Lots of talk about "market segmentation", "micro segmentation" and "geo-segmentation" that will assist you to grow your business.
Not to fear. If these words don't make allot of sense, that's OK because the world has a dearth of website gurus who will teach you how to segment your market; determine which variables are more important; variables like: basic demographics; dollar amounts of your purchase; frequency of your purchases; and the last time you made a purchase...and then what will good marketers do with that?
The good marketers then come up with quality plans to get you, the customer to buy again or to spend more money on your next purchase or give you a reason to come back or any combination thereof. So far so good. Good marketers should do this and then add a little creativity to the mix to come up with compelling offers to get you off the dime and make that purchase.
But what frequently happens is the good marketers try to be creative in selling the same old products to the same old people and expect them to get excited and beat a path to our doors...just because we assumed we knew what the customer wanted, spent a few promotional dollars and paid some computer dudes to "work their SEO magic."
Yippee, but it seems like something is missing in this equation.
What's missing is the strategic examination of FINDING OUT WHAT PEOPLE (segments) ARE LOOKING FOR and then give it to them. Forget about all those people who aren't looking.
They'll just give you a headache.
So what ARE your "high growth potential segments" looking for? How do they define their leisure? What do these types of words mean to "them"? Escapism, fun, entertainment, recreation, sports activity, value,family activities, challenges and competition? And so on.
Until you know how the various market segments you cater to define these words, (in your market), you will never completely understand what they want (and WHO THEY are), in their terms and therefore be much less successful and efficient in your marketing efforts.
All you'll be doing is shooting in the dark. And that's no fun.
So if you need a seeing eye dog...
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
The Real Social Network
New York City was bundled up last night wearing its finest scarf, gloves and coat. It was really cold. Wind chill of minus one degree and getting colder. Newscasters telling people not to go out unless they had something they MUST do. Great for business right?
But yet, as I was walking home from a movie, I noticed that the bars, the restaurants, the clubs...they were pretty crowded. Why was that? Did not these people know that they weren't supposed to go out. And yet they did. Why?
Because their need to be social was greater than their need to avoid the cold. Sociability always wins. Their need to be with friends and families was obviously much greater than the pain of being cold.
So how can your bowling center prove that it is the place to be with friends and families? Think about it. It just may be the key to growing your business.
But yet, as I was walking home from a movie, I noticed that the bars, the restaurants, the clubs...they were pretty crowded. Why was that? Did not these people know that they weren't supposed to go out. And yet they did. Why?
Because their need to be social was greater than their need to avoid the cold. Sociability always wins. Their need to be with friends and families was obviously much greater than the pain of being cold.
So how can your bowling center prove that it is the place to be with friends and families? Think about it. It just may be the key to growing your business.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
What Works For You?
Past behavior is usually a pretty good indicator of how well we will perform in the future. That's why we ask for a resume, for a credit history, educational background, past places of residence and even "references."
In our need to be able to analyze data, we establish habits; habits that control HOW we look at information; habits that force us to come to well worn and comfortable conclusions based upon the type of information we receive.
In the early days of consumer research or market research, marketers looked at numbers, stereotyped "housewives" and proceeded to sell their products to this mythical "average American woman." it wasn't until many years later that the concept of "psychographics" (lifestyle research) was introduced into the equation and marketers learned a thing or two about efficiency.
Like early market researchers, many of us are still examining our business and asking old questions such as "how do we drive traffic?"; how do we get more league daytime bowers?"
The the real questions should be "how can I replicate my existing Saturday night customers and get more of them and that requires more SOPHISTICATED research than we have done; so we go to the email and spam out a discount offer for ALL open play bowlers, maybe even to Jimmy who just had his 6th birthday party with us!
And when it comes to researching our customers we still believe that adult league bowlers are as homogeneous as daytime ladies or seniors. And so our marketing ends up being very broad, but not very deep. Think about all the emails you send out to ALL Open play bowlers.
Why wouldn't a 25 year old sophisticated investment banker buy an open play experience differently and have different expectations than a 25 year old construction worker? No judgement here; just noting the fact that these two people will have different expectations of their bowling experience.
Shouldn't we as proprietors begin to understand the importance of these "expectational differences" (among more narrow segments) to our marketing efforts or does the old way still work for you?
In our need to be able to analyze data, we establish habits; habits that control HOW we look at information; habits that force us to come to well worn and comfortable conclusions based upon the type of information we receive.
In the early days of consumer research or market research, marketers looked at numbers, stereotyped "housewives" and proceeded to sell their products to this mythical "average American woman." it wasn't until many years later that the concept of "psychographics" (lifestyle research) was introduced into the equation and marketers learned a thing or two about efficiency.
Like early market researchers, many of us are still examining our business and asking old questions such as "how do we drive traffic?"; how do we get more league daytime bowers?"
The the real questions should be "how can I replicate my existing Saturday night customers and get more of them and that requires more SOPHISTICATED research than we have done; so we go to the email and spam out a discount offer for ALL open play bowlers, maybe even to Jimmy who just had his 6th birthday party with us!
And when it comes to researching our customers we still believe that adult league bowlers are as homogeneous as daytime ladies or seniors. And so our marketing ends up being very broad, but not very deep. Think about all the emails you send out to ALL Open play bowlers.
Why wouldn't a 25 year old sophisticated investment banker buy an open play experience differently and have different expectations than a 25 year old construction worker? No judgement here; just noting the fact that these two people will have different expectations of their bowling experience.
Shouldn't we as proprietors begin to understand the importance of these "expectational differences" (among more narrow segments) to our marketing efforts or does the old way still work for you?
Monday, January 17, 2011
Mobile Marketing is Gearing Up
Marketing to consumers’ cellphones has long been viewed as something of a holy grail by businesses – prized but always beyond reach. Recently however, new mobile technologies have gone mainstream, making the elusive goal of an always-on connection with customers firmly within reach of even the smallest business. Consider that:
* There are four times the number of cellphones in the world versus PCs (4Bn vs.
1Bn) and 20% of all U.S. households are now “mobile-only”
* Over 130 Billion texts are sent each month, up from practically nothing in 2000
* Gen Yers (18-29) say their phone is the most
important device they own
* According to multiple analysts, Mobile Marketing and Advertising will explode from just a couple hundred million dollars in revenues in 2008 to $3 – 5 billion by 2012.
Here are a few tips to consider as we move into 2011:
# Think of text message marketing as you do email marketing, except instead of collecting an email address you collect a mobile phone number. Like email marketing, you create campaigns at a website and only send them to customers who have opted-in to receive your message.
# But unlike email, you don’t need fancy graphics, just up to 160 characters of plain ‘ol text. So even the most non-technical and non-marketing savvy small business owner can pick it up in just a couple of minutes. Your customers will instantly read your message 97% of the time.
# Acceptance of mobile coupons – A recession-weary public hungering for discounts is latching on to mobile coupons as the ‘killer mobile app’ due to their convenience. More consumer-packaged goods companies, restaurants, and grocers are launching mobile coupons each month.
# Proven ROI – Texting is proving its chops versus email and social media. On average, texting gets seven times the response rate versus email (7% vs 1%) and reaches twenty five times the number of users as does Twitter.
# Big Box retailers and fast food retailers have built mobile sites and Iphone apps that have allowed consumers to order products, rate services, send gifts, send wake up calls to friends and send a slew of other services once only available on line
Look in 2011 for these pioneers to keep blazing trails with:
# Bar Coded Coupons – 200 7-Eleven stores in San Diego are testing scannable bar codes on consumers’ phones to get up to one free drink per day. Indeed, in the next two years Juniper Research projects three billion mobile coupons will be issued to phones.
# Pay by phone – Starbucks is testing Starbucks Card Mobile, which allows customers to pay for coffee in the shop with their phone. Initial tests saw a 60% redemption rate of the coupon component.
# Integration with real-time data – Ace Hardware is combining weather forecasts with text alerts to hawk more shovels.
As bowling proprietors, shouldn't we be looking to utilize these types of tools as well?
Hey Mr BPAA, can you give us a hand here, please? Thank You
* There are four times the number of cellphones in the world versus PCs (4Bn vs.
1Bn) and 20% of all U.S. households are now “mobile-only”
* Over 130 Billion texts are sent each month, up from practically nothing in 2000
* Gen Yers (18-29) say their phone is the most
important device they own
* According to multiple analysts, Mobile Marketing and Advertising will explode from just a couple hundred million dollars in revenues in 2008 to $3 – 5 billion by 2012.
Here are a few tips to consider as we move into 2011:
# Think of text message marketing as you do email marketing, except instead of collecting an email address you collect a mobile phone number. Like email marketing, you create campaigns at a website and only send them to customers who have opted-in to receive your message.
# But unlike email, you don’t need fancy graphics, just up to 160 characters of plain ‘ol text. So even the most non-technical and non-marketing savvy small business owner can pick it up in just a couple of minutes. Your customers will instantly read your message 97% of the time.
# Acceptance of mobile coupons – A recession-weary public hungering for discounts is latching on to mobile coupons as the ‘killer mobile app’ due to their convenience. More consumer-packaged goods companies, restaurants, and grocers are launching mobile coupons each month.
# Proven ROI – Texting is proving its chops versus email and social media. On average, texting gets seven times the response rate versus email (7% vs 1%) and reaches twenty five times the number of users as does Twitter.
# Big Box retailers and fast food retailers have built mobile sites and Iphone apps that have allowed consumers to order products, rate services, send gifts, send wake up calls to friends and send a slew of other services once only available on line
Look in 2011 for these pioneers to keep blazing trails with:
# Bar Coded Coupons – 200 7-Eleven stores in San Diego are testing scannable bar codes on consumers’ phones to get up to one free drink per day. Indeed, in the next two years Juniper Research projects three billion mobile coupons will be issued to phones.
# Pay by phone – Starbucks is testing Starbucks Card Mobile, which allows customers to pay for coffee in the shop with their phone. Initial tests saw a 60% redemption rate of the coupon component.
# Integration with real-time data – Ace Hardware is combining weather forecasts with text alerts to hawk more shovels.
As bowling proprietors, shouldn't we be looking to utilize these types of tools as well?
Hey Mr BPAA, can you give us a hand here, please? Thank You
Saturday, January 8, 2011
TV: Still the 800 Lb. Gorilla
Recent Nielsen reports indicate that the average American is watching more television each week; approximately 34 hours vs. 28 hours just 3 years ago.
In the average American household, the TV set(s) are on for 6 hours and 47 minutes per day.
This average American, today, is also getting on line about 13 hours per week, up from just 9 hours in 2000.
60% of all TV users use the Web at the same time at least once a month, according to a Nielsen report issued in March of 2010. Americans now spend 3.5 hours per month watching TV while on the Internet.
So by the time someone is 65 years old (baby boomers turning 65 this year!!) they will have watched 9 years of TV. Yikes!
So while many advertisers have moved to on line advertising, social media and mobile marketing, the top 100 advertisers last year spent over $100 billion on TV advertising. Many of these advertisers had a strong on line presence s well.
We have always said that the name of the game is synergy; the use of multiple communication channels to reach your target, so each channel adds frequency and message redundancy
Because the consumer is more multidimensional than ever and seeks information from more sources than ever, the need to reach him/her will depend on more forms of media including people who watch video on their mobile devices, (17 million people in 2011. 12 million people in 2009; 57% increase and will only increase by double digits for years to come)!
If you are leaving Television, especially cable TV out of your media mix, or if you are leaving mobile videos out of your mix, you might be leaving your message on the cutting room floor.
Think multi channels, not just one channel. It’s just how it is.
And if you think Americans watch too much TV instead of reading consider this:
The percentage of Americans who can name the Three Stooges? 59%.
The percentage of Americans who can name Three Supreme Court Justices? 17%
In the average American household, the TV set(s) are on for 6 hours and 47 minutes per day.
This average American, today, is also getting on line about 13 hours per week, up from just 9 hours in 2000.
60% of all TV users use the Web at the same time at least once a month, according to a Nielsen report issued in March of 2010. Americans now spend 3.5 hours per month watching TV while on the Internet.
So by the time someone is 65 years old (baby boomers turning 65 this year!!) they will have watched 9 years of TV. Yikes!
So while many advertisers have moved to on line advertising, social media and mobile marketing, the top 100 advertisers last year spent over $100 billion on TV advertising. Many of these advertisers had a strong on line presence s well.
We have always said that the name of the game is synergy; the use of multiple communication channels to reach your target, so each channel adds frequency and message redundancy
Because the consumer is more multidimensional than ever and seeks information from more sources than ever, the need to reach him/her will depend on more forms of media including people who watch video on their mobile devices, (17 million people in 2011. 12 million people in 2009; 57% increase and will only increase by double digits for years to come)!
If you are leaving Television, especially cable TV out of your media mix, or if you are leaving mobile videos out of your mix, you might be leaving your message on the cutting room floor.
Think multi channels, not just one channel. It’s just how it is.
And if you think Americans watch too much TV instead of reading consider this:
The percentage of Americans who can name the Three Stooges? 59%.
The percentage of Americans who can name Three Supreme Court Justices? 17%
Saturday, January 1, 2011
10 Tips For A Positive New Year
Lots of New Year fun with old friends staying over; new friends stopping by and lots of things to do. I really relish this time of the year and so I offer you some food for thought; "Fredquarters Tips For A Positive New Year."
1. When you wake up in the morning, complete the following sentence, "my purpose is_________."
2. Stop being disappointed about where you are at. Think good thoughts about where you are going.
3. Change is NOT your enemy. Make friends with any change that comes your way and be ready to discover the opportunity inside of the challenge.
4. Live with the 3E's : Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy.
5. Believe that everything happens for a reason. When God takes something from you, he is opening up your hands to receive something better.
6. The key to innovation is to focus on solutions. Focus sharply.
7. Read more books than you did in 2010.
8. Smile and laugh more. They are natural anti depressants.
9. Make a difference in somebody's life this year.
10. Enjoy the ride. The purpose of this life isn't to come to the end all shiny and new and always playing it safe. Come in yelling at the top of your lungs, "Wheeeeeeeeeeww; that was a helluva ride!!"
1. When you wake up in the morning, complete the following sentence, "my purpose is_________."
2. Stop being disappointed about where you are at. Think good thoughts about where you are going.
3. Change is NOT your enemy. Make friends with any change that comes your way and be ready to discover the opportunity inside of the challenge.
4. Live with the 3E's : Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy.
5. Believe that everything happens for a reason. When God takes something from you, he is opening up your hands to receive something better.
6. The key to innovation is to focus on solutions. Focus sharply.
7. Read more books than you did in 2010.
8. Smile and laugh more. They are natural anti depressants.
9. Make a difference in somebody's life this year.
10. Enjoy the ride. The purpose of this life isn't to come to the end all shiny and new and always playing it safe. Come in yelling at the top of your lungs, "Wheeeeeeeeeeww; that was a helluva ride!!"
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