Target Audiences, Health Literacy and Plain Language, and Social Marketing
Social media presents a particular challenge for communicators because the users don’t focus on a single document. A reader often sifts through an onslaught of information, skims topics, and browses sites to determine where to focus his or her attention. If content is dense, long, and jargon-filled, the reader probably won’t find it appealing. To ensure that the reader does take the time to read your messages, social media writers should…
- Understand the audience they are trying to reach.
- Apply health literacy principles.
- Follow plain language best practices.
- Use social marketing concepts to improve communications.
Know Your Target Audience(s)
One benefit of using social media is audience segmentation. You can develop messages that are specific to the concerns, needs, and desires of a particular demographic. Understanding what’s important to your audience will increase the effectiveness of your social media efforts.
Likewise, understanding your audience will help you select the best channels for reaching specific audiences with your messages. People access information in different ways, at different times of the day, and for different reasons. Using market research, metrics, and other data to define your audience needs will be important in selecting the most effective channels. Each social media channel is different in the way it engages communities and manages content. Understanding how people naturally use or participate in different social media channels will help you determine your engagement strategy. If limited literacy skills are an issue for the audience you are trying to reach, then find out if and how they use social media. They might be more attracted to audio-visual content than written messages.
Appendix A provides key points on several of the audiences the CDC reaches. For more information, review the Audience Insights documents at the Gateway to Health Communication & Social Marketing Practice section.
Health Literacy
Now more than ever, health literacy matters. Laws such as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 and the Plain Writing Act of 2010 require government communicators to make their messages easy to understand, so people can more easily act upon information and make effective decisions about their health.
Research indicates that most health information is not presented in a way that is usable by most adults. Here are some examples:
- Nearly 9 in 10 adults have difficulty using the everyday health information that is routinely available in health care facilities, retail outlets, media, and communities.
- Without clear information and an understanding of the information’s importance, people are more likely to skip necessary medical tests, end up in the emergency room more often, and have a harder time managing chronic diseases like diabetes or high blood pressure.
- About 1 in 3 adults has below basic or basic health literacy skills, which means they would find it difficult to read and follow instructions on a prescription medicine label.
In response to these findings, CDC provides resources to help writers improve communications materials and focus on health literacy issues. For help crafting social media communications, please visit Health Literacy: Accurate, Accessible and Actionable Health Information for All.
The Importance of Plain Language
Often, we in health communication create health literacy problems for our audiences when we present information that makes it difficult for them to understand what they should know and do. Some of the most common mistakes follow:
- Using jargon or words and phrases that are not commonly understood by most people.
- Writing dense and long content that overuses the passive voice and doesn’t give clear and concise directions or “calls to action.”
- Including too many distracters (for example, visuals and text don’t match or the font is too small).
Using plain language helps to correct these problems. Studies show that when writers use plain language, readers discover information more quickly, understand it better, and find it more compelling. When you think plain language, think everyday language, and you will help your readers. You can learn more about plain language from the federal Plain Language Action and Information Networkexternal icon and can find the federal government’s plain language guidelines.
Here are some basic principles of plain language:
- Quickly engage the reader.
- Limit use of jargon, technical, or scientific language.
- Write in active voice.
- Keep messages short.
- Write in a friendly but professional tone.
- Choose words with one definition or connotation.
- Use measurements that are familiar to your audience.
- Choose familiar terms, and use them consistently.
- Use acronyms with caution.
- Use numbers when they help you make your point.
- Consider using alternatives to words expressing mathematical concepts, such as risk, normal, and range, if those words do not have meaning to your audience.
Use the Tools of Social Marketing in Your Communications
Take a look at these sentences. What do the bold words have in common?
Fasten your seat belt.
Eat more fruit.
Pull over to use your cell phone.
Don’t litter. Get a mammogram.
Talk to your doctor.
These action words (verbs) are behaviors that promote health. Social marketing is the use of marketing principles to influence human behavior to improve health or benefit society. Social marketing is about identifying the specific target audience segment(s), describing the benefits, and creating interventions that will influence or support the desired behavior change.
Social marketing planning requires understanding and incorporating the “The Four Ps of Marketing” (Product, Price, Place, and Promotion) into program planning. Social marketing looks at providing health services from the viewpoint of the consumer. Research can help to describe what an audience is now doing or thinking, which will help shape realistic goals for behavior change.
Below are some guidelines for incorporating social marketing into your communications.
- Highlight the positive aspects of your health message.
- Answer the audience’s question, “What’s in it for me?”.
- Respect your audience.
- Encourage your readers to take a particular action or to learn more.
- Tie messages to specific products or services when possible (such as “Find out where to get tested” or “Know your status”).