Audience Segmentation & Dynamic Content System
Designed and implemented a comprehensive audience segmentation strategy and dynamic content system for ActivTrak's 200,000-contact database, reducing email build time by up to 12 hours per campaign while enabling sophisticated multi-segment targeting across 80 audience segments.
The Challenge
At ActivTrak we needed to deliver personalized email content to diverse audience segments, but Marketo's dynamic content capabilities required predefined segmentation structures before implementation, and existing segments were outdated and did not cover the breadth of the audience. Without a comprehensive segmentation strategy, we were building separate email versions for each target audience, a process that consumed hours per campaign depending on segment complexity.
I spearheaded the creation of a segmentation framework that could support targeting by plan type, company size, user role, job title, ARR, support plan, add-on features, engagement activity, and contact ownership—with segments flexible enough to be referenced across all campaigns while maintaining data integrity between Marketo and Salesforce.
Segmentation Architecture
Built a hierarchical segmentation system with 80 segments spanning organizational and behavioral dimensions.
Organizational Segments
- Plan typeSegmented by plan type and feature access
- Company sizeEmployee count ranges for very small business, SMB, mid-market, and enterprise
- ARR bracketsRevenue-based segmentation for account prioritization
- Support planStandard, premium, or enterprise support tier
- Add-on featuresSpecific feature adoption and product configuration
Behavioral Segments
- User roleAdmin, Creator, Configurator, Power User, or Viewerd user permissions
- Job titleor user persona targeting i.e. CEO, Sr. Manager, Customer Champion, Purchase Decision Maker etc.
- Contact ownerSales rep or CSM assignment for coordinated outreach
- Lifecycle stageProspect, customer, at-risk, or expansion opportunity
Technical Implementation
Required coordinating between Marketo segmentation, Salesforce data mapping, and email template architecture to enable dynamic content at scale.
Marketo Smart Lists
Worked with marketing operations to build smart lists defining each segment's criteria. Established hierarchical logic to handle overlapping segments and ensure contacts appeared in appropriate priority order for dynamic content rendering.
Salesforce Data Mapping
Updated field mapping between Salesforce and Marketo to ensure segmentation data flowed correctly. Added new custom fields where needed and established data validation rules to maintain segment integrity across systems.
Dynamic Content System
Built dynamic content capabilities into email design system and templates. Solved technical challenge of Marketo stripping inline CSS from nested elements with strategic placement of targeting code to preserve formatting while maintaining editability.
Template Library Integration
Implemented dynamic content across all email templates in the design system. Enabled activation through simple segment selection in Marketo's email editor, eliminating need for custom emails per segment included in the campaign.
Technical Challenges & Solutions
Implementing dynamic content within Marketo's constraints required creative problem-solving around CSS preservation and template architecture.
CSS Stripping Issue
Marketo strips inline CSS from nested table elements during dynamic content processing. Discovered the issue caused formatting breaks in complex layouts with table cells inside table rows where targeting code was placed.
Strategic Code Placement
Determined optimal locations for targeting code that preserved both formatting and editability. Placed dynamic content wrappers at parent table level rather than nested cells, maintaining inline styles while enabling segment-based rendering.
Template Architecture
Restructured email templates to support dynamic content without breaking design consistency. Created modular sections that could be swapped based on segment while maintaining responsive layout and brand standards.
Testing & Validation
Developed testing protocol to validate dynamic content rendering across all 80 segments. Ensured each segment received correct content variation with proper formatting across email clients and devices.
Results & Impact
The segmentation system and dynamic content implementation transformed email production efficiency and targeting capabilities.
Up to
Single email build vs. multiple segment-specific versions
Spanning organizational and behavioral dimensions
Entire database organized for targeted campaigns
Dynamic content enabled across all email templates
Additional Outcomes
- Eliminated need to build separate emails for each audience segment across all campaigns
- Enabled sophisticated multi-segment targeting previously impossible due to build complexity
- Established scalable foundation for adding new segments without template updates
- Improved campaign personalization capabilities through granular audience targeting
- Created reusable segmentation framework referenced across lifecycle, nurture, and promotional campaigns
Implementation Process
Success required close collaboration between email marketing and marketing operations to align strategy, data architecture, and technical execution.
Designed comprehensive segmentation framework based on organizational attributes, user roles, product usage, and engagement behavior. Mapped segment hierarchy and overlap priority logic to support complex targeting scenarios across campaigns.
Collaborated with marketing operations to build smart lists in Marketo defining each segment, update Salesforce field mapping to ensure proper data flow and establish segment priority logic for dynamic content rendering.
Built dynamic content capabilities into email design system. Solved CSS preservation challenges through strategic targeting code placement. Implemented system across template library, ensuring segments could be activated through simple editor selection.
Continuously add new segments and refine existing definitions based on evolving business needs. Maintain system as database grows and product offerings expand.