Are you running your business, investing resources in promotion, but the results are not meeting your expectations? Maybe the issue isn't with the advertising itself, but with whom you are showing it? Do you really know your followers? Not just "women aged 25-45," but specific individuals with their own dreams, problems, and habits?

Often, the reasons for a lack of sales lie not in what you are doing, but in who you are doing it for. As they say, there is a buyer for every product. You just need to clearly understand who your buyer is.

In this article, we will discuss why it is so important to track demographic data for successful marketing. We will also look at how a mismatch between your expectations regarding the target audience and the real picture can become a problem. Let’s dive into this topic together and find ways to create a more accurate and effective strategy! ## What are demographic data?

Let’s figure out what demographic data is and why it is so important for your business.

Demographic data is information about your customers: their age, gender, place of residence, and other characteristics. However, if you simply say that your target audience is women aged 20 to 45, that is not enough.

Why? Because it is too broad a category.

When we say that our target audience is women aged 20 to 45, that is just the beginning. We cannot just lump all women into one group and consider them the same. Why? Because 20-year-old girls and 45-year-old women are at different stages of life. They have different interests, motivations, and needs. Some are just starting their careers, while others are already building families or caring for children.

Now let’s consider place of residence. Many overlook this factor, thinking that since the business operates online and delivery is available in all regions, it doesn’t matter.

This is certainly very broad. But covering the entire country in the portrait of your target audience is simply meaningless.

In our country, there is such a diversity of cultures and habits that the "everyone at once" approach does not work. For example, women living in the south may prefer one style of clothing, while those in the north will choose something completely different due to climate and lifestyle. Habits and preferences are shaped not only by age but also by region, traditions, and even climate.

Segmentation is the key to success

Many believe that demographic data is outdated and uninformative. They argue that it is better to gather information about preferences and interests. And that is true. Indeed, demographic data may not always be useful. Why?

If you collect too general information—like simply "women aged 30-35 from Russia"—it may be uninformative. You need more specifics. And this is where segmentation comes into play.

If you only know that your audience is women aged 30-40, but you don’t know what they love, what they are passionate about, and what problems they have, it won’t help you create an interesting product or offer. But when you start digging deeper and dividing your audience into segments, demographic data begins to work for your business.

Segmentation means dividing your potential customers into narrower groups. For example, you might identify women aged 20-25 living in large cities and women aged 40-45 living in suburban areas. This is already more specific information that you can work with!

Thus, for demographic data to become your tool for business development, it needs to be used correctly. Understanding your audience and its characteristics will help you create a more personalized approach that truly attracts customers. After all, you don’t want your offers to go unnoticed, do you?

Reasons for the mismatch between target and actual audience

Let’s analyze why sometimes what a marketer writes about the target audience does not match what we see in reality on social media.

Imagine you have a fashion brand. You decided to target progressive women living in big cities, believing that they will be your main customers. After all, according to your proposal, this is the most affluent segment of the audience.

Then you release a winter collection, where the overwhelming majority of items are warm sweaters.

But here’s the problem: potential buyers simply don’t need such warm clothes! Most of them work in offices, where it is usually warm and cozy. They spend a lot of time in comfortable environments and do not need a warm sweater.

On the other hand, women living in small towns in cold regions of the country are eager to buy such sweaters. They spend a lot of time commuting to work and need warmth.

It turns out that the marketer imagined the perfect image of the buyer in their mind but did not consider that she simply does not need the items they are offering.

So, what mistakes were made?

First, there was a segmentation error. If the marketer had more carefully divided their audience into groups, they would have noticed that office clothing is more important for big cities than sweaters.

Second, there were incorrect assumptions. The marketer created an ideal image of their target audience in their mind but did not check whether it corresponds to reality.

Finally, there are changes in user behavior. People change, and so do their habits and preferences. What was relevant a year ago may no longer work. For example, with the shift to remote work, many have changed their clothing style and are now looking for something more comfortable.

As a result, the marketer made three mistakes that led to a mismatch between the written and actual target audience. To avoid such situations, it is important to constantly analyze your audience, listen to their needs, and adapt to changes.

How to properly track and analyze demographic data? Postmypost Analytics

To track demographic data of your audience, use Postmypost analytics. What data and what to look for in the "Analytics" section?

First—gender and age. We believe this is the foundation of any target audience. Based on this data, you can immediately understand a lot about the audience. In what year were they born, what culture surrounded them, what significant historical events influenced them, and so on. You can answer all these questions just by knowing their age.

Next, we move on to cities. The city gives us an idea of the climate, mentality, traditions, and so on.

Knowing just three basic characteristics, you can answer many questions about the audience. And you don’t need to conduct surveys, questionnaires, or dig through the profiles of potential followers on social media.

Postmypost provides detailed audience analytics, which helps optimize your content and increase audience engagement. Try it for free for 7 days.