In my marketing career, I’ve met all kinds of professionals. Some excel at understanding people and connecting with audiences. I’ve observed that many of these individuals are interested in psychology, and their knowledge of human behavior contributes to their marketing success. While I’m not a psychology graduate, I’m deeply interested in it. I’ve realized how important understanding psychology is for marketing.
It’s not just about data and slogans; it’s about understanding why people behave the way they do and the role personality plays.
This article will explore the Big Five personality traits and how they can be used in paid marketing.
Table of contents
- What are the big five personality traits?
- How to use each model of personality to tailor your marketing strategy
- How to identify which personality traits to appeal to in your marketing
- When (and when not) to use personality types in your campaign targeting
What are the big five personality traits?
The big five personality traits, also called the five-factor model (FFM), is a well-established framework in psychology for describing and categorize human personality. These traits are seen as the core dimensions of personality that explain the most significant differences between people. The five traits are:
- Openness to experience
- Conscientiousness
- Extraversion
- Agreeableness
- Neuroticism
We’ll explain each trait in detail in the next section.
Interested in more marketing psychology? Download the free guide >> 26 Ways to Use Psychology in MarketingHow to use the five basic personality traits in your marketing
How can understanding the big five personality traits help marketers create more effective campaigns that genuinely resonate with audiences? Let’s examine each trait and see how it can be used.
Openness to experience
This trait refers to a person’s curiosity, creativity, and preference for new and diverse experiences. People high in openness are often imaginative, adventurous, and open-minded. They like trying new things, appreciate art and beauty, and enjoy intellectual pursuits. Those low in openness are more traditional, practical, and prefer familiarity.
How to appeal to this personality type in your marketing
Reaching people high in openness requires embracing innovation, creativity, and a sense of adventure. Here are some tactics:
- Develop campaigns that pique curiosity, spark imagination, and challenge norms.
- Showcase how your product or service provides new perspectives, encourages self-discovery, or offers unique experiences.
- Use emerging trends, new technologies, and unconventional ideas to appeal to their desire for novelty and originality.
Conscientiousness
Conscientiousness describes how organized, responsible, reliable, and self-disciplined a person is. Highly conscientious people are usually goal-oriented, diligent, and dependable. They are often well-organized, detail-oriented, and committed to their goals. On the other hand, individuals low in conscientiousness are more spontaneous, flexible, and less focused on structure.
How to appeal to this personality type in your marketing
Conscientiousness is about reliability, organization, and attention to detail. You can make your campaigns more effective by appealing to this trait. Here’s how:
- Emphasize features like efficiency, precision, and high standards.
- Show how your product or service streamlines tasks, saves time, or ensures meticulous quality.
- Provide clear instructions, guarantees, and testimonials to build trust with conscientious people who value thoroughness and reliability.
Extraversion
Extraversion refers to how much a person seeks social interaction, excitement, and stimulation from their environment. Extraverts are outgoing, assertive, and energetic. They enjoy being around people, are often talkative and sociable, and gain energy from social interactions. Introverts, however, prefer quieter, less stimulating environments and tend to be more reserved and reflective.
How to appeal to this personality type in your marketing
Understanding the spectrum of extraversion within your target audience is crucial. Are they outgoing individuals who thrive in social settings or more introverted, preferring quieter experiences? By aligning your messaging and ad formats with their preferences, you can connect with each segment. For extraverts, consider:
- Highlighting the social aspects of your product or service.
- Showcasing lively gatherings and interactions. For introverts, consider:
- Emphasizing the personal benefits.
- Highlighting the value of self-reflection that your offering can provide.
Get the guide >> 135 of the Best Words & Phrases for Marketing with EmotionAgreeableness
Agreeableness reflects how warm, compassionate, cooperative, and considerate a person is. Highly agreeable individuals are typically empathetic, kind, and value social harmony. They tend to be helpful, trustful, and forgiving. People low in agreeableness may be more competitive, skeptical, and less concerned with others’ feelings.
How to appeal to this personality type in your marketing
Understanding your audience’s agreeableness helps shape your messaging to foster trust, harmony, and cooperation. If your target audience values collaboration, emphasize how your product or service promotes unity and builds positive relationships.
For audiences with lower agreeableness, focus on unique selling points, individuality, and empowerment to resonate with their desire for independence.
Neuroticism
Neuroticism, sometimes referred to as emotional instability, relates to how prone a person is to experiencing negative emotions like anxiety, depression, and mood swings. Individuals high in neuroticism tend to worry, experience frequent mood changes, and may be more sensitive to stress. Those low in neuroticism tend to be more emotionally stable, resilient, and less affected by negative emotions.
How to appeal to this personality type in your marketing
Understanding your audience’s emotional tendencies is crucial for creating impactful campaigns. Consider the range of neuroticism within your target market—are they prone to anxiety or generally emotionally stable? For those with higher neuroticism, focus on alleviating their concerns and addressing pain points. Highlight the security, peace of mind, and stress relief your offering can provide.
For emotionally stable individuals, emphasize the positive aspects, such as joy, serenity, and emotional well-being, that your product or service offers.
How to identify which personality traits to appeal to in your marketing
The big five personality traits are a combination of individual factors that make up a whole personality. So how do you determine where your ideal customer falls on this spectrum? There are a few ways to collect data.
Distribute a personality test to your customers
One approach to identifying the right personality trait (or traits) to target is by selecting a group of your best customers and encouraging them to take a personality test. These results can provide a general outline of commonalities within your target audience.
Conduct testing through your marketing channels
This option will take longer and requires a more scientific approach. Map out each personality trait and use ad copy, imagery, tone, etc., to represent each trait in a marketing format. Then, run these variations against each other, gathering as much data as possible for each. This data will help you map a general outline of your target audience’s personality. It’s important to remember that personality is individual. However, you will likely find common traits within larger groups, especially in specific industries. For instance, imagine your target audience is sales professionals. While individuals within that profession may differ greatly, some common personality traits likely led them to and helped them succeed in sales. A sales professional might be high in extroversion, moderate to low in agreeableness, moderate in conscientiousness, low in neuroticism, and average in openness to experience. This information is very valuable for marketing to these individuals.
When (and when not) to use the big five personality traits in your targeting
Use personality traits to target your marketing when you have a good understanding of your target audience and if they fall into any of these traits. However, remember that the less niche your target audience and, more importantly, your brand is, the less effective optimizing for personality becomes. For example, consider selling pencils. Everyone needs and uses pencils, regardless of their personality. If your company simply sells pencils, you might sell to everyone, but your product won’t stand out. Your marketing might focus on quality or price rather than anything else. This is where brand identity is important. Take beer, for instance. Beer is beer; anyone of legal age can buy and drink it. However, many beer companies tailor their marketing to emphasize specific lifestyles.
This Heineken ad, targeting sports fans, might also target openness to experiences with its “all fans” message.
Therefore, the personality traits your brand conveys, attracts, or aims to attract fall within a specific demographic and, consequently, a particular set of personality traits.
Applying the big 5 personality traits for better marketing
Marketing is often the art of persuasion. Many people associate persuasion with manipulation. Instead, view persuasion as finding common ground. We are more easily persuaded by those we perceive as similar to us or those with whom we share values or interests. There’s a fine line between trust and persuasion when selling goods and services. Let’s relate this back to paid marketing. We can create a strong connection by tailoring our messaging, imagery, and tone to our audience’s unique traits. Whether appealing to extraversion, fostering trust for agreeable individuals, showcasing reliability for the conscientious, easing concerns for those prone to neuroticism, or sparking curiosity for the open-minded, understanding and leveraging these personality traits can significantly improve our marketing efforts. Gathering information about your target audience’s personality traits might involve using personality tests, collecting data from your best customers, or conducting tests through your marketing channels. While personality is an individual characteristic, we can uncover commonalities within larger groups, especially in certain industries, to create more effective marketing strategies.