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What is psychographic segmentation?

April 30, 2021

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A savvy marketer knows not to send the exact same email to everyone on their leads list. Instead, they will start working on segmentation, dividing customers into similar groups, and tailoring messages accordingly. In theory, when the research is done, the team should have all the information needed to segment the list. However, demographic and behavioral segmentation only gives marketers a part of the whole story. The truth is, segmentation could be done better.

So here’s where psychographic information comes in. With a foundation in psychology, you can create customer segments based on psychological characteristics. How is this type of segmentation different—or better?

This kind of segmentation helps marketers thoroughly understand the “why” behind their customers’ behavior, uncovering challenges, values, habits, and emotions that lead to a purchase decision.

Read the article to explore the concept of psychographic segmentation, how it is upping the game for marketers, and how you can drive more revenue by using it.

Psychographic segmentation factors

There are a number of features to consider when implementing psychographic segmentation. These factors can vary across industries, but the most common are lifestyle, values, personality, status, interests, and motivations.

Lifestyle consists of how a person chooses to spend their time and resources on activities, goods, or services. This is an important insight into the values of customers.

Attitudes and values depend on the experiences of a customer and their attitude toward events, products, or advertising.

Knowing the personality of a customer can improve your psychographic segmentation. Features like sense of humor or analytical thinking are insights that you need to consider when you build your marketing strategy and advertising copy and design.

The purchasing power can be determined based on the status of a customer. And the marketer’s goal is to convince the decision-maker to buy the product or service. You can apply this to the power structure in a company.

Customers have different activities and interests, and marketers who are aware of those activities can easily bolster their efforts and plan better strategies. 

A competitive marketer knows that understanding customers’ priorities and motivations is essential as well. For better results, try to align your marketing with what your customers prioritize.

How to collect psychographic data

Incorporating psychographic data into your marketing strategy is an effective way to drive more accurate results with your segmentation—unlike traditional marketing that works on assumptions and is oftentimes irrelevant. 

It is equally important to find out more about your customers, such as through surveys. Ask your customers about their challenges, their preferences, or their expectations from your product or service. Knowing what is important to them will help you build your base of insights. You can also gather psychographic data from social media platforms through reviews and forums.

The benefits of psychographic segmentation

Demographic and behavioral data only give you part of the story. However, psychographic segmentation increases the effectiveness of your:

  • Email campaigns—Once you have defined your customer segments, you can create personalized emails that speak to the reasons why customers are interested in your products.
  • Website content—Write better blog posts and build a robust digital marketing strategy.
  • Advertising—On different social media platforms, you can better target your ads to reach various customers.

Conclusion

The fast-paced world of today requires marketing teams and experts to improve their efforts and innovate to keep up with current trends. Psychographic segmentation is one of the updates that marketers can do, not only to drive better results and increase ROI but also to challenge outdated methods and change the traditional relationship with customersoften disconnected and inhuman—into personalized experiences.

Ultimately, when customers feel that their needs are being fulfilled, they will be more engaged with your organization and become loyal to your services and products.