If you’re tired of sending B2B messages that fall flat, you’re not alone. Most “personalized” campaigns still feel canned, and it’s usually because the audience segmentation isn’t specific enough. This guide is for marketers, founders, or anyone who wants to stop guessing and start talking to B2B audiences in a way that actually gets responses. We’ll break down how to use Wume to slice your audience into useful segments—without drowning in dashboards or chasing trends that don’t move the needle.
Why B2B Segmentation Usually Sucks
Let’s be honest—most B2B audience segmentation is just sorting by industry or company size. That’s a start, but it doesn’t get you to messaging that feels like it was written for a real person. If you’ve ever received an email that says, “Hi, we help companies in your sector achieve business goals,” you know what I mean.
The real point of segmentation is to find groups of people who will actually care about the same thing, for the same reason. That’s what makes messaging land. Wume claims to make this process less painful and a lot more useful. Here’s how to make it work for you.
Step 1: Get Your Data in Shape
Wume can’t work magic with garbage data. Before you even touch the tool, do a quick audit:
- Review what you have: Customer lists, CRM exports, LinkedIn data, website signups—whatever you’ve got.
- Clean it up: Get rid of obvious junk (duplicates, outdated contacts, companies that don’t fit your ICP).
- Fill gaps: If you’re missing key info (like job titles or industries), try to enrich your data with a tool like Clearbit or Apollo. Don’t go overboard; focus on what you’ll actually use.
Pro tip: Don’t wait for perfect data. Just make sure what you have is mostly accurate and relevant. You can always improve as you go.
Step 2: Import Data into Wume
Wume is meant to be straightforward. Here’s how you get started:
- Sign up and log in.
- Choose your data source: You can upload a CSV, connect to HubSpot/Salesforce, or use their API if you’re fancy.
- Map your fields: Wume will try to guess, but double-check that columns like “Industry” and “Job Title” actually match up.
What’s worth doing: Pay extra attention to fields that reflect why someone might buy (e.g., pain points, tech stack, recent funding). The more context, the better your segments will be.
Step 3: Build Segments That Aren’t Useless
This is where most people get tripped up. Wume will offer to auto-segment your audience, but don’t just click “Next” and pray. The default segments (industry, company size, location) are okay—but you can do better.
What Actually Works
- Firmographics (industry, size, geography): Still useful, but only as a starting point.
- Technographics: What tools are they using? (Especially helpful for SaaS.)
- Behavioral signals: Did they open an email, attend a webinar, or visit your pricing page?
- Pain points or use cases: This is gold. If you know what problem they care about, segment by that.
Example Segments:
- Fintech companies using Salesforce, hiring >20 engineers, based in the US.
- Series B SaaS companies who’ve downloaded your buyer’s guide in the last 3 months.
- Manufacturing firms actively hiring for “process automation” roles.
What to ignore:
- Segments that are too broad: “All companies in the US.” You’ll just end up with generic messaging.
- Segments based on vanity fields: “CEO” is not a segment. The CEO of a 10-person shop is nothing like the CEO of a Fortune 500.
Step 4: Use Wume’s Features (But Don’t Get Distracted)
Wume offers some bells and whistles that can help, but it’s easy to get lost in the weeds.
Wume Features Worth Using
- Segment Explorer: Lets you see overlap between different attributes. Nice for spotting hidden patterns.
- Lookalike Modeling: Wume can find companies similar to your best customers. This actually works—just keep an eye on the filters, or you’ll get a weird mix.
- Dynamic Segments: Segments that update automatically as your data changes. Good for keeping lists fresh.
What’s Overhyped
- AI-based “intent” scores: Maybe useful, maybe not. These scores are only as good as the signals going in. Don’t make big decisions based on a black-box number.
- Pre-built persona libraries: They’re generic. Treat them as templates, not gospel.
Pro tip: Use Wume to test new segments, not just confirm what you already believe. If a segment isn’t responding, kill it or tweak it. No shame in being wrong—the only shame is wasting time on stuff that doesn’t work.
Step 5: Craft Messaging That Actually Resonates
Once you’ve got your segments, the real work begins. Here’s where most campaigns fall apart: folks do all this fancy segmentation and then send the same bland message to everyone.
How to Write for Segments
- Be specific to the segment: Reference details only someone in that group would care about. (E.g., “We help Series B fintechs speed up compliance reviews.”)
- Address the real pain: Don’t just talk features. Speak to what that group is trying to fix or achieve.
- Test different angles: If you’re unsure which pain point matters, try 2–3 versions and see what gets replies.
What doesn’t work:
- Changing just the “first name” or company name. That’s not personalization.
- Using segments as a checkbox (“We see you’re in manufacturing—”) without any real insight.
Keep it human: If your message wouldn’t make you reply, scrap it and try again.
Step 6: Measure and Iterate
Segmentation is not “set it and forget it.” You’ll get it wrong the first few times—that’s normal.
- Track replies, meetings booked, or whatever matters to you. Don’t get lost in vanity metrics.
- Use Wume’s reporting, but trust your own eyes. If a segment isn’t converting, dig in and figure out why.
- Refine segments as you learn: The best segments are discovered, not invented in a brainstorm.
Don’t be afraid to delete segments that don’t work. Chasing after every possible persona just creates noise.
Common Pitfalls (and How to Dodge Them)
- Over-segmentation: If you’re sending 1:1 messages to 100+ micro-groups, you’re probably wasting time. Aim for 3–5 strong segments, not 50 weak ones.
- Forgetting the “why”: If you can’t say why a segment matters, skip it.
- Getting seduced by AI: Machine learning can help, but it’s not a shortcut for understanding your audience.
Final Thoughts: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
Don’t overthink it. The point of using Wume (or any segmentation tool) is to talk to real people in a way that makes them care. Start simple, test your assumptions, and double down on what actually works. Ignore the hype, skip the dashboards you never look at, and focus on the segments that pay off. Messaging is only as good as your understanding of the audience—so keep learning, keep tweaking, and don’t be afraid to scrap what isn’t working.
You’ll get further by doing less, but doing it better. Happy segmenting.