Karen Paris – Adjunct Faculty Member at CCBC, Owner of ItsAllGeek2Me, LLC
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Blasting a single message out to the public is no longer a viable option. Individuals are looking for messages that speak to them. They’re looking for messages that have been specially prepared to address their needs. In the marketing world, we call that segmentation and differentiating.

When creating these specialized messages, it’s important to make sure that they all go back to a coherent branding for the organization they represent. Sometimes it’s difficult to keep that cohesive look as you create multi-layer, multi-persona messaging. However, without it, you can confuse your audience and lose your product or business identification.

The first step in creating such a campaign is to develop a pallet and template for all of your advertising needs, whether they are print or digital.

Even though your campaign is for multiple audiences, there are still elements that you can keep consistent.

  • Use consistent fonts, texts and styles for all ads.
  • Ensure your colors remain consistent across all platforms. Determine the appropriate HEX code for your colors.
  • Choose photos that complement one another. Although they will be different and will have different audiences, they should still have a similar style.

Once you’ve determined the style for the advertising campaign, then you need to determine which platforms you will use. Using a combination of digital and print advertising that cuts across many demographics is ideal.

Evaluate each platform for demographic and distribution information. This will help you determine which program or product should be promoted through that platform. Sometimes there are multiple demographics for a particular publication, and you may choose to do multiple ads in the same publication or to create a variety of online ads that will be targeted to different populations.

It is also important to determine your customer value during this phase of the process. When deciding on a budget for multiple audiences, some groups will have a higher value to your company than others. They may make purchases more frequently, or they make may make higher dollar value purchases. Determining these values prior to committing funds can ensure that you are using your money effectively.

Finally, it is important to have a way to measure ROI for your individual ad sets. There must be a way to break down the profits and purchases by demographic group and then determine whether the ads have been effective for that group. Once this determination has been made, then moving forward you can decide if the dollar value should remain in place or be adjusted.

In the current environment, it has become easier to manage large segmented campaigns, as vehicles have become more savvy in determining how to speak to different demographic groups. With research and planning, you can effectively manage a multi-faceted marketing campaign, while leverage your marketing dollar.