Meet people where they are.

In the communications world right now, there is no bigger catch-phrase than “meeting people where they are”. It crops up in most meetings I have about communications strategy. And it was a big discussion point at the #IBISAcademy conference I was part of in Geneva two weeks ago.?

I’m ok with its prevalence.

An in-depth audience analysis is a vital consideration and component of an effective communication strategy or creative campaign. Just saying the words - meeting... people... where... they... are... instantly shifts focus as a communicator. It helps to lift you out of the weeds of what you have to say (and why you think it’s important that people pay attention), and enables you to think about the context, needs, behaviours and attributes of the people that you’re trying to reach, make a connection with, to convey an important message to, and to encourage a reaction from.??

But, what I’m not ok with is the reaction that’s often greeted when some smart ass utters the words…??

Someone A: “For this <project> to be successful, we really need to meet people where they are”.

Everyone: Overzealous nods and noises of agreement...?

Someone B: “Yes, I agree. That’s a great point”.?

Someone C: “Ok, then let’s do that. What do we know about our audience?”.

Everyone: Deafening silence for what feels like forever…

Someone D: “I’ll check the annual engagement survey data and see what that says”?.?

Ok, clearly I’m trivialising to make a point. But, it’s not far off. I’m amazed at how often internal communication campaigns ‘fly blind’ without any insight, analysis or data on their audiences.?

Apparently we make somewhere in the region of 35,000 decisions, every single day. This has led to us becoming experts at making snap decisions, creating shortcuts?and heuristics so that we can just get on with other ‘stuff’. We know people are busy, yet we over-communicate with excruciating and irrelevant detail because we don't know enough about the people on the receiving end. This is a sure-fire way to damage your credibility and alienate your audience.??

I know it’ll sound obvious but to meet people where they are, we first need to KNOW where they are.?

To do that you need to create a supportive infrastructure where the processes, technologies and resources are aligned and enable better communications?because?they are set up to understand people. 'Connecting the dots' is a cross-functional exercise. This activity helps lay a foundation for segmentation and personalisation. Knowing where I am is not just physically but mentally, motivationally, attitudinally.

The data in your HR System will give you a one-dimensional view of a person. My name is Matt. I’m 40 years old. I’m a People Experience Consultant. And I’ve worked for Gallagher for 21 years. The data in your Benefits System (if you have one) will add another layer and tell you I’m married to Katie. I have two boys named Felix and Leo. I have a recurring back problem. It’ll indicate that I have plans for this year because I bought extra holiday days, and I enjoy cycling because every year I max out the cycle to work benefits!?

Now you’re starting to build a clearer picture of me. But there are still many gaps…?

• What’s my learning style? Do I learn by seeing (visual), hearing (auditory), doing (kinesthetic) or by reading???
• What am I interested in and what do I want to know about the business??
• What are my personal and professional ambitions for the year ahead??
• How do I want to receive communication? What channels, how often, what time of day is best?
• What's my attitude to money? Do I like to save, grab a bargain, splurge on shiny gadgets?

Answers to these questions will come from multiple sources, and will evolve in time as my preferences and needs change. You’ll gain insight if you track how I react to the communications you send me - what triggers a response, what doesn’t, which of your communications do I read, share, comment on, what do I search for?

Every data point helps to create the picture.??

But, it gets really powerful when you layer in learnings from personal interactions too. What did my boss learn about me during my last performance review? Am I starting a family, or having troubles at home, or moving, or wanting to move ‘up the ladder’, or learn new things, or find greater work-life balance??

This, added to everything else above, gives you a much more rounded view of where I am, my priorities, my preferences and my needs. With this clarity you’ll know how best to really meet me where I am, so you can tailor the experience to me.????

This is commonplace in the world of ecommerces, sales and marketing.?External brands know the 'buying cycle' and what content is needed to match the motivations of people depending on where they are.

My Google search for "Nike, high tops, red, size 10.5" means I know what I want and I’m ready to buy. But if I search "Trainers" I’ll be met with options and "how to choose" help. The response is relevant to me.

Ask anyone in a sales or marketing role for information about customers or prospective customers, and you’d be flooded with data points on buying habits, buying power, communication preferences, touch-points and feedback, conversion funnels, and more. They are meticulous in using insight to inform strategy, because they’d be out of a job if their efforts didn’t generate results.?

For internal communication to compete, it has to keep up with the rest of the world in terms of technology, diligence, hyper-personalisation, creativity, and measuring the heck out of everything. But not just vanity metrics like page hits, views and shares, but evidence that substantiates that communication has helped to improve wider organisation health metrics - like productivity, attrition and performance.

It takes a considerable amount of effort and expertise to create and manage an ecosystem like this. But it’s a process. It takes time. There are plenty of manageable, pragmatic steps to help:?

• Strengthen your audience understanding;
• Align internal interactions and data capture processes;
• Create employee life cycles and journeys;
• Match objectives to outcomes;
• Analyse communication effectiveness;
• Create personas and cohorts; and?
• Introduce segmented messaging.?

The most important step is embracing an agile ‘test and learn’ approach that informs the next step. Alternatively you continue to communicate by broadcasting “one size fits all” messages and hoping people listen. But that's shockingly ineffective! ?