Combining segmentation rules

A segment can be as simple as one condition, for example all contacts whose language is Dutch. But when you have richer contact data, combining multiple conditions lets you build much more precise target groups.

This article explains how to add conditions, how AND and OR logic work, and gives a reference overview of everything you can segment on.

Before you begin

• Segmentation is available on all Flexmail subscription plans.
• Each segment can hold up to five conditions. For more complexity than five conditions allow, use nested segments.
• Segments only work on confirmed contacts. Unconfirmed and blacklisted contacts are always excluded.

How to add a condition

1. Go to Contacts, then Segments.
2. Click Add segment or open an existing segment to reconfigure it.
3. Select the data type you want to filter on, then choose the function and the value.
4. Click Add condition to add your first rule.
5. To add a rule, click Add another condition

All conditions vs. one of the conditions

Once you have added a second rule, Flexmail asks whether contacts need to meet all conditions or just one:

• All conditions (AND logic): a contact must match every rule to be included. Use this to narrow your audience.
• One of the conditions (OR logic): a contact only needs to match one rule to be included. Use this to broaden your audience.

Example: all conditions (AND logic)

You want to reach contacts who are subscribed to the "Promotions" interest AND live in the province of Antwerp. Only contacts who match both criteria are included. Someone in Antwerp who has not subscribed to promotions is excluded.

Example: one of the conditions (OR logic)

You are launching a new line of eco toys and want to reach contacts subscribed to "Promotions" OR  "Sustainable toys" OR "New products". A contact only needs to match one of these three to receive the campaign. It is a broader audience that maximises reach for the launch.

All available segmentation conditions

Contact fields

• Text: is equal to, is not equal to, contains, does not contain
• Numerical: is equal to, is not equal to, is less than, is greater than
• Date: before [date], on [date], not on [date], after [date]
• Multiple choice: is equal to, is not equal to, is equal to any of the following, is equal to all of the following

Add date

• The date on which your contact was added to your account: added before, added on, added after

Language

• Language is [language]

Interests

• subscribed to [interest], is subscribed to any of these [interests], is subscribed to all these [interests]
• is not subscribed to [interest], is not subscribed to any public interest
• is unsubscribed from [interest]

Campaign interaction

• has received campaign, has not received campaign
• has opened campaign, has not opened campaign
• has clicked [link] in campaign, has not clicked [link] in campaign

Form and survey interaction

• filled out form, has not filled out form
• filled out survey, has not filled out survey

Landing page interaction

• has visited landing page, has not visited landing page

Opt-in

• has subscribed via [opt-in form], has not subscribed via [opt-in form]

Common mistakes to avoid

Mixing AND and OR logic unintentionally

In Flexmail, all conditions in a segment share the same logic. You either use AND for all of them or OR for all of them. You cannot mix AND and OR within a single segment.

If you need mixed logic, for example (Language = Dutch AND Interest = Newsletter) OR (Language = French AND Interest = Newsletter), use nested segments to combine them.

Using the wrong function for text fields

"Equals" requires an exact match. If a contact has "Brussels" in their city field but your condition says equals "brussel", it will not match. Use "contains" when you want a looser match. The matching of the value is not case-sensitive.

Expecting real-time campaign interaction data

Campaign interaction conditions such as "has opened campaign X" are based on data that processes over time after a send. If you build a follow-up segment immediately after sending, some contacts may not yet appear in the results. Allow a reasonable window after a campaign before using interaction data for follow-up targeting.

Forgetting that unconfirmed contacts are always excluded

Unconfirmed contacts never appear in segment results, regardless of their field values. If someone subscribed but never confirmed their email address, they will not be included in any segment. This is by design and cannot be overridden.