Segmentation is another word for focus. But it enables you to focus in multiple directions, which is a skill that can help you add scale to your marketing and sales efforts.

There are many ways that segmentation can work. Several of these may include:

Industry

This is often one of the most important components of company data. For example, you will not want to approach a technology company in the same way that you would approach a medical organization, and you will want to take a different approach yet if you are reaching out to financial organizations. By “Standard Industrial Classification” (SIC) Code. This is a classification system that may be broken into four-, six-, or eight-digit classifications, depending upon how finely tuned (and how personalized) you would like your message to be. The NAICS (“North American Industry Classification System”) coding system is used by the US federal government to allow for easier comparisons among North American companies. You may want to include such fields as a specific industry and broader verbal description. This may be important in case you are going to share the list with individuals in the company who are not familiar with the previous two methods of identification.

Job Title

There are multiple things to consider. Text-based titles will give you the ability to include this information (as an aid to personalization) in any deliverable content. If John Smith is the Senior Vice President of Marketing Operations, you don’t want to address him only as “Vice President.”

Geography

Your organization may be limited by geography, such as a particular metropolitan area or even states, multi-state regions, countries, or broader categorizations such as North America, EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Asia), or APAC (Asia Pacific).

Company Size

Typically, companies may be segmented either by total revenue or number of employees.