There are times you may want to split or segment a Target Group. If so, this article shows you how to do both.

To perform these actions:

1. Access the  Admin interface.
2. Navigate to Contacts > Groups.

Splitting

Splitting takes an existing Target Group and divides it into two to five equal segments.

EXAMPLE: If you have a Target Group with 10,000 contacts, and decide to split it into four segments, you’ll create four new Target Groups with 2,500 contacts in each. The names of the new Target Groups include the original Target Group name appended with the text “- Segment X” (X is the segment number).

NOTE: If the Target Group name already exists, it is overwritten unless it is in use (part of a compound, part of a message/campaign, etc.).

1. To split a Target Group, hover over its menu icon and select Split.

2. In the resulting window, select the number of segments to create.
3. Click Split Target Group to divide the existing Target Group into the number of segments chosen.

NOTE: When splitting, the system ensures that there are no duplicate email addresses. While the numbers might not sync exactly with the “parent” Target Group, this provides an extra guarantee that an email address exists exclusively in one segment.

NOTE: Split segments are not dynamic: If the original Target Group changes, the segments are unaffected – they are new, independent Target Groups.

Random segmenting

Random segmenting takes an existing Target Group and creates a new Target Group that contains between 5% and 95% of the “parent” Target Group’s contacts. The name of the new Target Group includes the original Target Group name appended with the text “Random X% segment” (X is the percentage).

NOTE: If the Target Group name already exists, it is overwritten unless it is in use (part of a compound, part of a message/campaign, etc.). If it is in use, an error displays.

1. To create a random segment of a Target Group, hover over the menu icon for a Target Group and select Random Segment.

2. In the resulting window, select the percentage to create.
3. Click Create Random Segment to create the new Target Group.

NOTE: Like splitting, when creating a random segment, the system ensures that there are no duplicate email addresses. While the numbers might not sync exactly with the “parent” Target Group, this provides an extra guarantee that an email address exists exclusively in one segment.

NOTE: Randomized segments are not dynamic: If the original Target Group changes, the random segment is unaffected – it is a new, independent Target Group.