My segmentation is not populating correctly

Question

I have an email using dynamic content for a banner image.  Of course the dynamic images are based on a segment.  The segment has about 80 values, based on a field that gets populated when users fill in a form on the website.  When we created the email all segment values were tested and the correct images were populating.  We're seeing instances of users receiving the default image, or worse, the wrong image.  When I look at our segmentation I see several segments show zero members, but when I recreate the rules with a smartlist I see many people in the list.  Has anyone experienced anything like this?  Am I missing something basic about the way segments work?  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Miray · Accepted Answer

Hi @curtis_r

Smart lists can give you an idea, but they are not ideal for comparing whether your segment is working correctly. In Marketo, segments work in a waterfall manner. If a person matches the criteria for one of the earlier segments in the hierarchy, they won't be included in the later segments. Additionally, their latest activity might cause them to be moved from the current segment to another segment, even if they meet the criteria for those as well. However, they can still be in your smart list since they are matching the criteria.

Darshil_Shah1 · Answer

I agree with Miray as well—you should not use the smart list to verify the dynamic content! Ideally, you should test the dynamic content by Email > Preview > "View By," select "Person" in the dropdown, and select the person record (you might have to start typing the email address and then select from the dropdown). You can also preview the email content by segmentation > select the segment and then verify it with the people in that segment by switching to the view by person. Also, was the segmentation in the approving stage when you sent out the email? If so, there might have been a case where all people weren't assigned to the correct segmentation while it was processing, and hence, people received the wrong/default content.

Some helpful documentation links below:

Create a Segmentation

Segmentation Order Priority

Preview an Email with Dynamic Content

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