What is marketing?

‘A dialogue over time with a specific group of customers whose needs you understand in depth, and for whom you develop a specific offer with an advantage over the offers of your competitors’

McDonald

What can a marketing plan do for us?

• Ensure we know who our customers are and what they need

• Plan services that fulfil our customers’ needs

• Effectively communicate the benefits of our services

• Ensure customers are motivated to use our services

• Ensure customers make most

of our services

• Demonstrate the difference

we make and the impact

we have

Today’s workshop

1.Introduce the 7 steps

2.3 group activities to try out key techniques

3.Share & feedback

The 7 Step Toolkit

Step 1. Establish where you want to go – your strategic direction and priorities

Step 2. Identify your overall service offers

Step 3. Identify, segment and describe your customers

Step 4. Define a targeted service offer for each customer segment (to meet their identified needs)

Step 5. Transform your service offer into benefits for each customer segment

Step 6. Translate these benefits into targeted messages or conversations for each segment

Step 7. Communicate your key messages through customer conversations

Step 1. Establish where you– your strategic direction & priorities

Internal• Mission statement

• Values / culture

• Vision / strategy

External Vision / outlook of:

• Wider organisation

• Sector

• Nationally

Step 2. Identify your service offers

SWOT• Strengths• Weaknesses• Opportunities• Threats

See Step 2 page 9

List your offers/products today and those you may be planning for the future

Step 3. Identify, segment and profile your customers

Why segment?•Everyone is different•One-size does not fit all•Bespoke is often not possible•It makes it manageable

How?•Use what you already know•Have conversations with them•Group those with similar needs, wants, motivations and characteristics•Profile them so that you know all about them•Make sure everyone involved knows who they are

‘The identification of individuals with similar characteristics and wants ’Jobber

Why?Need to know who your customers are and what they need before you can begin to provide it.

You need to know them so that you know how best to have conversations and build a relationship with them.

See Step 3 page 12

Tourism Queenslandcustomer segments

Active Explorers

Holidays...where they can be challenged and feel alive

Stylish Travellers

Holidays...where they can stand out from the crowd, and appreciate and enjoy the finer things in life

Self Discoverers

Holidays...where they can enrich their mind and nourish their body

Unwinders

Holidays...where they can reflect and recharge at their own pace

Connectors

Holidays...where they can bond with family and friends

Social Fun-seekers

Holidays...where they can share good times with friends, new and old

ULS Customer Segments• Researchers• Disability• Public• Emeritus Professors• Alumni• Students on campus / off campus / overseas

full time / part time final year / dissertation

• Staff new academicexisting academicretired

The Active Explorerssegment profile

Accommodation • not bound to a particular type of

accommodation• segment most open to staying in backpacker

hostels, eco-lodge resorts or camping grounds • may stay with friends and relatives in a luxury

hotel /resort or standard motel • just needs to be clean and comfortable

Getting around • likely to drive, but will sometimes take a

caravan • may fly, yet prefer to avoid airports • of all segments, most likely to visit multiple

locations during a holiday • unlikely to go on daytrips

Dining • not looking for quality dining options • prefer accessible food - so local pub and club

food is fine • venue isn't so important, the chance to

experience different tastes is what it’s all about

Social interaction • enjoy meeting and mixing with others • mostly travel with their partners, but travel with

family is an option

Holiday patterns • more likely than other segments to think

limited holiday time restricts the distance that can be travelled

• enjoy weekend breaks • will take the opportunity to build holidays

around sporting or other events

What they look for in a perfect holiday

Customer Segment Example

Final year Dissertation students• search / research skills

• familiarity with e-resources

• knowledge of using other libraries/ILL

• know how to find subject support help

• may have left everything until last minute

• may be mainly based in work-place or off campus

• familiarity with flexible services

• familiarity with collections and library services

• know about secure saving, printing options

• referencing, bibliographical tools e.g. Endnote

Profile your segment:-needs-preferences-aspirations-challenges

Activity 1

The 7 Step Toolkit

Step 1. Establish where you want to go – your strategic direction and priorities

Step 2. Identify your overall service offers

Step 3. Identify, segment and describe your customers

Step 4. Define a targeted service offer for each customer segment (to meet their identified needs)

Step 5. Transform your service offer into benefits for each customer segment

Step 6. Translate these benefits into targeted messages or conversations for each segment

Step 7. Communicate your key messages through customer conversations

Step 4. Define a targeted service offer for each customer segment (The 4 Ps)Define a targeted service offer based on your segment’s needs and preferences. Thinking about:

•Product? Which services can you offer to meet their needs?•Place? Where and when can the customer use those services to best meet their needs?•Price? What does the customer have to give up in order to use your services?•Competition? Who else provides what they need?

See Step 4 page 18

‘To implement the marketing concept successfully and satisfy customer needs, different product offerings must be made to diverse customer groups.’ Jobber

Activity 2

Define your service offers to meet your segment’s needs

The 7 Step Toolkit

Step 1. Establish where you want to go – your strategic direction and priorities

Step 2. Identify your overall service offers

Step 3. Identify, segment and describe your customers

Step 4. Define a targeted service offer for each customer segment (to meet their identified needs)

Step 5. Transform your service offer into benefits for each customer segment

Step 6. Translate these benefits into targeted messages or conversations for each segment

Step 7. Communicate your key messages through customer conversations

Step 5. Transform your service offers into customer benefitsFor each service offer to each segment identify the specific benefit of that service offer to them.

Define:

•The difference the service will make to them

•Why the price is worth it

•Why your service is better than the competition

•The overall benefit of your service offer

Benefit: ‘An offer of some entity in which they get more than they give up as perceived by them and in relation to alternatives including doing nothing.’ Perla

Activity 3

Transform your service offers into benefits & differences for your segment

The 7 Step Toolkit

Step 1. Establish where you want to go – your strategic direction and priorities

Step 2. Identify your overall service offers

Step 3. Identify, segment and describe your customers

Step 4. Define a targeted service offer for each customer segment (to meet their identified needs)

Step 5. Transform your service offer into benefits for each customer segment

Step 6. Translate these benefits into targeted messages or conversations for each segment

Step 7. Communicate your key messages through customer conversations

Share & Feedback

The 7 Step Toolkit

Step 1. Establish where you want to go – your strategic direction and priorities

Step 2. Identify your overall service offers

Step 3. Identify, segment and describe your customers

Step 4. Define a targeted service offer for each customer segment (to meet their identified needs)

Step 5. Transform your service offer into benefits for each customer segment

Step 6. Translate these benefits into targeted messages or conversations for each segment

Step 7. Communicate your key messages through customer conversations