Understanding your audience is essential when it comes to communication. Novelists, actors and musicians should be aware of who appreciates their talents. If not, their artistry can fall flat – we recently saw a Eurovision performance where the UK entry was awarded the dreaded ‘nul points’ in the audience vote, so take heed!
The PR angle
Similarly, in the world of public relations, understanding your target audience is vital. After all, if you don’t know who you are trying to reach with your latest news or campaigns, you’ll be unable to tailor your content accordingly. By identifying your target audience, you’ll know you are communicating with the right people with the appropriate messaging.
Who is your target audience?
In order to really know your audience, you need to look beyond the people who buy a particular product or use a specific service. Think about who you want to speak to. Where are they based geographically? How old are they? Do they work in a particular industry? What are their interests? What’s their personality like?
There are some tried and tested approaches to help identify your target audience. A useful starting point is to talk to or conduct some research among the existing customer base. People who already know about or use your brand must have been convinced by your offering, so find out why. Look for any common trends in terms of their characteristics and needs.
Another port of call should be your website data. Analytics will help you identify who is visiting your site, where they are from – and the products and services of most interest. Again, this data can be used to build a profile of your audience.
Keep an eye on the competition
Paying homage to the classic quote that “good artists borrow, great artists steal,” a similar approach can be taken when researching your audience. Keep an eye on your competitors to see how they are relaying their messages to the world – and how people are responding.
Look at their social media feeds and news output, as well as study their websites. Cheekily subscribe to their newsletters to keep up to date with all their latest stories and events – every little helps! You could dive even deeper by conducting a competitive SEO analysis on their keywords, while also monitoring which media outlets are covering them. Having this information at your disposal will then enable you to identify any similarities and utilise the most effective channels in the same way.
Create an audience profile
Researching and analysing these many segments, demographics and characteristics allows you to create an audience profile. This provides you with a clear definition of who you are trying to reach and appeal to, along with their habits, motivations and persona.
Reach out
Of course, once you have identified your target audience, the next step is to reach them effectively. Now, there are far too many ways to reach your target audience to fit into one blog, but here are a few suggestions that have proven effective over the years:
Craft compelling stories
First and foremost, make sure your content is relevant to your target audience. One of the most powerful ways to reach people is by crafting compelling, attention-capturing stories. This helps evoke emotions, create connections, and leave a lasting impression. By telling stories that resonate with your audience, you can establish a strong bond and increase engagement.
Be social
Leveraging social media channels allows you to reach a wider audience and engage with them in real-time. Identify which platforms your target audience frequents the most and create compelling content that speaks to them.
Collaborate with influencers
Collaborating with influencers who align with your brand can help you reach a larger audience and build credibility. Influencers have the power to sway opinions and make your PR efforts more impactful.
Get engaged
Not by arranging a wedding, but by creating opportunities for two-way communication by responding to comments, messages, and feedback. By engaging with your audience, you can build relationships, gain valuable insights, and foster loyalty.
Measure success and adjust accordingly
To gauge the effectiveness of your PR efforts in reaching your target audience, track key performance indicators such as website traffic, social media engagement, and conversion rates. Analyse the data to identify what’s working – and what’s not – then make adjustments where necessary.
By implementing these strategies effectively, you can enhance your PR efforts and connect with your target audience on a deeper level.
