Isabela Pimentel shows how mapping target audiences, done through the power and interest matrix, is a vital step in communication planning.
It may seem impossible, but there are still many people who think it is possible to create an excellent communication and marketing campaign without first conducting a study of the target audience. Mapping target audiences, done using the power and interest matrix, is a vital step in communication planning. However, it is often forgotten and ignored due to the rush to deliver tactical plans, campaigns and content.
What happens? Engagement is very low. How can we create dialogues without understanding the personas?
Therefore, it is necessary to take a step back, to prepare a communication diagnosis followed by the integrated communication plan.
It is during the diagnostic phase that we can get to know our bulgaria whatsapp data audience map, yes! Also called stakeholders or parties interested in a project. Much more than the idea of a target audience, stakeholders are the parties that impact and are directly impacted by the company's actions and its communication policy.
How to map audiences?
One of the methodologies for mapping stakeholders is the power and interest matrix, a methodology that comes from project management. It consists of a tool that maps the type of power and interest relationship between Stakeholders (SP) throughout the entire life cycle of a project.
Therefore, the power and interest matrix is a qualitative analysis and its main objective is to better understand stakeholders and their actions, thus helping to create specific strategies to manage this relationship.
Audience mapping steps
The first step is to collect information from stakeholders, considering:
• Your history of interactions with the brand;
• Collection of information;
• Whether they are influencers or detractors;
• Degree of participation in brand communication initiatives.
How to create the Power and Interest Matrix for audience mapping?
In this sense, experts Eden and Ackermann recommend the use of the Power and Interest Matrix, from which we have the interested parties organized into 4 quadrants, following the guidelines of Consultant Nino Carvalho:
• Low power and low interest – Minimum Effort: these are stakeholders who tend to have little influence and little interest in your organization. Do not apply efforts in these cases.
• Low power and high interest – Keeping them informed: these audiences are very interested in what your organization does, but they do not have much power, so communication is needed to keep them informed and to know that, as a group (especially with the possibilities of the digital environment), these stakeholders can make an impact.
• High power and low interest – Keeping them happy: here it is necessary to make concrete efforts to keep them happy.
Stakeholders in this quadrant are powerful and their level of interest can change quickly if they are not satisfied.
• High power and high interest – Key Audiences: This group needs to be managed very closely. Your focus should certainly be here and your efforts should always prioritize the audiences that are in this quadrant. If, due to lack of resources, you need to focus on a few stakeholders, look only at those you listed in this quadrant.
From target audience to stakeholders
It can be said, in general terms, that new technologies, by changing the notion of time and space, have had a profound impact on organizations.
This has brought audiences (whether workers, customers or other stakeholders with different degrees of power and influence) closer to companies through technology.
Before even beginning the work of planning and building the Integrated Communication Plan, let's start by mapping the stakeholders (audiences of interest).
Because they operate in different areas and have interfaces with the most diverse audiences, companies need to analyze each of them very closely.
Who are the stakeholders in your company? Who has power and influence over it?
In general, stakeholders can be classified as primary (shareholders, employees, suppliers, etc.) and secondary (community, government and media).
I'll give you some tips to help you start mapping your company's target audiences:
• Analyze the internal scenario (microenvironment);
• Analyze the external scenario (macroenvironment or business environment);
• Identify the stakeholders involved in the project;
• Assess your level of interest, power and participation in the project;
• Map and manage the expectations of each stakeholder;
• Structure communication plans according to the needs, expectations and degree of impact of each audience.
• Reevaluate periodically.