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• What is Audience Segmentation ? The 5 Main Types & Examples

  16 novembre 2023, par Erin — Analytics Tips

  The days of mass marketing with the same message for millions are long gone. Today, savvy marketers instead focus on delivering the most relevant message to the right person at the right time.

  They do this at scale by segmenting their audiences based on various data points. This isn’t an easy process because there are many types of audience segmentation. If you take the wrong approach, you risk delivering irrelevant messages to your audience — or breaking their trust with poor data management.

  In this article, we’ll break down the most common types of audience segmentation, share examples highlighting their usefulness and cover how you can segment campaigns without breaking data regulations.

  What is audience segmentation ?

  Audience segmentation is when you divide your audience into multiple smaller specific audiences based on various factors. The goal is to deliver a more targeted marketing message or to glean unique insights from analytics.

  It can be as broad as dividing a marketing campaign by location or as specific as separating audiences by their interests, hobbies and behaviour.

  

  Audience segmentation inherently makes a lot of sense. Consider this : an urban office worker and a rural farmer have vastly different needs. By targeting your marketing efforts towards agriculture workers in rural areas, you’re honing in on a group more likely to be interested in farm equipment. 

  Audience segmentation has existed since the beginning of marketing. Advertisers used to select magazines and placements based on who typically read them. They would run a golf club ad in a golf magazine, not in the national newspaper.

  How narrow you can make your audience segments by leveraging multiple data points has changed.

  Why audience segmentation matters

  In a survey by McKinsey, 71% of consumers said they expected personalisation, and 76% get frustrated when a vendor doesn’t deliver.

  

  These numbers reflect expectations from consumers who have actively engaged with a brand — created an account, signed up for an email list or purchased a product.

  They expect you to take that data and give them relevant product recommendations — like a shoe polishing kit if you bought nice leather loafers.

  If you don’t do any sort of audience segmentation, you’re likely to frustrate your customers with post-sale campaigns. If, for example, you just send the same follow-up email to all customers, you’d damage many relationships. Some might ask : “What ? Why would you think I need that ?” Then they’d promptly opt out of your email marketing campaigns.

  To avoid that, you need to segment your audience so you can deliver relevant content at all stages of the customer journey.

  5 key types of audience segmentation

  To help you deliver the right content to the right person or identify crucial insights in analytics, you can use five types of audience segmentation : demographic, behavioural, psychographic, technographic and transactional.

  

  Demographic segmentation 

  Demographic segmentation is when you segment a larger audience based on demographic data points like location, age or other factors.

  The most basic demographic segmentation factor is location, which is easy to leverage in marketing efforts. For example, geographic segmentation can use IP addresses and separate marketing efforts by country. 

  But more advanced demographic data points are becoming increasingly sensitive to handle. Especially in Europe, GDPR makes advanced demographics a more tentative subject. Using age, education level and employment to target marketing campaigns is possible. But you need to navigate this terrain thoughtfully and responsibly, ensuring meticulous adherence to privacy regulations.

  Potential data points :

  • Location
  • Age
  • Marital status
  • Income
  • Employment 
  • Education

  Example of effective demographic segmentation :

  A clothing brand targeting diverse locations needs to account for the varying weather conditions. In colder regions, showcasing winter collections or insulated clothing might resonate more with the audience. Conversely, in warmer climates, promoting lightweight or summer attire could be more effective. 

  Here are two ads run by North Face on Facebook and Instagram to different audiences to highlight different collections :

  

  Each collection is featured differently and uses a different approach with its copy and even the media. With social media ads, targeting people based on advanced demographics is simple enough — you can just single out the factors when making your campaign. But if you don’t want to rely on these data-mining companies, that doesn’t mean you have no options for segmentation.

  Consider allowing people to self-select their interests or preferences by incorporating a short survey within your email sign-up form. This simple addition can enhance engagement, decrease bounce rates, and ultimately improve conversion rates, offering valuable insights into audience preferences.

  This is a great way to segment ethically and without the need of data-mining companies.

  Behavioural segmentation

  Behavioural segmentation segments audiences based on their interaction with your website or app.

  You use various data points to segment your target audience based on their actions.

  Potential data points :

  • Page visits
  • Referral source
  • Clicks
  • Downloads
  • Video plays
  • Goal completion (e.g., signing up for a newsletter or purchasing a product)

  Example of using behavioural segmentation to improve campaign efficiency :

  One effective method involves using a web analytics tool such as Matomo to uncover patterns. By segmenting actions like specific clicks and downloads, pinpoint valuable trends—identifying actions that significantly enhance visitor conversions. 

  

  For instance, if a case study video substantially boosts conversion rates, elevate its prominence to capitalise on this success.

  Then, you can set up a conditional CTA within the video player. Make it pop up after the user has watched the entire video. Use a specific form and sign them up to a specific segment for each case study. This way, you know the prospect’s ideal use case without surveying them.

  This is an example of behavioural segmentation that doesn’t rely on third-party cookies.

  Psychographic segmentation

  Psychographic segmentation is when you segment audiences based on your interpretation of their personality or preferences.

  Potential data points :

  • Social media patterns
  • Follows
  • Hobbies
  • Interests

  Example of effective psychographic segmentation :

  Here, Adidas segments its audience based on whether they like cycling or rugby. It makes no sense to show a rugby ad to someone who’s into cycling and vice versa. But to rugby athletes, the ad is very relevant.

  

  If you want to avoid social platforms, you can use surveys about hobbies and interests to segment your target audience in an ethical way.

  Technographic segmentation

  Technographic segmentation is when you single out specific parts of your audience based on which hardware or software they use.

  Potential data points :

  • Type of device used
  • Device model or brand
  • Browser used

  Example of segmenting by device type to improve user experience :

  Upon noticing a considerable influx of tablet users accessing their platform, a leading news outlet decided to optimise their tablet browsing experience. They overhauled the website interface, focusing on smoother navigation and better readability for tablet users. These changes offered tablet users a seamless and enjoyable reading experience tailored precisely to their device.

  Transactional segmentation

  Transactional segmentation is when you use your customers’ purchase history to better target your marketing message to their needs.

  When consumers prefer personalisation, they typically mean based on their actual transactions, not their social media profiles.

  Potential data points :

  • Average order value
  • Product categories purchased within X months
  • X days since the last purchase of a consumable product

  Example of effective transactional segmentation :

  A pet supply store identifies a segment of customers consistently purchasing cat food but not other pet products. They create targeted email campaigns offering discounts or loyalty rewards specifically for cat-related items to encourage repeat purchases within this segment.

  If you want to improve customer loyalty and increase revenue, the last thing you should do is send generic marketing emails. Relevant product recommendations or coupons are the best way to use transactional segmentation.

  B2B-specific : Firmographic segmentation

  Beyond the five main segmentation types, B2B marketers often use “firmographic” factors when segmenting their campaigns. It’s a way to segment campaigns that go beyond the considerations of the individual.

  Potential data points :

  • Company size
  • Number of employees
  • Company industry
  • Geographic location (office)

  Example of effective firmographic segmentation :

  Companies of different sizes won’t need the same solution — so segmenting leads by company size is one of the most common and effective examples of B2B audience segmentation.

  The difference here is that B2B campaigns are often segmented through manual research. With an account-based marketing approach, you start by researching your potential customers. You then separate the target audience into smaller segments (or even a one-to-one campaign).

  Start segmenting and analysing your audience more deeply with Matomo

  Segmentation is a great place to start if you want to level up your marketing efforts. Modern consumers expect to get relevant content, and you must give it to them.

  But doing so in a privacy-sensitive way is not always easy. You need the right approach to segment your customer base without alienating them or breaking regulations.

  That’s where Matomo comes in. Matomo champions privacy compliance while offering comprehensive insights and segmentation capabilities. With robust privacy controls and cookieless configuration, it ensures GDPR and other regulations are met, empowering data-driven decisions without compromising user privacy.

  Take advantage of our 21-day free trial to get insights that can help you improve your marketing strategy and better reach your target audience. No credit card required.

• French CNIL recommends Piwik : the only analytics tool that does not require Cookie Consent

  29 octobre 2014, par Matthieu Aubry — Press Releases

  There has been recent and important changes in France regarding data privacy and the use of cookies. This blog post will introduce you to these changes and explain how you make your website compliant.

  Cookie Consent in the data freedom law

  Since the adoption of the EU Directive 2009/136/EC “Telecom Package”, Internet users must be informed and provide their prior consent to the storage of cookies on their computer. The use of cookies for advertising, analytics and social share buttons require the user’s consent :

  It is necessary to inform users of the presence, purpose and duration of the cookies placed in their browsers, and the means at their disposal to oppose it.

  What is a cookie ?

  Cookies are tracers placed on Internet users’ hard drives by the web hosts of the visited website. They allow the website to identify a single user across multiple visits with a unique identifier. Cookies may be used for various purposes : building up a shopping cart, storing a website’s language settings, or targeting advertising by monitoring the user’s web-browsing.

  Which cookies are exempt from the Cookie Consent rule ?

  France has exempted certain cookies from the cookie consent rule : for those cookies that are strictly necessary to offer the service sought after by the user you do not need to ask consent to user. Examples of such cookies are :

  • the shopping cart cookie,
  • authentication cookies,
  • short lived session cookies,
  • load balancer cookies,
  • certain first party analytics (such as Piwik cookies),
  • persistent cookies for interface personalisation.

  Asking users for consent for Analytics (tracking) Cookies

  For all cookies that are not exempted from the Cookie Consent then you will need to :

  • obtain consent from web users before placing or reading cookies and similar technologies,
  • clearly inform web users of the different purposes for which the cookies and similar technologies will be used,
  • propose a real choice to web users between accepting or refusing cookies and similar technologies.

  You don’t need Cookie Consent with Piwik

  The excellent news is that there is a way to bypass the Cookie Consent banner on your website :

  If you are using another analytics solution other than Piwik then you will need to ask users for consent. If you do not want to ask for consent then download and install Piwik or signup to Piwik Cloud to get started.

  If you are already using Piwik you need to do two simple things : (1) anonymise visitor IP addresses (at least two bytes) and (2) include the opt-out iframe solution in your website (learn more).

  Note that these recommendations currently only apply in France, but because the law is European we can expect similar findings in other European countries.

  CNIL recommends Piwik

  We are proud that the CNIL has identified Piwik as the only tool that respects all privacy requirements set by the European Telecom law.

  

  About the CNIL

  The CNIL is an independent administrative body that operates in accordance with the French data protection legislation. The CNIL has been entrusted with the general duty to inform people of the rights that the data protection legislation allows them.

  The role and responsabilities of the CNIL are :

  • to protect citizens and their data
  • to regulate and control processing of personal data
  • to inspect the security of data processing systems and applications, and impose penalties

  Piwik and Privacy

  At Piwik we love Privacy – our open analytics platform comes with built-in Privacy.

  Future of Privacy at Piwik

  Piwik is already the leader when it comes to respecting user privacy but we plan to continue improving privacy within the open analytics platform. For more information and specific ideas see Privacy enhancing issues in our issue tracker.

  References

  Learn more in these articles in French [fr] or English :

  • [fr] Sites web, cookies et autres traceurs
  • [fr] Comment me mettre en conformité avec la recommandation “Cookies” de la CNIL ?
  • [fr] Recommandation sur les cookies : obligations pour les responsables de sites ?
  • CNIL Starts Controlling Cookie Settings in October 2014
  • CNIL recommends Piwik for compliance with data protection laws

  Contact

  To learn more about Piwik, please visit piwik.org,

  Get in touch with the Piwik team : Contact information,

  For professional support contact Piwik PRO.

• French CNIL recommends Piwik : the only analytics tool that does not require Cookie Consent

  29 octobre 2014, par Matthieu Aubry — Press Releases

  There has been recent and important changes in France regarding data privacy and the use of cookies. This blog post will introduce you to these changes and explain how you make your website compliant.

  Cookie Consent in the data freedom law

  Since the adoption of the EU Directive 2009/136/EC “Telecom Package”, Internet users must be informed and provide their prior consent to the storage of cookies on their computer. The use of cookies for advertising, analytics and social share buttons require the user’s consent :

  It is necessary to inform users of the presence, purpose and duration of the cookies placed in their browsers, and the means at their disposal to oppose it.

  What is a cookie ?

  Cookies are tracers placed on Internet users’ hard drives by the web hosts of the visited website. They allow the website to identify a single user across multiple visits with a unique identifier. Cookies may be used for various purposes : building up a shopping cart, storing a website’s language settings, or targeting advertising by monitoring the user’s web-browsing.

  Which cookies are exempt from the Cookie Consent rule ?

  France has exempted certain cookies from the cookie consent rule : for those cookies that are strictly necessary to offer the service sought after by the user you do not need to ask consent to user. Examples of such cookies are :

  • the shopping cart cookie,
  • authentication cookies,
  • short lived session cookies,
  • load balancer cookies,
  • certain first party analytics (such as Piwik cookies),
  • persistent cookies for interface personalisation.

  Asking users for consent for Analytics (tracking) Cookies

  For all cookies that are not exempted from the Cookie Consent then you will need to :

  • obtain consent from web users before placing or reading cookies and similar technologies,
  • clearly inform web users of the different purposes for which the cookies and similar technologies will be used,
  • propose a real choice to web users between accepting or refusing cookies and similar technologies.

  You don’t need Cookie Consent with Piwik

  The excellent news is that there is a way to bypass the Cookie Consent banner on your website :

  If you are using another analytics solution other than Piwik then you will need to ask users for consent. If you do not want to ask for consent then download and install Piwik or signup to Piwik Cloud to get started.

  If you are already using Piwik you need to do two simple things : (1) anonymise visitor IP addresses (at least two bytes) and (2) include the opt-out iframe solution in your website (learn more).

  Note that these recommendations currently only apply in France, but because the law is European we can expect similar findings in other European countries.

  CNIL recommends Piwik

  We are proud that the CNIL has identified Piwik as the only tool that respects all privacy requirements set by the European Telecom law.

  

  About the CNIL

  The CNIL is an independent administrative body that operates in accordance with the French data protection legislation. The CNIL has been entrusted with the general duty to inform people of the rights that the data protection legislation allows them.

  The role and responsabilities of the CNIL are :

  • to protect citizens and their data
  • to regulate and control processing of personal data
  • to inspect the security of data processing systems and applications, and impose penalties

  Piwik and Privacy

  At Piwik we love Privacy – our open analytics platform comes with built-in Privacy.

  Future of Privacy at Piwik

  Piwik is already the leader when it comes to respecting user privacy but we plan to continue improving privacy within the open analytics platform. For more information and specific ideas see Privacy enhancing issues in our issue tracker.

  References

  Learn more in these articles in French [fr] or English :

  • [fr] Sites web, cookies et autres traceurs
  • [fr] Comment me mettre en conformité avec la recommandation “Cookies” de la CNIL ?
  • [fr] Recommandation sur les cookies : obligations pour les responsables de sites ?
  • CNIL Starts Controlling Cookie Settings in October 2014
  • CNIL recommends Piwik for compliance with data protection laws

  Contact

  To learn more about Piwik, please visit piwik.org,

  Get in touch with the Piwik team : Contact information,

  For professional support contact Piwik PRO.