How to Communicate With Your Audience?
When marketing professionals work with new clients, they typically start by defining a target audience. This target audience is different for every company and depends on the goods or services it provides, the geographical location in which it operates, and the market forces driving competition in its industry.
Once a marketing professional has helped a business define its target audience, he or she will be able to suggest the right mediums for reaching it.
10 Mediums Professionals Use to Communicate With Their Target Audience: What Are the Optimal Strategies for Each?
Read on to discover ten of the most popular mediums professionals use to communicate with target audiences and how they optimize outreach strategies for each of them.
1. Organic Social Media Outreach
Billions of consumers across the globe use social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
These users span a wide range of generations, from Gen-Z to baby boomers, so business owners can’t afford to miss this opportunity for customer outreach.
Just creating accounts on major social media networks isn’t enough, though. Companies need to build their social media presence with their specific target audiences in mind if they want to get enough exposure to reach new customers.
Business owners can get more details about how to do that by consulting a professional.
2. Paid Social Media Ads
Most social media platforms also allow businesses to post paid ads. Paid ads on platforms like Facebook
allow users to target audiences with incredible detail by inputting demographic information tailored to their consumer bases.
Some audiences are more responsive to paid ads than others, but investing in paid advertisements on social media is a good idea for almost all businesses.
3. Local Conventional Media Outlets
Although social media has fundamentally changed how consumers interact with information, that doesn’t mean it has ousted conventional media outlets.
Many audiences still turn to local news sites and channels to get information about what’s going on in the world. If local businesses can have their services or products featured on television, in local newspapers, or on sites that target specific consumer groups based on geographic location, they’ll be able to extend their reach substantially.
Just make sure that the media outlets specifically target those consumers most likely to buy the company’s products or use its services.
4. Company Websites
Don’t underestimate the importance of creating and maintaining a professional website. Although many consumers turn to social media for advice and recommendations about products and use it to research vendors, they’ll still want to visit the company’s website for additional information.
If it has plenty of useful content that engages users who might be interested in its products or services, that can be a huge benefit. Focus on developing content that amplifies social media presence for maximum impact.
5. Email Marketing Campaigns
Email campaigns are one of the oldest forms of digital marketing, but it remains one of the most cost-effective strategies.
Business owners who employ email marketing techniques can reach huge audiences at a minimal cost and track the effectiveness of their campaigns.
Try starting out with an e-newsletter that contains industry news, promotional offers, and information about the company, then expand into drip campaigns.
6. Google Ads
With Google Ads, business owners can target their audiences based on unique demographics, keywords, and geographic location. Google also uses a pay-per-click fee schedule, which means that business owners will only need to pay for ad placement when users actually click on the ads.
Google ads can be divided into search ads and display ads. Display ads include graphics, while search ads are text-based. Choosing what type of ad to use and which keywords to target requires a little research, but the pay-off is usually worth it, especially for small business owners who want to target local consumers.
7. Direct Mail Marketing
Direct mail marketing predates the Internet, but it’s still a valuable tool for some business owners. Direct mail marketing campaigns involve sending postcard mailers to entire neighborhoods or local demographic groups.
They’re best for local businesses like restaurants and boutique shops and are often used to advertise sales, grand openings, and major changes to the company and its goods or services.
The United States Post Office (USPS) offers discounts on its Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) services, so this approach offers an affordable way to supplement digital marketing efforts.
8. Out-of-Home Advertising
Out-of-home (OOH) mediums include things like bus wraps, billboards, and mall signage. Some business owners consider this form of advertising to be out of touch, but for companies that target audiences that don’t often use the Internet, it can still be an effective way to generate new leads.
Plus, popular OOH mediums like billboards are going digital in increasing numbers, which gives business owners the chance to try out new promotions for limited times.
9. TV Commercials
TV commercials are more memorable than print ads, but it’s harder to target specific consumer groups.
Businesses who sell products or services designed for older consumers can still benefit from traditional TV ads, but those who target Millennial or Gen-Z consumers might want to consider commercials on streaming services instead.
Placement is less expensive, although it still costs a good deal of money to create a professional TV commercial.
10. Radio Ads
Radio ads can target local consumers or broader markets and can be placed seasonally. Business owners can have their ads placed on specific programs or talk shows to target listeners that might be interested in their products or services, and it costs less to produce a radio spot than a full television ad.
Those who want to target broader audiences during rush hour radio shows or other similarly popular time slots on major networks should expect to pay more for placement than business owners who make arrangements with small, independent radio hosts.
The Bottom Line
Effective marketing campaigns always focus on target audiences, but businesses can benefit from taking a multifaceted approach to reaching new consumers.
Unless they have specialized experience in marketing, it’s wise to hire a digital marketing firm to help.
Other forms of advertising like TV and radio commercials won’t be very effective if they don’t route viewers or listeners back to a high-quality website with plenty of valuable content.
How do you communicate with your target audience? Are you using these 10 marketing mediums to their full potential?
