If you're in B2B sales or marketing and tired of blasting messages to random companies who’ll never buy, this one’s for you. Account based marketing (ABM) works best when you actually know something about your targets—like what tech they use, what they don’t, and where they might have a gap. That’s where technographic data comes in. And that’s where a tool like Datagma can actually make your life easier.
Here’s how to cut through the noise and use Datagma to segment accounts by technographic data, so you can spend less time guessing and more time closing.
Why Technographics Actually Matter (And When They Don’t)
Most people talk about technographics like it’s the missing piece in some magic sales puzzle. The reality: it’s just data on what tech stacks companies actually use—CRMs, email providers, payment processors, cloud platforms, and so on.
When it helps: - You sell a product that integrates with or replaces other software. You want to target only companies using (or not using) a certain tool. - You’re targeting companies at a certain stage. For example, a business using Salesforce and HubSpot is probably bigger, or at least more invested in sales ops, than one using Zoho. - You want to personalize outreach. “I see you’re using Marketo. Here’s how we help Marketo customers…” beats a generic pitch.
When it doesn’t: - You’re selling something used by everyone. If your product’s used by anyone with a laptop, technographics won’t narrow much. - The data’s outdated or inaccurate. Technographics are only as good as the source—more on that below.
Bottom line: If you need to segment your market beyond “company size” and “industry,” technographics are worth it. Just don’t expect miracles.
Step 1: Get Your Target Account List (Don’t Overthink This)
Before Datagma can help, you need a list of companies. Don’t spend weeks building the “perfect” list. Here’s what you need:
- Start with what you have. Existing leads, pipeline accounts, or even a cold list scraped from LinkedIn.
- Size matters (but not that much). You want enough companies to get patterns, but not so many you drown in data. A few hundred is plenty for testing.
- Clean it up. Remove duplicates, junk, and companies you’d never actually sell to.
Pro tip: If you’re just starting, focus on one vertical or segment where you already have wins. No need to boil the ocean.
Step 2: Pull Technographic Data with Datagma
Alright, here’s where Datagma comes in. It’s a tool that enriches company records with technographic data—what software they use, what’s running on their website, etc.
How to Use Datagma for Technographics
- Upload your account list. Usually just a CSV with company domains.
- Pick your data points. Most folks care about:
- CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.)
- Marketing automation
- Payment/processors (Stripe, PayPal)
- Cloud hosting (AWS, Azure, GCP)
- Communication tools (Slack, Teams)
- Custom picks—whatever matters for your product
- Run the enrichment. Datagma will spit out a new CSV, adding columns for each tech it detects.
Stuff to watch out for: - Coverage isn’t perfect. No tool catches 100% of tech. Expect gaps, especially with custom or on-prem software. - False positives happen. Sometimes it “detects” a tool just because a script sits on a website, not because it’s actually used. - Recency matters. Tools like Datagma update regularly, but if a company just switched vendors, it might not show up right away.
Don’t obsess over a few missing data points. With technographics, you’re looking for patterns, not perfection.
Step 3: Segment Your Accounts by Tech Stack
Now for the fun part. With your enriched list, you can slice and dice accounts based on what’s in their stack.
Ways to Segment (That Actually Work)
- By competitor use: Find all companies using your #1 competitor. Target them with “Why switch?” messaging.
- By integration opportunity: Target companies using tools you integrate with, and actually show how the combo works.
- By missing tech: Spot companies not using a tool (e.g., no marketing automation) and pitch your solution as a first step.
- By tech maturity: Group by complexity—companies using Salesforce, Marketo, and Outreach are probably more sophisticated than those on Mailchimp and Google Sheets.
Practical Tips
- Don’t create 20 micro-segments. You’ll run out of time to actually run campaigns. Stick to 3-5 meaningful groups.
- Look for “clusters.” Patterns matter more than individual tools. For example, companies using both Intercom and Stripe are likely SaaS businesses.
- Keep it actionable. If you can’t tailor your pitch for a segment, it’s not worth making.
Pro tip: If you’re not sure how to segment, start with “uses my competitor” and “uses a tool I integrate with.” That alone will make your outreach 10x more relevant.
Step 4: Personalize Outreach (But Don’t Get Creepy)
Here’s the part everyone messes up: using technographics doesn’t mean you send a robotically personalized email (“I see you use Slack, have you considered…”). It means you tailor your messaging so it’s plausible and useful.
What Works
- Mention the tech naturally: “We work with a lot of Salesforce users to solve X—curious if that’s a challenge for you?”
- Case studies: Share stories from customers using the same stack.
- Integration demos: Offer to show how your tool works with what they already use.
What Doesn’t
- Obvious data scraping: “I saw on BuiltWith you use X, Y, and Z…” That’s just creepy.
- Over-personalization: Don’t list every tool they use. Pick what’s relevant.
- Assuming too much: Just because they have Marketo installed doesn’t mean they use it well.
Keep it simple: Use technographics as context, not as a bludgeon.
Step 5: Measure Results & Rinse/Repeat
Technographic segmentation is only as good as the results it gets you. Don’t just set it and forget it.
- Track which segments respond best. If “uses competitor X” gets you way more meetings, double down.
- Adjust your segments over time. Maybe the best segment is “uses X and Y, but not Z.”
- Refresh your data. Every few months, re-run enrichment. Companies change stacks.
Signs it’s working: - Higher reply rates - More meetings booked - Better conversion down the funnel
If it’s not working: - Revisit your account list—maybe your targets aren’t a fit. - Check your data quality. A lot of junk in, junk out. - Simplify your segments. Overcomplicating is the #1 killer of ABM campaigns.
What to Ignore
You’ll see a lot of hype about AI-driven segmentation, “real-time” technographics, and other shiny trends. Here’s what’s mostly fluff:
- Minute-by-minute tech changes: No one needs technographics updated every hour. Quarterly is fine.
- Overly granular data: You don’t need to know the exact version of every plugin. Stick to the big stuff.
- Fancy dashboards: Helpful, but don’t let tools distract you from actually running campaigns.
Focus on data that shapes your messaging and lets you spend more time with accounts who might actually buy.
Wrapping Up: Start Simple, Iterate Fast
Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the done. Get a rough list, enrich with Datagma, create a few logical segments, and start reaching out. Test what works. Ignore what doesn’t. Most companies waste months overthinking ABM—if you’re using technographics to make your outreach less generic, you’re already ahead.
Just keep your process simple, your segments actionable, and your data fresh. The rest is just noise.