A simple way to add value to your audience segmentation efforts is to deliberately consider types of audience groups.

While some audiences may be simply constructed as receivers of information, most often as communicators we impart a role to audience segments. For example, in an internal communications plan, we might identify Managers/Supervisors as an audience group who are intended, in fact, as vehicles of messages to their teams.

Using particular audience groups as vehicles can be very powerful in making your communication more targeted and relevant. But here’s the catch: this will not happen spontaneously.

If you are communicating with an audience segment with the goal of having them act as vehicles for your message, the communications planning process has to be deliberately designed as such. You might consider, for example, creating an information tool kit which makes it easy to equip managers to share information with their employees.

This minor shift in your approach can yield significant benefits to enhancing your communications program, and generating real results.