What is segmenting in marketing?

When We design marketing strategies, be it digital or traditional, one of the conditions that we must know and apply to achieve the objectives marked, optimizing resources and minimizing costs, is segmentation.

Segmenting markets, segmenting audiences or segmenting clients, is a marketing methodology that every marketing professional must know and apply; Because in the day to day we make decisions oriented in this direction.

If throw an email marketing campaign, do you segmentáis the database or send it to the entire universe? If throw a marketing strategy of content, do we know what type of public we want to get?, if I start an advertising campaign, is it clear the target to define?, if I have a strategy on Social Networks, I follow everyone because yes or I choose who I want to go on and why I’m interested.

In This article we want to move all the keys and fundamental concepts you should know to be able to segment.

What is segmenting?
To Understand concepts There is nothing better than to collect definitions that translate in essence the potentiality of the idea.

If we go to the Royal Academy of the Spanish Language, it is cut or split in segments. And We look for the definition of segments, we find the following definition:

“… Each one of the differentiated homogeneous groups to which the commercial policy of a company is directed… ”

If we want to introduce a more marketiniano nuance, in this sense we like the definition given by Philip Kotler on the Segmetnación:

“… Segmenting is analyzing and identifying profiles of consumer groups that may need different products or different marketing strategies… ”

The only nuance that Modificaríamos is that instead of talking about consumers, mark something more general, like “Group of people”, to leave even more open the meaning.

In this sense, the segmentation will allow companies based on the analysis of the information to answer a series of questions necessary to be able to plan and make decisions with the minimum possible uncertainty.

Segmenting is an indispensable part of the marketing process, from day to day.

For The purpose of segmenting
The segmentation serves, among many other things to know for example:

How Many clients make up my business.
What sales volume Are represented by customer type.
How are the clients and potential key clients of my business: typologies, consumption, means, profitability, habits…
That customers or potential customers offer real revenue-generating opportunities.
Identify new niches or segments in which to enter my brand.
Identify the critical characteristics of the consumers of my brand.
What can I segment?
Although They are simple concepts, we believe that it is better to establish solid conceptual bases that will help us to set methodologically correct actions.

In This sense we must know what I can segment, to go defining and limiting the segmentation I want to make.

This way we have:

Markets: It is the set of potential consumers who share a need.

Typologies: It is the set of consumers that share common characteristics in terms of activity.

Segments: It is the group of consumers that share common characteristics (geographical, demographic, behavioral…)

Niches: It is a smaller part of the market, a very specific segment and bounded by some specific variable.

One to One: Each customer is regarded as something unique in itself and offered the products/service, and fully individualized marketing actions.

Therefore the first step in defining our segmentation is to decide if we are going to work on markets, or typologies, or segments, or niches or on the “one to one”.

Who can I segment
Once the general scope of action has been defined I must identify who I will direct or focus the segmentation I want to make.

In This aspect it is worth knowing these basic concepts:

Population: It is the totality of the people who form the set.

Potential customers: Match the customer profile we have in our company or brand, but we have not yet bought.

Client: They are those people who buy the product/service.

Consumers: They are the people who consume the service product.

Although It seems truism, imagine that we work in a company of children’s toys, and we have to define specific marketing actions, who do we cocktail napkins?, the consumer who will be the child of ages between 6-12 years or the mother/father, who It will really be who buys, and therefore customer of our product.

So at this point we have defined that I will segment and who I will segment.

How we can segment consumers
Now comes the most simple and creative, or not?, but what if it is clear that we can not forget in the choice of criteria or variables of segmentation, that these should be coherent and aligned with the marketing strategy marked, and with the objectives Established.

Example of variables that will help us to profile our segmentation:


-Depending On the service

– Seniority


– Sales Volume


-Business Profitability

-Depending On the benefits

-Depending On the use


-Based On the behavior…

In this way we have already established the third step, once defined the type (market, segment, niche…), to whom (clients, consumers, potential..) and established on which variables we will group them or identify them.

We Just need one more step, define the strategy.

Segmentation Strategies
If we are marking a professional marketing work methodology, this would not make sense without the strategy’s marking.

The first step is to establish the strategic lines of action.

In This sense we can group 4 main strategic lines: loyalty, link, maintain or attract.

La línea estratégica condicionara todo la segmentación, pues es el camino a seguir.

Una vez definidas, pasaremos a marcar o establecer los objetivos de la segmentación, es decir, que quiero conseguir. Los objetivos podrán ir desde identificar la concentración y distribución del negocio hasta analizar un determinado grupo de clientes claves de mi negocio. Sin olvidar los pasos para establecer correctamente objetivos que ya vimos en su momento.

Con estos pasos dados, es hora de plasmarlos en un briefing o documento escrito, que recoja todos la información de la segmentación que vamos a realizar, incluyendo una descripción del proyecto, un timing, un presupuesto, responsables por acción…

Y ahora si, estamos listos para la acción!!!!

Como habréis podido apreciar en ningún momento nos hemos referido al ámbito digital o tradicional, pues esta metodología es aplicable a ambos, y nos dará igual que sean seguidores de Twitter o clientes de toda la vida.

Segmentar es una herramienta fundamental en marketing pues nos va a ayudar a optimizar recursos humanos y económico, minimizando errores, y orientando la marca y el producto/servicio, cien por cien al target al que nos dirijamos.

Segmentar va a hacer que elijamos, que seleccionemos, que pensemos que variables, que estrategia…por tanto nos va a obligar a conocer y trabajar las bases de datos de clientes y potenciales.

Ademas es la base para realizar investigaciones de mercado, para lanzar campañas de email marketing o de marketing directo, para buscar nuevos nichos de mercado o mercados potenciales.

¿A que estas esperando?

Ayúdanos a enriquecer este debate abierto contándonos si aplicas técnicas de segmentación en tu desarrollo profesional.

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