Segmentation in messengers

What is segmentation in messengers?
Why does a business need segmentation in messengers?
How to gather information for audience segmentation?
Methods of user segmentation in messengers
How to segment an audience in a messenger?

What is segmentation in messengers?

Segmentation in messengers is the process of dividing clients into groups based on various characteristics to optimize targeted advertising or message distribution. A brand's audience is often heterogeneous, and users differ across many criteria: age, interests, financial capabilities, and many others. Therefore, sending the same information to all users proves to be ineffective. Unlike social networks and email, messengers provide companies access to users' phone numbers, allowing for the collection of more accurate information about each contact from CRM systems. This data includes information about the number of purchases and average check, which are actively used for segmentation.

Why does a business need segmentation in messengers?

Segmentation in messengers brings numerous benefits for businesses:

Increases user loyalty. Segmentation allows for personalized communication, reducing the likelihood of messages being perceived as spam.
Improves advertising metrics. Dividing users by criteria makes advertising campaigns more targeted, allowing for different promotional offers for various customer categories.
Reduces marketing costs. Brands can save resources on test campaigns, achieving their goals faster.
Provides insights for development. After segmentation, companies receive a detailed description of their target audience, which can reveal new customer preferences.
Increases brand competitiveness. Segmentation gives the company an advantage over competitors sending the same messages to all users.

For example, if a brand does not conduct segmentation, it may send the same offer to all users, leading to a low response rate. Meanwhile, segmentation allows sending a specific offer to those who might be interested in a particular service or product.

How to gather information for audience segmentation?

Data collection about users is carried out through various sources:

In messengers: Messengers collect geodata, subscription information, and user interactions. Although this information is confidential, advertisers can use it for targeting.
In CRM systems: The CRM system is the main source of information for messenger marketing. It contains data on communication with customers, including order and payment history.

Additionally, users can be segmented based on:

Message read
Link click
Date of subscription to the newsletter

Methods of user segmentation in messengers

There are several popular methods for user segmentation:

By general characteristics:
- Demographic (gender, age)
- Geographic (country, region)
- Socio-economic (education, income)
- Behavioral (purchase frequency)
- Personality (values, life stance)
By Ben Hunt's ladder: Users are sorted based on their stage in the purchasing process, from unawareness of the problem to readiness to place an order.
Using RFM analysis: The audience is segmented by recency, frequency, and monetary value of purchases, allowing for the identification of groups based on various criteria.

How to segment an audience in a messenger?

The segmentation process includes several key stages:

Set a goal: Determine what result needs to be achieved. For example, increasing the conversion rate from advertising to newsletter subscription.
Define criteria: Choose the appropriate type of segmentation based on goals.
Gather data: Extract the necessary customer data from CRM systems or messenger analytics.
Conduct analysis: Data is examined according to the specified criteria.
Develop an offer: Based on the analysis, marketers create individualized offers for each user group.