Personal connections are part of what make us human. We seek them out every day – so why wouldn’t we apply this to our comms? Making connections through relevant and personalised communications is a guaranteed way to add impact to any project. Here’s how we connect with your audience to deliver comms that count:
It can be tempting, especially if time and money are short, to take a “one message fits all” approach. But by doing this it's easy to lose that all-important connection with the audience, many of whom will give up wading through information if it’s not tailored to them.
Identifying the ‘different audiences you want to speak to’ and ‘what you want them to learn/do’ is the best place to start. For example, your business may have lots of colleagues coming up to retirement and you want them to understand their options. Knowing this means you can tailor your communications effectively to appeal to this demographic, splitting messages into clear, relevant content that directly speaks to their needs.
By creating relevant and tailored communications, you can keep messages clear and really highlight what you’re trying to say. This holds a greater chance of engagement and understanding, meaning messaging is more likely to make the right impact
Some comms are generic by nature, and that can work depending on what you want the outcome to be. However, personalisation can add a whole new element of engagement. Consider this: is what you’re creating simply for sharing information or is there an action needed?
If you want someone to act, why not address them directly? Using someone’s name in a letter or email, or adding it to a personalised video means they know that message is specifically for them and that it’s something to take notice of, often leading to much higher levels of engagement.
As the saying goes, ‘timing is everything’. There’s no point asking something of the audience that they can’t connect with now, because it’s too far away or just not on their radar. That’s a surefire way of switching your audience off.
Putting together a simple timeline of your communications for a specific project, or for the year, gives you a clear picture of what is going to who and when. That way you can be sure to get the timing right for maximum impact!
Taking a moment to consider when the best time to communicate is, gives you a greater chance of success. In a fast-paced world, people want to know ‘what is relevant to me now and why should I care or do anything’.
Adding that ‘je ne sais quoi’ to your comms is more than just making it look “pretty”. It starts right at the beginning with the questions, ‘What exactly are we trying to achieve?’ and ‘How can we best do that?’. Here are some useful tips that we rely on to engage an audience:
Engaging communications take a lot of thought, but it’s so worth it.
Deciding what media to use is another big decision – how will your audience best engage? Is this the same for everyone, or is a multi-media approach best?
It’s important not to generalise, but really know your audience. What industry do they work in, how are they used to being communicated with? Is there a new media we can use that would better suit your audience and at the same time add some intrigue?
There are so many ways to speak to someone: videos, in person, text messages, apps, letters, websites, phone, social media, email, posters, instant messaging, desk drops, speakers, meetings… the list goes on. And different people have different preferences. So why not ask them their preference with a simple survey? That way, you can be sure to connect with as many of your audience as possible to get the best outcome.
There are many ways to connect with your audience, which is essential to the success of your projects. We know how to make an impact. Let us help you do this with your communications. For support connecting with your audience, please get in touch.
