Recently I was going over a proposed communications plan with a client, and I noticed amid all the fantastic ideas to achieve the desired objectives and goals, from blog content to podcasts there was one key element missing, the audience. Who was all of this comms activity being directed or targeted to?

It’s really easy when writing a communications plan to focus on what you’re going to do and how you’re going to do it without really thinking through who your target audience is. I have done this several times but it has to be said that taking the time to identify and define your audience can really help you to focus your communications in the right place and ensure the right people are receiving your messaging. Because as it’s often said in marketing ‘if you’re trying to talk to everybody, you’re not reaching anybody’.

Furthermore, addressing your target audience will allow you to develop a strategy that will help you better communicate your key message. Knowing your target audience involves knowing what they need and not just what you want to tell them. People generally care more about an issue when it’s aligned with their concerns, beliefs and values.

So with this in mind you can tailor your message that will strike a meaningful chord with your audience. For example, if your target audience is finance managers you might want to focus on the cost-effectiveness of your product/service rather than just how great it is in general.

So who’s your audience? Let’s start with who isn’t your audience: the general public is not your audience. I repeat for the people at the back: the general public is not your audience! You absolutely can and should be more specific.

The smaller and more specific your audience the easier it will be to create focused and targeted communication. Think about who they are, what they do, what their needs are, what barriers might they be facing and how can you help overcome them.

Your target audience should include decision-makers. These are the people who can make your goals a reality. However, it may not possible to reach them directly or they may need a significant amount of persuasion, in which case you also need to include influencers, who have direct access to the decision-makers and can influence them to buy-in to your product or service.

Influencers are the people who are like-minded and are interested and paying attention to what you are doing. They don’t have final sign-off on a business decision but likely have a significant say and are key in being able to reach those who may be on the fence about what you are trying to sell.

Avoid going after people who oppose your goals because this will almost certainly result in frustration and a failed campaign. You’re much better off identifying those with a degree of uncertainty (the aforementioned fence sitters) as it’s likely they can be persuaded with the right messaging, which will yield much more positive results.

Accurately identifying your audience will help you to attract and convert quality leads and will save you time and energy in getting your communications right. It will also help differentiate you from your competition. So next time you start to plan your comms strategy, start with your audience and work your way from there.