Creative campaigns allow PR practitioners to communicate in often quicker, easier-to-digest ways. Whether you’re trying to sell, inform or simply engage, pairing strong visuals and powerful language is guaranteed to make a greater impact than either element on its own. But, even the flashiest, most compelling campaigns are ineffective if they don’t properly consider and speak to the target audience. Keep reading for tips on successfully reaching your target audience when developing creative campaigns.
Messaging and visuals should work together.
The messaging components of the campaign should support the graphics, and vice versa. First impressions will likely be formed from the visual aspects, but deeper understanding and full comprehension will most likely come from the words associated with the campaign. As such, devote significant time to figuring out how both elements work together to tell the whole story.
Where an infographic can replace a long paragraph of text, use one. Where a simple explanation can enhance or emphasize a graphic element, include it.
The beauty of creative campaigns is that they combine tactics for the clearest communication possible.
Use familiar language and visuals that are representative of the intended audience.
Be mindful of using phrases and words that speak directly to the audience, reflecting language they use on a day-to-day basis. Delivering a campaign that resonates with the audience and that they’ll find personally meaningful significantly increases the chance the audience will remember and respond to the campaign.
Along the same lines, making sure your visuals are representative of your audience is also critical. Show the viewer people in a similar life situation to themselves in any photos or use a graphic treatment that would appeal to them. The more you can demonstrate how the product or service would fit into or improve the audience’s lives, the better.
Helping the audience visualize themselves using the product or service motivates action and reinforces the goals of the campaign.
Use channels that best reach the target audience.
As the campaign is underway, consider which channels would best reach the intended group. Whether it’s an email blast or a poster in the breakroom, each audience will have a method of communication that is preferred and most likely to reach them.
Conduct some informal research with the audience to see how the majority of the group receives information. Often, this can help you identify new opportunities for communication, and it will certainly help guide where you focus on developing the campaign. For reaching broader audiences, be sure you present the content through a variety of forms, to ensure each different group is receiving the message.
The goals of your creative campaign can be accomplished only if you reach the campaign’s intended audience. Considering how the target individuals will react to the words and images in the materials, and distributing the information through their preferred methods, are essential steps to a successful campaign.
At Cooksey Communications, we work with our clients to customize each creative campaign to best fit and most effectively reach key audiences. Get in touch to see how we can help you drive results!
Cooksey Staff
