Campus Member Segments – General & Dynamic Targeting
When you’re running an education business, sending the right message to the right people at the right time makes all the difference. That’s where member segments come in—they help you organize your campus members into meaningful groups so you can communicate with precision instead of blasting everyone with the same message.
What Are Member Segments and Why Do They Matter?
A member segment is simply a group of campus members who share something in common. Maybe they’re all enrolled in the same course, or they’ve all completed a specific lesson, or they haven’t logged in for 30 days. Instead of treating your entire member database as one giant list, segments let you break things down into groups that actually make sense for your business.
Here’s why this matters: imagine you just launched an advanced course on video editing. You don’t want to promote it to brand-new members who just signed up yesterday. You want to reach members who’ve already completed your beginner course and are ready for the next step. With segments, you can do exactly that.
Segments help you:
- Send more relevant campus communications that people actually want to read
- Create targeted onboarding sequences based on what course someone enrolled in
- Re-engage inactive members without annoying your active ones
- Promote advanced courses only to members who’ve completed prerequisites
- Celebrate milestones with members who’ve hit specific achievements
When your communications are relevant, your members engage more. When they engage more, they complete more courses. When they complete more courses, they get better results. And when they get results, they stick around longer and tell their friends. It’s a beautiful cycle that starts with smart segmentation.
General Segments vs. Dynamic Segments: Understanding the Difference
Your campus gives you two ways to create segments, and understanding the difference is crucial to using them effectively.
General Segments: Manual Control
General segments are like hand-picked teams. You manually decide who goes in and who comes out. You might create a general segment called "VIP Members" and personally add members to it when they purchase your premium package. Or you could create a "Beta Testers" segment and add members who volunteered to test your new course.
The key characteristic: members don’t automatically enter or leave general segments based on their behavior. You’re in control. You add them, you remove them. This gives you precision but requires manual work.
When to use general segments:
- VIP or special-status members that require manual approval
- Beta testers or special program participants
- Members you’ve personally identified for a specific promotion
- One-time promotional campaigns where you hand-select recipients
- Temporary groups that won’t need ongoing updates
Dynamic Segments: Automatic Updating
Dynamic segments are the automation powerhouse. You set up conditions, and the segment automatically updates itself based on member behavior. Create a dynamic segment for "Active Course Takers" with the condition "logged in within the last 7 days," and the segment will continuously update as members log in and out.
The magic: as members meet or stop meeting your conditions, they automatically flow in and out of the segment. No manual work required. You set it up once, and it runs forever.
When to use dynamic segments:
- Course enrollment tracking (everyone enrolled in Course X)
- Engagement monitoring (active vs. inactive members)
- Progress-based grouping (completed specific lessons or courses)
- Behavioral triggers (members who haven’t started their enrolled course)
- Ongoing communication campaigns that need fresh, accurate audiences
Most education businesses find that dynamic segments handle 80% of their segmentation needs, while general segments handle special cases that need a human touch.
Common Segments for Education Businesses
Let’s look at the segments that nearly every course creator and education business should have set up. These cover the core scenarios you’ll encounter running your campus.
Enrollment-Based Segments
These segments organize members by what courses they’re taking or have taken.
Enrolled in [Specific Course]: Everyone currently enrolled in a particular course. Use this to send course-specific updates, reminders about live sessions, or announcements about new lessons.
Completed [Specific Course]: Members who finished a course. Perfect for asking for testimonials, promoting the next course in a sequence, or celebrating their achievement.
Enrolled But Not Started: Members who enrolled but haven’t completed the first lesson. This is your "nudge them to get started" segment.
Progress-Based Segments
These track where members are in their learning journey.
Course Completers: Anyone who’s completed at least one course. These are your success stories. They’ve proven they can finish what they start.
Active Learners: Members currently progressing through courses (logged in recently and completing lessons). Your most engaged group.
Stalled Members: Enrolled in courses but haven’t made progress in 14+ days. Time for a re-engagement campaign.
Engagement-Based Segments
These measure how members interact with your campus.
Active Campus Members: Logged in within the last 7-14 days. Your hot audience.
Inactive 30+ Days: Haven’t logged in for a month. Needs a re-engagement sequence or a check-in.
Inactive 90+ Days: Seriously dormant. Consider a win-back campaign or cleaning them from regular communications.
Community Participants: Members who post in forums or comment on lessons. Your community champions.
Business-Relevant Segments
These align with your business model and pricing.
Free Members: Only accessed free content. Your conversion opportunity.
Paid Members: Purchased at least one course. Your revenue generators.
Subscription Active: Current paying subscribers. Keep them happy and engaged.
Subscription Cancelled: Former subscribers. Target for win-back campaigns.
How to Create General Segments
Creating a general segment is straightforward. You’re building a list that you’ll manage manually.
Step 1: Navigate to your segmentation tool in your campus dashboard. Look for "Segments," "Lists," or "Campus Members" depending on your platform.
Step 2: Create a new segment and choose "General Segment" as the type.
Step 3: Name your segment something descriptive like "2025 Scholarship Recipients" or "Guest Speaker Series Attendees."
Step 4: Add members manually:
- Search for members by name or email
- Select members from your database
- Import a CSV file with member emails
- Add members one at a time as needed
Step 5: Set segment settings:
- Decide if members can be manually removed
- Add a description to remember what this segment is for
- Set any special permissions if needed
Example workflow: You’re running a special cohort program with 25 hand-selected members. You create a general segment called "Spring 2025 Cohort," manually add the 25 members, and use this segment to send cohort-specific communications throughout the program.
The beauty of general segments is their simplicity. You don’t need to worry about complex conditions or automated rules. You just add who you want, when you want.
How to Create Dynamic Segments
Dynamic segments require more setup initially but save you countless hours over time.
Step 1: Plan your conditions before you start building. Write down exactly what behavior or characteristics should put a member in this segment.
Step 2: Navigate to segments and create a new dynamic segment.
Step 3: Name your segment descriptively so you’ll know what it does months from now. "Enrolled in SEO Course" is better than "SEO List."
Step 4: Build your conditions:
Choose your primary condition type:
- Course enrollment (enrolled in, completed, not enrolled in)
- Course progress (started, completed lesson X, completion percentage)
- Campus activity (last login date, number of logins)
- Member tags (has tag, doesn’t have tag)
- Member status (subscribed, unsubscribed, bounced)
- Custom fields (any data you collect about members)
Step 5: Combine conditions for precision:
Use AND logic when all conditions must be true:
- Enrolled in "Email Marketing Basics" AND completed Course = 100%
Use OR logic when any condition being true qualifies:
- Has tag "Advanced Member" OR has tag "VIP Member"
Step 6: Set update frequency: Most platforms automatically update dynamic segments in real-time or every few hours. Verify how often your segment refreshes.
Step 7: Test your segment: After creating it, check how many members currently match your conditions. Does the number make sense?
Example: "Active Course Takers" Segment
Let’s build a practical dynamic segment together.
Goal: Find all members who are actively working through courses right now.
Conditions:
- Enrolled in at least one course = true
- Last login date = within last 7 days
- Course completion = less than 100% (still in progress)
Result: A segment that automatically updates with everyone who’s currently engaged in learning. Use this for:
- Sending encouragement messages
- Announcing new community features
- Promoting relevant resources
- Sharing success stories from other active learners
Example: "Completed Course X but Not Enrolled in Course Y" Segment
This is perfect for course sequence promotion.
Goal: Find members ready for the next course in your sequence.
Conditions:
- Course "Introduction to Photography" completion = 100%
- NOT enrolled in course "Advanced Lighting Techniques"
- Member status = subscribed (can receive communications)
Result: Your perfect audience for promoting the advanced course. They’ve proven they complete courses, they’ve finished the prerequisite, and they haven’t taken the next step yet.
Example: "Inactive 30+ Days" Segment
Re-engagement starts with identifying who needs it.
Goal: Find members who’ve gone quiet but haven’t completely churned.
Conditions:
- Last login date = more than 30 days ago
- Member status = subscribed
- Has enrolled in at least one course (not just free tire-kickers)
Result: Members who showed initial interest and investment but have drifted away. Perfect for:
- "We miss you" re-engagement communications
- Special comeback offers
- Surveys asking what happened
- Reminders of what they’re missing
Segment Strategy: Putting It All Together
Having segments is one thing. Using them strategically is another.
Start with the essentials: Don’t create 50 segments on day one. Start with 5-10 that cover your core needs:
- Active members (logged in recently)
- Inactive members (30+ days)
- Each of your main courses (one segment per course)
- Completed at least one course
- Free vs. paid members
Build segments as you need them: When you’re about to send a campus communication and think "I wish I could send this to just X type of member," that’s your signal to create a segment.
Review and clean regularly: Every quarter, review your segments. Delete ones you’re not using. Update conditions on ones that aren’t working. Segments should serve you, not create clutter.
Name segments clearly: Future you will thank present you for clear names. "Enrolled – Social Media Marketing Course" beats "SMM List" every time.
Document your segment strategy: Keep a simple spreadsheet or doc that lists:
- Segment name
- Type (general or dynamic)
- Purpose (what communication it’s for)
- Conditions (for dynamic segments)
- Last reviewed date
This becomes invaluable as your segment library grows.
Common Segment Mistakes to Avoid
After working with hundreds of education businesses, here are the segment mistakes that trip people up:
Mistake 1: Too many overlapping segments
Creating 15 slightly different "active member" segments just creates confusion. Consolidate similar segments.
Mistake 2: Forgetting to exclude unsubscribed members
Always add a condition to exclude unsubscribed or bounced members from communication segments. This should be automatic in your platform, but verify.
Mistake 3: Setting conditions too narrow
A segment with 2 members isn’t useful. If your segment is consistently tiny, broaden your conditions or reconsider if you need it.
Mistake 4: Setting conditions too broad
If 95% of your members are in a segment, it’s not really segmenting anything meaningful. Tighten your conditions.
Mistake 5: Creating general segments for ongoing needs
If you’re manually adding/removing members every week, you should have created a dynamic segment instead.
Mistake 6: Not testing segments before sending
Always preview who’s in a segment before sending major communications. You might catch a condition error before it causes problems.
Segmentation Is a Superpower
When you master member segments—both general and dynamic—you transform your campus communications from spray-and-pray to precision-targeted. Your members get relevant messages that actually help them. You get better engagement, higher completion rates, and more satisfied members.
Start simple: create 3-5 essential segments this week. Use them for your next few communications. Pay attention to how much more relevant your messages become. Then gradually expand your segment library as you identify new targeting needs.
Remember: the goal isn’t to have the most segments. The goal is to send the right message to the right member at the right time. Segments are simply your tool for making that happen, every single time.