---
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title: About Audience Segments
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/mktg/264-0-0/mc_pers_segment_about.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_pers_segment_about.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
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description: A segment is a real-time grouping of users or accounts, based on criteria you define using a set of segment categories and rules. With segments, you can add another layer of personalization to your campaigns, and gain deeper insight into your customers. Segments can even include groups you've already defined in your CRM, DMP, or marketing automation platform.
products:
  - Marketing
  - Salesforce Personalization
release: "264"
---
# About Audience Segments

A segment is a real-time grouping of users or accounts, based on criteria you define using a set of segment categories and rules. With segments, you can add another layer of personalization to your campaigns, and gain deeper insight into your customers. Segments can even include groups you've already defined in your CRM, DMP, or marketing automation platform.

## Audiences

You can use audiences for analytics and cross-channel campaign targeting. You can export audiences to use the data in other systems. You can also use audience membership, when a user or account joins a segment or leaves a segment, to trigger events in other systems.

The information that the Personalization system collects about your audiences, along with data from your other systems, is accessible through comprehensive, visual profiles—the Unified Customer Profile and the Unified Account Profile.

## Segments

Segments are one of the key components of the Personalization system. A segment is a real-time grouping of users, or accounts, based on criteria you define using a set of segment categories and rules.

When a user interacts with one of your channels, the Personalization system identifies the segments they belong to based on real-time session activity. Because segment updates happen in real time, membership changes occur immediately. You can analyze segment data in the Personalization system, and you can export segment data using the segment exporter or as a .csv file. For more information, see [Export a Segment to the Marketing Cloud Personalization SFTP](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_pers_segment_export_sftp.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Set up a nightly feed or a one-time export to synchronize segments with the Personalization SFTP. You can then use these segments in other systems to target cross-channel communications. For example, you can synchronize a segment to Marketing Cloud Engagement to target a specific group with an email communication.").

## How to Work With Segments and Audiences

When a user interacts with one of your channels, the Personalization system identifies the segments they belong to based on real-time session activity. Because segment updates happen in real time, membership changes occur immediately.

When you combine segments with unlimited historical behavior, user profile details, and situational data (such as location, weather conditions, and source), you can define even more granular user segments. You can also segment your audiences based on email or ad campaigns, and use the results to adjust user experiences accordingly. You can analyze segment data in the Personalization system, and you can export segment data using the segment exporter or as a CSV file. For more information, see [Export a Segment to the Marketing Cloud Personalization SFTP](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_pers_segment_export_sftp.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Set up a nightly feed or a one-time export to synchronize segments with the Personalization SFTP. You can then use these segments in other systems to target cross-channel communications. For example, you can synchronize a segment to Marketing Cloud Engagement to target a specific group with an email communication.").

## View Existing Segments

You can view existing segments by selecting **User Segments** | **User Segments** from the main navigation. If your dataset is configured to support accounts, you also have the option to select **User Segments** | **Account Segments**.

## Example of Using Segments

Suppose you’re a retailer who wants to target shoppers with less than $100 worth of products in their shopping carts to encourage them to add more products. You can create a segment that targets those users, and then configure your campaign to appear only for users in that segment. Because segment updates occur in real time, shoppers who accumulate more than $100 in their carts during the same visit are no longer members of the segment. So, Marketing Cloud Personalization doesn’t include them in the campaign, and they don’t see the incentive.