Feeding customers in a relaxed setting for 90 years
Nine decades of excellence – Ariens Company still thriving today
February 10, 2023
Despite sweeping changes in formats and technologies, knowing your audience has remained the tried-and-true starting point for all forms of communication.
Let’s revisit the days of direct mail marketing.
Reader-centered copy was king, as was your presentation of benefits over features.
Your sweet reward was a phone inquiry, a redeemed coupon or a return envelope with your response form enclosed.
Fast forward to the era of social media and influencer marketing, and your starting point remains the same.
Before you create your collateral, you still need to know who you’re trying to reach and what outcome you’re hoping for if you want your material to be effective.
Knowing your audience begins with some common-sense questions:
Who will read/hear/watch this and why should they care?Can you describe the audience you’re trying to reach? What primary and secondary outcomes do you hope your message will have?Are there specific phrases, images or sounds that resonate with this particular audience group or should you use more inclusive terminology?”
This doesn’t need to be a time-consuming review – just give your audience a cursory review and craft your message with them in mind.
We often make this assessment without giving it a second thought.
You’d use a different approach when speaking with a police officer or a reverend than you would your closest friend or your neighbor.
Knowing your audience can be a quick assessment making your message resonate with its recipient.
Want to get to know your audience on a deeper level?
Today’s tools make this a snap.
Additional ideas to get to know your audience include:
Review analytics you have from past efforts or interactions.Conduct surveys.Observe online feedback, comments and interactions.
As a side note, depending on the scope of your effort, you may want to consider drafting actual audience personas, expanding on the questions above.
Efforts that can be expensive or time-consuming, such as website development, merit a bit of a deeper look at who your audience groups are.
All-in-all, starting with your audience in mind, has never gone out of style.
The adage that “everything changes, but everything stays the same” holds true in this regard.
Chris Christenson is a senior account executive with Leonard & Finco Public Relations, Inc., an award-winning, Green Bay-based, full-service PR firm with a North American client base. L&F specializes in issues management, media (traditional, trade online, social), marketing, branding and crisis management.
