PR Is Getting Complex: Knowing Your Audience Shouldn’t Be

Simple Strategies for Effective Target-Market Research
By Tracy Morris
Public relations is getting more complicated. PR professionals used to rely on a limited range of techniques to reach target audiences—almost all based on the use of earned media. But now, with options including social networking sites, blogs, podcasts and, increasingly, paid media, choosing the right mix of communications channels for a PR campaign can appear daunting. Not to mention the challenges of defining and measuring success with many of these new techniques. One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is the need to understand your target audiences. Knowing what drives their perceptions and decision-making will still ensure that your messages have their intended impact. For this, a little market research can go a long way. Yet it’s surprising how often marketing communications managers skip this important step when embarking on a new PR program—usually in the interest of saving money and time. Basic market research, however, doesn’t have to be expensive or take a long time. The main thing to do is simply talk to your target audiences. Start with your customers. Get on the phone with your customers and prospects—and with your competitors’ customers—and ask them about themselves and their needs. What are their business challenges? Where do they see the market going? What’s driving their purchase decisions? Who’s doing a good job at meeting their needs? Who’s not? How do they get their industry news and information? Many will be happy to share their experiences. And they will likely welcome this kind of exchange, rather than a product pitch. The key is to use these conversations to listen and learn, not sell. This can also be an opportunity to run by them some of the PR strategies you’re considering and get their feedback. Your market research shouldn’t stop with your customers. Reach out to the thought leaders in your space. Read a news article with an interesting perspective from an industry analyst or other expert? Call them up. Ask them for their thoughts on the industry, your competitors and your company. Review recent news articles and see which experts are quoted most often and get in touch with them. Even better, call up the reporters who wrote the articles. Some may not give you the time of day. But some will—as long as you are respectful of their time, ask good questions and show that you’re familiar with what they’ve written. Ask them where they see the industry going, what will be driving changes, who the leaders are and why, which industry players, blogs and thought leaders they consider most influential, and how can you best work with them. These conversations can often lead to story opportunities, but even more important can help build your relationships with these reporters by showing that you are thoughtful about how you approach your work. Share with reporters some of the insights you’ve gained from your market research. You could even use these conversations to subtly get feedback on how you’re positioning your product or company. You don’t need to speak to dozens of targets to gain information that can help you. A handful for each audience type—say, six to eight each for customers and prospects, thought leaders and media—should be enough to provide you with solid insights that can enable you to shape your messages, strategies and tactics. And your calls don’t need to be long, formal affairs. You can learn a lot in an informal 20-minute phone conversation. Going through this exercise does require a certain amount of time, resources and discipline. While it may seem logical to outsource this to a PR freelancer or agency, I encourage marketing communications managers to do it themselves. Only by speaking directly with your target audiences—hearing what’s important to them and listening to their questions and concerns—will you fully understand their perspectives and needs. Your efforts will be rewarded. You’ll be more certain of your messages and strategies—and more confident in advocating and defending them—because they’re based on what your target audiences told you. It’s hard to argue with that. Do’s and Don’ts for Market-Research Conversations with Your Target Audiences Do:
  • Tell your contacts that you’re not selling. And don’t.
  • Be flexible in your questions. Have planned questions, but be ready to deviate from them if you’re getting good "unscripted" information.
  • Ask probing follow-up questions. You’re looking for real insights here, not quantitative data.
  • Modify your messaging and strategies accordingly.
  • Update your research periodically—preferably once a year to make sure your messages and strategies are still on track
Don't:
  • Position this as a conversation, but then sell your product.
  • Ask questions that could have been answered by simply reading their company website or an article they wrote.
  • Take up too much time. Remember, these people are already being generous by sharing their time and insights.
  • Drop the ball on the relationship. Stay in touch by sending information that might be helpful, based on what they’ve shared with you.
  • View insights you gain in a vacuum. They should be incorporated into what you learn from other sources including personal observations, quantitative data, industry reports and news articles.
Tracy Morris has 17 years of experience in healthcare marketing communications and public relations. She currently provides communications consulting services to a variety of healthcare corporations and nonprofit organizations, with a focus on diagnostics and women’s health. Her clients include Qiagen (formerly Digene Corporation), Pathwork Diagnostics, R2 Technology, the American Medical Women’s Association, the Association for Reproductive Health Professionals and the Association for Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses. Tracy leads efforts for her clients that include strategic communications planning, message development, media relations, market research, product and FDA milestone announcements, corporate visibility, advocacy group relations, patient and professional education, and policy (federal and state) support. Tracy previously was director of U.S. marketing communications for Digene Corporation, a molecular diagnostics company with a proprietary test for the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes cervical cancer. At Digene, her targeted outreach to physicians, laboratories, health advocacy groups and women helped to successfully establish the company’s test as an emerging standard of care in cervical cancer screening. Prior to that, Tracy served as senior vice president at Healy Communications, a Chicago-based public relations firm, where she led successful campaigns to launch new medical diagnostic tests. She began her career at Edelman Public Relations in Washington, D.C. Tracy holds a BA in English from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. She can be reached at tracy@morrismarcom.com.