It’s a good – and important – question to answer. You don’t want to respond too quickly or two broadly, though, because the answer isn’t as simple as you might initially think.
Identifying “them”
Sure, your customers may be composed of your community’s residents, but they aren’t one, faceless person. They don’t collectively think the same way nor do they need the same thing. Your audience is a diverse group of people so you must figure out:
- Who each of them is,
- What each of them needs and wants for communications, and
- How each of them wants it.
You don’t have to drill down to an individual level, but you should gather enough specific demographic information so you can identify various subgroups within your community:
- Homeowners
- Residential renters
- Residential landlords
- Commercial property owners
- Commercial renters
- Institutions such as schools and hospitals
Taking time to specifically identify your customers is an important initial step in planning effective communications for them.