Psychographics vs demographics
Demographics tell you that a customer is 35, lives in Stockholm and has a certain income. Psychographics tell you that she values sustainability, loves outdoor sports and researches carefully before buying. Two people with the same demographics can respond to completely different messages.
Examples of psychographic factors
- Values and beliefs: sustainability, tradition or innovation
- Interests and hobbies: fitness, cooking, travel or gaming
- Lifestyle: busy parents, remote workers or frequent travelers
- Attitudes: price-conscious, quality-seeking or early adopters
How to gather psychographic data
Use customer interviews and surveys, social media insights, reviews and the content people engage with on your site. Build the findings into buyer personas, and use them to shape your messaging, content and interest-based ad targeting.
Psychographics example
Two customers are 35-year-old professionals with the same income. One is an eco-conscious runner who researches every purchase and reads reviews. The other likes the newest gadgets and buys on impulse. A message about a product’s recycled materials and independent test results will work on the first, while a launch teaser with early access will work on the second.
How to gather psychographic insight
- Interview customers about what matters to them and why they chose you.
- Run short surveys with questions about values, habits and priorities.
- Read reviews, forum posts and social comments for the language they use.
- Look at analytics for interests and behaviour, without collecting sensitive data.
- Group customers by shared attitudes and write a short profile for each.
Psychographics mistakes
- Guessing people’s attitudes from stereotypes.
- Collecting sensitive personal data without a legal basis. Rules are strict in the EU for some categories.
- Making many tiny groups you cannot write for.
- Ignoring demographics entirely.
Psychographics FAQs
How are psychographics used in advertising?
To choose the message and the interests to target. See buyer personas and target audience.
Are they the same as behaviour data?
Not exactly: behaviour is what people do, psychographics is why. See customer pain points and personalized marketing.