‘We target the general population.’
‘We reach out to young people.’
‘Our target audience is migrants.’
Does this sound familiar? In communication planning our target groups are often defined as belonging to what might be thought of as the norm. When we speak of the entire population, we may inadvertently imagine the recipient of a message as someone who speaks Finnish, is literate, and is familiar with the Finnish society and its services. That being the case, those who do not fit this description can easily be excluded from communications. Although they are the very people who might need the information we provide, to help them with matters concerning their health, for example.
Hard-to-reach groups or hard-to-reach communications?
Minority groups might easily be seen as ‘hard to reach’ target groups in communications. We want to challenge this way of thinking by shifting the perspective away from the individual and focusing more on the existing structures: could the problem lie not so much with the recipients but more with the planning and implementation of communications? Rather than hard-to-reach groups, could we not speak about target groups or audiences whose communication needs we have failed to recognise or whose needs our communications do not meet?
Migrants are a diverse group
Not everyone is reached by one single message. For example, migrants are a diverse group, just like us Finns. Their backgrounds vary according to language, age, gender, education, where they live, professional status, culture and experiences. It is vital to take these factors into account if we want to communicate with them comprehensibly and effectively. Find out about the population or the users of services in your area and use this information to plan your communication.
Effective communication also requires some understanding of the target audience’s culture. The instructions concerning treatment obtained from the health care services might be correct in terms of their content and grammatically flawless, but that will not necessarily lead to the desired outcome if they are not socially or culturally accessible.
Professionals frequently want us to provide explicit guidance on how communications can take better account of the culture of the target audience. There is not one right answer to this question, but working closely with a target audience can help us to understand their needs and hopes.
Collaboration starts with listening
Working with others does not always depend on huge resources, but it requires time, a new way of thinking and a willingness to learn. The main tool is listening. Aim to discuss matters with your audience. Do not just rush to ask how you are getting your message across: also ask what they think about it and what information they need. Ask for feedback or test the messages you send out before publication.
It is often not possible either to gain an understanding of all the customs and preferences of the different target audiences. That does not matter. One step at a time is OK. From the very start you should try to make sure that cooperation goes both ways and that all parties are benefiting from it in some way.
Such an approach will improve the accessibility and effectiveness of communications. It will furthermore promote good relations between population groups and trust in the authorities or organisations.
Testing and sharing good practices
It is difficult to give universal guidance on how the various target groups or people of different cultural backgrounds can be acknowledged in communications. We give here a few concrete examples of how we have worked with a target audience in our own work community. We also encourage you to share good practices and give examples.
- Discussions and shared good practices. In our work community we regularly hold discussions about such matters as the terms and language we use in our field, and we keep an eye on trends in this area These lessons are also being shared with other EU countries through the major public health project JACARDI. One of its key goals is to ensure that the diversity of clients is recognised as part of treatment pathways for people with cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.
- Cooperation with non-governmental organisations and community-based organisations. Non-governmental organisations have helped us, on the one hand to hear the needs of a community, and, on the other, to disseminate information about our work and our projects. They have, for example, helped us to find clients who have moved to Finland for the Active agency – services promoting equality, non-discrimination and social inclusion project, and we have listened to their experiences of social services and used the information to develop our activities. Organisations often have valuable and up-to-date information about the target audience.
- Multilingual communications. At the time of the COVID-19 pandemic we chose the most commonly spoken languages in Finland (apart from Finnish, Swedish and English) as the main languages used in our multilingual communications. Other case specific criteria might also apply to multilingual communications. It is nevertheless important to ensure that our communications or choice of language do not reinforce stereotypes about certain population groups or view any one population group negatively.
- Compensation and recruitment. Always pay people for their work. The MoniSuomi population survey involved the hire of multilingual research interviewers with a knowledge of the target audience culture, and who, together with the rest of the research team, planned and implemented communications, for example, by editing them in such a way that they were more suitable for the target group.
- Roundtables or peer panels. These help to build cooperation with our target audience who get their voices heard accordingly. Representatives of the community and those associated with the topic being discussed are invited along. Panels of local residents can function in the same way. Make sure the diversity of the population in your area is also represented in them.
Further readings
Looking to connect with your audience? Accessible communication reaches diverse audiences
Migration and cultural diversity (THL)
Sinikka Kytö works in the Joint Action on CARdiovascular diseases and DIabetes (JACARDI) project, funded by the European Commission.
Maiju Mikkonen works in the Agency – services that promote equity, antidiscrimination and participation project, funded by the European Union.