Marketing can often feel like shooting at mosquitoes in the dark. You want to reach your target audience with an offer they will want, using a message that will get their attention and resonate with them.

Often, you end up guessing what might work.

To succeed, you need more and better information about your prospects—authentic data, rather than guesses or assumptions.

Without authentic data, you end up using your advertising budget to confirm what you don’t know.

“That’s the nature of the beast,” we tell ourselves. “Trial and error. It’s how everyone else does it. Isn’t it?”

Well, yeah—uh, no…not exactly.

Some people are nailing it a lot more often with a lot less trial and error—and getting phenomenal response and marketing ROI.

You can, too.

Punch #1: Demographics

Demographic data—physical traits like location, gender, age, ethnicity, etc.—are important, especially if you are promoting a local or regional business to the people within that area.

It’s the #1 punch and provides a certain level of targeting. So, if you were marketing a new kid’s clothing store, for instance, access to demographic data would enable you to reach households with children.

That’s a start and it can increase your ROI. With hundreds of data choices, you will find and reach more of the kinds of customers you’re targeting.

But there’s a way you can fine-tune your targeting to create dramatically better response and ROI.

Punch #2: Psychographics

While demographics tell you about the physical aspects of individuals or groups, psychographics tells you about their attitudes and their thinking…what their interests and opinions are, their likes and dislikes…what makes them tick.

Once upon a time, you could advertise a box of soap and people bought it because it was among only two or three boxes of soap available.

Today there are hundreds of “boxes of soap.” Customers have become more sophisticated. Their needs have become more specific. So in addition to demographics, you need the scientific advantage of psychographic data to reach them with your marketing.

It’s the #2 punch that can produce mind-blowing response and ROI.

For instance, if you were marketing an alternative health clinic, you wouldn’t want to spend your money trying to reach people who favor conventional medicine, believe that prescriptions drugs are the only answer, and the like. Rather, you would want to reach people who favor natural methods, alternative healing, chiropractic, and who have spent money on such things in the past.

Psychographics enable you to do just that.

Nielsen, the consumer research organization, makes this psychographic data easily accessible with PRIZM codes.

With a few mouse clicks, you can design your first postcard, target it by PRIZM segmentation and schedule the mailing.

If you know what you’re doing and you’re ready to mail, you can start at www.prospectsplus.com. If you’re still unsure about how targeted demographics can dramatically impact your response, log onto Opportunity Knocks or just give us a call at 877-222-6010.  We’re ready to help.