For successful communication development, it is crucial to have a precise understanding of the target groups and their media usage behaviour. But how do you gain this knowledge? Through targeted analyses, market research, and the evaluation of user data, relevant information about the interests, habits, and preferred channels of the target groups can be obtained. This understanding makes it possible to tailor messages and manage communication effectively.
People's desires and decisions are closely linked to their social and economic environment. Through their consumer behaviour, they reveal who they are and which group they belong to every day. Milieu studies help clearly identify target groups in communication. Are they achievement-oriented people from the upper middle class or consumption-oriented hedonists from the lower middle class? The approach should be tailored to each target group.
If you know which people are already interested in your information and offers, you can conclude other potential target groups. Your customers' age, location, language, purchasing behaviour, and values provide insight into who you are dealing with. New target groups can be derived from existing groups.
People consciously or unconsciously follow trends that operate on two levels: macro and micro. Microtrends are short-term, usually valid for one to two years, regionally or locally limited, and reflect the behaviour of specific groups in specific locations.
These microtrends help us better understand local target groups. Macrotrends have a long-term effect, often spanning many years, and reflect social developments and changes in people's needs.
Macrotrends make it possible to consider larger changes. How does climate change affect your target groups? How are their attitudes changing as a result? Answers to these questions support future-oriented communication.
A persona is a fictitious person who serves as a concrete counterpart when developing communication and offerings. It helps your team specifically understand the needs and attitudes of specific target groups. This allows you to tailor your communication and develop a consistent offering for all customers.
Observing people reveals how they behave in certain places, what their interests are, and what content they consume. You can do this both digitally on social networks and websites, as well as in real life. Although observations are time-consuming, they provide valuable information that would be difficult to access otherwise.
Interviews give you direct insight into the attitudes of your target audience. By analysing the answers and listening carefully, you gain essential feedback for your communication work early on. Repeated questioning helps you delve deeper into superficial answers and identify accurate opinions. This allows you to get to the heart of the issue.
A clear definition of the target groups is essential for successful communication. Only those who know their target groups precisely can use messages, design, and communication channels in a targeted and effective manner. The investment in target group analysis, therefore, directly pays off in the effectiveness of communication work. Without this foundation, communication becomes like searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack.
