When you’ve developed your messages, there is still left to select channels of communication and cross them with adjusted messages and target audience accordingly. Channels are ways in which you to convey messages to your audience. And there are many of them, but we can divide them into the following categories:
Media
(traditional and digital)
Internet
(web pages, designed IT tools)
People
(various stakeholders)
Print
(various information and promotion materials)
There is a clear distinction between usage of those media by different age groups, where young people dominantly use digital media as a source of information. Hence digital media will be a main point of interest for our communication strategies. Another separation of media regarding on how they will be used is on:
- Owned media – media that are in our ownership such are web pages, social media profiles, printed materials, etc.
- Paid media – media for which advertisement is paid for.
- Earned media – media you influence with your content to transfer and thus promote your activities and messages free of charge.
Of course, it depends from your budget, however your focus should be on owned and earned media. While the later one will be a product of your attractive activities, contacts in other media you have or your outstanding online messages, still within owned media there is a lot of channels you should decide on before conveying messages to young people. In order to define your channels to be used in sending message/s, you should answer following questions:
1. What is the objective you would like to achieve?
2. Who is and where is your target group?
3. What channels are available?.
4. What is your budget?
Now, you are ready to define channels of communication with your target audience. Upon selection, adjust your messages to it. Consult below ADDENDUM with practical advices about Social media style guide which will lead you through the process of defining the best way to deliver messages to your target audience. Then, you can use this table matrix to populate and cross data:
CHANNEL
TARGET AUDIENCE
PURPOSE
Eg. Web page …
Sub-target group 1
/ Explain why selected channel is crossed with selected target audience /
Etc…
Sub-target group 2
HINT: Earned media are not necessarily media outlets, they can be people who are passionate about the content you shared. This is the reason why you should make a detail analysis of your audience personas, as understanding of their needs and habits will help you provide them with the content which is more likely to be shared by through their profiles. Key motivations for people to share are: to define ourselves to others; to bring valuable and entertaining content to others; to grow and nourish relationships; and to get the word out about causes and issues we care about. Content is more likely to be shared if it is funny, moving, illuminating, inspiring or shocking.
