Know what you don’t know – using social media and market research to inform Loop® communication strategies

As scientists and communicators, we often make assumptions about the public’s opinions, beliefs, and interests. We use these assumptions to guide most of our decision making and communication strategies, but are these assumptions correct? In 2015 and 2016, King County used both social media research and market research to test these assumptions. The social media research did not have geographic boundaries, but the market research surveyed only King County residents. The social media and news assessment found that interest in biosolids has been decreasing over time and that outside of a few areas of organized resistance, anti-biosolids activists do not have a large online presence or reach. The first market research survey found low levels of biosolids awareness, but high levels of support and interest. A market segmentation was used to profile respondents into key audience groups and analyze their demographics, lifestyles, and preferences to better understand how to successfully communicate with and message to these groups. The market segmentation identified three key audience groups: the Poop Champions, the Poopsuadables, and the Pooh Poohs. The Poopsudables are the target audiences, the Poop Champions are the target messengers, and the Pooh Poohs are the group to avoid intentional engagement with. The demographics, values, and preferences of these groups is specific to King County, but any agency could perform a similar data analysis to profile target audiences. The second survey was a media test of the Loop® biosolids videos, which found that visual communication, personal stories, and the positive messaging of the Loop brand was an effective communication strategy. Sixty-four percent of respondents indicating there were very supportive of biosolids after seeing a Loop video, while only 35% of respondents indicated they were very supportive after reading an unbranded text definition and seeing a wastewater treatment diagram. If agencies can identify which audiences to target, which to use as messengers, and which to avoid, and how to message to each in alignment with a specific communications goal, then their communications efforts will be more efficient and strategic.