How Has COVID Changed Your Audience?

Your communication means nothing if the message doesn’t reach or resonate with your target audience. 

The first part of the equation is about reach. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced consumers to change habits. People spend more time working remotely, events have all-but disappeared, and layoffs and economic shifts are changing consumers' daily routines … all things that marketers depended upon in our planning efforts. We need to re-learn where our audience is and how they spend their time in order to better target them. 

But even if we’ve found them, we still need to motivate them. According to a 2019 study from Havas Group, 77% of consumers buy brands who share their values. Consumers have new stressors and priorities on their minds today, and what they valued yesterday may be different in today’s world. 

Successful executives know the key - it’s doing the research and taking the time to truly understand their audience: who they are, what they care about and how to reach them. Kane surveyed communications professionals at PRSA's international conference in 2019 and results showed that only 39% had defined and fully understood what motivated their audience. 

In this webinar, proudly presented in partnership with The Society for Marketing Professional Services Wisconsin chapter (SMPS Wisconsin), we heard from a panel of experts as they discussed strategies that brands use to ensure they do not lose touch with their audience. They spoke about social listening tools, research methods and examples of things companies are doing today to build inspiring, lasting relationships with their customers.

Speakers included:

• Moderator: Morgan Burns - Director of Marketing and Brand Strategy, Kane Communications Group

• Carolynn Buser - Editorial & Social Media Director, OnMilwaukee

• Bridget Kraus, CPSM - Marketing Director, Walbec Group

• Todd Nilson - Senior Digital Strategy Advisor, Kane Communications Group

Following are a few other key takeaways from each of our experts in this webinar:

Carolynn Buser - Editorial & Social Media Director, OnMilwaukee

“I think some things have changed in terms of how you’re reaching your audience or marketing to them throughout COVID, but a lot of our platforms and tools have remained the same. The way I see it, it’s more about changing your voice and trying to connect on more of a human side than you ever have before–that’s what is going to help you stand out more than anything else–by doing things in a human way. Most of our stories have remained the same, but we’re trying to reach readers with a different voice to reach their heart strings a little bit more.”

Bridget Kraus, CPSM - Marketing Director, Walbec Group

"I think building meaningful connections with people, on an emotional level, is more important today than it has ever been. Each day, the average person sees approximately 500 ads, marketing messages and/or emails. Building a connection is key to making sure that you break through that barrier and reach your target audience. This is crucial, now more than ever, with many people working remotely. We do not have the opportunity to bump into our customers, partners, prospects and colleagues like we used to. Being intentional about connecting with people and choosing the perfect stories to share is very important. It gives them an opportunity to feel connected to you personally through your organization, product and services you offer and whatever it is that you are marketing."

Todd Nilson - Senior Digital Strategy Advisor, Kane Communications Group

"I consider myself less of a marketer and more of a communications person. I am more interested in building trust, engagement and emotional connection between people and the organization that is trying to serve them. A high level of emotional engagement begins with 1:1 connection as much as possible. Whether you are running a Facebook page, discussion forum or have individual comments on a blog post, people want to be heard and know that they are being heard. This is why it is important to have good tracking tools like Talkwalker, Sprout Social, Brand24 and Crimson Hexagon—so that you know a consumer's desire and how to respond to those individuals. We must recognize that the keystone of building online connections is to create trusting situations. This is achievable by being responsive and showing reciprocity."

You can watch the full webinar by clicking play on the video at the top of this page!