How You Can Make Segmentation Work for Your Client

If your client frequently refers to its customer base as “our target market”, it may be missing an opportunity to leverage differences among customers.  By observing and focusing on differences between segments within the target market, your client can improve upon its marketing strategy and implement better marketing decisions.

Consider the following chart:

If your client is a consumer electronics manufacturer or retailer, this chart provides a great opportunity to understand and implement marketing strategies based on different perceived needs between men and women:

• Both genders prioritize “is a brand I currently own” when making a consumer electronics purchase.
• However, given that the second most important factor for men, “is growing in popularity”, companies in the industry would be well-served to focus on messages centered around how their company is becoming more a brand preferred by others when advertising in male-targeted media.
• The same companies would find success when advertising on web sites and other media focused on women, using messages highlighting the how the product can improve upon the functioning of others that they currently own and use.

Your heroic move:

It would be smart for any of your clients to gather and use the same type of information.  Suggest to your client that it conduct primary research to learn factors involved in purchasing decisions among various segments (e.g., presence of children for business-to-consumer companies, or length of purchase cycle for business-to-business companies).

By slicing a target market into segments and learning what motivates each segment to purchase, your client’s advertising messages can become more compelling.  Your client can prove to their customers that they understand their needs and wants, and become more relevant to these customers in the shopping experience.