Understand Your Market
Overview
Effective communication requires a clear understanding of your audience, their needs, their desires and their perspective on life.
Identify Your Target Audience
- List specific audiences you are trying to reach and why
- Create a profile for each of your audiences:
- Include relevant backgrounds based on your audience
(cultural, historical, social, economic, political and philosophical) - Make a list of their needs
- Make a list of their desires
- Personify this profile by giving it a name
- Add details that help you think of it as a real person (occupation, age, education)
- Include relevant backgrounds based on your audience
Conduct a Benefit/Needs Analysis
- List the products or services you have to offer
- For each product or service:
- List the audience profile needs your offer meets
- List the audience profile desires your offer fulfills
- From your lists, identify the profiles your offer serves best
- Use product/profile matches to determine what you are really selling
(Audience needs like community and security become your marketing message.) - Determine what sets your offer apart from other similar offers
(This unique selling point will help you unify your messages and give them structure.)
Identify Your Organization's Personality and Style
- Determine how your audience perceives your organization culturally, historically, socially, politically and economically
- Determine how you want to be perceived culturally, historically, socially, politically and economically
- If they're different, list the steps needed to make your desired perception a reality