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Marketing Basics for Interpretive & Heritage Sites and Attractions - Part 2
Part 2 - Market creation Generating new market groups.
By: John A. Veverka (http://www.heritageinterp.com)
The next aspect of developing heritage tourism/attraction marketing plans and materials is the issue of market creation. This is the answer to the question I often ask clients “we know who your visitors are but who do you want your visitors to be?” Market creation is generating new visitors or market groups to come to your site. For example: more school groups; more local visitors or community residents; special interest groups such as photographers, bird watchers, historical architecture buffs, railroad buffs; more retired visitors, etc. Here are some of the questions to be answered in developing marketing strategies and materials for these potential visitors (market groups)
What specific new target markets would be interested in the stories, materials, experiences, artifacts, etc. that our site offers?
What would we promote as the BENEFITS for these new market groups to coming to our attraction? Whats in it for them by coming to our attraction?
Would these be seasonal market groups? If so, which seasons?
How do we contact these new market groups (advertisements in specialty magazines or publications, mail outs to clubs and organizations, E-Mails to specialty organizations membership lists, etc?)?
Do we have the support services in place to handle a surge in visitation (parking, staff, food service, volunteers, etc.) if they show up?
How do we design and structure our advertising materials to get the attention of, and RELATE to these new market groups? Do our marketing materials have photos with “people” in them? Are there photos of our intended market groups in our marketing pieces? What are the people in our marketing piece photos doing?
How will we track and evaluate the success of our market creation plan?
Will we need to do some site re-design or additions for these new market groups (such as adding “baby changing stations” in restrooms if we are trying to attract families with very young children)?
Are these new market groups “renewable” (want to come to the attraction more than once) or are they one-time visitors only (as the market groups might be for attractions located along interstate highways)?
How have other attractions done that cater to or try to attract these same market groups?
You can see that there is overlap in considering these questions, as you may be marketing to both groups (current visitors as well as trying to attract new or different market groups) at the same time. The question arises as to “how you can do any real marketing efforts at all without knowing the answers to most of these questions”? This is why some existing marketing pieces can “look” great but not work. They are giving answers to questions that your main market groups “arent asking”, and not answering the questions that they are asking. And no one knows this is going on.
Part 3 of 3 will be posted next week.