Segmentation for impact: RCPI
For the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI), segmentation needed to do more than tidy up a database. It had to recognise that members across the world bring different cultural expectations, professional priorities, and relationships to learning. Traditional cuts — membership grade, country, or job title — risked obscuring the real drivers of value. Our task was to build a model that explained why members engage, how they learn, and what would make RCPI’s international offer genuinely relevant.
Quantitative survey research
We began with a full quantitative member survey designed to go beyond demographics. Alongside standard profiling, the survey captured learning preferences, CPD behaviours, perceptions of institutional value, engagement triggers, and the contexts in which members used RCPI resources. Early analysis showed clear regional patterns: in some markets, formal CPD accreditation was the dominant value driver; elsewhere, members prioritised peer networks, informal learning formats, or the reassurance of association with a respected institution. These findings clearly demonstrated that a single global proposition would under-serve many cohorts.
Qualitative research & member personas
Quantitative clusters provided the scaffolding; qualitative research added the human detail. We ran focus groups with participants drawn from each quantitative segment to test assumptions, reveal cultural nuance, and uncover the day-to-day realities behind survey answers. This mixed-methods approach allowed us to craft pen portraits that personified segments, showing them not just as data points, but as real professionals with priorities, pressures, and preferences that shape how they use RCPI services.
Two-stage segmentation approach
This was a phased project with two distinct stages:
Stage One: Defined segments empirically from the quantitative survey.
Stage Two: Validated and refined those segments through targeted focus groups, ensuring each grouping was both statistically robust and practically meaningful.
This iterative loop of test, refine, re-test produced a segmentation that was defensible analytically and usable operationally.
Actionable insights for international strategy
The updated segmentation now aids RCPI in their international educational strategy and communication with member groups. Rather than exporting a single programme globally, RCPI can tailor offerings by segment:
Emphasise recognised CPD pathways where formal accreditation drives behaviour.
Develop formats and networks to foster peer learning where community matters.
Focus communications on authority and quality where reputation and institutional trust are key.
This approach ensures resources are allocated where they have the greatest impact and allows the organisation to optimise both engagement and educational value.
Dynamic, iterative segmentation
RCPI’s experience underlines a broader truth: segmentation must be actionable, culturally aware, and iterative. Demographics tell you who members are; motivations tell you what to do. The most forward-thinking organisations treat segmentation as a live strategic asset: revisited regularly, fed by both quantitative and qualitative inputs, and embedded into decision-making across marketing, product, and member experience.
Crucially, the segmentation for RCPI was built as a framework for ongoing review, not a fixed deliverable. This dynamic tool helps RCPI adapt educational provision, refine communications, and deliver value in ways that respect local culture and real professional priorities.
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