From static lists to real-time dynamic Segments, including anonymous visitors. In 2026, HubSpot will be able to automatically control "who, what, and when" to deliver using data. We will explain the whole picture of audience design, from how to implement segment design to personalization of web, email, and CTAs.
For long-time HubSpot users, one of the biggest conceptual changes is Shift from Lists to Segmentsis. By 2025-2026, HubSpot is shifting its segmentation focus from lists to Segments. Although the two seem similar, their design philosophies are fundamentally different.
Lists still exist in HubSpot as of March 2026, and are still used for email distribution and some workflow triggers.Instead of "transferring completely to Segments", use Segments for new policy design, and run existing Lists in parallel while maintaining them.is a realistic migration path. HubSpot itself explains that "Segments are not a replacement for lists, but a layer that allows for more advanced audience management."
| function | Segments compatible | Lists compatible | remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Email delivery | ○ | ○ | both available |
| workflow trigger | ○ (from 2025) | ○ | Segments support is gradually expanding |
| Advertising audience collaboration | ○ | △(partial) | Segments recommended for syncing to Google/Meta ads |
| Targeting anonymous visitors | ○ | ✗ | Only Segments supported |
| Web personalization | ○ | ✗ | Only Segments supported |
| Suggestions by Breeze AI | ○ (Lookalike etc.) | ✗ | Only Segments supported |
Segments are マーケティング → Segments(or CRM → Segments). Conditions can be grouped by combining AND (satisfies all) and OR (satisfies any), allowing complex audience definitions to be designed intuitively.
| category | Examples of conditions that can be used |
|---|---|
| contact attributes | Name, email, title, phone number, language, lifecycle stage, lead score, persona |
| Company attributes | Company name, industry, number of employees, sales scale, ICP flag (custom), location |
| Web behavior | Visits to specific pages, number of visits, date of last visit, length of stay, pages where forms have been submitted |
| email behavior | Opened/clicked/unopened/stopped delivery of specific emails/number of opens in the last N days |
| advertising behavior | Click on a specific ad, come into contact with a specific campaign, convert via ad |
| CRM activity | Negotiation stage, date of last contact, sales representative, product purchase history, number of support tickets |
When designing complex segments,Define a "wide audience that can be targeted" using an OR group, and narrow it down to "really targeted behaviors/attributes" using AND conditions.The two-stage structure is easy to understand. Example: "IT industry OR manufacturing industry (OR)" and "Job title is general manager or higher AND site visited within the past 14 days (AND)".
マーケティング → Segments → 新しいセグメントを作成 Click[ペルソナ]_[ステージ]_[行動]_[日付]) and save according toOne of the biggest differences between HubSpot's Segments and Lists is thatInclude anonymous visitors (unknown visitors who have not yet submitted the form)That's true. The majority of visitors to a website are anonymous, and the ability to target them has a significant impact on the efficiency of attracting customers.
HubSpot records the following information when a visitor accepts cookies, even before they register as a contact:
Put anonymous visitors identified as "Manufacturing" in Breeze Intelligence into a Segment and target them with LP and ad retargeting for the manufacturing industry. You can receive industry-specific messages even before submitting the form.
Ad retargeting/web personalizationAdd anonymous visitors who have visited the pricing page to a Segment. Automatically display a pop-up "Do you have any questions about pricing?" chat or use it for retargeting with Google/Meta ads.
Pop-up/ad retargetingAnonymous users who have visited the site three or more times in the past 30 days. Since the level of interest is estimated to be high, a popup or exit intent will be displayed that directs the user to a conversion-specific LP.
Exit Intent popup/LP redirectVisitors who came via an advertising campaign (utm_campaign = specific value) but have not yet submitted the form. Re-approach with another creative from the same campaign or use for retargeting with paid ads.
Ad retargeting/A/B testingAnonymous visitor behavior data is collected through cookies, soProper installation of cookie consent banner is a prerequisite.becomes. If a visitor rejects cookies, they will not be added to anonymous segments. Additionally, since identifying a company through reverse IP lookup is information at the "company level" and does not identify individuals, separate confirmation is required from the perspective of the Personal Information Protection Act. Consult with your legal team before designing one.
After defining Segments, the next step is to implement personalization that "distributes" content according to the Segments. At HubSpot Three channels: web content, email, and CTAPersonalization is available.
| channel | Contents that can be distributed | Functions used | plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web content | Headline, text, images, CTA, entire banner | Personalization (Content → Personalization) | Professional〜 |
| Subject, body text, images, CTA buttons, merge variables | Personalization token/smart content | Starter~ (Basic) / Professional~ (Smart Content) | |
| CTA | Display entire CTA (button, image, text) | Smart CTAs (explained in Chapter 3) | Professional〜 |
HubSpot's Personalization feature (コンテンツ → パーソナライゼーション) allows you to switch the displayed content depending on the visitor segment, even on pages with the same URL.
コンテンツ → パーソナライゼーション → ルールを作成 Set the target segment and display content fromThere are two main types of personalization in email.①Personalization token(merge variable) and ②Smart content(content block by segment).
In the subject/body text {{contact.firstname}} or {{contact.company}} will be automatically replaced with the contact's property value during delivery.Simply including your name in the subject line can increase open rates by 20-30%.There is also a survey result. However, be sure to set a "fallback value (default value when not entered)"; if the property is blank, the token will be displayed as is, such as "Hello, {{contact.firstname}}".
No matter how carefully the Segments are designed, it is meaningless unless it is connected to actual marketing measures. Here, we will look specifically at how to utilize segments in three typical use cases.
Develop "leads who have not done anything since downloading materials" step by step and raise them to MQL.
The moment each Segment's conditions are met, contacts are automatically moved to the next segment and workflows are triggered.No need for personnel to manually manage lists. It is designed to automatically advance to the "next step" each time a contact takes an action.
Identify customers who are currently on the Starter plan but are showing signs of needing Professional features.
| segment name | conditions | action |
|---|---|---|
| Starter_Upsell candidate A | Currently using Starter AND Visiting the Professional feature page AND Users have been using for more than 6 months | Notify Customer Success + Send upgrade information email |
| Starter_Upsell candidate B | Currently using Starter AND Participated in the webinar (higher plan introduction) AND Asked about features via chat | 30-minute personalized demo invitation email + smart CTA for upgrades |
| Highly engaged customers | Number of logins in the last 30 days ≥ 20 AND Number of support tickets = 0 AND NPS score ≥ 8 | Introductory program information + Inquiry about case studies |
Identify contacts with no activity for a period of time as "dormant" and attempt to re-contact them.
Management becomes complicated as the number of Segments increases.Naming convention:[対象]_[ステージ]_[行動条件]_[作成月](example:SaaS_MQL候補_料金ページ訪問_202604), and get in the habit of taking inventory of "unused segments" and deleting and merging them every quarter. You can check the last use date on HubSpot's Segments management screen.
Segments supports anonymous visitors, real-time updates, AI suggestions, and ad collaboration. Lists are not deprecated; new designs should use Segments.
Define your audience broadly with OR groups and narrow it down with AND conditions. Design while checking the scale with Segment Builder's real-time preview.
Identify companies with Breeze Intelligence's reverse IP lookup and infer interests based on browsing behavior. Action history is automatically merged after form submission.
Up to 4 to 5 types of content can be set for each segment on the same page. Optimize the subject line and body text individually using personalization tokens.
By using behavioral triggers to automatically move between segments, you can create a system where leads can move on to the next step without manual management by the person in charge.
Attempt to re-engage leads that have been unresponsive for over 90 days, and unsubscribe if they still do not respond. List cleanliness maintains overall delivery quality.