Segmentation is worth it
Do any of these messages sound familiar?
We miss you – come back and save 25%
Reminder, you have tickets in your cart
If you liked Hamlet, you’ll love Othello
Subscriber early access starts now
I’m guessing they do. Maybe you’ve written them as a marketer or received them as a consumer – or both. We know that targeted, segmented messaging is a critical part of modern marketing. It is everywhere and it isn’t going away and that’s because it works.
Sure, we can point to data to prove that it works, but we can also check out gut. After all, it just makes sense. People are more likely to respond to a message that speaks to their actual circumstances. You are more likely to pay attention to someone who shows that they actually know you. I know I am.
So why aren’t we doing more of it in the arts?
Let me guess: not enough time and not enough money.
It’s true. The largest arts organizations don’t have the same resources as the Amazons of the world – and let’s face it, most of us are worlds away from even those largest arts organizations. But it’s not all or nothing. There are still small steps we can take to segment our audience and target our messaging.
First, let’s acknowledge that there are costs to this work, both direct and indirect. Printing more than one version of a postcard will cost more money. Building more than one version of an email will take more time, as will pulling the lists. And that doesn’t include the time to do the strategic planning work – how many segments should there be, who should be in them, and what message should they receive.
So, determine how much of this additional work and cost you can absorb and make a plan. If you’re already doing some segmenting, great! Now look at how you can take it further. How can you continue to refine the plan and maximize the impact of each piece of marketing?
If you haven’t done any segmenting before, start small. Don’t try to go from one message going to all patrons to a half dozen segments overnight. How would you split your total audience into two different groups and how would you talk to each of them differently?
Here are a few sample segments you can consider, whether you’re adding more complexity to your strategy or just getting started:
Locals and tourists
Members/subscribers and single admission buyers
Recent buyers, lapsed buyers, and those who have never purchased
Buyers of particular genres, artists, or programming (this includes separating out your education patrons)
In-person and virtual event buyers
Segmenting audiences and delivering targeted messages has many advantages. It can help us improve sales, increase renewal and retention rates, decrease cost of sale, and generally make our marketing more efficient and effective. At its core, the reason behind all of these positive outcomes is that it helps us build more authentic relationships with our patrons and builds the level of trust they feel when interacting with us, because we have demonstrated that we know who they are and are making them an offer that makes sense. And that feels worth the extra work.
If you need help with segmentation, let me know. I can help build a strategy that makes sense for your audience and your organizational capacity.