How can you use online behavior models to understand your target audience?

Online behavior models are frameworks that help you analyze and predict how your target audience interacts with your website, content, and products. They can help you understand their needs, motivations, preferences, and pain points, and optimize your marketing strategies accordingly. In this article, you will learn how to use four common online behavior models to understand your target audience better.

1 AIDA Model

The AIDA model stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action. It describes the stages that a potential customer goes through before making a purchase decision. You can use this model to design your website, landing pages, and email campaigns to capture and retain your audience's attention, spark their interest, create a desire for your offer, and persuade them to take action. For example, you can use catchy headlines, images, and videos to grab attention, provide valuable information and testimonials to generate interest, highlight benefits and features to create desire, and use clear calls to action to prompt action.

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Spencer Kelty

Product Marketing Leader at Syncro | SaaS GTM Leader with Deep Growth and Product Marketing Experience| Parrot Enthusiast
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AIDA is an easy way to understand the customer journey and categorize content, channels, and actions that work with each stage. Audience interviews and research is critical to understanding how your personas engage at each step of this journey. Don’t make too many assumptions and trust your audience.

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2 Fogg Behavior Model

The Fogg Behavior Model was developed by Dr. BJ Fogg, a behavioral scientist from Stanford University. It explains that three elements must converge at the same moment for a behavior to occur: motivation, ability, and trigger. You can use this model to increase the likelihood of your audience performing a desired behavior, such as signing up for a newsletter, downloading a lead magnet, or buying a product. For example, you can increase motivation by appealing to emotions, social proof, or incentives, increase ability by simplifying the process, reducing friction, or providing guidance, and provide triggers by using cues, reminders, or urgency.

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Spencer Kelty

Product Marketing Leader at Syncro | SaaS GTM Leader with Deep Growth and Product Marketing Experience| Parrot Enthusiast
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Fogg is an excellent framework to use when looking at one specific messaging track or channel. Think about a specific need or pain point and determine the motivation ability and trigger to build a key message, key offer, and CTA that leads to the action you want to see.

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3 OCEAN Model

The OCEAN model, also known as the Big Five personality traits, is a widely used framework to describe human personality. It consists of five dimensions: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. You can use this model to segment your audience based on their personality traits, and tailor your messaging, tone, and content to suit their preferences. For example, you can use more creative and adventurous language for open-minded people, more factual and logical language for conscientious people, more social and energetic language for extraverted people, more friendly and cooperative language for agreeable people, and more reassuring and supportive language for neurotic people.

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4 RACE Model

The RACE model stands for Reach, Act, Convert, and Engage. It is a practical framework that helps you plan and measure your digital marketing activities across the customer lifecycle. You can use this model to align your online behavior models with your marketing objectives and tactics. For example, you can use the AIDA model to reach and convert your audience, the Fogg Behavior Model to act and engage your audience, and the OCEAN model to segment and personalize your audience. By using the RACE model, you can monitor and optimize your online behavior models based on data and feedback.

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5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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🌟 Yvonne Haughian 🌟

TEXTERGRAM Founder-Investor & App Collaborator | AI Marketing/Business Solutions | Targeted Prospecting Consultant | Home Business Advisor | Social Media - Digital Marketing - Networking Solutions Advisor
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I have used the personalize the experience for the end user & use that data to understand my target audience better. Personalize my website with a bridge page. My target audience is searching for specific things, I include those SEO words within your bridge page to attract them. Email marketing is not dead as I keep being told. It's a proven strategy that's still working for me. I've created email lists based on content/product interest website optin. I'm able to deliver targeted email campaigns with relevant offers & new content SM has been a blessing & that's my main focus. With my target audience in mind, my content reflects their needs, pain points, desires & wants. My content is crafted to evoke an emotion or a reaction.

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Ashkan F.

Sustainability & Circular Economy Enthusiast | Experienced Consultant in Marketing Strategy & Business Transformation | Bridging Behavioral & Decision Science with Change Making
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One thing I have found helpful is to use the Theory of Reasoned Action to understand how online consumer behaviors are influenced by their attitudes and subjective norms. This theory helps me identify and measure how my potential customers feel about my product or service, and how they perceive the opinions of others who are important to them. Based on this information, I can design persuasive messages that appeal to both the personal and social benefits of the behavior, and address any possible barriers or objections. I can also use social proof, testimonials, or endorsements to reinforce the positive subjective norms and increase the intention to perform the behavior.

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How can you use online behavior models to understand your target audience?

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1 AIDA Model

2 Fogg Behavior Model

3 OCEAN Model

4 RACE Model

5 Here’s what else to consider

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