What is Marketing Psychographics?

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What is Marketing Psychographics?

Knowing your potential customers is the secret sauce for any campaign. Who they are, what they stand for, and what they are looking for are all part of the picture that a marketer today must-have. 

There are two sets of data we can look at when getting to know our target market; one of them is well known, and the other is underestimated and misunderstood by many.

  • Demographics. These are cold-hard facts about your audience that certainly help to create a successful marketing campaign. For example:
    • Age
    • Location
    • Occupation
  • Psychographics. These are your audience’s abstract traits that don’t necessarily overlap with demographics and are the most important factor in actually making a sale. For example:
    • Values
    • Attitudes
    • Beliefs

Psychographics are subjective measures, and therefore sometimes tend to be overlooked. However, a marketer that considers this factor, coupled with demographics, will have significantly higher success rates.

For example, a female who lives in Los Angeles is 28-years old and works as a lawyer – these are her demographics. Unfortunately, we can’t learn much about her character, beliefs, or values, and we have a tiny clue what products or services she may buy. 

If we add psychographics into the mix, we might discover that she is a vegan, likes to volunteer, and is interested in cooking. This adds a whole new dimension to our marketing campaign and we will be immeasurably more accurate with our ads.

Some Powerful Examples Of Psychographics Characteristics

Here are three examples of characteristics that go deeper than values and beliefs and add many definitions to any marketing campaign.

Perceived Barriers

Popular misconceptions are elements that can certainly get in the way of a sale. If an audience has expressed a certain aversion or barrier to a product or service, knowing about it is the first step to eliminating it. 

For example, if we know that a certain potential customer negatively views a soft drink company, we would then analyze its root. If it’s because of health, we will adapt our campaign accordingly and focus on the fact that this soft drink has less sugar than competitors. On the other hand, if the objection is due to viewing large companies as greedy corporate giants, the campaign’s emphasis could be placed on activities that this company does to give back to the community. 

When you know about various misconceptions, barriers, or prejudices, you will be able to adapt your campaign in a way that will strike a chord with your audience.

Decision-Making Factors

Why did that potential customer leave your site? Is it due to your high prices or that one negative review? Knowing what’s important to your audience will bring you much closer to delivering what they need. But, unfortunately, there is no clear-cut way that people make decisions. 

For example, one may prefer price over quality, while the other prefers to pay more for a handmade item. Knowing the way your audience makes decisions and what factors sculpt those decisions are the key to maximizing the success of your campaigns.

Buyer’s Journey

How did this customer hear about you? 

What made them buy the product? 

Was it your ad, or because a friend recommended your company? 

The buyer’s journey and the various milestones that caused a potential buyer to take one route or the other is precious knowledge for a marketer. 

The Five Rings Of Buying Insight And How To Get Them

Encompassing some of the examples above, the Five Rings of Insight refer to what makes up a “Buyer Persona.” They are:

  • Perceived barriers 
  • Decision criteria
  • Buyer’s journey
  • Priority initiatives 
  • Success factors 

The next natural question is, how do we obtain the above information? Here are the best ways:

  • Focus Group – This is the act of bringing together a diverse group of individuals to discuss a service or product and gain insight.
  • Brainstorming Within A Company – Bringing all members of the team together for an internal discussion is a great way to learn more about the customers, from various perspectives.
  • Surveys – This is an effective method to learn more about your customers, as you can choose the questions which are based on the Five Rings of Insight you are trying to obtain.

How To Apply To Email Marketing

In email marketing, segmentation is key. A great method of segmentation is using psychographics. Gaining insights based on the methods above will help you know what factors to focus on and what audience members should receive which version of your campaign, particularly with A/B testing. 

Every email campaign should consider psychographics in its targeting, content, imagery, and what products you opt to promote.

Bottom Line

Looking at dry facts such as age, location, occupation, or income is simply not enough to create a refined email marketing campaign. Instead, knowing more about the inner lives of your target audience will enrich your marketing efforts and enable you to focus on messages that will resonate with your potential customers. 

What is Marketing Psychographics?

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