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How to Segment and Manage Your Email List in Ivorey™

This guide will walk you through the process of segmenting and managing your email list in Ivorey™ using Smart Lists and Tags.

Shelby from Ivorey™ avatar
Written by Shelby from Ivorey™
Updated this week

Walkthrough of segmenting your email list with tags

Watch a visual walkthrough to explore segmenting and tagging your email contacts on Ivorey™ below:

Click here for written version

Here’s how to segment and manage your email list using tags and smart lists in Ivorey:

  1. Tag your contacts: You can add tags manually from a contact's profile or apply them in bulk by selecting multiple contacts. For automated tagging, set up a workflow with a trigger (e.g., a form submission or calendar booking) that automatically adds a specific tag.
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  2. Create a Smart List: Go to the Contacts menu and use the filters to search for contacts based on criteria like tags, purchase history, or "Do Not Disturb" status. Once you've refined your list, click Save as Smart List. This creates a dynamic list that updates automatically.
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  3. Manage and Share Smart Lists: You can manage your lists from the Smart Lists tab. To share a list with your team, click on the four-line icon to make it global.
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  4. Use Smart Lists for Campaigns: When you are ready to send an email campaign, go to Marketing > Emails > Campaigns. In the send settings, you can select your new Smart List as the recipient to send your email to a specific, segmented audience.

Understanding Smart Lists and Tags

  • Smart Lists: These are dynamic lists that automatically update contacts based on the filters you've set. For example, a Smart List could automatically include anyone who has a specific tag or has made a purchase in the last 30 days.
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  • Tags: These are manual labels that you can apply to contacts to categorise them. Tags are static and must be applied by you or an automation. They are perfect for grouping contacts based on their interests, behavior, or source.

Why email list segmentation is crucial

Managing and segmenting your email list is key to effective email marketing. By organising your contacts into specific groups, you can send highly targeted and personalised content that resonates more deeply with each individual. This practice leads to higher open rates, increased engagement, fewer unsubscribes, and improved email deliverability.

💡 Regularly review your email statistics and remove inactive contacts or those who consistently show no engagement. We recommend filtering by "Do Not Disturb" to ensure you are sending to an engaged audience.


Smart Lists Visual Walkthrough

Watch a visual walkthrough to explore setting up smart lists on Ivorey™ below:
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Click here for the written version

  1. Follow this guide to learn how to create a smart list on Ivorey. From your dashboard, go to the Contacts menu to view your contact list.
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  2. Create a Smart List:
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    • Click on the filters at the top of the contact list.

    • Select your desired filters. A common method is to use tags that you have applied in workflows or manually.

    • Click Apply to see all contacts who match your filters.

    • On the right-hand side, click Save as a smart list.

    • Name your smart list and click Save.
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  3. Use your Smart List for Campaigns:
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    • Go to Marketing > Emails > Campaigns.

    • When creating or editing your email, go to the recipients section.

    • Select the Smart List tab to see a list of all your saved smart lists.

    • Choose the smart list you want to send your email to.
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  4. Important Details:
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    • Smart lists are dynamic, meaning they automatically update as contacts match or no longer match your filters.

    • Smart lists are not visible across teams. Each team member can create their own lists relevant to their tasks.

    • You can also use a smart list to perform bulk actions, such as adding a tag or adding all contacts to an automation.

How to create a Smart List to segment contacts

  1. From the main menu, go to Contacts.
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  2. Click the More Filters button to reveal the filter options.
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  3. Set your desired filters. You can combine multiple filters, such as a contact's location, a specific tag, or a purchase history.
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  4. Once your filters are set, click the Save as Smart List button at the top of the contact list.
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  5. Give your new Smart List a name and click Save.

How to use Tags for segmentation

  1. From the main menu, go to Contacts and click on a contact's name to open their profile.
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  2. In the contact details, find the Tags field.
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  3. You can type in a new tag or select from an existing list.
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  4. Tags can then be used as a filter to create a Smart List or to target a specific email campaign.

💡 Tagging multiple contacts at once and giving the action a name can be useful for reversing bulk tagging steps, if a mistake is made.

Creating a segment or list within Email Campaigns

You can create a segment inside of your email campaigns directly if you want to customise your recipient list without jumping out of your email campaign to create a smart list.

Follow the steps below to learn how to create a segment inside your email campaign:

  1. From the main menu, go to Marketing > Emails > Campaigns and open your email.
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  2. Click the Send or Schedule button and navigate to the Recipient (To) section.
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  3. Select Build Segments.
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  4. Choose your filters to create your segment. For example, select Tag > is > [Your Tag].
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  5. Continue to fill in the remaining details, then click Review and Send
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Testing and Troubleshooting

Smart List is not updating correctly?

Smart Lists are dynamic and should update automatically. If a contact is not appearing as expected, check the filters you have applied. Ensure the contact's data (e.g., tag, purchase history) correctly matches the criteria of the Smart List. Click here to learn more about smart lists.
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I need to reverse a contact import?

  1. To reverse a bulk action to import contacts, click on Bulk Actions

  2. Find the bulk action label you used when importing, you can see the Created Date as well.

  3. Click the three dots next to it

  4. Select Revert
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    This will remove all the contacts that were uploaded during that specific import. Click here to learn how to manage contacts.

I accidentally tagged a large group of contacts?

The system records bulk actions, which can be reversed by support. If you gave the action a name (as recommended), this will make it easier for the support team to help you undo the step. Click here to learn about contact management.
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I can't see a Smart List that my colleague or assistant created?

Smart Lists are personal by default. Your team member needs to make the list global. To do this, they should go to the Smart Lists > click share (four lines) on the list they want to make visible to the team. Click here to learn about permissions.
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I'm getting inaccurate numbers for my email campaigns?

This often happens if you are including contacts who have unsubscribed. When setting up a Smart List or filtering recipients, always add a filter for "Do Not Disturb" (DND) status and set it to is not enabled for email. This ensures you are only targeting contacts who want to receive your emails. Click here to learn about Do No Disturb.
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A link I've added to a contact profile (such as their website address) isn't working?

Go to the contact's profile and check the link in their profile, ie, their business website. Make sure it is a full, valid URL including the prefix https:// and that there are no extra spaces or characters. Click here to learn more about contacts, or here to troubleshoot custom values.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is "Do Not Disturb" (DND) and why is it important for segmentation?

"Do Not Disturb" is a setting that is automatically enabled for a contact when they unsubscribe. It prevents the system from sending any marketing emails to them. Using a DND filter in your Smart Lists or campaigns (e.g., DND > is not enabled for email) is a best practice to ensure you have accurate data and do not send to unsubscribed contacts. Click here to learn about Do Not Disturb.

Need Help?

Hit the support chat widget inside Ivorey - we can:

  • Help you set up new lists or segments

  • Walk you through any of the steps above

  • Troubleshoot anything that’s not working

We’re here and ready to help via the chat widget in the bottom right of your Ivorey™ account. Or if you are looking for done-for-you support, you can browse our current services here

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Understanding DND (Do Not Disturb) In Ivorey™
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