How to Target Businesses Using Company Size, Industry and Location

B2B targeting by company size, industry and location can help software providers focus their lead generation on businesses that are more likely to match their Ideal Customer Profile.

Rather than approaching the entire UK business market, software companies can use these three criteria to narrow the audience and create more relevant campaigns.

Useful targeting factors can include:

• Industry
• Employee numbers
• Turnover
• Geography
• Number of locations
• Business activity
• Department size
• Operational complexity
• Relevant decision-makers

Used together, these filters can help software providers build prospect lists that are better suited to cold email, telemarketing, LinkedIn and wider outbound sales activity.

Start with Your Ideal Customer Profile

Before applying filters, define what a good customer looks like.

Your Ideal Customer Profile may include:

• Target industries
• Minimum company size
• Preferred turnover range
• Geographic coverage
• Number of locations
• Likely software requirement
• Potential contract value
• Relevant decision-makers

For example, a field service software provider might target UK facilities management companies with 50+ employees and mobile engineering teams.

A CRM provider may need a very different profile.

Why Industry Matters

Industry helps identify businesses more likely to have a genuine use for your software.

Potential sectors can include:

• Manufacturing
• Construction
• Engineering
• Professional services
• Recruitment
• Financial services
• Insurance
• Healthcare
• Facilities management
• Transport and logistics
• Wholesale
• Retail
• Hospitality
• Property
• Technology

The right sectors depend on the problem your software solves.

A business can be the right size and in the right location but still be a poor prospect if the product has little relevance to its industry.

Break Broad Industries into Smaller Segments

Large sectors can contain very different businesses.

Construction, for example, might include:

• Main contractors
• Housebuilders
• Civil engineering companies
• Electrical contractors
• Plumbing contractors
• Roofing companies

Your software may only be relevant to some of these groups.

Breaking broad industries into smaller segments can improve targeting and make outbound messaging more specific.

Target by Business Activity

Formal industry classification is not always enough.

Depending on the product, you may want businesses that:

• Employ field workers
• Operate multiple sites
• Manage recurring contracts
• Run warehouses
• Employ large sales teams
• Carry out inspections
• Manage projects
• Process high transaction volumes
• Operate customer service teams

These activities can sometimes provide a stronger indication of software need than broad industry labels.

Use Employee Numbers

Employee size is one of the most useful company-size filters.

Potential bands include:

• 10 to 19 employees
• 20 to 49 employees
• 50 to 99 employees
• 100 to 249 employees
• 250+ employees

The right range depends on your product.

A simple CRM may suit small businesses, while enterprise HR or ERP software may require considerably larger organisations.

Why Employee Numbers Matter

Company size can affect:

• Number of potential users
• Operational complexity
• Budget
• Decision-making structure
• Sales cycle
• Contract value

Smaller businesses may buy more quickly, while larger organisations can provide higher-value contracts.

The strongest audience often sits within a specific size range rather than at either extreme.

Use Turnover Alongside Employee Size

Turnover provides another way to refine business scale.

Potential thresholds could include:

• �1 million+
• �5 million+
• �10 million+
• �50 million+

Turnover should usually support employee-size targeting rather than replace it.

A business with high turnover but very few relevant users may still be unsuitable for your software.

Consider Number of Users

For many software products, user count matters more than total headcount.

Potential users might include:

• Salespeople
• HR employees
• Finance teams
• Field engineers
• Project managers
• Customer service staff
• Operations teams

A company with 300 employees may only have ten users for your product, while another could have 200.

Where possible, think about the department using the platform rather than company size alone.

Use Location to Define Your Market

Geographic targeting can help software providers focus campaigns on areas they want to serve.

Possible criteria include:

• UK-wide
• Individual countries
• Regions
• Counties
• Cities
• Postcode areas
• Sales territories

The right approach depends on how your software is sold and supported.

Cloud-based software may allow national coverage, while companies offering onsite implementation or account management may prefer particular regions.

Target by UK Region

Potential geographic segments include:

• London
• South East
• South West
• West Midlands
• East Midlands
• Yorkshire and the Humber
• North West
• North East
• East of England
• Scotland
• Wales
• Northern Ireland

Regional segmentation can also help software providers compare campaign performance across different parts of the UK.

Combine Industry and Company Size

Using one filter alone can create a broad audience.

For example:

“UK manufacturers”

may include everything from very small businesses to large enterprises.

A stronger segment might be:

“UK manufacturers with 100 to 249 employees.”

This creates a much clearer target market.

Combine Industry, Size and Location

Adding geography can refine the audience further.

For example:

• Manufacturers with 50+ employees in the North West
• Recruitment agencies with 20+ employees in London
• Facilities management companies with 100+ employees across the UK
• Logistics companies with 50+ employees in the Midlands

This type of targeting can make campaigns more manageable and relevant.

Avoid Over-Filtering

More filters do not automatically mean better targeting.

If you require an exact:

• Industry
• Employee band
• Turnover band
• Location
• Business type
• Job title

you may exclude potentially valuable businesses.

Start with the criteria that genuinely influence software fit.

Additional qualification can happen later through sales outreach.

Avoid Targeting Too Broadly

The opposite problem can also occur.

A campaign targeting:

“All UK businesses with 10+ employees”

may provide a very large audience but little relevance.

A smaller, better-defined market can make it easier to create useful messaging and measure results.

Use Existing Customers to Set Your Filters

Your current customers can help determine which targeting criteria are most useful.

Analyse them by:

• Industry
• Employee numbers
• Turnover
• Geography
• Number of sites
• Contract value
• Retention
• Profitability

Look for common characteristics among your strongest accounts.

These patterns can guide future targeting.

Build Lookalike Audiences

Suppose your best customers are:

• Facilities management companies
• 100+ employees
• Multi-site
• UK-based

You could build a prospect list containing businesses with similar characteristics.

This creates a more evidence-based target audience.

Consider Multi-Site Businesses

Number of locations can provide another useful layer of targeting.

Multi-site businesses can include:

• Retail groups
• Hotel groups
• Care providers
• Logistics companies
• Facilities management businesses
• Automotive groups
• Property companies

Certain software products become more valuable when information or workflows need to be managed across several locations.

Consider Operational Complexity

Two businesses with the same employee count may have very different software requirements.

Useful indicators of complexity include:

• Multiple departments
• Remote workers
• Field teams
• Large customer bases
• Several locations
• Complex workflows
• Multiple systems
• High transaction volumes

These characteristics can help identify stronger prospects within a company-size band.

Target Growing Businesses

Growth can increase software requirements.

Potential signals include:

• Recruitment
• New offices
• Additional sites
• Acquisitions
• International expansion
• Growing sales teams
• New departments

A company outgrowing its current systems may be more open to reviewing new software.

Growth signals can therefore be used alongside industry, size and location.

Identify the Right Decision-Makers

Once you have identified suitable businesses, find the people responsible for the problem your software solves.

Potential contacts include:

• Business Owners
• Managing Directors
• Operations Directors
• IT Directors
• Finance Directors
• HR Directors
• Sales Directors
• Marketing Directors
• Procurement Managers
• Department Heads

The best role depends on the product.

Match Decision-Makers to the Software

Different platforms require different contacts.

CRM

Potential contacts include:

• Sales Director
• Commercial Director
• Head of Sales

HR Software

Relevant roles might include:

• HR Director
• Head of HR
• People Director

Finance Software

Potential decision-makers include:

• Finance Director
• CFO
• Financial Controller

Operations Software

Useful contacts could include:

• Operations Director
• Operations Manager
• Managing Director

IT Software

Relevant contacts include:

• IT Director
• CTO
• IT Manager

Combining company targeting with job-role targeting creates a stronger prospect audience.

Match Decision-Makers to Company Size

Small businesses may not have specialist departmental directors.

A company with 20 employees might be best approached through:

• Business Owner
• Managing Director
• Operations Manager

Larger organisations may have dedicated:

• IT
• Finance
• HR
• Sales
• Procurement

Adjust job-role targeting to reflect organisational structure.

Build a Targeted Prospect Database

Once the criteria are clear, build a prospect database.

Useful information can include:

• Business name
• Contact name
• Job title
• Email
• Telephone
• Website
• Industry
• Employee numbers
• Turnover
• Postcode

This provides the foundation for segmented outbound campaigns.

Segment by Industry

Industry-specific segments allow more relevant messaging.

For example:

Recruitment Agencies

Potential messaging could focus on:

• CRM
• Candidate management
• Sales pipelines
• Automation

Manufacturers

Relevant use cases might include:

• ERP
• Operations
• Asset management
• Workforce management

Facilities Management Companies

Potential themes could include:

• Field service
• Scheduling
• Workforce management
• Compliance

Different sectors should not necessarily receive the same proposition.

Segment by Company Size

Company-size segments can also require different messaging.

Smaller businesses may care more about:

• Ease of use
• Simplicity
• Fast implementation

Larger organisations could focus more on:

• Integration
• Scalability
• Security
• Reporting
• Multi-user management

Segmenting by size helps reflect these differences.

Segment by Location

Geographic segmentation can support:

• Regional sales teams
• Localised campaigns
• Territory management
• Regional events
• Local case studies

For example, a campaign could target businesses in the North East separately from those in London.

This may also help identify geographic differences in campaign performance.

Use Cold Email with Targeted Segments

Cold email can provide a scalable way to reach each audience.

Rather than one generic campaign, create segments such as:

• HR Directors at manufacturers with 100+ employees
• Sales Directors at recruitment agencies with 20+ employees
• Operations Directors at facilities companies with 50+ employees

Each group can receive messaging relevant to its likely requirements.

Use Telemarketing to Qualify Your Targeting

Telephone conversations can reveal whether your initial criteria are producing good prospects.

Calls can help establish:

• Correct decision-maker
• Existing software
• Current problems
• Number of users
• Current provider
• Contract timing

If a segment repeatedly produces poor-fit businesses, adjust the targeting criteria.

Use LinkedIn for Additional Research

LinkedIn can help software providers research:

• Employee numbers
• Department structure
• Decision-makers
• New appointments
• Recruitment
• Company expansion

This can add useful context to the business data used for targeting.

Create Geographic Sales Territories

Software companies with larger sales teams may divide prospects into territories.

For example:

• London and South East
• Midlands
• North West
• North East
• Scotland

Territory-based prospecting can make account ownership clearer.

It can also reduce duplication between salespeople.

Prioritise Stronger Accounts

Not every business matching the filters deserves the same level of attention.

Consider creating prospect tiers.

Tier 1

Businesses with:

• Strong industry fit
• Ideal company size
• Suitable location
• Clear use case
• Relevant buying signal

These accounts may justify personalised multi-channel outreach.

Tier 2

Good-fit companies without an obvious buying signal.

Tier 3

Broader prospects that meet basic criteria but require more qualification.

This can help sales teams allocate time more effectively.

Add Buying Signals

Company size, industry and location tell you who to target.

Buying signals can help indicate when to target them.

Potential signals include:

• New decision-maker
• Recruitment
• Expansion
• New sites
• Acquisition
• Existing software approaching renewal
• Digital transformation
• New investment

Combining firmographic targeting with buying signals can improve account prioritisation.

Consider Existing Software

Knowing which software the company already uses can help refine targeting further.

Potential information includes:

• Current platform
• Current provider
• Contract renewal
• Known limitations

Businesses using competing products can provide strong future switching opportunities.

Track Renewal Timing

Subscription software often involves annual or multi-year agreements.

A well-targeted company may not be ready to move today.

Where possible, record:

• Current provider
• Renewal date
• Review period
• Next contact date

This can help create a longer-term prospect pipeline.

Test Different Industry Segments

Do not assume every sector will perform equally.

Run campaigns across different industries and compare:

• Replies
• Qualified conversations
• Demonstrations
• Proposals
• Sales
• Contract value

One industry may consistently outperform another.

Use this evidence to refine future targeting.

Test Different Company Sizes

Compare results across employee bands.

You may find that:

• Smaller businesses convert faster.
• Mid-sized companies produce the strongest balance of value and sales cycle.
• Larger organisations generate higher contract values but require more stakeholders.

Use your own commercial results to find the strongest size range.

Test Different Locations

Geography may also affect campaign performance.

Compare:

• Response rates
• Opportunity volume
• Sales
• Contract value

If one region consistently produces stronger results, increase your focus there where commercially appropriate.

Measure the Combined Targeting Criteria

The real value often comes from the combination rather than one filter alone.

For example:

“Manufacturers with 50+ employees in the Midlands”

may perform much better than:

“All manufacturers”

or:

“All Midlands businesses.”

Track performance at segment level so you can identify these stronger combinations.

Keep Prospect Data Current

Company information changes over time.

Businesses can:

• Grow
• Shrink
• Relocate
• Open new sites
• Merge
• Close

Contacts also change roles.

Regular data maintenance helps ensure targeting remains accurate.

Review Your Targeting Against Sales Results

Your original assumptions may not always be correct.

Compare won customers with your target criteria.

Look at:

• Industry
• Company size
• Location
• Decision-maker
• Contract value
• Sales cycle
• Retention

This can reveal your true commercial sweet spot.

Refine Your Ideal Customer Profile

Campaign and customer data should feed back into the ICP.

For example, you may discover your strongest market is:

• Manufacturing
• 100 to 249 employees
• Midlands and North of England
• Operations Directors
• Multi-site businesses

Future campaigns can then give this audience greater priority.

Build Separate Targeting Models for Different Products

If you sell several software products, each may require different filters.

For example:

CRM

Potential ICP:

• 20+ employees
• Active sales teams
• Recruitment, professional services or B2B sectors

HR Software

Potential ICP:

• 100+ employees
• Larger workforces
• HR Director contact

Field Service Software

Potential ICP:

• 50+ employees
• Mobile workforce
• Facilities management, engineering or service companies

Separate models can make prospecting more precise.

Build a Repeatable Targeting Process

A practical B2B targeting process could include:

• Define the software use case.
• Select relevant industries.
• Choose employee-size criteria.
• Add turnover where useful.
• Define geographic coverage.
• Identify decision-makers.
• Build the prospect database.
• Segment the audience.
• Launch email, telephone and LinkedIn activity.
• Measure results by segment.
• Refine the filters.
• Repeat the process.

This creates a structured approach to software prospecting.

You can learn more about our Lead Generation for Software Suppliers services.

Summary

B2B targeting by company size, industry and location helps software providers reduce a large business market into more relevant prospect audiences.

Industry can identify businesses with a logical software requirement, while employee numbers and turnover help determine whether the company is the right scale. Geography can then refine the market according to sales coverage or territory.

The strongest targeting usually combines several criteria rather than relying on one filter alone.

Add relevant decision-makers and buying signals to create even more focused prospect segments.

By testing different industries, company sizes and locations against real sales outcomes, software providers can gradually identify the combinations that generate the strongest B2B opportunities.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is B2B targeting by company size, industry and location?

It is the process of selecting businesses based on firmographic characteristics such as sector, employee numbers, turnover and geography to create more relevant prospect audiences.

Why should software companies target by industry?

Industry helps identify organisations where the software has a logical use case and allows messaging to reflect sector-specific problems.

How should software companies target by company size?

Employee numbers and turnover can help identify businesses with the right number of users, operational complexity and purchasing capacity.

Why is location useful for B2B targeting?

Location can help software providers manage sales territories, run regional campaigns and focus on areas they are best placed to serve.

Should company size, industry and location be used together?

Yes. Combining criteria usually creates a more focused audience than using any one filter alone.

Which decision-makers should software providers add to targeted lists?

Relevant contacts can include Business Owners, Managing Directors, Operations Directors, IT Directors, Finance Directors, HR Directors, Sales Directors and other Department Heads.

How can software companies improve B2B targeting over time?

Compare campaign performance and won customers across different industries, company sizes and locations, then increase focus on the combinations producing the strongest commercial results.

Data & Lead Generation Services

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• Automated Email Campaigns
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• Industry Databases
• Job Role Databases
• Email Lists
• Telemarketing Data
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