Demographic

In marketing, this term refers to the statistical characteristics of a segment of society or population. Demographics are commonly broken out by gender, race, age, home ownership, employment status, and location. However, depending on the product or service, demographics can be more specialized. One example may be iPhone users and Android users.

Demographics allow marketers to track their typical user or customer. For example, an e-newsletter sender may discover that their sports newsletters commonly reach male college students centered around a major city. Having demographic information allows marketers to tailor their marketing messages to a specific audience or group. In the previous example, the e-newsletter sender may tailor news towards men who regularly engage in sports, or link to pages on  a website that sells sport jerseys.

One goal for every marketer should be to determine the subgroups that exist in their targeted audience. By gathering this information, they can then create a complete, clear picture of the typical member of each segment. From here a clear and custom message or sales offer can be sent and in many cases will ensure greater numbers of conversions and fewer if any spam reports or unsubscribes. Often, because of the efficacy of online marketing and email marketing efforts, new campaigns will be built for each demographic. Relevant subscribers will be sorted into the proper campaign group and receive messages that will deliver the most effective information depending on their preferences or needs.