I came across a great Harvard Business Review article this past week outlining how psychographics (customer’s attitudes and interests) are just as important for marketers as demographics. The author outlines a couple of great examples of the differences between demographics and psychographics and why those differences are important for marketers, but more often than not we at GFM find the behaviors and interests of our target audiences to be much more important than their age or location.
The beauty of social media user data is that we’re able to send specific messages to anyone who is interested in a singular topic. We can communicate with everyone who is interested in the outdoors (for instance) and not just “20-35 year olds who live in the Western U.S.” Taking it one step further, we then have the ability to send one tailored message to outdoor enthusiasts who live in the Western U.S., and a separate message to outdoor enthusiasts from the South.
Psychographics can be an amazing asset to marketers, but they also quickly bring to light one truth that too many marketers are currently ignoring: Messages need to be extremely tailored to your audiences. Gone are the days of “one-to-many messaging” if you want to see specific results.
Our approach to digital marketing at GFM isn’t rocket science, but it does take more time and a solid strategy:
Step 1: Set your goals
Step 2: Identify your audiences
Step 3: Find the best platforms to reach those audiences
Step 4: Create content that those audiences will find interesting/useful/helpful, AND that will work on the platforms they’re using
Today’s digital campaigns may entail creating 40 different pieces of content to reach 40 different people on 10 different digital platforms – but we also know that we’re reaching the right people with the right message on the right platform. And that is a better use of our marketing dollars than we’ve ever had previously.
