marketing plan redux
DESCRIPTION
Whether it's the wide availability of new technologies or the ever fluctuating economy, change is inevitable. It can feel overwhelming to any marketer trying to make the best, most effective choices for their organization. Every organization has limited resources, and choosing how to spend them is among the most important tasks facing arts marketers today. In this workshop, Deborah Obalil, Principal at Obalil & Associates, will provide participants with the tools to practice 360 degree marketing, synchronizing all your efforts for greatest effect regardless if your budget is $5,000 or $500,000.TRANSCRIPT
Marketing Plan Redux
Adjusting for Change
Deborah ObalilObalil & Associates
What is marketing?
It ISN’T “selling” or “telling” It’s the process by which you come to
understand the relationship between your product and the customer.
Vehicle for demonstrating value to the consumer.
Audience Vs. Customer
An Audience is a passive body of spectators; one-sided; short-term.
Customer is a person who buys on a regular basis; active; ongoing relationship; need fulfillment is key to successful sale.
Finds/captures paying customers to support the artistic mission
4 elements:
What are the key Strategic elements of marketing?
Vision
Values
Promotion
Product People
Price Position
Place Politics
What are the key tactical elements of marketing?
Your job . . .
Figure out who you are and what you have to offer
Figure out who they (your customers) are and what they need
How does the planning process work?1. Business Review
2. SWOT Analysis
3. Environmental Analysis
4. Quantifiable Marketing Objectives
5. Target Markets
6. Strategies
7. Tactics
8. Channels
9. Communications goals/strategies
10. Budget
11. Action Plan
12. Evaluation Plan
How does the planning process work? Where are we?
Where do we want to go?
How will we get there?
What will we say, to whom and how?
What will it cost?
How will we measure progress and when?
Did we achieve our goals?
Where are we?
Mission/Artistic Vision Current customers Potential customers Environmental Analysis Competitive Analysis S.W.O.T. Analysis
Where do we want to go?
What three key objectives should we focus on that are SMART?Socially significant (aka – mission driven)
Measureable
Attainable
Resource appropriate
Timely
How will we get there? What strategies and tactics will we employ
that address opportunities uncovered in Section I?
Practice 360° Marketing How do those learnings apply to:
Product
Place
Price
Promotion
People
360° Marketing
Completing the circle with all customer Not a single transaction Builds relationships
Appearing “everywhere” to potential customers Requires knowledge of target, consistent
messaging, timing of strategies/tactics Allows for efforts to build on one another
What will we say, to whom and how? Who does the promotions plan target? What message will motivate them to buy? Where do they get their messages about
leisure time activities/luxury items to purchase?
How do they communicate/learn/connect with others?
Who will do what, when & with what resources? What can and should we pay for, and what
can and should I find pro bono? Does this growth strategy require finding
outside help?
What will it cost?
What will it cost?
6:1 Rule Spend six times more to acquire new
customers than to keep old customers
How will we measure progress and when? Are the systems in place to track new
customers/contacts as we acquire them, and the source of their interest in the organization?
Do we have a process for encouraging their continued interest in the organization?
Did we achieve our goals? What did we learn in the process?
Does our analysis include all six of the Arts Marketing Ps or are we just focused on promotion?
What did we learn about our suppositions regarding new customers that we made in the first section of the planning model?
What did we learn about timing, or internal processes, that could help us in planning or execution of future marketing plans?
Redux Rules
First and foremost know your objective Why are you doing all this in the first place?
Customer segmentation still matters Know your targets better than yourself
Evaluation is more important than ever Not just tracking – analysis too
Listen, listen, listen to your customers It's not just a transaction – it's a relationship
Your Objective
What is the purpose of marketing within your organization? Sales Reputation Customer experience
All strategic and tactical choices must match the objective
For example
If sales is the objective. . .
Then all communications should ultimately point to a purchase opportunity
If reputation is the objective. . .
Then you need to facilitate the process of spreading the word
The Customer
Who are they, demographic description? What are their wants, needs, desires, attitudes,
interests, barriers, concerns, pressures? How could you benefit them? Solve a problem? What, if any, position or image do you conjure in
their minds?
Why segment the market?
“You may please all of the people some of the time, you may even please some of the people all of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.”
Abraham Lincoln
Why segment the market?
“Segmentation is saying something to somebody instead of saying nothing to everybody.”
Jay Conrad Levinson
Guerilla Advertising
Target Segmentation
Conscious selection of the groups of people, or customers, you will try to please in order to focus marketing efforts.
Identifiable, distinguishing characteristics and behaviors shared by the group.
Defining Your Customer Segment
Identifying Demographics Geography Usage Attitudes, beliefs,
opinions Stated future intentions
Enriching Interests Related behavior Personal values Psychological
characteristics Lifestage
How to get the information
General research (US. Census, economic development agencies, small business administration, tourism dept., etc.)
Industry studies (NEA, regional arts service organizations, national arts service organizations)
How to get the information
Your own research Observations Informal contact with customers Surveys (on-line and off-line) Focus groups
Strong objectives have specific targets One size fits all doesn’t work The more detailed your target profile, the
better Remember demographics AND
psychographics AND behavior Analyze size of target, current and potential
penetration, resources required to attract them
3 Keys to a Powerful Message Intimate understanding of the target Product positioned to address consumer
needs and desires Solid communications strategy
Communications Strategy
Objective - What do you want the communication to do? Raise awareness? Make people buy?
Target - Who am I trying to reach with the message?
Message - The promise; one concise statement
Communications Strategy
Support - The facts and features that support the promise; the reason to believe the message is true
Tone - Feeling inspired by the message; the product’s personality
Find the Communications
Strategy in this ad.
Communications Strategy – Freak: John Leguizamo
ObjectiveTo convince the target to come to see John Leguizamo in Freak.
TargetHip young adults, or those who still believe they are (Boomers), who are looking for entertainment on the edge
MessageJohn Leguizamo is a hip, one-of-a -kind, off-the-wall comedian who will freak you out . . . and your date as well
SupportThe critics from the biggest New York newspapers (and CBS-TV) were really enthusiastic about him; quotes from Boomer icons
ToneAppeal to hip, young, ‘with it’ crowd by reflecting their attitudes and speaking their language. . . and standing out on the page
Exercise – Develop a communications strategy The Cutting Edge presenting organization is
planning a 3-day run of E&K's all-nude, butoh-inspired, 90 minute with no intermission performance piece entitled Waves. Past experience has shown that contemporary visual arts audiences often know more about butoh than performance audiences, though E&K have strong brand recognition in the dance world. The piece will be performed in a non-traditional space that is accessible by T.
Task #2
Apply that communications strategy to an online or social media channel (aka – not traditional print media or radio).
How might your efforts be different given the same communications strategy using different media delivery platforms?
Evaluation more important than ever Evaluation is tracking plus analysis – not just
tracking
Establish “evaluation moments” in your plan from the start Recognize how all parts of the communications mix
relate to the purchase decision process Establish multiple points of evaluation Don't wait for the end. . .of your plan, season,
campaign
Low budget tracking options
Unique offer codes Super short surveys Coupons Web site analytics
Google analytics Social Media analytics
Mashable.com – resource on how to use Twitter search Social mention Scout labs (not so low budget)
Did we achieve our goals? What did we learn in the process?
Does our analysis include all six of the Arts Marketing Ps or are we just focused on promotion?
What did we learn about our suppositions regarding new customers that we made in the first section of the planning model?
What did we learn about timing, or internal processes, that could help us in planning or execution of future marketing plans?
Keys to good analysis
Consider all aspects of marketing – not just promotion
Remember to judge all efforts based on achievement of objectives
Measure on-line initiatives through off-line, real world effects
Evaluation Exercise
Develop a tracking and evaluation plan to match your previously developed communications strategy. What will you measure? When will you measure it? Against what objective will you analyze results?
It's about the relationship
ROI improves over the lifetime of a customer relationship
Give it time
Customer experience counts for a lot
Be flexible. . .and willing to lose some control
Listen, listen, listen!
Budgeting
In times of change use zero-based budgeting Allows for accurate assessment of true customer
acquisition costs Enables target or program specific profit and loss
or ROI analysis Empowers you to drop habitual spending that isn't
working anymore Prepares you to make your case for all areas of
spending
