Psychographic Segmentation: Definition, Examples + Variables

For example, the Oleander residential complex in Brookhaven, Georgia leverages psychographic principles to appeal to potential residents with specific personality traits. These techniques were also adopted by Blue State Digital a digital and technology service firm whose clients have included both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. As you might expect, people like Jimmy, with neurotic temperaments, tend to be more susceptible to negative emotions, especially anxiety and stress. Say there’s a potential voter with a high N (for Neuroticism) score in his psychographic profile. While the data gathered by StatSocial isn’t definitive, it’s meant to enhance audience insights and give companies a clearer picture of who they are trying to reach. And if not foodies per se, these TV viewing habits show that Shake Shack fans enjoy watching people eat.

Creating fully fleshed-out buyer personas built with psychographics, demographics, and buyer behavior can take your marketing campaigns, messaging, and conversion rates to the next level. With this psychographic data, they were able to adjust their website, product, and messaging to address that concern, and they increased sales based on this segment. Small companies knew they could be doing it wrong, and if they messed up, they might end up in jail (a psychographic criterion).

The VALS segments include Innovators, Thinkers, Believers, Achievers, Strivers, Experiencers, Makers, and Survivors (Mitchell, 1983). It segments consumers into eight distinct groups based on their primary motivations (ideals, achievement, self-expression) and resources (income, education, self-confidence, health, energy, innovativeness, and eagerness to buy). Each model offers a unique perspective and utilizes different criteria for classification. Initially conceived as a supplement to demographics, psychographics has evolved into a sophisticated tool for market segmentation, communication strategy development, and understanding societal trends.

Understanding Personality Traits and Consumer Behavior

You identify the key psychological drivers in your market, collect data to map those drivers to real segments, and then craft psychographic data tailored strategies for each group. Avoid conflating demographics with psychographics (don't assume all millennials think alike, for instance). You can gather meaningful psychographic insights without expensive focus groups or market research firms.

This could include showcasing how your offerings align with specific dietary preferences or providing content related to fitness and well-being. This helps in creating personalized marketing campaigns that resonate with the specific needs and desires of different consumer segments. Analyzing lifestyle choices allows businesses to gain a deeper insight into their target market’s values, interests, and motivations. By appealing to the unique personalities of their customers, marketers can build stronger connections, increase customer loyalty, and drive conversions. By including personality traits in psychographic analysis, marketers gain a better understanding of their target audience. Marketers can use psychographic characteristics to understand their target audience better and adjust their marketing strategies to connect with consumers.

Understanding Consumer Behavior

This includes daily routines, habits, and predominant activities. Lifestyle refers to how people live their lives day to day and how they spend their time and money. Personality influences how people make decisions and interact with brands, making it a powerful segmentation dimension.

• These include a better understanding of the audience, improved targeting, and increased personalization.
• This rather fun area of psychographics includes media and social habits, hobbies, pastimes, and indeed anything else which occupies an individual’s time.
• Grouping individuals based on their hobbies, activities and lifestyle choices, such as fitness enthusiasts, foodies or travellers, helps you to get closer to your target audience.
• In today’s digital age, much of the psychographic data can be gleaned from customers’ online behavior.
• Customers may be segmented by demographics, psychographics, or other relevant categories, such as customers who have previously made purchases from the company.

Psychographic segmentation draws on five key variables that explain why people make the choices they do. Psychographic segmentation often begins with buyer personas, fictional profiles that capture both the facts and the motivations behind behavior. They reveal the attitudes, lifestyles, and motivations that drive decisions and help you turn those findings into more effective messages, products, and experiences. Two customers might share the same demographics and show similar behavior, but one values performance and status while the other values simplicity and price. When you use all three together, you get a full picture of the people behind your data—and the decisions that drive them. Get insights about people you’re trying to serve and how to reach them, with SurveyMonkey’s Audience Panel.