TARGETING the Message For Your Market

A one-size-fits all approach will not work.

COMMUNICATION AND CONTEXT ARE IMPORTANT TO ENSURE NAVIGATORS REACH THEIR TARGET MARKETS

Simply put, a one-size-fits all approach will not work. Luckily, Community Energy Navigators, NeighborWorks organizations, and the larger affordable housing and community development field are well-positioned to tailor their messages, channels, and approaches to effectively communicate with a range of audiences.

Targeted Outreach Strategies

Research and experience by NeighborWorks America and its broad assembly of affiliates informed many best practices in targeted community outreach. Their collective experience lays out a number of outreach design fundamentals for working with and in a community.

Effective outreach requires a purposeful upfront investment. This should involve or culminate with the creation of an outreach plan. A basic plan should include the following:

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AUDIENCE – the people or community you want to reach

MESSAGE – what information you hope to share

DELIVERY – the way that message is shared

CALL TO ACTION – what you are asking of the community or household

AUDIENCE SUPPORT – how you will aid the community to heed the call

RESULTS ANALYSIS– whether you’re meeting your outreach and activation goals or how you might shift to do so

BUDGET – the financial and people resources it will take

LIAISONS – the partners who help build trust and connect to communities

Programs, Products and Initiatives

Let’s look at some examples of how these relate to targeted messaging for varied market segments.

AUDIENCE

Affordable housing and community development organizations usually know their audiences through and through. Whether your organization is dedicated to serving a community with a common background or multiple populations with different market needs, knowing those nuances is key to successfully providing excellent service.

MESSAGE

The message you develop should resonate with the population you hope to reach. For example, in San Francisco, Chinatown CDC is steeped in their local community. When the agency began its sustainable living project, it characterized it as an extension of long-established sustainable living traditions. With dense urban living, use of public transportation, and lower consumption, sustainability just made sense.

DELIVERY

These methodologies will be very different across market segments. Newspaper and radio promotions may not make as much sense in a large metropolitan area, but in towns, rural areas, and Tribal lands in particular, these may be the most effective. “We use lots of brochures and local newspapers, and radio presence is really the lifeline of communications to these communities,” said Chrystel Cornelius, the CEO of Oweesta, a NeighborWorks organization that serves Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian communities.

CALL TO ACTION

Success in targeted messaging often depends on connecting the message with a straightforward call to action. A focus group of randomized consumers held in August 2024 found that most consumers were motivated by a call to action when it focused on making homes healthier for families or making the community more sustainable for their grandchildren.

RESULTS ANALYSIS

Analysis of results is key to any program, and targeted programming is no exception. A successful marketing and outreach campaign will need to regularly analyze the message, approach to connecting with the audience, and the methods for making these connections.

BUDGET

Funding and resource limitations are often among the biggest hurdles to accomplishing positive community change. However, small amounts can go a long way. Finding space in your budget to translate marketing materials to predominant languages in the community is both practical and shows consideration. Food and shared meals are at the center of much community outreach. Providing food at events not only provides an incentive to attend but also signals respect for neighborly norms and traditions. Inevitably there will be trade-offs in the budgeting process. But targeted investments in your outreach strategy can pay dividends in the future, greatly increasing your reach and impact.

LIAISONS

In order to become a trusted partner within a community, practitioners need to understand people, institutions, and traditions that shape those communities. Liaisons could simply be the means of meeting community members or serve as translators or regular partners. Trust is important and takes time to earn, so Navigators may want or need to partner with established community liaisons to help build this trust Look to liaisons like local leaders, houses of worship, associations, other nonprofit organizations, etc., to help make connections, share information, and serve as a conduit between you and the consumer.

The key takeaway is that the most successful organizations take the time to understand and build trust in the markets they serve and develop outreach that’s specific to those markets’ needs and experiences.