How to Research Your Audience Before Spending on Promotion
Before spending on promotion, find out who your best customers are, what they need, where they get information and what makes them act. Use the evidence you already have, then fill the gaps with simple research.
Before spending on promotion, find out who your most valuable customers or attendees are, what they need, where they get information, whom they trust and what persuades them to act. Start with the evidence your organisation already holds, then fill the gaps with simple, focused research.
For businesses and organisations in Ghana with limited budgets, audience research can stop money being spent in the wrong places. It does not need to be expensive to be useful.
Write down your assumptions
List what the team currently believes about the audience: age, location, income, interests, media habits and reasons for buying or attending. Mark which beliefs are based on evidence and which are assumptions. The research should test the assumptions that matter most to the campaign.
Use what you already have
Most organisations already hold useful information:
- Sales or registration records showing who buys or attends, where and when
- Enquiries, emails and messages showing common questions
- Website and social media analytics showing where visitors come from
- Feedback forms and reviews
- Staff who speak to customers every day
Review these before commissioning anything new.
Talk to real people
Short conversations with current customers, past attendees and people who considered you but did not buy can be very revealing. Ask:
- How did you first hear about us?
- What were you looking for at the time?
- What else did you consider?
- What nearly stopped you?
- Where do you usually get information about this kind of thing?
- Whose opinion do you trust on it?
Ten good conversations often reveal patterns that guide a whole campaign.
Run a simple survey
A short online survey can reach more people. Keep it brief, ask one thing per question and avoid leading questions. Explain how responses will be used and handle personal information responsibly.
Look at the wider context
Review what competitors and comparable organisations do, which media outlets and creators the audience follows, and relevant public data about the market. Check the source and date of any statistics you rely on.
Build audience profiles
Bring the findings together into short profiles of the main audience groups. Each profile should describe who they are, what they need, where to reach them, what they trust and what would persuade them. Keep profiles grounded in evidence rather than invented personalities.
Turn findings into decisions
Use the research to decide:
- Which audience to prioritise
- Which message will be most relevant
- Which channels to use
- What proof the audience needs
- What would make it easier for them to act
Test before committing
Where possible, test messages or channels on a small scale before committing the full budget. Compare results and adjust.
Our Black Star International Film Festival work included programmes such as Shorts on Shorts to engage Gen Z audiences. Designing for a specific audience starts with understanding what that audience wants.
PR369's Marketing and Brand Strategy service includes audience insights and brand research. Email info@pr369.com with what you are promoting and what you already know about your audience. We will begin with a strategy conversation.
