Targeted ads are a great way to make the most of your digital marketing dollars. However, sometimes standard demographics, like age, gender, and location, are not nuanced enough to allow you to accurately target the audience you are going for. That is where psychographics come into play. We’re breaking down what they are and how to best make use of the below.
What are psychographics?
Similar to demographics, psychographics are characteristics of people that can be used to group and categorize them. However, unlike demographics, they are based on behavioral and psychological attributes. They are subjective, as opposed to factual. They can be a bit more complicated to identify and employ than demographics, because they are not as concrete. It is worth the trouble though, as oftentimes these characteristics can help you better target those who would potentially be interested in your business.
What are some examples of psychographics?
Psychographic traits cover a wide range of topics, and can be anything from personality to values to opinions to attitudes. People can be grouped based on their political affiliations, their purchasing behaviors, their personality traits, or their hobbies. These types of traits speak to why customers make decisions, and thus can be used to predict those who would likely purchase a given product or service.
Some traits are of course more relevant to marketing than others. Purchasing behaviors are a big one for marketers to focus on. For brands that emphasize ethical or moral mission statements, those shared values would also be key for marketing teams to look at. Sometimes, certain personality traits can even be relevant. For instance, if you are selling a product that is meant to be shared or used in a social setting, it might be smart to target extroverts more than introverts.
How can I use psychographics to categorize customers?
As we’ve mentioned a bit above, targeted digital ads on Facebook or Google are one of the major places that it can be helpful to utilize psychographics. You can gather information about your customers’ behaviors and attitudes based on their history of online behavior that you have access to.
Combining psychographic and demographic characteristics can usually help you target the most relevant and precise group of potential customers. Age or gender alone is not really enough to reliably predict purchases, but in tandem with personality traits, interests, and values, it can be extremely useful. There you have it: a quick and high-level explanation of psychographics and how they can be used to improve marketing success. Although they can seem a bit complicated because they are so subjective, these characteristics can be extremely useful for any digital marketing efforts, and should not be ignored. Don’t be afraid to dip your toes in the water and give them a try!
