Casting a wide net and sending an email to your entire database may seem like you’re covering more ground. You think that you’re increasing your chances of hitting the right mark by leaving no stone unturned. However, what you’ve done instead is alienating those who find that the email doesn’t apply to them, allowing them to think you don’t value their unique preferences. You also increase the risk of being accused of spamming as countless recipients delete your email without even opening it, block you, or unsubscribe from your mailing list.
Therefore, the goal should never be to reach all email contacts but to reach the right audience. Market segmentation can help you target the people who are most likely to be interested in your marketing message or ad campaign. Here’s how to target ideal customers with demographic market segmentation:
Understand the value of demographic data
The most basic types of demographic data include age, gender, marital status, education, occupation, employment, income, race, geography, residence environment, and ethnicity. It may seem that not all of these will matter to you.
For example, a person’s education may not have any particular impact on your product or service’s marketing message. But another organization may find knowing a person’s educational attainment to be valuable. Education level can serve as a socioeconomic indicator as being a college graduate may suggest that the person has higher earnings and, therefore, higher purchasing power. Having marital status data may not seem immediately valuable; however, being married may suggest distinctively different purchasing behaviors, values, motivators, and needs.
Targeting specific segments
If market segmentation is the process of creating groups based on shared demographics, targeting is the action of reaching that specifically defined segment. Demographic segmentation improves personalization, product relevance, and advertising effectiveness because you’re targeting a group that will find your content relevant.
For example, if your product or service applies to senior citizens or retirees, you can segment your group by age and target people 62 years or older. While all can enjoy halal food, your marketing campaign may want to target the market that observes Islamic teachings specifically. Or maybe your company has a special promo or discount for married couples.
When you know the target audience’s unique demographics, you’re better positioned to fine-tune your messaging, so the recipient feels you are talking directly to them. With increased relevancy comes improved engagement and conversion.
At RunnerEDQ, we tap into a data file of over 2 billion records covering 250 million U.S. individuals and 170 million households to add detailed consumer information to your customer records. Our demographic data includes household income, marital status, residence data, credit information, and more, allowing you to define the unique attributes of your best customers and predict likely future buying behavior.
To learn how we can help you and your business, complete the contact form.
