Social Media Users in the Philippines: 4 Factors for Segmentation

In the bustling local digital landscape, social media isn’t just for those with extra time; it’s a way of life. Various platforms have woven themselves into the daily fabric of Filipino life, influencing cultures, opinions, trends, and lifestyles. For businesses aiming to thrive in this vibrant Southeast Asian nation, leveraging social media is the best route.

To maximize the benefits of social media, segmenting your users is an effective way to ensure you get your message across to the right people. This article explores user segmentation factors, including demographics, psychographics, behavior, and geography, to guide effective marketing strategies.

Social Media Users in the Philippines: Statistics and Facts

• There are over 84.45 million active social media users in the Philippines, nearly 70% of the country’s population. (Meltwater)
• Facebook is the most popular platform, with 96.2% of Philippine internet users aged 16 to 64 using it monthly. (Meltwater)
• Studies show that internet users in the Philippines increased by 13.4%, 10 million people, between 2022 and 2023. (DataReportal)

These statistics underscore the vital role of social media in Filipinos’ lives, making it an indispensable arena for business success. Utilizing segmentation factors is crucial, allowing companies to tailor strategies for effective engagement with these diverse and engaged audiences.

4 Factors for Social Media Audience Segmentation

Reaching the right audience is the key to success. Explore the essential factors that drive effective social media audience segmentation below.

1. Demographic Factors (Who)

In Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) eCommerce, demographic segmentation stands out as a straightforward yet highly effective method that identifies who you’re advertising to, utilizing objective criteria including:

• Age
• Gender
• Ethnicity
• Income
• Level of education
• Religion
• Occupation
• Family structure

Creating precise customer profiles enhances relatability. For instance, segmenting by income allows tailored products for various budget constraints. This approach simplifies data collection, analysis, and cost-effectiveness, benefitting small businesses and eCommerce newcomers.

2. Psychographic factors (Why)

Psychographic segmentation delves into targeted marketing or why you’re advertising to a specific group. It categorizes individuals based on shared personal values, psychological traits, political stances, aspirations, and inner characteristics. These encompass facets such as the following:

• Hobbies
• Personality
• Social status
• Opinions
• Values and beliefs
• Lifestyle
• Life goals

While the subjective nature of psychographics can make it a challenging segment to pin down, it’s also one of the most invaluable. Tap into audience analytics tools and social media insights, and complement these sources with surveys, interviews, and focus groups. This segmentation provides profound insight into customer preferences and enables resonant marketing campaigns.

3. Geographic factors (Where)

This segmentation approach focuses on location and shopping behavior. It’s a way to classify people based on their geographic proximity, often corresponding to similar needs, mindsets, and cultural preferences.

Geographic segmentation provides an insight into what your customers’ location says about several geo-specific variables, such as their:

• Language
• Climate
• Population density—(urban vs. rural)
• Culture
• Timezone

You’ll need to analyze your data to understand how these factors influence your customers’ shopping behavior. For instance, if you run a business that sells winter coats, you might focus your marketing campaigns on colder regions.

4. Behavior-based factors (How)

Behavioral targeting hinges on your outreach strategy. It categorizes your audience according to their consumer actions, providing insights into their interactions with your brand. By analyzing customer behavior on your website, you can identify highly engaged individuals and discern patterns for proactive planning.

Key aspects of behavioral segmentation encompass various factors:

• Spending habits
• Purchasing habits
• Browsing habits
• Interactions with your brand
• Loyalty to your brand
• Product feedback

Behavioral segmentation can help you craft targeted strategies that align with your customer groups’ unique actions and preferences, ultimately addressing their needs.

Photo courtesy of Adrem Podrez

How to Implement Social Media Segmentation

Implementing social media segmentation is the bridge that connects theory to practice, turning insights into actionable strategies for your business. This section discusses tips for implementing social media segmentation in the Philippines effectively.

I. Demographic factors

1. Create age-specific and gender-targeted content

Make your content as relatable as possible. This means reaching out to various age groups, generations, and genders and capturing them where they’re at. Ensure that your messaging speaks directly to their unique preferences and needs.

For instance, a campaign for anti-aging creams might target women over 35, while a line of acne products could target the adolescent demographic.

2. Use location-based targeting for advertising 

Use the geographical location of your audience to personalize your ads and promotions, making them more relevant to local preferences. For example, sending alerts to prospects using the location data from their mobile devices. You can find leads based on their proximity to your store, office, or other location.

3. Adapt to cultural nuances

To enhance your connection with various demographic segments, delve into cultural nuances. Customize your messaging to align with the cultural and linguistic diversity within the Philippines. For example, local favorite Jollibee offers heartwarming seasonal ads to cater to Filipino’s love for the holiday season as a time for family and reunion.

II. Psychographic factors

1. Develop content aligned with their interests and hobbies

Develop content that speaks to the passions and hobbies of your audience. For example, a fitness apparel brand can create health-related content, such as workout routines and nutrition tips, that aligns with health-conscious consumers.

2. Craft messaging that reflects your brand’s value

Use your brand’s values, such as sustainability and support for a circular economy, to engage customers on a deeper level. Your advertisements must speak to the principles and objectives of your target audience.

3. Segment by lifestyle

Tailor your ads to your customers’ unique lifestyles, whether they are health-conscious, tech-savvy, or environmentally sensitive consumers. Remain inclusive and acknowledge their differing way of living.

III. Geographic factors

1. Customize for local appeal

Personalize your content to reflect specific regions’ local culture, traditions, and language. For instance, as an international food chain, Jollibee serves variations of Chickenjoy based on location.

2. Embrace regional event

The Philippines has around 7,600 islands, meaning various regions have differing festivals and events. Align your marketing efforts with regional festivals, holidays, or events to demonstrate your brand’s connection to local traditions.

3. Adapt to regional preferences

Acknowledge that product preferences vary by region and adapt your product offerings and marketing strategies accordingly.

IV. Behavior-based factors

1. Encourage user-generated content 

Encourage your audience to actively participate in content creation, building a sense of community while gaining valuable insights into their behavior. For example, a travel agency encourages customers to share their experiences on social media using a unique hashtag.

2. Create and share content in the format preferred by your users

Observe your audience’s consumption habits and deliver content in their preferred formats, whether videos, infographics, or blog posts.

3. Harness data-driven insights

Analyze user behavior data to identify trends such as peak engagement times and popular content topics. Look into your analytics to see when your audiences are most active and adjust your promotions and campaigns accordingly.

5 Social Media Segmentation Best Practices

Turn your business into an engagement magnet. This section shares social media segmentation secrets for precise audience targeting and effective campaigns.

1. Conduct thorough market research

Research is paramount. You can’t expect a one-hit wonder with your ads if you don’t consider doing thorough research about who your target market is. It’s vital to have a clear map of your audience’s preferences.

Let’s say you run a restaurant chain in the Philippines. Market research shows that young adults crave adventurous culinary experiences, while families prioritize kid-friendly menus. With this knowledge, you can craft social media campaigns promoting exotic dishes to young adults and family-friendly specials to families.

2. Provide segmentation criteria

Targeting a large group is easier if you know who have the same interests. Similarly, precise segmentation criteria guide your marketing efforts to ensure you stay on course and target people meant to see your ad.

Consider a mobile app marketing campaign. You can segment your audience into new, active, and dormant users. Each segment receives tailored content: new users receive welcoming tutorials, active users get feature updates, and inactive users receive re-engagement offers. This approach ensures your message aligns with your audience’s needs.

3. Create personas

You can create an identity your audience can relate to through persona creation—making them relatable and actionable. This way, you shape your social media content to cater to each person’s unique desires and pain points for a more engaged and personalized response.

4. Monitor and adapt in real-time

Nothing in business is set from the start. Chances are, you’ll encounter hiccups and eureka moments worth looking at. Monitoring your campaigns helps you navigate the ever-evolving digital landscape. Keeping an eye out for your current situation can help you adapt your strategy to prioritize curated content targeting these opportunities to improve your campaign.

5. A/B testing for optimization

Sometimes, getting two sides of a coin is good. That’s what A/B testing does. A/B testing compares two versions to see which performs better.

Think of it like a controlled experiment. For instance, in digital advertising, you might create two variations of an ad—one with a different image or text. These ads are shown to various groups of people, and you analyze the results to see which version garners more clicks, conversions, or engagement.

Unlock Your Social Media Potential

Social media in the Philippines is a dynamic and multifaceted realm with business opportunities. In this article, you learned the key factors for effective segmentation in the diverse online landscape. With a deeper understanding of your audience, you have the power to tailor your marketing strategies to resonate with specific users of social media in the Philippines.

Inquiro is a customer analytics solutions provider that offers a comprehensive user-data platform to help you understand your consumers better. Whether it’s crafting content that aligns with the values and interests of your target demographic, refining your ad placements based on their behavior, or optimizing your outreach across different regions, the possibilities are limitless.

Start harnessing the potential of social media segmentation to engage, convert, and build lasting relationships. Contact us today and start personalizing your customer experience.