Using Consumer Behavior for Your Next Marketing Campaign

Every marketing professional knows the importance of understanding your target audience. It’s essential to be consumer fluent and develop a deep understanding of what they want and need. 

One of the best ways to do that is to better understand consumer behavior. Thankfully, tracking that behavior is easier than ever thanks to technology advancements and data collection software. But, once you’ve collected that data, what should you do with it? 

Let’s take a closer look at consumer behavior trends and why they’re so important for business. We’ll also cover some tips you can use to effectively organize and utilize the information you collect to make your next campaign a success. 

What Are Consumer Behavior Trends? 

Consumer behavior trends are exactly what you might expect – the actions and decision-making processes of today’s average consumers. They’re considered “trends” because they can change from year to year, or even sooner than that depending on a few factors. 

These trends and behaviors are typically influenced by cultural shifts, environmental concerns, or even major global or national events. Some of the current consumer behavior trends impacting businesses across the globe include: 

• Health and wellness

• Mental health

• Convenience

• Giving back locally

• Sustainability

• Locality

• Workplace transformation

• Seamless online experiences and interactions

For businesses to stay afloat, keeping track of relevant consumer trends is essential. From a marketing perspective, that means collecting and analyzing data – especially when it comes to your target audience – and implementing campaigns that are a reflection of your analysis. 

How to Make the Most of Your Data

For most seasoned marketers, data collection isn’t difficult. Nowadays, there are CRMs and software programs that can be set up to automate the process and even go so far as to segment your audience into smaller groups. 

However, once you have the right data available, how can you make the most of it by managing consumer behavior? 

Start by making sure your data is properly organized. One of the easiest tried-and-true methods for data organization is to utilize spreadsheets. While it might seem a little old school, Excel stands the test of time for a reason. It’s easy to import and export data, convert from PDF, and keep track of things in an orderly fashion. 

When your behavioral data is organized, you can create marketing campaigns based on what consumers really want. Using the example of one of today’s popular trends, consider showing your business is eco-friendly by donating to large sustainability organizations and adjusting your workplace policies to be greener than before. Or, show your support to the local community by sponsoring local events, donating to charities, and offering scholarships and internships to area teenagers heading off to college. 

If you’re still having a hard time getting a read on your target audience, consider keeping up with consumer trends by attending conferences and trade shows, doing some extra online research, and conducting focus groups. Even asking your team and other employees for feedback can make a big difference in helping you get out of the “marketing” mindset, so you can be more in touch with your audience and today’s consumers.