If you’re sending the same email blast to your entire list and calling it “targeted,” you’re leaving results on the table. This is for marketers, founders, and anyone sick of low open rates and “meh” conversions. You want to squeeze more value out of your list—without wasting hours fiddling with complicated tools. Good news: with Sheppardd, getting smart about segmentation isn’t rocket science. Here’s how to do it well, what’s actually worth your time, and what you should ignore.
Why Bother With Segmentation?
Let’s be honest: most people’s inboxes are a graveyard of generic newsletters. The best way to stand out? Send people what they actually care about. Segmentation is just sorting your contacts into groups so you can send each group messages that “get” them. You get:
- Higher open and click rates (because it’s relevant)
- Fewer unsubscribes (because you’re not annoying people)
- More sales, more signups, more whatever-you’re-chasing
But it’s easy to get lost in the weeds. Segmentation works if you keep it focused. Don’t slice your list into oblivion—start simple, test, and build from there.
Step 1: Clean Up Your Contact Data
You can’t segment what you can’t see. Before you get fancy, make sure your contact list in Sheppardd isn’t a mess.
What to check: - Duplicates: Merge or delete them. No one wants double emails. - Missing info: If you want to segment by city but half your list has a blank city field, fix that. Import missing data if you can. - Typos & weird formats: “New York,” “NYC,” and “ny” aren’t the same to a computer. Standardize your fields.
Pro tip: Don’t overthink it. Focus on the data points you’ll actually use (like location, signup source, or last purchase).
Step 2: Decide What Segments Actually Matter
Not all segmentation is useful. The sweet spot is finding groups that respond differently—otherwise, you’re just making more work for yourself.
Start with these basics: - Engagement: Who opens, clicks, or never does anything? - Location: Useful if your offer depends on geography. - Lifecycle stage: New leads, customers, repeat buyers, etc. - Interests or products: If you know what someone’s bought or clicked, use it!
What to ignore: - Super-niche details like “people who signed up on a Wednesday” (unless you have a very good reason) - Demographics you don’t act on (If you don’t tailor offers by age, don’t bother collecting it)
Real talk: If you can’t write a different email for a group, don’t make the group.
Step 3: Set Up Segments in Sheppardd
Now the practical bit. Sheppardd makes it pretty straightforward, but you need to know where to click.
- Go to Contacts: Find the contacts tab in your Sheppardd dashboard.
- Filter by criteria: Use the built-in filters—like “City is Boston” or “Last purchase within 90 days.”
- Save as segment: Once your filter looks right, save it as a dynamic segment. This way, it updates automatically as your data changes.
Types of segments: - Dynamic segments: These update as your contacts’ info changes. Use these for anything ongoing: “Active subscribers,” “Recent buyers,” etc. - Static segments: Good for one-off campaigns where you want to “freeze” a group as it is right now.
Pitfall to avoid: Don’t create so many segments you can’t remember what they’re for. Name them clearly—think “Boston VIPs” not “Test Segment 4.”
Step 4: Map Segments to Real Campaigns
This is where most folks trip up. Segments are only useful if you actually send different stuff to them.
Examples of what works: - Re-engagement: Send a win-back offer to people who haven’t opened in 90 days. - Location-based promos: Only send your Boston event invite to people in (you guessed it) Boston. - VIP treatment: Give your biggest spenders early access or special deals. - Product follow-ups: If someone bought X, send tips or upsells related to X.
What doesn’t work: - Sending the same email to every segment “just in case” - Overly granular segments with no unique message (see above)
Pro tip: Start with just two to three segments. Nail those before adding more.
Step 5: Test, Measure, and Adjust
Segmentation isn’t “set it and forget it.” You need to see what actually moves the needle.
How to keep it honest: - Look at open and click rates by segment. If there’s no difference, your segmentation probably isn’t meaningful (or your emails aren’t different enough!). - Watch unsubscribe rates. If a segment opts out more, your targeting might be off. - Don’t chase vanity metrics. Focus on actual conversions—sales, signups, whatever matters to you.
Quick experiments: - A/B test subject lines for different segments. - Try sending at different times based on location. - See if segmenting by engagement (active vs. lapsed) changes your results.
What to ignore: - Fancy dashboards that make you feel productive but don’t lead to better emails. - Segmenting just because you can. More isn’t always better.
Common Mistakes (And How to Dodge Them)
- Too many segments, not enough difference: If you’re sending the same thing to 10 groups, you don’t have a segmentation strategy—you have busywork.
- Letting your data go stale: Segments are only as good as the info behind them. Set a reminder to clean your list every few months.
- Ignoring the “why”: If you can’t explain why a segment exists (and what you’ll send them), skip it.
- Obsessing over the “perfect” segment: Good enough beats perfect. Try it, improve it, repeat.
Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
You don’t need a PhD in data science to get real results from segmentation in Sheppardd. Clean your data, pick the groups that actually matter, and send them stuff they care about. Skip the overcomplicated charts and focus on what works. Start small, measure, and tweak as you go. Chances are, you’ll see better results with less hassle—and a lot less inbox noise.