Our global Crowd Numbers team on how to make waves with a game-changing business segmentation…
Successful segmentations are transformative. They become part of the DNA of an organisation, inspiring a shared feeling of ‘these are our customers’ that everyone – from product, to marketing, to the C-suite – can visualise and respond to. They’re also a quintessential form of quantitative research. And, if done well, can provide a robust yet nuanced understanding of people, not just profiles.
All too often, however, the hard work that goes into a segmentation falls victim to reports overloaded with data; pen portraits with zero personality, and disengaged stakeholders. Getting them right is both an art and a science. Here, our global Crowd Numbers team sums up how to build a segmentation guaranteed to have impact.
1. Segmentations without cultural context aren’t going to change the world (or your brand)
Segmentations can sometimes feel sterile and devoid of any of the context that surrounds the segment profiles. This can lead to an exclusion of nuance that ultimately influences consumer behaviour. At Crowd, we combine cultural understanding and quantitative analytics to bring customers to life. When designing segmentations, we take into account current trends, cultural shifts and data from different sources to replicate the real world thinking and experiences of the people behind the numbers.
2. Avoiding death by data-overload will win you fans
Data overload is an all too common problem when faced with a segmentation. At the heart of the numbers are real people, so our goal is to enhance understanding of them and their lives by reducing the data-induced noise – not adding to it. We aim to demystify the numbers as much as possible by simplifying them (with easy to understand language, and an appreciation that not all data points are worth including), and making the segment information accessible to everyone across the business.
3. A segmentation lives or dies by how it’s socialised
Linked to data-overload is the fact that segmentations are only useful if they lead to meaningful action – aka whether they’re used or not. One of the best ways to achieve action is to breathe life into the segments so they become easier to empathise with. Our in-house Socialise team creates outputs that land a segmentation in the most impactful way for organisations. Whether it’s profile videos, one-pagers, editorialised zines or stakeholder workshops, we ensure the segmentation lives on long after the project wraps up.
4. The trick to coming up with something solid is to keep things flexible
As contradictory as it might sound, a robust segmentation is built on a bed of flexibility. There’s no such thing as an off-the-shelf approach when it comes to our segmentations. We recognise that needs and priorities can evolve over the course of a project. Having the freedom to adapt means we can overcome challenges and create an approach that works for everyone. Need more time to perfect the questionnaire? No problem. Want to explore the different segment solutions before committing to a final output? We actively encourage it.
5. Successful segmentations require constant collaboration
From the beginning, we aim to become an extension of a client’s team. Joining up our thinking at every stage means the segmentation will be crafted from both a research and business perspective. Kicking things off with a stakeholder workshop ensures we design the project from the ground up. We then work with clients every step of the way, driving engagement and inspiring the business at key moments. Crucially, defining segment profiles is a key piece of the puzzle and one which we believe should be done together.
6. Don’t forget to think outside the box
Lastly, segmentations are both an art and a science. While there are some general ground rules, challenging the status quo is always worth it. We don’t rip up the rule book each time, rather look for ways to enhance tried and tested methods with creative thinking. Working with our STRAT7 partners, Bonamy Finch, we combine the latest in data analytics with our research expertise to create data-driven and relevant segmentations, all with the aim of driving culturally charged commercial advantage for our clients.
If you’d like to hear more of our thoughts on segmentations, please get in touch: hello@crowdDNA.com