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Print marketing: five audience considerations

Whether print or digital, marketing is all about audience. Good marketers will know to identify their key audience demographics and create marketing materials that address them directly – in a way they can relate and respond to. There are countless audience considerations that can impact the way your print marketing materials are received, from your recipients’ likes and dislikes to where they live and how much money they earn. Take a look at these five crucial audience considerations and what you should do about them.

Age

It doesn’t pay to be ageist or to make assumptions about various age groups, but generally speaking different age demographics will respond to different content. Men and women in their mid-30s will have different priorities, needs and desires to men and women in their early 60s or boys and girls in their early teens. Keep the average age of your audience in mind when developing marketing campaigns, and create content designed to appeal to them. Otherwise you might risk alienating them.

Gender

Gendered marketing isn’t necessarily the most effective means of reaching your audience, and in fact it can do a lot of damage. Marketing has come a long way since the dark days of the ’50s and ’60s, but gender does still play a role in how you market your goods and services.Use market research to find out who shops when. Do women spend more money in the build-up to Christmas? Do men spend more around Valentine’s Day? When you know who you’re addressing you can work on the mode of address. Different tacks will appeal to women and girls as to those that might appeal to men and boys, so plan accordingly.

Socio-economic group

Which socio-economic groups do your customers belong to? Lower earners will have different worries and aspirations to medium earners, and higher earners will have different worries and aspirations again. Identify your audience and talk directly to them – are your customers worried about the cost of their energy bills, or are they more concerned with how high their income tax is? These factors will affect how different people respond to your print marketing campaigns.

Nationality/cultural background

No two nations are the same, and different cultures come with certain preconceived thoughts and ideas that may be different to our own. For example, red is considered to be a lucky, auspicious colour in China and other parts of Asia, while here in the UK it more often represents aggression or danger. Consider how audiences from different nationalities, ethnic or cultural backgrounds might respond to your print marketing efforts – particularly if you’re marketing your goods and services overseas.

Geographical location

Whether or not they’re in another country, your customers’ geographical location could have a bearing on how they perceive your marketing materials. We live in a hugely varied nation – would someone from the southwest share the same sense of humour as someone from the northeast? Would a Welsh person share the worries and concerns of s Scottish person? Consider how your audience’s geographical location and local quirks might affect their perception.

If you’re planning a print marketing campaign this year, talk to PMG. Our clever design studio will help you communicate with your audience and attract the right kind of attention.

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