Using audience research to create a cohesive messaging approach
Nonprofits must communicate with diverse audiences to advance their missions. Each group—participants, volunteers, donors, and advocates—has unique motivations for supporting your cause.
To capture attention, nonprofits may believe they must create different messages for each audience. While tailored messages can create a personal experience, developing them can prove time-consuming and difficult to execute, and can also muddy how an organization communicates about its impact.
At Big Duck, we’ve seen nonprofits lose focus when trying to use perfect wording for every audience, resulting in diluted or inconsistent messages that confuse people.
Organizations need strong messaging. Crafting effective language starts with a single narrative that reinforces the big ideas that guide your work while creating cohesion and consistency across your organization. One of the best ways to develop your narrative is to conduct audience research. Audience research helps you identify themes that connect all your audiences so you can create messaging that captivates and inspires action.
Uncover key details
Audience research helps you understand the people you’re trying to reach. You can discover their needs, their values, and their motivations.
The first step to conducting audience research is figuring out what you want to know and drafting specific research questions to help you home in on the information you need. For example, maybe you’re interested in what drives people to get involved, so perhaps you want to ask volunteers why they give their time, or maybe you’re curious about which advocacy issues your audiences are most interested in; in this case, you probably want to ask which pieces of your work inspire audiences to support your mission.
Find the research method that’s right for you
To collect information, you can use various research methods, such as surveys, interviews, or focus groups. Each method offers a unique way to engage your audiences.
If your organization is seeking to have exploratory conversations and directly engage with audiences, we recommend trying interviews and focus groups. These methods help you capture qualitative data, descriptive information that offers in-depth insight into your audiences and their experiences with your organization. These methods also help you build better connections with your audiences, as it shows you value their feedback.
Now, if you want to gather information from a large group of people quickly, surveys might be the best fit. Surveys help you gather quantitative data by asking targeted questions and offering your audience specific choices. You might ask audiences, “What makes us unique,” and provide them with a few value propositions. Surveys help you learn how many people feel a certain way about you and your work.
During research, you may find that your audiences share common motivations despite their differences. Use these insights to shape your narrative or key messaging.
Put your research into action
Key messaging serves as the foundation for your communications. It summarizes who you are, what you do, and how people can get involved, helping everyone on staff stay consistent.
Your audience research informs your messaging, helping you communicate what your audiences need to know to support your mission. For example, in your research, you may have discovered that certain phrases matter to your audiences, or that specific programming drives them to request services and volunteer. With these insights, you can create a narrative arc that highlights the most important parts of your story to activate your audience.
Once you have your messaging, you can pull language to create any materials you need. Adjust your tone, layer in additional examples, or use unique calls to action as needed, all while keeping your core message consistent.
Ensure your messaging grows with you
Key messaging is a living tool for advancing your mission and building brand recognition. It’s important to periodically update your messaging as your organization and audiences evolve. Use research to guide any future changes so you are always equipped to communicate effectively and achieve your goals.
Curious about audience research? Download our e-book, “Get to know your community: A guide to audience research for nonprofits,” and start uncovering insights that drive real impact for your organization today
Ready to elevate your messaging? Contact Big Duck now to learn how we can support your audience research or create key messaging that advances your mission.
