If you’re sending the same bland message to every lead in your B2B pipeline, don’t be surprised when your response rates flatline. Smart segmentation is how you actually get someone’s attention—and maybe even a reply. This guide is for anyone using Charm who wants to cut through the noise with messaging that feels like it was written for a real person, not a list.
Let’s get real: segmentation isn’t magic. But if you do it right, you’ll see fewer ignored emails, less unsubscribes, and more meaningful conversations. Here’s how to do it without spending all day stuck in spreadsheet hell.
Step 1: Get Your Data House in Order
Before you start slicing and dicing, make sure your contact data in Charm isn’t a mess. Segmentation is only as good as the info you have.
Check these basics: - Company name, size, and industry: If you’re missing these, most segmentation recipes fall apart. - Contact role/title: VP of Sales cares about different things than an IT Manager. - Location: Useful for time zones, language, or regional offers. - Lifecycle stage: Are they a brand new lead, an active opportunity, or a long-time customer?
Pro tip:
If your data is patchy, fix the gaps before you bother with segmentation. No CRM—Charm included—can read minds. Import fresh lists, run enrichment, or just ask contacts directly.
Step 2: Decide What Actually Matters
Not every data point is worth segmenting on. The goal here isn’t to create a hundred micro-segments you’ll never use, but to pick the handful that drive different messaging.
Here’s what usually matters in B2B:
- Industry/vertical: Messaging for SaaS companies is different than for manufacturers.
- Company size (by headcount or revenue): Startups vs. enterprise—totally different worlds.
- Job function or seniority: Tailor your pitch for decision-makers vs. technical evaluators.
- Stage in buying journey: Cold lead, demo scheduled, customer, etc.
Skip these (usually): - Hyper-specific fields you can’t act on (e.g., “favorite coffee blend”) - Data that’s wildly out of date or unreliable - Vanity segmentation (“people who opened 3+ emails” usually isn’t worth a custom campaign)
Gut check:
If you can’t think of a different message you’d send to a segment, don’t bother creating it.
Step 3: Build Useful Segments in Charm
Now for the good stuff. Charm makes it pretty straightforward to build segments, but you’ll want to set yourself up for sanity later.
3.1. Use Filters, Not Tags for Everything
It’s tempting to tag every contact with everything (“interested,” “called once,” “lives in Austin”). Don’t. Use Charm’s built-in filters to create dynamic segments—these update themselves as your data changes.
Common filters: - Industry is “SaaS” - Title contains “Director” - Company size > 500 employees - Last contacted > 30 days ago
Pro tip:
If you find yourself making a new tag for every campaign, you’re fighting the tool. Filters are your friend.
3.2. Build Segments That Map to Messaging
Ask yourself: “Would I write a different email to this group?” If the answer’s yes, you’ve got a real segment.
Examples: - “Finance decision-makers at mid-market companies” - “IT managers at healthcare orgs, East Coast” - “Customers who haven’t replied in 90 days”
Avoid segments so tiny you’ll never use them, or so broad your messages become generic again.
3.3. Name Segments Clearly
You’ll thank yourself in three months. Call it “Manufacturing - CTOs - Cold Leads” instead of “Q2 List 3.”
Step 4: Personalize Your Messaging (But Don’t Get Creepy)
Segmentation lets you swap out generic lines for stuff people actually care about. Here’s how to do it without sounding like a robot—or a stalker.
4.1. Use Merge Fields Wisely
Charm supports merge fields for things like first name, company, or job title. That’s handy, but don’t force it.
- “Hi {{first_name}}, I noticed you’re leading IT at {{company_name}}…” is fine.
- “Hi {{first_name}}, how’s the weather in {{city}}?” is usually just weird.
4.2. Speak to Their Needs
If you’re messaging all healthcare IT leaders, talk about industry pain points, not generic “solutions.” Mention regulations, security, or whatever keeps them up at night.
What works: - Making it obvious you know their world (“We help mid-sized SaaS teams onboard users faster”) - Referencing industry trends or challenges
What doesn’t: - Overly personal details scraped from LinkedIn - Canned flattery (“I love your recent post!” when you didn’t read it)
4.3. Test, Don’t Assume
Send a few messages and see what lands. Sometimes what you think is a killer segment turns out to be a dud. That’s normal.
Step 5: Set Up Workflows That Don’t Eat Your Day
Segmentation’s useless if it just means more manual work. Charm can automate a lot—use it.
5.1. Automate Outreach Based on Segments
- Trigger campaigns for “New demo leads” or “Dormant accounts”
- Set reminders to follow up with certain segments
- Use branching: if someone replies, move them to a new segment automatically
5.2. Review and Prune Segments Regularly
Things change. People change jobs. Companies pivot. Once a month, review your segments: - Merge ones that are too similar - Kill off ones nobody’s using - Update filters if your ideal customer profile shifts
Step 6: Measure What Matters (And Ignore Vanity Metrics)
It’s tempting to watch open rates and feel good, but what you actually want is replies, meetings, or deals.
Focus on: - Reply rate per segment - Meetings booked from each segment - Pipeline generated
Ignore: - Opens (especially with privacy changes, these are fuzzy) - Clicks, unless you’re running a pure nurture campaign
If a segment isn’t working, either your messaging is off or the segment isn’t useful. Either way, adjust.
Step 7: Keep It Simple—Then Iterate
The biggest trap in segmentation? Making things too complicated, too fast. Start with a few clear segments that actually map to different messages. See what works. Tweak as you go.
A few rules of thumb: - More segments isn’t always better—focus on quality over quantity. - If you’re drowning in lists, simplify. - Don’t stress about getting it perfect. Your first cut is just a starting point.
Segmenting your B2B contacts in Charm isn’t rocket science, but it does take a little thought. Keep your data clean, build segments that matter, and focus on messaging that feels like it was written for a human—not a spreadsheet. Start simple, learn as you go, and don’t get distracted by the shiny features you don’t need (yet). Happy segmenting.