Do you see a trend or worrisome issue in your community and are you planning to launch a campaign aimed at raising awareness among the local population? Here are the 5 steps that will allow you to carry out a striking, powerful and effective campaign!

1. Define the objectives

At the start of a project, many have the reflex of wanting to immediately tackle the means to be implemented. However, before starting to work on the deployment of concrete actions, it is imperative to clearly set the objectives pursued. This is the first step in making sure your campaign takes the right direction.

Here are some questions to ask yourself to establish the objectives:

• What is the health or social issue and what is its impact on the community?
• What factors related to this issue should your campaign target?
• What are the desired changes? Do they involve a change of attitude, the adoption or abandonment of a behaviour, awareness, etc.?

2. Identify the target audiences

This step helps you target the audience groups you want to reach as well as the specific characteristics and needs of each. Even if you want to target an entire community, you can divide the population into categories, such as age or profile (e.g. parents, pregnant women, high school students, seniors, families with children under 5 years, etc.).

• Who is affected by the issue targeted by the campaign?
• What are the characteristics and needs of each of the target groups (e.g. habits, behaviours, lifestyle, etc.)? 
• How do they perceive the health or social issue targeted by the campaign? 

3. Define the messages

The next step is to define the messages you want to convey based on the objectives and target audiences of your campaign. There may be more than one, but it is best to limit yourself to 2 or 3 main messages per target audience. In all cases, these messages must be short and simple and worded in such a way as to produce the desired effect. With a clear message, it is easier to achieve the desired result.

• What do you want to say to the target audiences?
• What do you want them to learn, remember or understand?
• What tone will be favoured (light, serious, emotional, humorous)?

4. Choose the strategies and means

Once the messages are defined, it is necessary to think about the communication channels and the most appropriate ways of doing things to effectively reach the target audiences. Should you opt for social media, community radio, video content or traditional print tools? This choice should be guided by the following three factors:

• Audience characteristics: What are their preferences and habits for getting information? What would be the best way to capture their attention? What places and events do they frequent?
• Desired reach: Do you want to send out short messages or provide detailed information? What format would be required so that target audiences have easy access to the information you want to share with them?
• Available budget: Does your budget offer you the possibility of deploying several actions or only one? What are the cheapest options that would allow you to achieve the desired objectives?

To get your messages out, feel free to use different channels and use more than one tool to maximize the impact of your campaign and gain more visibility.

5. Evaluate the impacts and spinoffs

Any good campaign also includes an evaluation of the actions taken to verify the effectiveness during and after the realization stage. If necessary, this allows for adjustments to be made based on demand and the reactions of target audiences.

• Were your objectives achieved? Were your actions effective?
• Can you see some changes?
• What comments have you received from target audiences? Is their feedback positive?

Using these 5 steps, your campaign is more likely to meet your expectations and generate significant impact in your community!

Now it’s up to you!