How to Do Audience Segmentation

"Audience segmentation is a key activity within an audience analysis. It is the process of dividing a large audience into smaller groups of people - or segments - who have similar needs, values or characteristics. Segmentation recognizes that different groups will respond differently to social and behavior change communication (SBCC) messages and interventions."

This Health Communication Capacity Collaborative (HC3) guide, one of five [see Related Summaries below] supports focusing messages for SBCC on those who are most critical in adoption of changes in behaviour. "Tailoring an SBCC strategy to the characteristics, needs and values of important audience segments improves the chances for desired behavior change."

As stated here, "audience segmentation takes place during audience analysis. To gain stakeholder input, the audience segmentation can also be part of the stakeholders’ workshop..." and can be managed by communication research staff. Objectives include defining the audience segments for a particular health issue and then selecting an appropriate audience segment for the intervention.

Steps (in summary here, elaborated with illustrations in the document and links to definitions, charts and templates designed to be of use in the analysis) include:

• "Step 1: Review Audience Information
• Step 2: Decide Whether to Segment
• Step 3: Determine Segmentation Criteria
• Step 4: Segment Audiences
• Step 5: Decide which Segments to Target
• Step 6: Assess the Proposed Segments
• Step 7: Develop Audience Profiles"

The document includes resource links, templates, tips and recommendations, a glossary and concepts section, and sources and citations.