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A fundamental part of getting the desired response from your marketing is targeting your message towards the right people.

Helix Personas by Roy Morgan Research is a data-rich segmentation tool that provides psychographic and behavioural data allowing users to more accurately pinpoint future or current users of their products or services. Unlike other, demographic-based segmentation tools, here consumers are grouped according to their brand preferences, buying intentions and media consumption.

Traditionally, segmenting tools have relied on census information to generate data regarding location, income and household size, but Helix Personas goes beyond this to mine actual behavioural data and gather precise information regarding exactly what was purchased and which brands were preferred, as well as the reasons for this brand preference.

The process involves surveying 1,000 people across New Zealand every month, with specific questions put to them regarding their purchasing habits, lifestyle, attitudes, media consumption and values. This survey provides a rich source of information that is used to create 51 Persona segments, which are broken into seven communities. This is then matched to the New Zealand census and projected to the entire population of New Zealand. There is a Helix Personas code attached to every household in New Zealand.

Too many marketing messages fail due to a scattergun approach with no clear picture of who the message is intended for. Everyone is familiar with the expression ‘fish where the fish are’. This is also true of your marketing and advertising efforts; you should be aware of who your ‘best’ customers are and be actively seeking out those who are just like them.

Your current database may contain a wealth of information, but without the correct tools to interpret it, it is not really serving its purpose. Helix Personas can be appended to your current database by street address and every customer is assigned a Helix code.

Analysis of this data will allow you to determine which Personas buy your products and which ones are of the most value to your company. Once the coded database has been integrated into your CRM system, the most significant groups of customers can be identified.

An in-depth look at these different Personas is available on the Helix Personas website www.helixpersonas.co.nz, this allows you to better understand the buying habits, values, attitudes and media consumption of your current and desired customers. You can then target your location, media or message accordingly. This may involve completely altering the tone, feel and look of your advertising in order to make the right impression on your desired audience. Using this tool can result in targeting fewer people than you are currently, but they will be the RIGHT people and you will be reaching them with the RIGHT message. Adjusting and optimising your media spend in this way is often the quickest ROI.

Helix Personas recognises that while households may have similar demographics, they may not have the same psychographics. It is these differing attitudes, behaviours, aspirations and values that compel the consumer to prefer different brands to another consumer who on the surface, may seem likely to make similar purchase decisions. The importance of this distinction should not be underestimated.

If you are looking to accurately identify your target audience and tailor your message to them in a way that is likely to influence their purchasing decisions, Helix Personas is an invaluable tool in your marketing mix.