounts in Airship isn’t rocket science, but it does take discipline. Start with clear goals, use the cleanest data you have, and keep your segments tightly tied to real work. Don’t overthink it—keep things simple, review regularly, and get ready to tweak as your business (and your data) evolves. Iteration beats “perfect” every time.