What is account-based segmentation?

Account based segmentation groups contacts by the company they work for rather than individual attributes. Instead of treating each person as an independent subscriber, you treat them as part of a larger organizational unit. This approach reflects how B2B buying decisions actually happen, which is often through committees and multi stakeholder processes.

You might segment accounts by company size, industry, revenue, technology stack, or deal stage. An enterprise account with 50 contacts in your database gets different nurture content than a startup with one contact. You can also segment by account health, flagging companies with high churn risk or strong expansion potential.

This strategy requires connecting your ESP to your CRM and maintaining clean account hierarchies. The same company might appear under different names or subsidiaries, and contacts change jobs frequently. When executed well, account based segmentation transforms email from individual outreach into coordinated campaigns that align with sales strategy. Think of it as coordinating a fleet rather than commanding individual ships.