Demographics have played a factorial role in website performance for quite some time. Particularly in gaining a deeper understanding of your website audience behavior. But, how do I leverage this demography as a competitive advantage you ask? What does this data really tell me about my website visitors? How do I decipher the information in Layman’s Terms?
According to Wikepedia, demography stands for a statistical study involving human populations. It is an analysis of dynamic human population that changes over time and space. Sound all too familiar? Demographics data has been utilized in the advertising world for decades. In the early days though data was not as accessible at is in today’s modern digital world. Legacy brands built their empires upon understanding of the age, gender, and purchasing habits of their demographics.
Leveraging Demographics in Understanding Website Performance
Website performance tools such as Google Analytics allow for a deeper understanding of site demographics. This includes a person’s age and gender who interacted with a certain access point with your website at any given time. How do you leverage such data as competitive advantage though?
Well, if you think about it for a second, a fundamental rule of business consists of a thorough understanding in your target audience, right? So, if you stack your business against the closest direct or indirect competitor using competitive demographics intelligence than there’s a much higher probability of business success. Why? Majority of companies these days still do not take full potential of demographics data. Gaining deeper insight into demographics data can open doors to new ideas and opportunities for market success. Understanding the behavioral trends and patterns of your target audience can close the gap on the unknown and allowing for strategic advertising endeavors.
Demographics Data Interpretation
Does your website utilize Google Analytics or an equivalent analytical tool? If not, then it’s time to get a free account. In addition to the snapshot above showing top-level demographics data, there’s a few other sections to inspect closer.
The Age section under Demographics in Google Analytics allows for transparency into the individual age groups who interacted with your website. Google puts a threshold on the data for unknown reasons but even with that in place you can still capture upwards to 30% of actual age demographics.
How does age information assist with target audience comprehension?
Content, marketing, social media endeavors. A few that come to mind instantly. For example, if the average age group interacting with your website is 25-34 then you need to put some significant thought behind your existing marketing tactics. This particular age group technically falls within the Millenials generation. They live in a completely different world surrounded by technology and social media platforms. Consider adapting your content, marketing, and social media endeavors to adhere towards this particular age group. Of course, that’s if it makes sense from a product or service standpoint or whatever it is that your company is attempting to sell.
How Do I Decipher Demographics Information?
Data interpretation and storytelling comprehension still remains a fairly foreign territory. Ok, let’s explore a couple different scenarios. For example, you run a small business with an e-commerce presence selling the finest chocolates around. The website appeals to a variety of visitors but you want to know who specifically expressed strong interest in your chocolate products. As we all know, chocolate sales spike significantly prior to Valentine’s Day because all the guys are buying them for their significant other. It’s our way of attempting to make-up, in a sense. So, by looking at the age demographics data from the year prior you can pinpoint the specific male group that purchased specific type of chocolate. You can also identify the specific ages of those very individuals who purchased in the year prior.
So, how does this really help me Ivan?
Some may refer to this exercise as predictive intelligence. Investigating past purchasing behavior and patterns can assist with preparation for the next sales wave. If you can pinpoint the specific chocolate products purchased than you can adequately prepare for the next Valentine’s Day extravaganza.
Another scenario to explore. You run a small retail boutique shop that sells a variety of products including women’s shoes online. Those are hot sellers. As you’re veering into the next quarter, you want to gain a better understanding of the female age group who purchased shoes from your website. The Google Analytics section provides intuitive data in understanding the age group and demographic of customers that purchased women’s shoes.
Conclusion
Demographics data can be leveraged in a variety of different ways. The key takeaway here is that you can gain a deeper understanding into the trends and patterns of your target audience. Once again, gaining better comprehension of user behavior can assist in strategic alignment of digital marketing endeavors.
Are you struggling to find out how your target audience is engaging with your products or services? Want to create a more strategic marketing plan to engage with target audience?