Of course, you want to reach as big an audience as possible. But being more targetted and less vague can give better results.

Thinking about target audiences can get a bit overwhelming. Let’s start with a couple of simple questions: 

• Who is your research for? 
• Who do you want to make an impact on?

The easy answer might be ‘everyone’. But in reality, every project, despite its unique purpose, generally aims to achieve similar goals. For example, most research projects strive to do 4 things:

1. Advance understanding of the research area within academic circles
2. Generate excitement in specific research areas to boost essential funding
3. Question, challenge, and influence existing policy
4. Make a tangible difference in the lives of real people

And so, when embarking on a research project, it’s tempting to try to connect with everyone: academics, donors, policymakers, and the general public, all at once. However, this approach presents a significant problem: we can’t talk to all these different groups in the same way.

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The language of research

You can’t expect the same language to resonate with all audiences. 

Imagine for a moment that you’re writing a blog post. You want to talk to both British and Japanese readers. You wouldn’t write in Japanese, and expect your British readers to understand, would you? Nor vice versa. And yet, many researchers are doing much the same thing when it comes to writing about their projects. They’re using technical language and expecting the general public to understand – or using everyday language, and expecting to engage with academic experts. 

Using jargon will confuse the general public, leaving them feeling overwhelmed and isolated. On the other hand, overly simplistic language might dissuade academics from taking the research seriously. 

Often, researchers write papers aimed at a technical audience, and then attempt to simplify parts for non-technical readers. This strategy rarely works effectively. Instead, rather than presenting non-technical readers with content designed for their needs, researchers are offering up ‘dumbed down’ translations that fail to connect. The best results come when researchers write content with a specific audience in mind, ensuring from the very start that it’s clear and engaging for that audience.

Understanding your audience from the beginning of your project is critical. 

But how can you define who you’re writing for?

You can’t speak to everyone in the same way without risking the alienation of significant portions of your audience. Instead, you must tailor your communication to each group’s needs. 

Defining your target audience 

Defining your target audience can seem challenging. Why? Because while you may have an idea in your head of who you’re writing for, your real-world audience can be vastly different. They may have needs you’ve never considered; they could be looking for an experience you haven’t anticipated. 

So… how do you do it?

The obvious solution is to use past data to examine who has engaged most with previous content, and work to collate the characters and personalities of these individuals into a single persona. 

Hang on a minute – now we’re using jargon! A marketing persona is “a composite sketch of a key segment of your audience“. Composite because it shouldn’t represent just one person, rather it should reflect most of the people it represents. Each segment of your audience should have its own persona, as long as they’re different enough to warrant it.

However, for projects starting from scratch – and there are many – past data may not be available. In such cases, looking at similar past projects, including their Google Analytics and social media followers, can provide useful insights to shape your communication strategy for current and future projects.

It pays to know your audience

If you’ve been following our blog, you might recall that we’ve previously discussed dynamic content. 

Dynamic content allows you to create two distinct types of content – for technical and non-technical website visitors – and automatically display the appropriate content to each user. This approach enables you to ‘speak to everyone’, without alienating a huge portion of your target audience. 

However, you can’t embrace dynamic content without having defined your audience. Dynamic content involves creating bespoke, tailored material that communicates effectively with the right people. Without a clear understanding of your target audience, dynamic content won’t deliver results. 

Communication is key

As a researcher, it’s crucial to communicate effectively with a diverse range of stakeholders, from donors to academics to the general public. The ability to speak to each stakeholder appropriately is essential for getting your research out there, and really making an impact in the real world.

But remember, you can’t speak to everyone in the same way without risking the alienation of significant portions of your audience. Instead, you must tailor your communication to each group’s needs. 

Understanding who these groups are and what they’re looking for is the starting point. Armed with this information, you can share your messages clearly and concisely. You’ll enable those messages to make a significant impact on everyone involved, from those in the lab to those sitting at home. 

Next, where can you find those target audiences? It may be that different audiences favour different platforms, in which case you can tailor communications accordingly.

Pixelshrink can help

At Pixelshrink, we specialise in helping researchers engage with the right people, at the right time, in the right way. Get in touch to find out more, and get a head start on defining your target audience.