Psychographics are true emotionally based targeting methods based on peoples’ actual thinking which are made up of; the lifestyle choices people make, what a person values, and how they feel about the world or different subjects. In the modern world, psychographics are rapidly becoming the most important targeting method both because they are based on the emotional choices people make and because they dominate Internet marketing. After all, search ads, SEO, website content, Facebook content, and more are all based on your targets interests as are blogs, and many websites you can advertise on. When buying ad space from a network like Google or Facebook, you gain an advantage by knowing what types of websites your customers will commonly visit as well as what types of ads they are likely to respond to.
When developing psychographic categories, it’s important to consider more than just the obvious as some of the best psychographic categories your customers fall into may not be obvious. For example, an organic produce company might be able to attract a lot of customers interested in biking, or who are interested in French Cooking, certain politicians, etc. By discovering these less obvious psychographics, you not only improve your reach but gain an advantage over competitors who might be all competing for the same marketing space.
Culture
Shared attitudes are what define a culture, not racial or geographic demographics as many might think. Although these things can indicate which culture a person is likely to have chosen in the modern world, I would argue that culture is about the choices people make. So while some people have these values instilled in them and are likely to share them with others of a similar demographic, it is important to keep in mind that the boy who grew up in the Midwest and chose to become a “hipster” is more likely to buy the same types of clothing as a “hipster” from New York than he is to buy the clothing that the “cowboy” he grew up next door to or who even happens to be his brother. This doesn’t mean, of course, that you should ignore the Irish culture or the Midwest culture. It just means that you should be aware that we live in an extremely diverse world. So it could be argued that even when values are instilled, they must ultimately be chosen. After all, when people leave home to go to school everyday, they are thrust into a plethora of other cultures and must choose which of these to fit in with. Later, these people will leave home altogether and will only have the direction of peers which will likely come from a number of cultural groups.
Value Systems
People’s value systems strongly define what they respond to in promotions as well as their purchasing habits. A few of the values marketers often target include; trend setter, family, friends, social acceptance, and social responsibility. There are, of course, many other values. Depending on what you’re selling, knowing your customers’ values can give you an important edge over your competition.
What makes values tricky are that people often stereotype values based on their own values. They presume that people who care about the same things as they do will care about the products they’re selling. Because of this, these business owners select their target based on their own values. Remember that you’re unique so you’re not necessarily your target audience. After all, only a small percentage of the population runs a business, which means that those who do are not like the average person. There are many companies who have used value-based targeting for a good effect by finding an underserved set of customers, or by actually researching the values of their target market.
Fox News, for example, realized that many with conservative values felt that they were being ostracized by other media sources. So by developing a product for them, they were able to attract a large audience base. Wal-Mart understands that its core customers hold strong family values so it refuses to sell certain products that don’t live up to these values. As with everything else, it’s important to research the interests of those who hold certain values rather than just assume what they are.
Hobbies and Goals
The Internet is quickly becoming divided based on peoples’ hobbies and interests. People search for sites based on keywords; they read articles based on their interests rather than based on the site where it’s located; they list their hobbies on Facebook; they tweet what they are doing, and they get apps that help them do very specific things. So while hobbies may not define people more than they did in the past, it is far easier to reach people with specific hobbies. In fact, at times this is the only real way to reach certain people. Add to this the fact that brands based on empowerment are entirely about empowering people to engage in certain interests or hobbies, and you have what can be the most powerful psychograph.
The challenge with hobbies is that these can be more fractured and harder to pinpoint than other targeting information. For companies like Nike, which were made to appeal to a specific group, this can be obvious. Mountain Dew has also managed to target people based on their hobbies; going after those interested in computer games and alternative sports. For many other companies, however, hobbies can remain elusive. Other than an interest in the arts, for example, what interests might a frequent ballet goer have? In a large part, hobbies are also useful as a frame of reference extension. To this end, Nature Valley, an energy/granola bar, had a series of ads to get hikers and bikers to use them as their quick bite to eat on the trip. Various arts organizations have worked to become a dating stop for couples going out on the town. By targeting hobbies, a company can become the product of choice for a given situation, allowing them to expand their sales into new areas. Further, selecting a hobby to market to makes it easier for a company to run public relations campaigns by donating to or hosting events related to that hobby. A company that discovers those interested in crafts are likely to buy from them, for example, could host crafting events, have a craft-based contest, and more as a way to attract customers.
Media Preferences
Media preferences can serve two important goals: first, targeting based on media preference can help a company to choose where to place their ads; second, media preferences can help a company choose how to frame the message of their promotions. This goes deeper than simply trying to place ads in a magazine or showing which targets consumers, people who are interested in something, are likely to watch YouTube clips paying homage to it. They are likely to mention it in a tweet on their Facebook page, etc., which means that you can target customers based on the name of the show they like. Further, bloggers can be targeted for press releases and contests based on their interest in something that cues you that they might be interested in your product.
Beyond simple targeting, having a target audience with specific media preferences allows a company to create better designed ads and copy. People who like a movie such as “Star Wars” have a shared experience and will respond to certain aspects of an ad better than others. Those who read a specific magazine clearly respond well to design elements within that magazine allowing a company to better adjust their own design guidelines. As with all psychographics, media preference has been growing and will likely continue to grow in importance both because it is easier now to target people based on preference but also because this psychographic is based on peoples’ personal choices.
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