A central tenet of social marketing is Audience Segmentation. Segmentation is based on the recognition that not all consumers – those affected by the health problem – are alike. (See Audience Segmentation in Definitions)

Grouping the audience into meaningful segments will allow you to design efficient and effective strategies for reaching them. Efficiency requires that scarce resources be applied where they yield the greatest impact on the health problem.

Some audience segments will have higher incidence, greater risk, larger numbers, or will be more likely to respond to your efforts. Marketing efficiency suggests you focus on reaching and influencing those audience segments first.

In Phase 1, you will identify potential audiences your program may target. Using the information you gather in this phase, factor into your selection:

• incidence or severity of the problem
• prevalence of risk factors
• size of the group affected
• relative defenselessness (if applicable)

In social marketing, audience segments are described by a wide variety of variables such as:

• risk for the health problem
• attitudes
• perceptions
• demographics
• preferred information channels
  

In Phase 2, you will learn more about these characteristics of your audience and further refine the segments you identified in the first phase. The more your program strategy can be tailored to meet an audience segment’s unique wants or needs, the more likely the audience segment will respond positively. This focus on the audience and the delivery of something of unique value to them is what enhances marketing effectiveness.

Different audience segments will have different wants and needs so determining which segments to target and how to do so lies at the heart of social marketing. These decisions – and the criteria and data used to make them – will be discussed in detail in Phases 2 and 3.