Posts filed under 'market segmentation'
May 28th, 2008
The Columbus Dispatch featured a story recently that highlights a trend across the country – the “staycation.” Does your business offer amenities that cater to the ‘staycationers’ that will be in Rockford this summer? With the high price of gas, many vacationers will be cutting back on travel and opting instead for spending time and money at home.
Think backyard bliss first of all. What can you offer that would make a backyard better? If your realm of expertise falls under food, swimming, lounging or socializing with friends at a small party, you can bet that there will be an audience this summer for your marketing efforts.
And what about relaxing? Salons and spas should be catering to those who may be staying in town to save some money on gas, yet who still will want to feel that they got some R&R time this summer. A spa and hotel package right here in Rockford could be a nice option for a staycation, but there are certainly those who have not thought of this as a good alternative to travel. With a little marketing effort started soon, the summer could look very different indeed. Use words like reconnect, home paradise, local leisure and highlight saving money without skipping the vacation feeling.
For more ideas, check out The Outdoor Living Guide from Consumer Reports:
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/home-garden/resource-center/outdoor-living/0705_outdoor-living.htm
Columbus Dispatch article: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2008/05/25/stay-home_summer.ART_ART_05-25-08_D1_QCA9F64.html
April 18th, 2008
There are 76 million of them…and lots of marketers think they’re all rich, fabulous and retiring early. Ain’t necessarily so, according to a new study by AARP’s marketing research arm, Focalyst. They’re a HUGE market, but there are some basics that need to be understood by any company before marketing to them. For example, while not all of them are wealthy, Boomers are indeed receptive to advertising messages, particularly those messages that describe a product or service in which they’re interested. Boomers are all about trying new things - they’re very experiential - which means they will
Take a peek at the Executive Summary of the Focalyst report, or listen to what the Today show had to say about it yesterday.
March 27th, 2008
Who knew? A major national survey reported this week that wealthy donors - those who give a minimum of $1,000 with an average annual donation of nearly $11,000 - PREFER to donate to their favorite non-profits via online tools versus any other method.
The survey was conducted by Convio, Sea Change Strategies and Edge Research and talked to more than 3,000 donors from 23 major nonprofits. Some of the results include:
- Major donors are online - 80 percent say they’ve made donations off- and online, with 51 percent saying they prefer to give online.
- Email is under-utilized to reach donors - 74 percent of survey respondents said they’d like an email from non-profits to remind them to send in their annual gift.
Traditionally, non-profits are focused on relationship-building, wine-and-cheese receptions and direct mail…but perhaps they need to catch up to the wired world. So many of our activities are online now, and it’s time for non-profits to take heed.
Online communications are not only the trend, they also provide non-profits with a lower overhead and administrative costs. Email blasts, for example, cost pennies per mailing, whereas direct mail pieces cost hundreds of times more.
Reducing administrative costs while increasing donations - now that’s something all donors would support in their favorite charity.
