Getting and keeping your key demographic’s attention

In a rich media environment, audiences are in an increasingly constant state of distraction. We’re all busy, and there is a lot going on in our lives - our attention is valuable and limited. Unfortunately for businesses, this means that in order to cut through the clutter, they have to constantly repeat themselves and draw their audience’s attention back to important items, refocusing them over and over again. It’s a frustrating dance for both partners. The business may ask “how can I get this person’s attention?”, while the audience is left wondering “what’s this person trying to tell me? and why should I care?”

The key to market penetration is perspective… simple, right? Well not quite. Figuring out what makes audiences “tick” is actually one of the most complex and frustrating tasks in effective marketing. Perhaps the most common tactic is the use of personae in marketing campaigns. It’s easy, and it works (in a limited capacity)… if you want to sell to Joe.Q.Homeowner, Basket-lover, then it’s a simple enough task to develop a marketing campaign based on that specific personae, assigning 5-10 distinctive characteristics to Joe and using that data as a foundation for your efforts.

What’s missed, however, is the fact that much broader market penetration can be achieved through micro-segmentation of the market along all possible people who, in addition to Joe’s destinct shared characteristics, might have hundreds more which are distinct and not shared.

In creating the best possible personae, businesses must invest in determining which distinctive characteristics are the best drivers… the most important and impactful characteristics. These are the items that will motivate the audience to take action, and can be determined a number of ways, including audience-specific navigation patterns on the company’s website.

It’s easy to forget, but important to remember the simple fact that audience perspectives differ along demographic lines. Regional differences, age, gender and occupation will all affect audience point of view. To get and hold your audience’s attention (and keep their impressions of you positive), you need to market to different market segments. The implications of cultural relativity are not just thought fodder for theoretical sociologists… what does your campaign slogan translate to in other languages? If it’s “eat your fingers off” or “it doesn’t go”, you may want to rethink your message!

The use of effective imagery is a powerful marketing tool, but must be carefully considered as with all marketing efforts. Once you have your audience’s attention, you want to make the best possible impression. You’ve invested a lot of time, money and effort in planning your marketing campaign… it doesn’t make sense to cheap out on the deliverables.

Sage Media is an international corporate design firm based in Ottawa, Ontario.



Getting and keeping your key demographic’s attention - To learn more about this author, visit Chanie Pritchard's Website.

Like this article? Share it with your friends

E-Mail | Print | More

Related Articles
Data Cleansing
	Creating a successful direct marketing program involves clean data records with highly deliverable addresses. Cleaning, enhancing and filling the gaps in your in-house files will mean cost effective postage rates, m...
Lesson #5: Do Not Waste Time Marketing Outside Your Target Audience
	“If you take four street corners, and on one they are playing baseball, on another they are playing basketball and on the other, street hockey,” says White. “On the fourth corner, a fight breaks out. Where does the ...
Practice Effective Marketing
	Achieve a virtuous circle for your business of healthy profits, greater customer value and better meeting customer needs. Find out how...
Ten Things You Didn't Know About Facebook
	Jesse Stay is a social media guru. He is the co-author of I'm on Facebook--Now What???: How to Get Personal, Business, and Professional Value from Facebook with Jason Alba. This book helps individuals and business o...
Timeless Internet Advice
	Nobody on earth knows that you're online until you tell them. And even when you tell them, they're probably not paying attention.

---

Related Forum Posts
	Being Productive
	Re: Due Diligence, Market Research.. Ahead of the curve.
	Presentation
	Selling on the Shopping Channel
	Re: Traditonal Demographics Do NOT Work with Generation V
	30 sec elevator pitch
	StumbleUpon
	The Prospect Knowledge Formula