In an increasingly crowded media landscape, it has become more and more difficult to gain the attention of consumers.

Reach and frequency remain important metrics, but it is not enough to plan with only these in mind. We need our consumers to engage, and to do so for as long as possible.

To get their attention, our messaging needs to be valuable, relevant and consistent and the placement needs to be targeted, providing the best opportunities to see.

Where possible, we also need to test the effectiveness of our channels against the stated campaign aims and limit wastage to ensure every penny is spent wisely.

However, we can’t do any of this unless we know who we are talking to. This is where understanding your audience comes in…

How we build our target audiences and which tools we use to do so, varies by campaign, but it’s always useful to start by thinking about what you do and don’t know about the characteristics, values and behaviours of your potential consumers.  Sometimes this process is straightforward, but often it isn’t.

Remember, we don’t need to provide the most granular audience data possible and shouldn’t fall into the trap of thinking we are speaking to individuals. We can’t ever fully control who sees our campaigns and broad reach is still important.

Flexibility is key when it comes to redefining target audiences as and when you are presented with further information. But none of this means that you shouldn’t try to define your audience upfront.

Because, if you don’t know who you are talking to, how do you know they are listening?

Kate Treglown

Senior Insight Executive