Segments in the Digital World

When it comes to the digital world, brands invest more time in targeting separate advertisements to different customer groups based on their strategies. In this section, we will talk about segmentation. Segmentation and targeting involve the science of dividing consumers into groups based on their characteristics. For some, segmentation goes beyond being just a science—it is an art.

YOUTH (Trendsetters)

Targeting the youth is the most exciting task for marketers. Marketing to them always encourages the production of high-quality content. The support they provide for promoting products is invaluable. Unlike grabbing the attention of older individuals, capturing the attention of the youth is more enticing. Young people are so dynamic that engaging with them is never unproductive. One must always be generous in investing in these young individuals. Firstly, the youth are early adopters. They are not afraid to try new things. Unlike older customer groups, they are willing to try new products and services that may be seen as risky. Apple, for example, leveraged the fast early adopter characteristic of young people to establish its position in the mainstream market when it first introduced the iPod in 2001. Similarly, Netflix laid the foundation of its unshakable position

today through the locomotion of technology enthusiast young people as early adopters in 2010. Let's continue with more examples... The generation we call "Now Generation" is very agile when it comes to trends. This behavior plays a significant role in the rapid growth of brands. This speed is so dynamic that marketing experts often struggle to keep up with these changes and pace. This speed helps marketers quickly notice trends and assist them in aligning their products or services with innovations in that direction. It is very challenging for brands that cannot keep up with this change to position themselves in the World of Now. Justin Bieber's rise, for example, occurred through young consumers sharing his music at a young age with their peers and rapidly consuming it on platforms like YouTube. When we look at the initial launch of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, where we spend almost an average of 3-4 hours a day, we see these trendsetters, young people, as the driving force behind them. These platforms grew with their leadership. Similarly, data-driven music services like Spotify and Apple Music were brought to the mainstream market by young users.

Young people are game-changer segments. (Displayed on the screen)

Although young people have been associated with selfish behaviors and irresponsibility, the latest trends indicate that they mature early.

In summary, it is crucial for brands and marketing experts to understand the importance of young people in the new world, where they play roles as early adopters, trendsetters, and game-changers. If brands want to influence the minds of their mainstream customers, convincing the youth is an important first step.

Women

Another segment that marketing experts should definitely pursue is undoubtedly women. This segment is not only very large but also unique in itself. Let's remember the analogy "men are from Mars, women are from Venus" used to emphasize physiological differences. This difference has been a frequent topic not only in marketing but also in psychology. First and foremost, women are very good information gatherers. Their decision-making processes are different from male users. While the path to a man's purchase decision is short, it is long for women. If we express a man's path in a straight line, a woman's path is spiral. The

extensive research they conduct before purchasing a product or service enables them to become more loyal end users. They not only conduct extensive research but also engage in more conversations about the product and brand. This attitude reinforces the concept of word of mouth, which is one of the fundamental instincts that brands try to create, and it is an organic brand promotion. If someone speaks positively about your brand in a social circle, it reaches and leaves a solid impression on a wider audience faster than the TV or billboard advertisement you provide. In this context, women are "holistic customers." Women who scrutinize almost everything are the primary measures of the value of a product or service. That is why women are loyal customers. Additionally, as they are influential figures at home in a literal sense, they carry the titles of CFO (Chief Financial Officer), purchasing manager, and asset manager of the household. Let's support these theories with some research on this subject.

A report prepared by the Pew Research Center in 2008 says the following: It has been revealed that women have the final say in decision-making in 41% of household expenses in the United States. In Indonesia, this rate exceeds 51%. We can see that even their spouses' incomes are under the control of women.

In conclusion, women, who are information gatherers, holistic customers, and household managers, are key players in gaining market share in the digital economy. Brands must analyze women's decision-making journeys well and pass this challenging test in order to access larger market shares.

Young people who are trendsetters and early adopters... Information gatherer and managerial women are the two main groups holding the keys in the digital economy.

What is a Target Market?

We know that each individual is different, and marketing professionals understand that their marketing solutions need to be tailored accordingly. Therefore, personalization of advertising campaigns is essential.

In the strategy of meeting products or services with the buyers who need them, we will discuss segmentation and target market topics. When you explain your newly launched product or service to a marketing expert, the first question will be, "What is your target market?" Let's reinforce this with some examples. Let's

say you have a caviar brand, which is an expensive product. When you evaluate the economic and sociocultural situation, you know that your products will not be preferred by high school and university students. Therefore, when defining your target audience, you will not include high school and university students, as even if they like your product, they do not have the economic freedom to afford it. In this case, advertising your product to high school and university students would be nothing more than a waste of resources. Your target audience should consist of individuals with a high economic level. This is what we refer to as the target market.

Examples of target markets:

• Mothers of school-age children

• Homeowners

• Women living in Istanbul

• Customers who have made at least one purchase from any brand

The target market is like a vast ocean... (Text appears on the screen)

There are many fish in the sea, but if you want to catch a specific species of fish, you need the appropriate techniques and tools. You need the right bait and the right fishing rod. If we evaluate this from a marketing perspective, while some customers will respond to your campaigns, others will remain indifferent or even drift away from you. This is because, as we mentioned earlier, everyone's expectations are different, and it is almost impossible to motivate everyone with the same content or campaign. (Attention-grabbing points will be placed here, and statistics will be provided.

The most important aspect that distinguishes traditional media advertisements from advertisements on digital platforms is the wide range provided by the digital world in terms of segmentation. For example, let's say you own a gym. Assume that your sports centers only serve the Ataşehir and Suadiye districts in Istanbul. By excluding the European side in your Instagram and YouTube advertisements, you increase the chances of your campaigns receiving a response by targeting individuals who reside in Ataşehir and Suadiye, have moderate or higher economic income, can be divided based on occupation, and can be selected based on age and gender. This categorization is now very extensive in this age. It is much less costly to inform people who have previously received services from your brand about your new campaigns through remarketing. Remember, there is a cost to acquiring a customer or member, which marketing experts refer to as

Customer Acquisition Cost, or CAC for short. This concept, which refers to the cost of acquiring a customer, is very valuable for brands. It costs thousands of TL to reach a new member. To establish your brand from scratch on solid foundations, it is crucial to have a good understanding of these concepts and apply them with the right tools. Besides your fixed expenses, such as the overhead costs of your store and the staff you employ, properly planning and timing the costs of your YouTube, Instagram, print media, and insert advertisements, which highlight the advantages of your system, requires a correct analysis of your target market and target customer base. Instagram advertisements have reached a point today that is a significant advantage for your brand. In an era where people's eating habits can be analyzed, as in our previous example, showing advertisements for a service that you believe can help people lose weight quickly to individuals who regularly consume fast food will take you one step ahead. Additionally, another feature called Lookalike offers the ability to show ads to people similar to those who have used services from your company.

Being in the right place at the right time...

Let's say many of us are familiar with the Istanbul Running Marathon, which takes place every year. It would be wise for your brand to select that location as a location and display Instagram ads to the people running the marathon on the historic streets of Istanbul, even closing the bridges and having thousands of people participating.

Let's expand on the examples. Instead of targeting university students in Istanbul, you can consider targeting students over 22 years old who are studying in Istanbul, enrolled in the communication faculty, and residing in Beşiktaş. This process is called segmentation because it narrows down the target market by adding such characteristics. This way, you can seize the opportunity to connect the relevant product or service with the relevant customers.

With the right segmentation:

You can better understand the desires and needs of the consumer segment and even develop products or services specific to your brand.

You can continually refine your target audience and improve your company's marketing and sales solutions.

By determining your target market, you ensure more efficient utilization of the budget allocated for marketing.

By connecting customers with relevant content or campaigns, you gain customer loyalty and gain an advantage over your competitors in the competition.

Types of segmentation in the target market:

Today's marketers rely heavily on the four segmentation strategies listed below and use the following segmentation solutions.

Demographic segmentationGeographic segmentationBehavioral segmentationPsychographic segmentation

Now let's examine examples of these segmentation types in order.

Examples of demographic segmentation:

Demography defines potential customers based on criteria such as age, gender, marital status, income, education, religion, race, and social class. It is the most commonly used market segment because the identification and measurement of these variables are easy.

Age and life cycle segmentation allows us to establish a relationship between a person's age and their social life. For example, the shopping habits of a 25-year-old single woman are different from those of a 50-year-old mother. Therefore, if you are considering marketing disposable makeup products, you can create a new group for your target market segmentation by using your customers' age and gender. Remember, the same product or service will elicit different reactions from different customer groups. That's why major e-commerce companies promote the same product through multiple different campaigns.

Gender segmentation acknowledges that men and women often have different perspectives on a product. For example, Nike represents that performance is related to sports for men, while for women, it expresses the alignment of sports with their overall lifestyle.

If we talk about income and social habits segmentation, it is concerned with targeting customers who have the potential for luxury products or travel category. However, evaluating consumers' purchasing behavior solely based on the economy is not accurate because sometimes needs can surpass economic limits. Have you ever come across Lamborghini advertisements? I guess your answer, like everyone else, is no. Have you seen Ferrari advertisements? These brands do not advertise on TV or billboards because they believe their target audience is not present on these platforms. The reason we don't see Chanel, Cartier, or Valentino advertisements on TV is also because of this.

Examples of geographic segmentation:

Geographic segmentation aims to group consumers based on their place of residence. This way, you can delve into states, regions, districts, cities, and even neighborhoods and relate the topics of interest to the people in that area with your campaign, making your customers feel more special. Let's assume your brand produces excellent sweaters. We know that it would be meaningless to advertise these sweaters in countries with a warm climate. Sometimes, global brands produce different products for countries with cold climates compared to those with warm climates.

You are dealing with textiles and planning to run a real-time social media advertisement. On the same day, İzmir is quite sunny, but it's raining in Bursa. In that case, you can mention the raincoat discount for your customers in Bursa and inform your customers in İzmir that your new t-shirt collection has arrived at your store, along with special gifts waiting for customers in the store for the new season.

We have come to the end of this section... See you in the next section...

"What people want is the extra emotional bonus they feel when they buy something they love." Seth Godin