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Who is your audience? Before we begin, the answer is not, “Everyone.” While this may seem like the obvious answer for agencies that provide services to demographically diverse communities, it is impractical to think that an agency can speak directly to an entire community through its channels of communication like a brochure, online media, flyers, or advertisements. The end result of this type of strategy of indirectly communicating with everyone is that you won’t communicate with anyone.
The marketing mix and the four P’s of marketing (place, price, promotion, and product) are basic strategies that are often used and taught in the recreation industry. While they can be effective—and are certainly valid tools to use in developing communications—it is often lost that a targeted audience is at the center of it all. Without a target for the 4 P’s to shoot at, they don’t mean anything. Therefore, the first step in marketing has to be defining the target market.
Agencies can segment behavior both online and within the community. When you start to understand where the target spends its time, energy, and money, you can be better prepared to serve. Surveys, research, and in-person communication can provide valuable information to create a marketing campaign or plan.