How to Manage Marketing Segments and Customer Journeys using Dynamics 365 Marketing
You can handle marketing segments and customer journeys in Dynamics 365 Marketing by using real-time data and automation tools. These tools help you make campaigns for certain groups and send special content to your audience.
You plan journeys based on what customers do and like.
You bring together customer data from many places to make better choices.
You use dashboards to help your marketing work better.
You make engagement personal with real-time information.
You build better customer relationships and loyalty with AI-driven ideas.
Automation makes your work easier and helps every campaign do better.
Key Takeaways
Use static and dynamic segments to group your audience. This helps you do targeted marketing. Dynamic segments update by themselves. This keeps your lists new and useful.
Build customer journeys by mixing segments, messages, and timing. This helps guide customers from interest to action. Use steps that are personal and automatic.
Use real-time data and AI tools to make messages personal. You can also answer fast to what customers do. This helps you get better engagement and results.
Automate boring tasks with Power Automate to save time. This keeps your data correct. Your team can then focus on creative marketing.
Track and measure your campaigns with built-in analytics and A/B testing. This helps you learn what works best. You can keep making your marketing better.
Segments in Dynamics 365 Marketing
Segment Types
You can sort your audience in Dynamics 365 Marketing with two main segment types: static and dynamic. Each type helps you find the right people for your campaigns.
Static segments let you pick who is in the group. You add or remove people by yourself. This is good for special events or VIP lists. Dynamic segments change on their own. The system adds or removes people using rules you set. This keeps your list up to date and useful. Dynamic segments help you reach people at the best time. This can make your campaigns work better.
You can use different data to make your segments:
Demographic data, like age or gender, helps you group people by who they are.
Transactional data, such as what people buy, shows what your customers like.
Behavioral data, like website visits or email clicks, shows what your audience does.
Dynamics 365 Marketing puts all this data together. The platform uses real-time updates from sales apps, websites, and other places. This gives you a full view of your customers. You can then make segments that fit your marketing goals and help you target better.
Tip: Use behavioral data to guess what your customers want next. This helps you send messages that matter to them.
Creating Segments
You can make new segments in Dynamics 365 Marketing by following these steps:
Go to Marketing > Customers > Segments.
Click New to start a segment. Pick either a dynamic or static segment.
If you choose a dynamic segment, you can use a template or start fresh.
For a static segment, use the quick create menu to add contacts on the General tab.
Click Save to keep your changes.
Use the designer tools to set up the rules for who joins your segment.
Click Go Live to make your segment active and ready to use.
You can search, filter, and change your segments any time. The segment builder lets you use customer actions from many places. This makes your segments more helpful and correct.
Managing Segments
Managing your segments in Dynamics 365 Marketing means keeping your audience lists current and useful. Dynamic segments update by themselves as customer data changes. Static segments need you to add or remove people by hand.
You can:
Search for segments by name or type.
Filter segments to find the ones you want.
Change segment rules to match new marketing goals.
Watch segment performance using dashboards.
Note: Real-time data and AI tools in Dynamics 365 Marketing help you improve your segments. You can use natural language to describe your target audience, and the system will help you build the right segment.
Segments vs. Marketing Lists
Segments in Dynamics 365 Marketing give you more power and options than old marketing lists.
Segments use more data, including behavior and actions, to keep your audience list up to date.
Marketing lists work best for simple, one-time campaigns.
Segments help with customer journeys, making your marketing more personal and strong.
Remember: Segments in Dynamics 365 Marketing help you reach the right people with the right message at the right time. This leads to better engagement and stronger results.
Customer Journeys
Journey Components
You make customer journeys in Dynamics 365 Marketing by putting together different parts. Each part helps move your audience from first contact to taking action.
Target Customers: First, you pick the right segments. This makes sure your messages go to people who care.
Marketing Activities: You set up things like emails or calls. These keep your audience interested.
Message Type: You choose how to talk to customers. You can use emails, texts, or push notifications.
Timing: You decide when to send messages. You can set a time or let customer actions start them.
Automated Journeys: Triggers and segments help you automate steps. This saves time and makes your marketing feel special.
Lead Scoring: You give scores to leads to find the best ones. This helps sales teams focus on people who might buy.
Personalization: You change messages for each person. This makes it more likely they will answer.
Landing Pages and Forms: You use forms on landing pages to get information. This helps you learn about your audience.
Event Management: You plan events to meet customers online or in person.
Sales and Marketing Collaboration: Sales teams can help update segments. This makes targeting and campaigns better.
Analytics and Insights: Dashboards and reports show how your journeys are doing.
Tip: Use dashboards and Power BI to see what works best. This helps you make smarter choices for next time.
Building Journeys
You start a customer journey in Dynamics 365 Marketing by using segments. Here is how you make a good journey:
Create Segments: Group contacts by things they do or like. For example, group people who signed up for a newsletter.
Access Journey Creation: Go to Marketing > Marketing Execution > Customer Journeys. Start a new journey here.
Choose a Template or Start from Scratch: Pick a template to save time or make your own journey. Templates help you set up the right steps. You can also save your own journeys as templates.
Add Audience Tiles: Use your segments as audience tiles to begin. You can also use form submissions or other triggers.
Define Steps and Goals: Drag and drop tiles to add actions like emails or calls. Use wait tiles to pause or branch tiles for different paths.
Automate Interactions: Set up triggers so the journey reacts to customer actions. For example, send a thank-you email after someone fills out a form.
Monitor and Optimize: Use dashboards to see how things are going. Change your journey to make it work better.
You can control how often customers join a journey. Set journeys to run once, repeat, or keep going. You can also use branching to guide different groups down their own paths.
Note: Dynamics 365 Marketing lets you automate every step. You can schedule steps or use real-time actions to trigger them.
Personalization and Branching
Personalization and branching help make each journey special for every customer. You use data and actions to send the right message at the right time.
Personalized Content: Use AI tools to change emails and messages. Add names or suggest products based on what people did before.
Branching Logic: Make different paths with If/Then or Split tiles. For example, send a special offer to people who clicked a link. Send a reminder to those who did not.
Multiple Segments: Start with one segment, but branch inside the journey. This lets you guide different groups in different ways.
Nurture Marketing: Build nurture campaigns with easy options. The visual builder helps you update journeys fast.
Forms and Landing Pages: Add forms to landing pages to get more data. This helps you know what your customers want.
Targeted Content Blocks: Use blocks for text, images, or buttons. This makes it easy to send the right message.
Surveys: Add surveys like NPS or CSAT to see how happy customers are.
Alert: Personalization and branching make your journeys work better. Customers feel special when you send messages that fit their needs and actions.
Automation and Optimization
Power Automate Integration
You can make your marketing work better by using Power Automate with Dynamics 365 Marketing. Power Automate helps you do boring jobs and keeps your data right. Here is how you can use it to help your marketing:
Find jobs that take a lot of time, like lead management or customer follow-ups.
Use ready-made templates and connectors to link your marketing data with other apps.
Set up flows to send email alerts for overdue invoices or to follow up with leads.
Add AI tools, like sentiment analysis, to learn what customers think.
Watch your workflows with Power Automate’s analytics to find mistakes and get better.
Automate lead assignments and follow-up emails so your team stays on track.
Collect data from forms and surveys without doing it by hand, so your customer info is always current.
Make order processing and invoice management faster to save time and stop errors.
Tip: Power Automate works with over 230 apps. You can build workflows that fit your business, even if you do not know how to code.
Real-Time Segments
Real-time segments in Dynamics 365 Marketing help keep your audience lists new. The system updates segments right away when customer data changes. This means you always reach the right people at the right time. Customer Insights shows you when people change what they do, like visiting your website or clicking an email. You can then change your marketing actions fast.
Respond to what customers do as soon as it happens.
Use the newest data from many places to target better.
Make sure your marketing messages are always on time and matter.
Note: Real-time segments let you act fast when customers need something. This can help you get more people to join or buy.
A/B Testing
A/B testing lets you see which of two marketing ideas works best. In Dynamics 365 Marketing, you can test emails, messages, or even whole customer journeys. Here is how you can use A/B testing:
Set up a test with a control and a different version.
Choose how much of your audience will see each version.
Pick what you want to measure, like opens, clicks, or finished goals.
Run the test for a set time or until you have enough results.
Send the best version to the rest of your audience.
A/B testing helps you make smart choices using data. You can make your campaigns better by learning what your audience likes most. The system runs tests for you, so you keep talking to customers without waiting.
Alert: For the best answers, use A/B testing with big segments. Over 1,000 contacts gives you more reliable results.
Best Practices
Tips for Segmentation
You can make your marketing better by building strong segments. Always end your segment rules with a contact clause. This helps stop mistakes. Save static segments before you refresh or export them. Keep your customer data up to date. Use demographic, behavioral, and transactional data to group your audience. Do not make too many small segments. Focus on groups that match your goals.
Tip: Use AI-driven recommendations in Dynamics 365 Marketing to find new ways to target your audience. This helps you send the right message at the right time.
Some common mistakes are not saving segments before exporting, sorting the wrong way, or adding deactivated contacts. You can avoid these mistakes by checking your segment settings and reviewing your lists often.
Journey Optimization
You can make your customer journeys better by following some key steps. Train your team to use all features in Dynamics 365 Marketing. Keep your data clean so you can personalize messages. Look at your results to find trends and improve your plan. Work with sales and customer service teams to give customers a smooth experience. Use automation to save time but keep your messages personal.
Note: Use templates to make journeys faster and let customers reenter journeys when needed.
Measuring Results
You should always track your marketing results. Set clear goals for each journey, like more engagement or higher sales. Use built-in analytics to watch important numbers like open rates, clicks, and conversions. Power BI dashboards help you see how all your journeys do together. Try A/B testing to find out which messages work best. Use tools like Sankey charts to see how people move through your journeys.
Watch deliverability and engagement in real time.
Find problems and fix them fast.
Use data to make your next campaign even better.
Alert: Measuring your results helps you learn what works. This lets you improve your marketing every time.
To handle segments and customer journeys well, you need to make and change segments. Use these segments to begin journeys and set rules for when people join or leave. Automation and real-time data let you act fast when customers do something. This helps you get better results. Try out advanced features like AI-driven personalization and sending messages in many ways. You can also connect with sales tools easily. If you follow best practices and use these tools, you can get more people interested and make your marketing work better.
FAQ
How do you update a segment in Dynamics 365 Marketing?
To update a segment, open it from the Segments list. Change the rules or add new things you want. Click Save and then Go Live to finish. The system will update the segment for you.
Can you use the same segment in multiple customer journeys?
Yes, you can use one segment in many journeys. This lets you reach the same group with different messages. You only need to make the segment one time.
What happens if a contact no longer meets segment criteria?
Dynamics 365 Marketing takes contacts out of dynamic segments by itself. For static segments, you must remove contacts by hand. This helps keep your lists correct.
How do you measure the success of a customer journey?
Use built-in analytics to see opens, clicks, and conversions. Look at dashboards for each journey. Check if your results match your goals. Change your plan if you need to do better.