Segments and tags: send the right email to the right people
Keep one list and label people with tags, such as how they joined or what they bought. Then build segments, saved filters like 'homeowners who joined this year', and send to those. Mailchimp recommends one primary audience and counts anyone on two audiences as two contacts. Start with two or three tags you'll actually use.
The short version
- One list. Don’t split people across several lists in the same service.
- Tags are labels you add: “homeowner”, “commercial”, “spring event”.
- Segments are saved filters that pick people by tags or activity, and you send to them.
- Start with two or three tags, added automatically by your forms where you can.
- Build segments on clicks and purchases, not opens.
What’s the difference between lists, tags and segments?
Mailchimp’s audience guide says “We recommend you maintain 1 primary audience” and use tags, groups or segments to organize it. Here’s what each does, in Mailchimp’s terms:
| Tool | What it is | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Audience (list) | All your contacts, including people who unsubscribed or never subscribed | One per business, in most cases |
| Tag | “Labels you create to help organize your contacts” | Facts you know: how they joined, customer type, an event they came to |
| Group | Interests that “can be assigned by you or selected by your contacts” | Letting people choose topics on your sign-up form |
| Segment | Contacts filtered by conditions | Picking who gets a particular email |
Other services use similar ideas with different names. Brevo’s pricing page lists segmentation with filters like campaign engagement and website activity; MailerLite’s lists unlimited dynamic segments on its free plan.
Why one list?
Separate lists drift apart. Someone who unsubscribes from one keeps getting the others. And Mailchimp says “if freddie@address.com is in 2 of your audiences, we count that as 2 contacts,” which can push you over a plan limit sooner.
How do I set up tags and segments?
Tag people as they join
The easiest tags are the ones you never have to add by hand. Mailchimp’s tags guide lists several places to add them:
- On a sign-up form, so everyone who uses that form gets the tag. Our guide to sign-up forms shows where.
- During an import, to tag the whole file.
- On the Tags page, to tag many contacts at once.
- On a contact’s profile, for one person.
Build a segment and send to it
These steps come from Mailchimp’s segment guide.
- Go to Audience, then Segments.
- Click Create segment.
- In Select or search a filter, choose a condition, such as a tag or Email Date Added.
- Set the rule and value, then click Use segment.
- Name the segment and save it.
To send to it, open your email’s To section, open Send to, expand Segments and tick yours. You can also use Do not send to to leave out a segment or tag.
Segments that suit most local businesses
- Customer type: homeowners and commercial clients, or retail and wholesale.
- How they joined: website, event, in-store.
- Area, if you serve several towns and have news for just one.
- New this year, for a gentler email than long-time customers get.
- Clicked a topic, such as everyone who clicked the spring offer.
Why bother segmenting?
People unsubscribe when emails don’t fit them. A segment lets you send the commercial update only to commercial clients and the open house only to people nearby. Fewer wrong emails means fewer unsubscribes and complaints, which helps every send reach the inbox.
What are the common mistakes and edge cases?
- Dozens of tags nobody uses. Two or three you use beat thirty you don’t.
- Segments based on opens. Apple Mail reports emails as opened whatever the reader does. Mailchimp’s Apple privacy FAQ suggests clicks or purchases instead.
- Starting a new list for each event. Tag the event attendees in your main list.
- Sensitive tags. Don’t label people by health, money trouble or anything you wouldn’t want them to see. Tags are data you hold about people.
- Treating a tag or segment as permission. An audience holds contacts who unsubscribed or never subscribed, and Mailchimp keeps each contact’s subscription status even when you archive them. A tag says who someone is, not that they agreed to marketing. Make sure every segment you send to includes only subscribed contacts.
- Forgetting new subscribers. A segment filtered on old activity can leave out people who joined last week.
What if a segment is empty or wrong?
- It shows nobody. Check the condition: a tag spelled differently, or “all” where you meant “any”.
- It includes people it shouldn’t. Add a second condition, or use Do not send to.
- Your plan limits segments. Free plans vary; check the pricing page.
How much does it cost, and how long does it take?
Tags and basic segments are included in most plans; advanced conditions may need a paid plan. Setting up two or three tags and a saved segment takes half an hour.
How does E-3 handle this?
In HighLevel, which we use for our leads and follow-up service, contacts can be tagged by the form or source they came from, so follow-up goes to the right people.
Related questions
Next step
- Next: Email metrics: which numbers to trust, and why opens lieThe next guide in Email campaigns.
- Free website checkPublic checks on your own site, then an action plan of what to fix first.
Still stuck? Ask E-3 for an answer from our help guides.
Rather we handled email campaigns for you?
It’s part of what we do every week for small businesses, as part of leads and highlevel. Start with a free check of your site and profile, or call and ask.