If you've been working in Virtuous for a bit, then the Campaign structure probably isn't too foreign. With every Campaign being made up of Campaign Communications and Segments, there is one last step that's needed before you're ready to send out any forms of communication. Segmentation is the process of sorting potential Contact records into prioritized audiences. Both Segments and Segmentation are important elements of Campaigns in Virtuous. While they seem the same, they differ when it comes to their function.
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What are Segments?
Segments may be the most visible aspect of the Campaign hierarchy. Just as each Campaign may have one or more Campaign Communications, each Communication may in turn have one or more Segments. This allows you to tweak messaging for specific audiences. As an example you may have one version of a mailer for non-givers and another version of the same mailer for mid-level or high-end givers. Segments are also used to tie Gifts to a particular Campaign to track the success of a Campaign. When reviewing Gift records in Virtuous, the Segment will always be listed as the "Marketing Segment".
Example: You want to send out your end-of-year mailer and include an ask. You may keep the messaging the same, but change the amount you ask for based on the type of Donor. This could be broken out so that:
- Nondonors receive a mailer with a $20 ask.
- Lapsed receive a mailer with a $50 ask.
- Major donors receive a mailer with a $10,000 ask.
This means Nondonors, Lapsed donors, and Major donors would represent the Segments for your end of year mailer Communication.
What is Segmentation?
Segmentation is the function of assigning Contacts to Campaign’s Segment(s) based on the results of running their associated Queries or Filters. In other words, Segmentation is used to determine which exact Contacts receives which specific version of your Communication.
Continuing from the example above: We established 3 different Segments, including Nondonors, Lapsed donors, and Major donors. Before Segmentations, these Segments tell us what our different audiences are. Segmentation pairs the exact Contacts to the Segments to tell us the specific selection of Contact records that fall into each Segment category.
Through Segmentation, we establish that:
- Nondonors are Contacts whose LTD Gift count is 0.
- Lapsed donors are Contacts who have not made a financial gift to your organization in at least 12 months.
- Major donors are Contacts whose cumulative life-to-date giving is at least $50,000.
Then, we can know that if a Contact has never given to your organization, they will receive the nondonor version of the end-of-year mailer.
How Do I Query on Segmentation?
Knowing which Contacts received exactly which version of a Campaign Communication is incredibly valuable information. Whether you are assessing the success of a Campaign right after it has concluded, or you are leaning on historical data to make Responsive decisions regarding an upcoming Campaign, accessing Segmentation data is critical.
Example: If you are preparing your End of Year Fundraising Campaign for 2024, you may want to target all Contact Records that received your End of Year Fundraising Campaign for 2023 to approach differently than those that did not. Searching for Segmentation associated with mailers or emails sent during that time period can help your team decide how to Segment for the coming year.
In the Query Tool, open a new Contact Query.
Enter the word "Segmentation" in the "Field" box to access the Segmentation specific fields. There are four types of Segmentation fields to lean on. Each is described below.
- Segmentation Created - The date Segmentation was ran and the Segmentation footprint was appended to a Contact record.
- Segmentation Segment Code - The Segment Code a Contact record was sorted into via the Segmentation process.
- Segmentation Campaign Communication Name - The Campaign Communication Name associated with the Segment a Contact was sorted into via the Segmentation process.
- Segmentation Campaign Communication Channel - The Campaign Communication Channel associated with the Segment a Contact was sorted into via the Segmentation process.
When building your Query parameters, you can add whatever necessary lines of requirements to complement your Segmentation requirements.
As a reminder, leaning into a strategic approach for Segment Names and Codes will allow for efficient querying and reporting.
Summary
We create Segments. Then we run Segmentation. While these functions are completed in the same area of the platform, they are independent of one another.
Similarly, if you choose to import Segments or Segmentation, the processes are different. When you import new Segments, you are creating Segments to be added to Campaigns. When you import Segmentation, you are importing a list of Contacts to assign to those Segments.
To learn more about importing Campaign Segments, check out this Support Article.
To learn more about importing your own Campaign Segmentation, check out this Support Article.
Now you know what information you need to start building your Segments and Segmentation!
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