What Is an Audience Statement?

An audience statement provides a succinct summary of demographic and psychographic features of the customer segment you intend to reach. It typically includes age, occupation and, for business-to-business communication, company size. Other elements that appear can range from priorities for product performance to benefits sought from a product.

The audience statement lets the marketing department develop highly focused messages that speak to the needs, wants and desires of the target market segment. It also helps everyone on the marketing team stay on the same page. This is especially important when elements of the marketing material get outsourced. For example, suppose the in-house marketing team develops the overarching strategy, but they hire a freelancer to write the sales letter and use an independent contractor to develop a radio spot. The audience statement provides both the freelancer and the radio spot developer with a very specific set of parameters. This minimizes the chances of getting sales copy or a radio spot that veers off the rails.

The audience statement also encourages consistency in messaging between different departments. For example, marketing and sales departments address the same audiences, but in very different contexts. Marketers reach the audience through advertisements or commercials, while salespeople interact with customers on a one-to-one basis. A clear and concise audience statement can ensure both departments get the same message about how to approach marketing and sales.