How to Use Dynamic Segments in Mautic

Segmentation is crucial, but static segments quickly go stale without constant updating. Do you add contacts manually to segments and wonder if there is an easier way to do? Dynamically filter and segment contacts with just a few clicks!

Why would you care?

Imagine this:

Segmenting your contacts is an important part if you want to build an effective email marketing strategy. Segmentation can be done in two ways:

1. Add contacts to segments manually—by editing a (batch of) contact(s), using campaign or form actions or point triggers.
2. Move contacts dynamically between segments based on filter rules and contact properties.

You can easily guess that static segments require manual contact updates, which can be time-consuming and might limit your targeting ability.

That's where Mautic's filtered segments come in handy!

Unlike static segments, dynamic segments automatically update based on intelligent filters you configure. As your contacts’ data changes, so does their segment membership. This automation unlocks sophisticated targeting without ongoing manual work.

But before we dive into how to create and use filtered segments, let's recall what segmentation is and why it's important for email marketing.

What is Segmentation?

In (email) marketing, segmentation refers to dividing your overall contact list into smaller subgroups or “segments”. Segments are based on shared contact/customer/lead attributes like demographics, behaviors, preferences, and more.

For example, you could have segments for:

• Contacts in specific locations
• Contacts who have purchased certain products/services
• Contacts with particular job titles or company sizes

The goal is to categorize contacts into relevant groups that you can then target with customized messaging and offers through your email campaigns.

Why is Segmentation Important?

Segmentation is crucial for enhancing engagement and conversions through your email marketing. Sending generic, broad emails to your entire contact list is not effective.

With segmentation, you can personalize content and tailor emails specifically to different (sub-)audiences. This targeted approach resonates more with recipients because they receive relevant information.

Segmenting your list allows you to:

• Deliver more value through personalized content
• Increase opens and clicks by focusing on specific interests
• Test different messages and offers for different groups
• Improve conversions by sending customized calls-to-action
• Build stronger relationships by providing value to subscribers

Basically, precise segmentation allows you to build a deeper connection with your contacts and drive results.

How Do Dynamic Segments Work?

The mechanics of dynamically filtered segments in Mautic are easily explained:

• You create a segment and add a set of filters, which target specific contact attributes.
• Mautic regularly checks every contact if they (still) match those filters.
  • If they do, they become or stay a member of the segment.
  • If they don't, then Mautic will remove them from the segment.

So, Mautic will dynamically move your contacts to/from segments based on your filters. You can filter on:

• (Custom) Contact fields, tags, points, or stages.
• Contact behaviors/actions. Those can be clicks in emails or a page visit or something else. Mautic tracks this for you.

In order to let Mautic automatically adjust segment membership when the underlying data changes, you need to set up a filtered segment:

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Filtered Segments

Creating targeted dynamic segments is simple:

1. Open the Segments view in the admin dashboard.
2. Click the +New button to create a new segment and give it an intuitive, self-descriptive name.
3. Switch to the Filters tab to add filters.
4. Add filter using the “Choose one...” dropdown. Available fields include:
   • (Custom) Contact fields. If you can't find your desired filed, check that Available for Segments is set to Yes in its configuration.
   • Contact behaviors/actions.
5. Add as many filters as you like using AND/OR operators to combine them and refine your targeting.
6. Save your segment.

Mautic will now automatically adjust the segment based on your filters!

Dynamic Segments Enable Powerful Targeting

With dynamic segments, you can achieve sophisticated targeting like:

• Contacts who have been inactive for a certain time, or any other activity and date based filter:

How To Create A Date-Based Segment in Mautic

A customer’s subscription expires soon, and you want to remind them to renew with a special offer? A contact was inactive for more than six months, and you want to re-engage them? Wondering how you could tailor your marketing communications to those specific user timelines? Find out how in this

TobiasAudienture

• Contacts in Segment A OR Segment B who clicked a link Email C in the last 30 days.
• Contacts associated with Company X who have the job title Marketing Manager
• Contacts who clicked Blog Post Y but did NOT open Email Z
• Contacts who visited a landing page but didn't purchase the product.
• Contacts who made a purchase (for a certain product) X days ago.

You can see that there's no limit in how far you can go for segmenting your contacts. All you need to do is to provide Mautic accurate contact data. A neat way to do that is let contacts self-segment them.

Dynamic segments save time and enable precise targeting. Give them a try in Mautic today to step up your email marketing game!

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Happy marketing!