Marketing is all about the audience. Who are you speaking to? What are you trying to motivate them to do? What kind of relationship are you building?
With increased online capabilities, every brand is now a publisher. So how can you rethink your business relationships as publishing opportunities that will reduce costs or drive revenue?
Redefining your relationships to these audiences will help you to target and measure your efforts better. Here are some new audiences that you may not have considered and some important questions to ask yourself about how your brand can speak to them better.
Your employees are an audience
Internal communications are valued to different degrees by different companies. But getting everyone up to speed and on the same page is vital to coordinating all your efforts. This is an audience you can empower.
Key Questions
- How can you use real time technologies to reinforce your successes and move quickly to correct your processes?
- How can you plot out the sales journey and provide content and communications at key trigger points to aid your sales staff?
- How can you encourage shared terminology across departments and reinforce your unique value across disciplines?
Your partners are an audience
Most brands don’t keep the full extent of their business in house. You use manufacturers, distributors, retailers, spokespeople, PR firms, agencies, the list goes on. Treating them as an audience allows you to be always thinking of what they need to serve you better and vice versa. This audience is captive and motivated.
Key Questions
- How can you use web technologies to serve information to and between all your vendors?
- How can you distribute content to facilitate communication and collaboration between agencies?
- How how can you empower retail sales people with the latest messaging, tips, and tricks?
- How can you use online channels to build new partnerships?
Your loyal, repeat customers are a distinct audience
Ok, this is really a subset of your traditional audience. But the path they take to purchasing your products and services is completely different than someone who has never heard of you. They are also the most likely to spread the word in an authentic way through their own network.
Key Questions
- How can you provide best in class support content and customer service?
- How can you deliver the inside scoop on new and upcoming events and products?
- How can you build community and strengthen loyalty?
Solving your challenges
When thinking through your business challenges, remember that the end user of your products and services isn’t your only audience. As nearly all your communications move online or use online resources, it’s important to identify who else is your audience and to tailor content to meet their needs.