One of marketing’s golden rules is to know your audience. You have to know them like they’re your friend. When you know them, it is much easier to develop conversations and topics that will engage them. But in this digital age, knowing your target audience has a different side. It can also mean that you need to segregate them. It would help if you came up with segments.
This is because digital marketing has reached a whole new level of personalization. While you already have an audience, the people within it still have different interests and leanings. And each group might require specific messaging. But the goal here is to make it personal, as it gives you more chances of getting closer to your customers.
Here are some ways to create customer segments:
Decide on the form
Before you dig deeper, you need to decide on the form of your segments. Many decision-makers go for basic demographic segmentation, which covers age, sexual orientation, and gender. Some base their segments on geography, such as the states, the city, and the zip code. If you aim for behavior, create segments based on interests, lifestyles, personality traits, and values.
Don’t forget the value that your target customers bring. For instance, if you are running a personal computer and tech shop, notice the transactional information; you can get customers who actually buy new units or those interested in PDA repair.
Consider the devices they use
What’s much better these days is that tracking and analytics systems and applications can recognize the browsers and even the devices your customers use. When you have an idea of this, you might be able to develop a unique campaign for people who are using specific devices. For one, you can launch a campaign that makes use of an iOS app if you want to target customers that prefer high-value purchases.
Create profiles
Your strategy and insights teams can develop profiles or personas that represent each of your customer segments. Creating profiles will help your creative teams (creative directors, copywriters, and art directors) visualize what your customers are like. That way, they can create a campaign that resonates well with the audience. Just be fair when painting the picture and avoid discriminatory descriptions.
Work with a media company
If you want to delve into more comprehensive customer profiling, it would be wise to work with a media company. This is because such agencies have research methodologies and tools that they can use at their disposal. Their data will come in handy when you want to break your target audience into segments.
Be flexible
In the end, when it comes to this aspect of marketing, you must be flexible. This is because customer segments might converge or agree on a common interest. And with that, you need a unifying message. Similarly, it is important to track if some of your customers are upgrading or downgrading their lifestyles. That way, you can put them in an appropriate group and easily adjust your message.
