If you’re drowning in a sea of leads and need a way to sort out the real prospects from the tire-kickers, you’re in the right place. This guide is for anyone who wants to slice their lead list by industry and role—without losing their sanity or wasting hours. Whether you’re in sales, marketing, or just the unlucky person stuck with lead cleanup, this is for you. We’ll use Scrapin as our example tool, but the advice here is grounded, honest, and just as helpful if you’ve struggled with clunky CSVs or overhyped CRM promises before.
Why Segment by Industry and Role?
Let’s be honest: not all leads are created equal. If you blast the same pitch to everyone, you’re basically hoping for luck. Segmenting by industry and role means:
- You send smarter, more relevant messages.
- You waste less time chasing people who’ll never care.
- You can spot patterns—like which industries actually bite.
It’s not magic, but it works. The catch? You need clean, structured data. Scrapin helps with that, but you still have to do some thinking up front.
Step 1: Get Your Lead Data into Scrapin
First things first: you need your leads in one place. Scrapin is good at scraping and organizing public lead data, but the same rules apply whether you’re importing LinkedIn lists, trade show contacts, or messy spreadsheets.
Import options: - Scrape directly from supported sites (LinkedIn, company directories, etc.) - Upload your own CSV/XLSX file (if you already have data)
Pro tip: Don’t just dump in the whole world. The more targeted your initial list, the less cleaning you’ll do later.
What often goes wrong:
Messy imports. Watch out for duplicate entries, weird formatting, or missing fields. Clean up what you can before importing, or you’ll spend double the time fixing it later.
Step 2: Make Sure You Have “Industry” and “Role” Data
Here’s the blunt truth: many lead lists don’t have this info in the right place—or at all.
- Industry: Sometimes called “sector,” “vertical,” or “company type.” Should be a clear label, not a word salad (“Cloud-based SaaS for holistic enterprise synergies” is not an industry).
- Role: Usually a job title, but ideally also a function (“CTO” = Tech, “Marketing Manager” = Marketing).
If your data is missing these: - Scrapin tries to pull this info automatically if scraping from LinkedIn or similar platforms. - If you uploaded a CSV without these columns, you’ll have to add them manually or use Scrapin’s enrichment features (if available). - Sometimes you’ll need to standardize titles and industry names yourself. It’s not fun, but it’s worth it.
What to ignore:
Don’t get hung up on ultra-specific industry tags. “Healthcare” is usually enough; you don’t need “Healthcare - SaaS - Compliance - Midwest.”
Step 3: Standardize the Data (Don’t Skip This)
You want to avoid having “Software,” “software,” “Software & IT,” and “IT/Software” as four different buckets. Same for job titles.
How to clean things up: - Use Scrapin’s bulk edit or mapping tools (if available) to merge similar industries and roles. - Export to CSV, clean in Excel/Google Sheets, and re-upload if that’s faster for you. - Pick simple, broad buckets—e.g., “Finance,” “Manufacturing,” “Retail,” etc. For roles, group by function: “Engineering,” “Sales,” “C-Suite,” “Marketing.”
Pro tip:
Don’t overthink it. You’re not building a census; you just want to send smarter messages.
What doesn’t work:
Trying to get 100% perfect labels. Accept some fuzziness, especially with job titles—“Head of Growth” and “VP Marketing” can be grouped together if your pitch is the same.
Step 4: Use Scrapin’s Filters to Segment
Once your data’s clean, it’s actually pretty painless.
How to do it: 1. Go to your leads list in Scrapin. 2. Use the filter or search bar to select “Industry” and pick the one(s) you want. 3. Add a second filter for “Role” (or “Title,” depending on how your data is labeled). 4. Stack filters—e.g., “Industry: SaaS” and “Role: C-Suite” gives you SaaS executives only. 5. Save these segments as lists or tags for future campaigns.
What works well:
- Saving your segments so you don’t have to redo filters every time.
- Tagging high-value segments (“Finance - CTOs”) so you can pull them up fast.
What to ignore:
Don’t bother with every possible filter. Stick to industry and role first—other filters (like location or company size) can come later if you actually need them.
Step 5: Export, Assign, or Message Your Segments
Now you’ve got your slices. What you do next depends on your workflow.
Common options: - Export: Download the segment as a CSV for use elsewhere (your CRM, email tool, etc.). - Assign: If you’re working in a team, assign segments to different reps or campaigns inside Scrapin. - Message: Some Scrapin plans let you email or connect with leads directly from the platform. If you’re going that route, personalize by segment.
Pro tip:
Don’t blast everyone in a segment with the same message. Use the segmenting to tailor your outreach, even if it’s just changing the opener.
What doesn’t work:
Trying to run everything through one huge, “personalized” campaign. You’ll just end up with generic outreach that gets ignored.
Step 6: Iterate—Don’t Overcomplicate
You’ll probably find that: - Some segments respond way better than others. - Industry buckets might need tweaking (“EdTech” vs. “General Education”). - Roles are messier than you hoped (“Operations” means a lot of things).
That’s normal. The fix isn’t more segmentation—it’s better, simpler buckets and regular cleanup. Adjust as you go.
What’s worth your time:
- Reviewing which segments perform best.
- Merging or splitting segments only if it’s helping you get results.
What to ignore:
Chasing perfect data. There’s always a few weird titles or misclassified companies. Move on.
Quick FAQ: Real-World Answers
Do I need to pay for extra features to segment in Scrapin?
Basic filtering is usually included, but advanced enrichment or bulk editing might cost extra. Check your plan before you spend a bunch of time setting it up.
What if my leads don’t have industries or roles?
You’ll need to enrich the data—either with Scrapin’s add-ons, by uploading improved lists, or, worst case, some manual research. It’s annoying, but you can’t segment what you don’t have.
Is it worth segmenting by role if my product is for whole companies?
Yes—different roles care about different problems. Even if you’re selling to a business, the person you contact matters.
Should I bother segmenting by company size or location too?
Only if it makes a real difference for your messaging. Don’t add complexity just to feel busy.
Final Thoughts: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
Segmenting leads by industry and role in Scrapin isn’t rocket science—it’s just about keeping your lists clean and your outreach focused. Start with broad buckets, see what works, and tweak from there. Don’t waste time chasing the perfect segment—just aim for better than blasting everyone. As you learn, you’ll see what matters and what’s just noise. Keep it simple, stay curious, and let your results guide what you try next.