If you’re sending gifts to businesses, you know a “spray and pray” approach wastes time, money, and—let’s be honest—good snacks. Segmenting your B2B audience in Packedwithpurpose helps you send the right gift to the right person (and not just your cousin at the front desk). This guide is for anyone who wants to get the most out of their B2B gifting without getting lost in buzzwords or overcomplicating things.
Below, you’ll find the steps to segment your audience, what to watch out for, and a few shortcuts and pitfalls to avoid. Let’s get to it.
Step 1: Know What You’re Actually Trying to Do
Before you click anything, get clear about your goal. Are you trying to:
- Thank top clients?
- Re-engage lapsed accounts?
- Nudge prospects who are stuck?
- Reward internal teams or partners?
If you don’t know who you’re targeting and why, no tool (Packedwithpurpose included) is going to save you. Write it down. Seriously. This will keep you from going down a rabbit hole of “maybe we should send everyone a mug.”
Pro tip: Don’t overthink your segments. Start with two or three groups. You can always add more later.
Step 2: Gather and Clean Your List
Most B2B lists are a mess. Before importing anything, look for:
- Duplicates (John Smith, john.smith, John S.)
- Outdated contacts
- Missing emails or addresses
- Weird formatting (extra spaces, odd capitalization)
Clean up your data in Excel or Google Sheets first. This isn’t glamorous work, but it saves headaches later.
What matters:
Packedwithpurpose expects a CSV or spreadsheet with clear columns like:
- Name
- Company
- Address
- Any custom fields you want (ex: Account Status, Industry, Last Order Date)
Don’t include info you’ll never use. If you don’t care about zip code, leave it out.
Step 3: Define Your Segmentation Criteria
Now, decide how you’ll actually slice up your audience. Skip the fancy theories—you want practical, relevant groups.
Common ways to segment in B2B gifting:
- Industry or vertical (Tech vs. Healthcare)
- Account size (Big spenders vs. small fry)
- Deal stage (Prospects vs. customers)
- Geography (US vs. International)
- Engagement (Active vs. dormant accounts)
- Event-based (Birthday, contract renewal, new partnership)
What works:
Pick criteria that tie directly to your goal. For example, if you want to re-engage old clients, “Last Order Date” is more useful than “Industry.”
What to ignore:
Don’t waste time with segments you can’t act on. If you don’t have different gifts for New York vs. Chicago, geography won’t help you.
Step 4: Import Your Audience into Packedwithpurpose
Log into your Packedwithpurpose dashboard and look for the audience or recipients section. The process is pretty straightforward:
- Upload your spreadsheet or CSV.
- Map your columns to Packedwithpurpose fields. The platform will prompt you to match, say, “Name” to “First Name.”
- Check for errors. The tool usually flags missing data or format issues. Fix these before you proceed.
Don’t stress:
If you mess up an import, you can usually delete and start over. Better to do it right than rush and clean up a mess later.
Step 5: Create Your Segments in Packedwithpurpose
Once your audience is uploaded, it’s time to build segments using the filters Packedwithpurpose provides.
How to Build a Segment:
- Go to the segmentation or filtering section.
- Select the field(s) you want to filter by (like “Industry” or “Last Order Date”).
- Apply your logic (e.g., “Industry is Healthcare” AND “Last Order Date before 2023-01-01”).
- Save the segment with a clear name (“Dormant Healthcare Clients”).
Quick tips:
- Start simple. For example, “All clients who spent over $10k” or “All prospects in Q3 pipeline.”
- Test your segment. Double-check that the right people are included.
- Don’t get cute with naming. Use labels your team will recognize a month from now.
What works:
Sticking to a few, meaningful segments. Over-segmentation just creates busywork.
What doesn’t:
Creating segments for the sake of it. If you’re not going to send different gifts or messages, keep everyone in one bucket.
Step 6: Match Gifts and Messaging to Each Segment
Here’s where segmentation pays off. Now that you have your groups, pick gifts and messages that fit.
For each segment, ask:
- What’s appropriate for this group? (Don’t send a box of steaks to the vegan tech startup.)
- Do you need a different message or card for each group?
- Are there any compliance or gifting limits to consider? (Some industries have strict rules.)
What works:
Personal touches matter. Even a simple note that references the client’s industry or last project goes a long way.
What doesn’t:
Generic, one-size-fits-all gifts. If your segments get the same thing, you’re just adding admin work.
Step 7: Launch, Track, and Adjust
Once your segments, gifts, and messages are set, launch your campaign. But don’t go on autopilot.
- Monitor deliveries. Make sure gifts are arriving where they should.
- Track responses. See who says thank you, who follows up, and who ignores you.
- Adjust for next time. If a segment doesn’t respond or you get better feedback from a different gift, tweak your approach.
What works:
Short feedback loops. Don’t wait a year to change things—iterate with every campaign.
What doesn’t:
Assuming what worked last year will work now. Keep an eye on what your audience cares about.
Common Pitfalls (and How to Avoid Them)
- Too many segments: More isn’t better. Stick to what you can actually manage.
- Bad data: Garbage in, garbage out. If your spreadsheet is full of errors, your segments will be too.
- Ignoring feedback: If clients hate something, don’t keep sending it.
- Overcomplicating things: Don’t let “perfect” be the enemy of “done.”
Keep It Simple and Iterate
Audience segmentation in Packedwithpurpose isn’t rocket science, but it does require a bit of planning and discipline. Start small, keep your data clean, and don’t try to impress anyone with 12 different segments. The goal is to send gifts that make sense—not to win a spreadsheet contest.
Try, tweak, and don’t be afraid to ignore what’s not working. The best segmentation strategy is the one you’ll actually use.